Top 6 Quotes by Mona Eltahawy

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

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

Matter, Subversive, Can Do

Mona Eltahawy (2015). “Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution”, p.139, Macmillan

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

Confusion, Hook, Left

Being a woman anywhere is dangerous.

Mona Eltahawy

Being A Woman, Dangerous

Mona Eltahawy (2015). “Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution”, p.108, Macmillan

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

Land, Ideas, Feminist