Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World

As political change sweeps the streets and squares, the parliaments and presidential palaces of the Arab world, Shereen El Feki has been looking at an upheaval a little closer to home—in the sexual lives of men and women in Egypt and across the region. The result is an informative, insightful, and engaging account of a highly sensitive and still largely secret aspect of Arab society.

Sex is entwined in religion, tradition, politics, economics, and culture, so it is the perfect lens through which to examine the complex social landscape of the Arab world. From pregnant virgins to desperate housewives, from fearless activists to religious firebrands, from sex work to same-sex relations, Sex and the Citadel takes a fresh look at the sexual history of the region and brings new voices to the debate over its future.

This is no peep show or academic treatise but a highly personal and often humorous account of one woman’s journey to better understand Arab society at its most intimate and, in the process, to better understand her own origins. Rich with five years of groundbreaking research, Sex and the Citadel gives us a unique and timely understanding of everyday lives in a part of the world that is changing before our eyes.

Since the political unrest that swept across the Middle East in 2011, all eyes have been on the streets and squares erupting in protest. But for the past four years, Shereen El Feki has been looking at upheaval a little closer to home—in the sexual lives of men and women across the Arab world. The result is an informative, insightful, and engaging account of a highly sensitive and still largely secret aspect of Arab society. 

Sex might seem a strange lens through which to examine change, but it is a prism that refracts the region's complex social spectrum, from religion and culture to politics and economics. Sexual attitudes and behaviors not only are a reflection of the conditions that led to the recent uprisings but will also be a measure of hard-won reforms in the years to come.

By linking sexuality to political, economic, social, and religious trends, Sex and the Citadel opens a window on the greater landscape of the Arab world. This highly personal account, rich with original research and first-person stories, gives us unprecedented and timely insight into a part of the world that is being transformed before our very eyes.

A Note on Language   xi

Introduction   xiii

1. Shifting Positions   3

2. Desperate Housewives   27

3. Sex and the Single Arab   93

4. Facts of Life   134

5. Sex for Sale   180

6. Dare to Be Different   216

7. Come the Revolution   278

Notes   297

Bibliography   317

Acknowledgments   333

Index   335