He is a jerk.

How can Mr Khattab know the beauty beneath the niqab when he obviously can’t see the beauty of this Muslim woman before him? Who said in this great country that someone has to make anyone a spokesperson?Ms. Eltahawy has the rule of law to support her authority to make statements that best represents her world view. If Mr. Khattab wants to live in a place where he can threaten someone for lifestyle choices, perhaps a country that mandates the wearing of the niqab would be a more viable nation of residence for him. I may not agree with the opinion that the niqab should be banned but I will defend the right of anyone who speaks to that end. I have your back, Mona.

Kipp

That is quite scary. Khattab should realize that hijab simply means modesty, and not just physically with a piece of cloth. Hijab also applies to both women AND men. You shall practice hijab with the way you speak and act and Khattab is in defiance of that. Practicing hijab includes respecting difference in opinion.

And I’d love to see where in the Qur’an it says that hijaab means to cover your hair because it says cover your “adornments and bosom.” It is in the hadiths that there are interpretations of how to practice hijab. If it was clearly written in the Qur’an (and Islamic scholars didn’t debate it), all Muslim women would cover their hair, but they don’t!

Who put him in charge of you? I hope you speak in a free country Saturday night where righteous men and women can stand up with you.
Please stay strong, it is because of you and women like you that our sisters will gain greater freedom, respect and rights.

He’s right. Now be quiet and get back to your kitchen because your mind is too feeble to consider other people’s points of view

be careful, mona… these crazies are starting to worry me for you.

Wish I could be there, Mona, to help you give him a verbal smack down if he opens his ridiculous mouth. Your bravery for standing up against cavemen like this is admirable, dear friend!

Mona,

You know I love you and admire you and actually wish I were you!

I think you represent us “Muslim women of the 21st century” just fine.

Buddy here seems to have a MASSIVE crush on your face and body since he feels you need to cover them both up. See…these men from the stone age, when they buried baby girls shortly after their birth for whatever reasons made sense to them, have continued on into our time in the form of false, ignorant and arrogant religious leaders who pretend to know all bout God and what he wants when they only crave power in all its shapes and forms.

So, they preach this BS you read here because they are cowards who cannot admire beautiful women they cannot F*&#k, lock up behind their closed doors to control them and have them become maids, cooks and baby making machines for their male hyper-inflated egos.

Stay strong Mona…we got your back!

Mona…please stay safe, especially from pathetic losers like him! thank you so much for standing up for women everywhere. You’re in my thoughts..keep fighting the good fight!

Mona,

I am sorry you have to deal with such a abrasive individual. I am glad you made this public and yes, report when necessary.

Unfortunately, women always receive a level of criticism that tends to be more degrading than that towards men. He is a coward and his lack of ability to objectively listen to different view points shows his character.

Stay strong!

Dear Ramsey Khattab,
Instead of attacking Mona for not wearing the veil and how she looks,maybe you need to listen to how she defends muslims and arabs abroad. She seems to come from a religoius muslim family who, like thousands of arabs and muslims, are proud of Mona and Mona’sachievements.

You need to see how she defends youth revolutions against world renouned zionists like Dr. Dershowitz of Harvard University. She simply put him into shame! What have you done to help our cause?

How stupid and ignorant is this Khattab! His thinking is worthy of a fundamentalist or a terrorist rather to say that you do not have permission to speak on behalf of Muslim women. Just a question. Has someone gave him the right to speak on behalf of us Arab-Americans? I have never gave him nor my voice or my vote, and so hundreds of my friends. And the catastrophe is that Mr. Khattab was in 2008 The Education Chair of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of New Jersey. How pathetic ..
Now, it seems according to the above that the Niqab is mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah!! Well, bad walk … Is real clear that we neither know what is ours and we want to teach over the other.
Finally, with all my due respect to you dear Mona, how he dare to say that you have “ugly face and body”? I think that the genius is suffering from myopia ..
And as we say in Arabic: “If you do not have no shame, do what you want”.
Greetings

omg that is soo crazy,, who is this guy anyway?? he’s the hypocrite who claims to be muslim yet he’s threatening and judging others

And this guy says he is Muslim? Shame on him !
He should move to Saudi Arabia : he will be with guys like him.
Take care. We need more women like you !

