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 EltahawyRead
I can write about my culture and religion because I am a product of both. Even when I'm accused of giving ammunition to the Islamophobic right, in the struggle between 'community' and 'women,' I always choose the women.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes prioritizing women's rights and voices over communal pressures, reflecting a personal intersection of culture and religion.
Mona Eltahawy's quote highlights the challenge of navigating one's identity in a space where cultural and religious expectations can sometimes conflict with gender equality. By declaring her allegiance to women, she underscores the importance of advocating for women's rights even at the potential cost of community acceptance, illustrating the intricate relationship between personal beliefs and broader social issues.
Themes
WomenCultureReligionCourageIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared at a women's rights rally to emphasize the importance of prioritizing women's voices.
More from Mona Eltahawy
All quotes →I'm no fan of Sarkozy, but I support a ban on face veils because they erase women from society and are promoted by an ultra-conservative ideology that equates piety with the disappearance of women.
Mona EltahawyRead
It is the harassers and assaulters who make us 'look bad,' not the women who have every right to expose crimes against them.
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I believe at the heart of any revolution for social justice and human dignity are consent and agency, the unequivocal belief that I own my body - not the state, not the church/mosque/temple, not the street and not the family.
Mona EltahawyRead
I will never ally with Islamophobes and racists. But in the choice between 'community' and Muslim women, I will always choose my sisters.
Mona EltahawyRead
I detest the niqab and the burka for their erasure of women and for dangerously equating piety with that disappearance - the less of you I can see, the closer you must be to God.
Mona EltahawyRead
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