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
As a woman in Saudi Arabia, you have one of two options. You either lose your mind - which at first happened to me because I fell into a deep depression - or you become a feminist.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Women in restrictive societies must choose between succumbing to despair or embracing change through feminism.
This quote highlights the challenges faced by women in Saudi Arabia, illustrating the emotional toll of living in a restrictive society. Eltahawy emphasizes that the path available to women is often fraught with difficulty, provoking a deep depression due to oppression, or the fight for liberation and equality through feminism. It reflects the resilience and strength needed to confront societal norms and push for personal and collective rights.
Themes
FeminismWomen'S RightsOppressionDepressionCourage
In practice
Example use cases
During a women's rights rally, this quote can be used to emphasize the need for activism.
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.
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.
Mona EltahawyRead
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
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