It is so ironic to hear this fellow call anyone ‘pathetic loser’. But again, self-awareness was never the strong suit of this type of nutcase

Khattab:

Mona is relatively peace-loving and probably wouldn’t kill you, even if you threatened her with physical violence. Not everyone has such a pacific nature. If you decide to make trouble for Mona, be absolutely certain that I am not standing behind you.

This Muslim woman is proud of Mona. I don’t agree with her branch of Islam in her personal life, and maybe I don’t even agree with her take on Niqab, but she is a tough, logical speaker and how dare you threaten her!!

hey Mona,
you can speak for me too. By the way just for this pathetic coward’s record: I am a very religious muslim women.

Looks like he attended the Donald Trump school of letter writing, as per the recent and poorly written letter The Donald wrote to the NY Times!

Mona’s strategy is sound- expose these ding dongs for the ridiculous people they are. There’s nothing they fear more than ridicule.

That said, PLEASE be careful, Mona, for the crazies that are out there!

Apart from the obvious brutishness of the message, lack of respect, and mean-spiritedness, the amazing irony is that this GUY is himself presuming to speak for Muslim women. This is clearly evidenced by his attempt to silence your voice based on the blatant presumption that your voice DOESN’T represent ANY Muslim women … He’s in turn speaking on their behalf to tell you that you don’t speak for them or resonate with them, and not only that, but also that you should shut it.

If anyone reading this doesn’t see the absurdity of that, please reread that message.

Also, is it not kinda funny that the burden of proof is on you to produce an example of a Muslim woman on whose behalf you speak (who agrees with you)? At the very least, you are a Muslim woman expressing your own opinion and feeling about the niqab, while he is not one. Why is the burden of proof not on HIM to show that there isn’t even a single woman who agrees with you (as he so claims)?

I just wanted to point out the hypocrisy and double-standard behind the hate and anger.

Having said that, there are many people with you & we got your back

Dear Mona !

You represent everything that I admire. You’re courageous. You’re independent. You’re outspoken. You’re proud. You’re intelligent. You make your own choices, and on the rare occurances where you’re wrong – aren’t afraid to admit it.

Khattab represents everything that I detest. He threathens you simply because you say things he disagrees with. He is rude and offensive. He reads as barely-coherent-ramblings. He longs for the middle-ages, where people who disagree in general, and women in particular, aren’t allowed to openly voice their opinion.

I’ve never seen you claim to speak for muslim women in general.

Who “authorized or assigned” Nelson Mandela to fight for what he thought was right ? Who “authorized” Martin Luther King ? Who, for that matter, “authorised and assigned” Muhammed or Jesus ?

It is the responsibility of every one of us, to work towards a better world, to the best of our ability. If everyone waited for “authorization” (by whom?) before starting this work, we’d still be living in caves.

It saddens me that people who dare stand up, has to suffer ignorant fools such as Mr. Khattab.

Ignore him; ازبليه. What an A**hole!

I’m proud of you for publishing and going public about this harassment. Plenty of bloggers–myself included–just keep quiet, delete the comments and ensure that they “modify” them from then on. I wonder, when we do this, how much we end of “modifying” ourselves instead? Thank you for your strong example to the blogging community. It’s one I’m going to follow.

Dear Mona,

I am proud of you and admire your intelligence, honesty, opinions, integrity and courage. You are such a shining example for us all, men and women alike. I came to know you very recently through one of your TV appearances when you so confidently predicted the downfall of Mubarak in late January. I remember your words “Mubarak is finished”. I just love your personality.

As for Mr. Khattab, he does not deserve even a comment. I reserve my jokes for more funny idiots.

i cannot believe that he actually wrote this!
horrifying.

well, I AM a woman asking you to speak about these issues! among thousands of others, i suppose.

be careful.
but, still: yalla, ya mona! you brave and brilliant one!

I really agree with you Mona. You are doing a great job. You are actually taking a lot of workload off me. I’ve had a lot of stress lately, so i really appreciate your efforts.

Thanks
Satan

PS See you in Hell with the people you misguide

I understand that she is a passionate about issues concerning women!
But I really hope that she does not engage in discussions regarding Islam or women in Islam. I am in no position to judgde her, that is for the ALMIGHTY.. Maybe her heart is even more pure then ours, but that does not mean that she should talk about womens rights and Islam!! Islam is the only solution for women; All other so called women movements are just a waste of time. My idea is for her to exclude muslims or Islam from her talks. Unless you live by the commands of the AlMIGHTY u should not talk about them!

