To this day I have no idea what dissident professor or librarian placed feminist texts on the bookshelves at the university library in Jeddah, but I found them there. They filled me with terror. I understood they were pulling at a thread that would unravel everything.

Mona Eltahawy

Categorized in : Me Day Library University

The most subversive thing a woman can do is talk about her life as if it really matters.

Mona Eltahawy

subversive matter can-do

Being a woman anywhere is dangerous.

Mona Eltahawy

being-a-woman dangerous

My own feminist revolution evolved slowly, and traveled the world with me. To this day I have no idea what dissident professor or librarian placed feminist tests on the bookshelves at the university library in Jeddah, but I found them there. They filled me with terror. I understood they were pulling at a thread that would unravel everything. Now that I am older, I can see that feeling terrified is how you recognize what you need. Terror encourages you to jump, even when you don't know if you will ever land.

Mona Eltahawy

feminist land ideas

I support freedom of speech - even Pamela Geller's right to her Islamophobic subway posters.

Mona Eltahawy

freedom-of-speech subway support

Slavish obedience to the clerics, who know how to squeeze every last drop of advantage out of religion, is killing our girls. We must speak-blaspheme, if necessary; be accused of being apostates, if that is what is required. Muslims are taught that Islam put an end to the Arabian practice of burying alive newborn baby girls because they were considered worthless and a burden, but as long as we stay quiet in the face of the abomination of child marriage, we are effectively burying our girls alive today.

Mona Eltahawy

girl baby children

I'm here to confuse you. Confusion is my right and left hook.

Mona Eltahawy

hook left confusion

As an Egyptian, I was glad to see the film 'Black Panther' embrace my country with its inclusion of the Ancient Egyptian goddess Bast as the deity of Wakandans. But considering the anti-black racism against the Nubian indigenous community and visitors in my country, I knew Egypt would not return the love.

Mona Eltahawy

black community racism love

To me, Egypt is a wonderful history, a wonderful people, and it's represented through artists like Om Kalthoum, who is considered the fourth pyramid of Egypt. She's a wonderful diva whose voice, for me, is really Egyptian.

Mona Eltahawy

me voice history people

We must make sure #MeToo breaks the race, class, gender, and faith lines that make it so hard for marginalized people to be heard.

Mona Eltahawy

gender race faith people

All religions, if you shrink them down, are all about controlling women's sexuality.

Mona Eltahawy

religions down you women

Authoritarianism, religious fundamentalism and militarism are inherently patriarchal and hierarchical.

Mona Eltahawy

patriarchal fundamentalism religious

Bashar al-Assad's henchmen stomped on the hands of famed Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat. Our dictators tailor wounds to suit their victims' occupations.

Mona Eltahawy

tailor suit wounds hands

It's one thing to be groped and harassed by passers-by, but when the state gropes you, it gives a green light that you are fair game.

Mona Eltahawy

game you green light

When Tunisians overthrew Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 29 days and Egyptians Hosni Mubarak in 18 days, it was an appropriate rebuke to dictators and Bin Laden.

Mona Eltahawy

egyptians dictators days rebuke

Across the globe, fundamentalists of all religions are on one side, and their attitudes towards women and towards female sexuality are almost identical.

Mona Eltahawy

all-religions religions side women

Authenticity has never been Barbie's strong suit.

Mona Eltahawy

suit never barbie strong

As a feminist of Egyptian and Muslim descent, my life's work has been informed by the belief that religion and culture must never be used to justify the subjugation of women.

Mona Eltahawy

women work life culture

Morality crusades unite military regimes and religious zealots alike.

Mona Eltahawy

alike unite morality military

The first time I wore a head scarf, I was 16. I looked and felt like a nun. I missed the wind in my hair. For me, it was not a comfortable thing to wear.

Mona Eltahawy

me hair time wind

My family moved to Saudi Arabia from Glasgow when I was 15. Being a 15-year-old girl anywhere is difficult - all those hormones and everything - but being a 15-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia... it was like someone had turned the light off in my head. I could not get a grasp on why women were treated like this.

Mona Eltahawy

women family girl light