Women's rights in the Middle East
The Stream speaks with Mona Eltahawy, author of 'Why Do They Hate Us?'
- Egyptian-American columnist Mona Eltahawy sparked an online firestorm last week with her controversial article, "Why Do They Hate Us?" . The article condemns misogyny and gender inequities in a post-revolution Arab world. Many critiques of Eltahawy's piece focused on the framing more so than the facts presented in the article.
Pictured below, a snapshot of Mona Eltahawy's Twitter page, which supporters and critics have flooded with comments in response to her article. - A brief sample of the ongoing Twitter debate:
- One criticism Eltahawy addressed was the outcry over the images that accompanied her article. Some argued the visuals reinforced Western stereotypes and the exoticised portrayal of Arab women.
- Foreign Policy editor Blake Hounshell's defense of the images:
For those asking, the photos accompanying @monaeltahawy's piece were chosen by FP. She never saw them before we published.- A frequent commentator on Arab and Muslim issues, Eltahawy speaks extensively on women's rights in the Arab world. Below, at a New America Foundation event, she discusses the intersection of Islamic feminism and the Arab Spring.
- For more on the online reactions to Eltahawy's article, check out The Stream's previous coverage:
Article on women in the Middle East triggers debateNetizens praise and criticise journalist Mona Eltahawy's piece "Why Do They Hate Us?"