May Allah swt bless and protect you, your friends, your family Mona. Keep going, keep doing what you are doing and don’t stop – you are doing great work, and Allah is there watching you and loves us all. Although I don’t agree with a ban, I don’t agree with gender segregation either and it is un-Islamic. And we must all respect one another – that is Islam. There is a quote I heard recently – by a Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari (I don’t know what else he said, but he said this):”The stronger one is the one who can absorb the violence and anger from the other and change it to love and understanding. It is not easy; it is alot of work. But this is the real jihad.” I saw your post on El Farouk’s fb. Much salaams my sister.

OMG I can’t believe what I just read, who is this dude? He sounds like he works for the former Mubarak regime. What a crazy, clearly off his meds. and it shows.

Ya Mona, you are an inspiration to all women and especially to muslim Egypitan women like my self. You’re a true humanitarian, with tremendous courage and strength. I salute you!

The Koran doesn’t explain wht a hijab is. And there is zero anthropological evidence of the dress of the prophets time.

On top of that Aisha says to cover the neck and bosom.

This face covering shit is literally man made.

And you Mr. Khattab make a compelling argument as to why Muslim women need to stand up for themselves and speak their truths…nobody would choose you to represent them..if not simply because your grammar is abhorrent. Mona on the other hand is a voice for so many who are fearful of lunatics such as yourself.

Such losers abound in the world. Please take of yourself but don’t ever stop speaking out.

Dear Mona dont let these poeple drag you down .. you have all the right in the world , he is obviousley a radicalist with retarded ideas … i bet he is wearing a NEQUAB too LOL.. I support your message 100% i wish i can make it to the city please try to come to albany , ny

Mona,

Glad you’ve exposed those ugly threats for all to see.
And Mr. Khattab, Hijab is not mentioned in the Qur’an as well.
My final comment; is that what Muslims have finally come to , to fight globally over hiding the Muslim woman’s body?
Mona, you’re not alone there.
A lot of still holding to their sanity-Muslims are with you.
If hiding the woman’s body was such a big deal to God, he would have created her all hairy and fuzzy just like he did with the Guerrila

If you don’t believe in freedom of expression for people you despise, you don’t believe in it at all. We should not get sucked in or “stoop to Mr. Khttab’s level.”, for one to maliciously intimidate and insult to censor the other from exercising his/her freedom of expression is simply brainless. I will be there Mr. Khttab, rest assured you will walk out of there in handcuffs if you make a move.

It’s pathetic ‘men’ like this, that are the real threat and insult to Islam, and the Arab world. Mona, you are representing us woman perfectly! The idiot above, is just that, and should go back to the cave that he came from!

Mona, you are very important to many of us as are your ideas!!!! PLEASE take some muscle with you to the fundraiser (think close friend with imposing stature). The type of person who makes threats normally doesn’t go thou with them. YALLA Ya mona we are with you. INTY BATALA

Well, a person like Ramsey Khattab is unfortunately not alone with his twisted ideas. Worst is that persons like him is neither willing to listen to others than himself – or willing to discover that a dialogue is a two-ways communication …

Only thing I can say to persons like him – would be to quote Groucho Marx:

“Anyone who says he can see through a woman is missing a lot”.

Anyone threatening harassment and disruption and insisting the police will protect him from potential abuse is obviously a nutjob. It’s an unfortunate fact of modern life that taking any principled stand these days will bring out threatening psychos. Most of them are just a lot of noise, but alas, one never knows and has to be careful.

I always follow Mona’s blogs. Some of her views I agree with and some I don’t. Of course Mona is entitled to her own opinion and freedom of speech on an issue, but she should be ready to take criticizm from others as a freedom of speech as well. It happens every day and just watching Jon Stewart or Colber report prove it. I have to be fair to both in my response to this silly matter.

it seems from Ramsey’s email to Mona that Ramsey didn’t like Mona’s Niqab’s interview amid the heat arabs, Muslims and Isalm itself are getting lately especially after calling the Quran Evil and burning it down in Flroida few days ago.

