The sexual misery of the Arab world

The Sexual Misery of the Arab World http://nyti.ms/1mx1mBi

We need more writing like this, in major venues like the New York Times. So-called religious tolerance should not include tolerance of the oppression of and brutality toward women.

I should note that this op-ed was published in three languages: English, French and Arabic.

I'm not familiar with too much feminist Arabic writing about living in and/or under Islamic law. Just the usual Western stuff. But one site I've found helpful is this:

Arab Women Writers

It's got a great list, and a really helpful bibliography and "must read" list of the site founder's own personal favorites.

>1 sturlington: Thanks for posting that. It's a little discussed topic, both because we tend to be so solipsistic in our understanding of the world, and because any criticism of other cultures seems both hypocritical and gives fuel to the xenophobes who are so prominent right now.

But there's no doubt that the more a society "others" women, the more unhealthy it is. We see it in Evangelical Christian "purity culture" and in the Islamic fundamentalists' fixation on hiding the female body. Repressed societies fixate on women's sexuality.

I do need to read more written by Arabic and Muslim women. Thanks for the link, SBL.

>3 RidgewayGirl: I got the link from this LT topic:

Women who don't write in English: http://www.librarything.com/topic/195623

The link, and the topic, have been invaluable.

>1 sturlington: That you posting. That was a fascinating article.

Yes, brave man.

>1 sturlington:

So-called religious tolerance should not include tolerance of the oppression of and brutality toward women.

Forgot but meant to add: or that toward not-straight people.

But it begins with the dehumanization and disenfranchisement of women.

Until I read her obit recently in The New York Times, I was unaware of Fatima Mernissi, described as having been "a driving force in Islamic feminism." And, she wrote some of her work in English (also some in French).

And... Kamel Daoud abandons public debate due to accusations of encouraging islamophobia (quick search did not turn up anything in English, sorry):

Accusé d’encourager l’islamophobie, Kamel Daoud se retire du débat public