Great article. I especially like this quote: “When it comes to Muslim women, it’s about headscarves and hymens — in other words, what’s on our heads and what’s between our legs.”

It’s been a mystery to me for years. At first glance, the strict codes might seem to de-emphasize sexuality. But in practice, they have the opposite effect.

To the point where, as you eloquently put it, one can get the impression that the only interesting thing about a muslim woman is her hymen and her headscarf.

Meanwhile, sexuality is only a small part of the identity of a non-muslim woman. Yes, she’s *also* a sexual being, but she isn’t /only/ or even /mainly/ a sexual being.

Research show that teenagers in areas where “abstinence only” is taught (such as parts of USA) debut sexually earlier than kids in parts of the world where a open and honest discussion is possible. It should be a paradox to conservative catholics in the US-south, for example, that teenagers from there get pregnant *5* times more often than teenagers from liberal Scandinavia.

I agree with you, it’s amusing to watch conservative muslim men get their beards in a knot over young women who do what *they* want to do, for a change.

horrible article. a device with the sole purpose purpose of cheating. and cheating who? the one you will will vow to love an honour and be true to for the rest of your life. If it’s okay for you to have premarital relationships, why not find a partner who have the same values, than lying and cheating to someone.

yea yea yea having premarital relationship and then faking your own virginity is something that has to do with what’s on your head and between your legs, it doesn’t mean you’re a lying cheating person, and of course it will be followed by a mountain of lies upon lies about your past relationships.

What a great place you help with world to become, but it’s only those 60 years you will live, and those haters racist people that embrace you so they can say “well look, even one of them thinks it’s wrong”. of course as a Muslim you’re supposed to believe in the afterlife (I know you don’t believe in anything, you’re just and opportunist taking advantage of her situation) and I really hope you will be with those who get an orgasm from your articles.

I read your article and I read ahmad’s reply and your article now makes more sense,since you without any effort at your side provided proof of what is written

I laughed so hard when i read about the fake hymen a week ago,the funny thing is that now they are writing articles saying it causes cancer or some kind of scary disease.

i am not with dishonesty and i am not with sex before marriage,but i laughed because i felt that all the innocent women who died in the name of honor in the past years are smiling now in their graves

Men asked for it,they had it coming.

they are the ones who dishonor girls and they are the ones who punish them.

sex is an act between two,man and woman,(we’ll skip other options now)and when there is an honor crime,who gets to be punished..yes the female..men are usually never mentioned,they get married(to a virgin of course) have children and lead a normal life.the poor girl,her family,her siblings,are defamed and dishonored forever.

Ahmed, I am not going to try and convince you that premarital sex is okay. I’m not going to try and tell you that cheating is acceptable. So don’t assume that I accept either for myself personally.

I will say that what you’re demonstrating is a complete lack of faith in Muslim women to make ethical choices about what to do with their bodies. You are naive to think that banning a fake hymen will prevent premarital sex, and a tyrant to think it’s your place to say when and with whom a woman might part her thighs. Do you think that your values are so profoundly superior to that of a Muslim woman that you get to make that choice for us? Do you think we’re so stupid, so delayed, so completely out-of-whack that we can’t make any decent choices?

Oh, and by the way…crack a biology textbook: Hymens can be broken from many things: running, biking, walking…etc. In fact, small perforations are NECESSARY for a woman to menstruate. A completely sealed hymen is called an “imperforate hymen”, and has to be corrected surgically. Otherwise, a girl cannot menstruate. Blood will accumulate, causing abdominal pain. She may even have trouble using the restroom. Even a “microperferate hymen” (one that doesn’t have enough of an opening) needs surgical treatment in order to allow a girl to menstruate. A totally normal hymen is nowhere near completely sealed. Virgins have had to fake blood for centuries simply because not everyone bleeds on the wedding night, and yet women are supposed to pay the price for your ignorance of basic anatomy.

With your attitude you won’t need to worry about any hymens, fake or real. But no need to worry about you getting yours. You’ve called Mona’s article’s orgasmic. Perhaps you really have achieved a level of sexual superiority women can only aspire to. I mean, Mona’s quite an excellent writer. But getting an orgasm from one of her articles? You should probably buy her dinner for that at least!

On a lighter note, will they be selling the knockoff hymens along with the knockoff bags on Canal Street in Chinatown?!

[...] El Tahawy did not like how Egyptians were hot and bothered over fake hymensWith all the troubles Egypt faces these days — spiralling cost of living, a president in power for [...]

[...] Mona El Tahawy writes about the double standard of justice in Malaysia and its effect Muslims like Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno and the fake hymen fiasco in Egypt. [...]

[...] El Tahawy se nije svidelo koliko su Egipćani bili besni zbog lažnih himena. Uz sve nevolje koje Egipat danas ima, rast troškova života, predsednik koji je na vlasti već 28 [...]

Men who call them selves Muslims and who are having sex outside marrige shouldn’t judge a woman who uses such device, as she may have been raped & she feared not to be humiliated by you & may drive her to commit more sins.

I personally know some men over 60+ in age still commit adultry even they are married & have kids who are married or in marrige age, some of them there wives know about it and accept it as long as they don’t marry another wife. The same men I know, their sons are following their foot steps, and they are covered behind the religus musk of Mutawaeen.

Some of this men come from a house of highly well known Islamic Scholers.

[...] El Tahawy hakupendezwea na jinsi Wamisri walivyopamba moto na kuguswa juu ya bikira bandia pamoja na matatizo yote Wamisri wanayoyakabili siku hizi – gharama za maisha [...]

I think it would be helpful for men across the world to sit quietly and imagine having a hymen. Sit quietly by themselves and really try to imagine. They should practice this exercise until they feel like they fully understand what it might be like. After they have mastered this exercise, they can participate in discussions regarding female virginity. But until then, I’m afraid they are out of their element.

This. Is. Ridiculous. Nice article Mona. I will say the fact that women in certain parts of the world feel the need to go to these lengths to be deemed a ‘worthy wife” is just…ridiculous.

This issue surfaced in France a little more than a year ago: Muslim Virginity, Times Front Page.

I have the impression that Pakistani religious Muslims are just as obsessed with male as with female virginity.

Hillarious! This fake hymen has reached Jordan! That’s what made me google it and eventually reach this page.

Great niche market lol

Mona Excellent article.. Ahmed you might be lucky enough to experience a chinese hymen

this is fake fake
not true at all just for propaganda
http://kashfun.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-post_8521.html