Most of Ramsey’s message is nothing more than sarcastic criticizm. If you follow his blogs and status updates on Face book, you will verify his dry and sometimes funny sarcasm yourselves. He is not asking Mona to wear a Hijab as some of you have stated. It is very clear that he was sarcastic about it by telling Mona in other words that if she is declaring that she is a Muslim woman who knows the Quran and Sunnah very well to be very sure that Niqab is not in the Quran or Sunnah, and therefore she refuses to wear it or support anyone else to do so, then why she is not wearing Hijab since Hijab is in the Quran and Sunnah. Do you see the sarcasm here?

I also don’t see any threats in Ramsey’s message in his last statement to Mona. It is clear he is stating that if Mona criticizes Islam and Arab men at the event he will criticize her back and ask the organizers to have her thrown out of the event which would cause her public humiliation. He didnt state he will throw her out himself or wait for her outside for it to be considered a threat.

I don’t think it is really appropiate to give this incident that much attention or make it public. Both of them are entitled to freedom of speech and criticism. We all should be civil whenever we disapprove of something. Mona got so many very bad criticizm and names calling on uTube and Facebook for some of her articles including the Niqab’s interview.

Sue

@ Sue Ahmed

I suspect from your general tone that you disagree quite a bit less with Mona Eltahawy than you agree with her despite your rather limp attempt to come across as an impartial observer. I have no idea who Ramsey Khattab is but it’s clear to me he’s making a direct threat. Your attempt to equate a this threat against a female with freedom of expression is risible as is your defence of the moron making the threat and only illustrates to show where your true sentiments lie.

@ Matthew Blott

Thank you for your response. I rest my case. You didn’t like what I said so you attacked me and used names calling against me and Ramsey. So why are you upset about his email to Mona then when he disagreed with her interview on the Niqab?

I am impartial to both and that is why I see it without being biast. It seems though that you are not because you might be her friend or fan. I know Ramsey through his writings but I never met him in person and I also know Mona through her writings but I never met her in person.

I quote Ramsey “I will have you thrown out of the meeting” doesn’t this indicates that a thrid party will throw her out and not him? Did he say ” I will throw you out myself” which would suggest touching her to throw her out? Unless he walks around with Bodyguards, it is clear that his statement meant to ask the Organizers to ask her to leave because despite what she could say to annoy Ramsey or the audience, even the Organizers themselves cannot throw her out but could only ask her to leave which would cause her a humiliation as he indicated.

Again, this is a very silly issue of an opinion of Mona and a criticism by Ramsey and therefore should not get that much of an attention or this much drama. But of course, there are many people who would like to fuel the fire more for difference reasons.

Go, Mona, GO!!

I have just heard Ms. Eltahawy speak. The intelligence and life shine forth.

If the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) said, “Seek knowledge as far away as China,” and that was hardly a matter of just geography, perhaps Mr. Khattab could be willing to consider learning from the proud and feminist (keep in mind Surah 33:35) Muslim that is Ms. Eltahawy.

@ Sue Ahmed

Er, let me check what you’re saying here … if you don’t throw someone out of a meeting but say you’ll get someone else to do it then it’s not the same as throwing that person out yourself and it doesn’t really matter. Did I get that right?

For the record, I don’t know Mona Eltahawy but, yes, I am a fan of her as a Muslim feminist (her, not me). I travelled to Egypt a couple of years back and was disappointed at the conspicuous lack of woman on view. I understood Egypt to be a conservative country but as I’d been to Tunisia not too long ago I was really surprised at the contrast and I therefore think woman like Ms Eltahawy should be supported.

@ Richard

I am very impressed that you know the Quran and Hadith better than me .

I follow both blogs from Ramsey and Mona. Both of them do speak intelligently. Ramsey was not the only one who expressed in writing his disappointment in Mona’s interview on Niqab for the reasons mentioned above. There are hundreds of negative comments and names calling against Mona which I disagree with because everyone is entitled to say his/her piece and voice out their own beliefs.

I am just against adding more fuel to the fire. I have both Mona and Ramsey on my Facebook’s Friends List and I believe they could work together instead of against each other to give a positive example and empower each other as well as their communities.

When I emailed Ramsey yesterday after seeing this blog, he was suprised that Mona took his statement of “Have her thrown out” as a threat instead of understanding that it was just a serious way of telling her that he will ask her to leave or ask the organizers to ask her to leave if she speaks negative about Niqab, Islam or Arab Men at the event. He also stated that Mona failed to accept his dry criticism as a professional and despite his harsh criticism, his email is still one of the nicest among the criticism and names calling on Facebook, uTube and twitter in response to her Niqab interview.

Mona, you and Ramsey should speak and put this behind you to be friends instead of enemies, end this and work together for the better of the community.

This guy, Ramsey Nobody, is a prime example of why the world needs people like Mona to expose the patriarchal, misogynistic, paranoid, notions that people use the Koran to justify by a simplistic literal reading of it. Muslims need to interpret the Koran in terms of the science that has been revealed since its writing. Otherwise they will remain condemned to the ignorance such as is displayed so eloquently by this Ramseh Nobody and his like. My tip for him is to go back to school and educate himself…Interesting isn’t it how the Musim world seemed to bypass the enlightenment and all the knowledge of mankind that it revealed. Go MONA!!!! BTW, Come to Australia …The Muslims in Australia need to hear and learn from you too!

Sue Ahmed:
To threaten to publicly humiliate someone is verbal abuse! Why can’t uy see that? The guy is obviously a misogynist. We shouldn’t be free to slander others. His THREAT is a THREAT and should be considered a legal infraction. Mona: keep going. Allah is with you.
Salman Ismail

Mona..pleeeeease do not stop speaking. You are a strong woman and it scares so many. But that is their problem! Woman of every color, every culture, from every country support you! We will not stay quiet..we will not stay hidden..we will not be intimidated and scared! I’m apalled at all these men weighing in on your opinion and your right to your opinion. Who asked them?..nobody cares anymore. But they just do not get it. There were two WOMEN on the panel..thank god! This is about us, this affects us, and our sisters, mothers, daughters and friends.I have heard enough of men’s opinion about everything on earth. I personally don’t believe in either extreme. We don’t have to walk around dressed like tramps, nor do we need to stay hidden head to toe. This is not about men and us feelling liberated only by hiding our bodies,since when do we give others that kind of power over us! As women of the world..our minds are beautiful, our spirit, our hair..whether it be thick and coarse, long and silky, short, curly and wild and free red, brown, black or blonde. Our beautiful smiles..our dimples our lovely cheekbones..and that is just our faces. People can sugar coat it all they want Mona, but repression is repression, you are speaking the truth. Don’t hide Mona but be safe and take care of yourself always!

Sister Mona
You are a disgrace to the muslim community. Please give us a break and stop this nonsense propaganda.
Muslims choose to wear whatever they please. Nobody can force them what not to wear.

I find myself leaning more towards Sue’s viewpoint. I don’t know much about Mona and I couldn’t care less about this Ramsey guy, and without a doubt against any form of threat! But what this appears to be is clearly a difference of beliefs, which should not be conducted in such fashion since it would accomplish nothing but more turmoil! Evidently both Mona and Ramsey feel severely threatened by the attitudes and ideas of one another! To preserve squandering more time and energy this case should not be given any more attention and should be put to rest! I’m a moderate Muslim woman who doesn’t stand very strongly on the Hijab issue and would personally never wear it regardless to whether it was mentioned in Qur’an or not, however I felt completely uneasy, along with my friends (some agnostic, some no religion) about the Niqab matter in France and even was alarmed! This is pure case of discrimination against freedom of beliefs and/or expression of one’s own faith and should on no account be handled in such legislative manner. There are other important issues in this world much worthy of banning than Niqab, issues that can actually pose a threat on the human autonomy and freedom. So I would only understand Ramsey’s view if it was founded on such grounds! Yes we are all entitled to our own opinions but should also be a little more sensitive to how our thoughts may influence others and possibly even threaten their sense of well-being! That is why I never let myself get carried away in any religious argument because people, whether we like it or not, tend to be extra emotional when it comes to their religious and spiritual values.. Again I support no one in this blog and I’m also open to criticism..

Mona may indeed represent a great example of a woman who’s not afraid to speak her mind, and since we live in a free world, there is no right or wrong when it comes to that! Yes we are entitled to say whatever we believe in, but the only thing that worries me is when we start ridiculing other people’s beliefs or try to make them appear less worthy of our own! Niqab may be indeed a very controversial practice, but if banning it is sanctioned by governmental authorities, then maybe banning the Dastar Sikh turban and the Jewish kippah also makes sense! And from there it’s merely an endless chaos and tyranny at its best!

I am not worried about you Mona, I know you will handle him at the meeting. This cannot be the first time when you are threatened by those who cannot argue your messages and therefore resort to threats! It is part and parcel of our life. People like him will only humiliate themselves when they open their mouths. I say enjoy the day with his presence and do as well as you always do!

Sister,
where is your hijab?
You say there is not niqab and so on… even there is in suna.
But where is your hijab?

Salam alikum

@Sue – Do you honestly believe that if Mona were to say something negative about arab men, niqab or islam that Ramsey has the right to get her thrown out of event? On one hand you say Mona has the right to her opinions but then you say it’s ok Ramsey is not threathening her he will ‘just’ ask her to leave if she says something he doesn’t agree with

SO what happened at the meeting ?! Hope you are ok.

Hi!

I’m sure you must be very busy, but I have to admit that I was disappointed by your lack of response to the Open Letter.
Many have noticed that you’re quick to tweet about extreme negative reactions (e.g. the “acid facial” woman – how horrid), but there has been no response whatsoever towards a non-aggressive outreach towards you.

The Open Letter was cross-posted on MuslimMatters.org ( http://muslimmatters.org/2011/04/17/open-letter-to-mona-from-a-very-visible-niqaabi-to-her-self-appointed-champion/ ) and retweeted 56 times… yet not even a passing mention from you. Those of who us who disagree with both you and the extreme negative reactions you receive are disappointed by this lack of recognition of our efforts.

I do hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks!

I for the record do not agree with Monas argument regarding the niqab, I am a moderate Muslim who actually doesn’t really like the niqab. Secondly she doesn’t represent most niqabi women in the WEST. The problem I have is that anyone who has decided to fight/speak for womens rights – should be able to see the argument from both sides. I do not like the niqab but I work with niqabi women in the UK community and know all whom I’ve met LIKE wearing the niqab and do so freely. Mona in her argument brought up Saudi Arabia – I was actually born there and understand where she is coming from. Although Saudi Arabia is on the extreme side, so to me and most others not a credible example. For the record I condemn women being forced to wear the niqab by male family members. This does not mean though all are forced. I would love to know how Mona believes she is doing good for women, when supporting something which will forcefully be imposed on women? Surely it’s better to educate women, than to forcefully make them do something. A country should not have the right to impose on women what they can or cannot wear, especially a country which is democratic and free. I believe in freedom of expression and freedom of speech, therefore I would support any woman who with her own free will who decides to wear the Niqab. As well as supporting Monas right to voice her opinion, although I may not agree. Whether she ‘covers up’ or not is no-ones business and this man should be ASHAMED of him self. IF he knew the first thing about Islam he would know you do not attack/judge ANYONE.

I find it ironic that people are attacking her making herself the “spokewoman for Muslim women”…she has not made herself that…others have. She speaks out on issues she believes need speaking out on. Period. If there were more Muslim women, and hell even the odd Muslim man, doing the same then she would not be singled out as if SHE and she alone were trying to speak for women. She is just ONE voice…if you dont want her being the spokeswoman, so to speak, then get your voice out there and heard as well and stop your whining.

I hope that, since Ramsey ‘ased’ for it, he got it. But I suspect he didn’t have the courage to show up. That’s so 1990s — saying whatever you want on the Internet without responsibility, Ramsey. This is 2011. Nobody should use abusive language while hiding behind an Internet screen, Ramsey.

this jerk is the most hypocrite in world, i know him very well. looking at his personal life he is classic example of failure. he never had a degree, or job or family or any acheivement in his life. i know this Ramsey well since he failed medical school in egypt.he has 2 different names by the way, none of his immediate family wears neither hijab nor niqab. he is most envious person on any succeful figure in world. this hypocrite visited egypt once in last 20 years even so he claims he is an egyptian!!! so Mona i want assure you since this jerk sent you that threat, it is an incredible evidence that you by all means are very succesful figure. keep going and pay no attention to this jerk.