Abdelaziz Aouragh runs an online sex shop for Muslims. I see this pattern often repeated of Muslim women leading their male counterparts in the discussion about sexuality and intimacy. According to Islamic law, sex is limited to between those who are married. But when it comes to exactly what you can do, and how sex is generally discussed, Islam itself is quite open. Meet the woman calling for an Arab sexual revolution. Muslim men need to up their marriage game.
Sex in the Arab world. Does Maria Shriver know what American women want? VV Brown: Bring on the female music moguls. Do you have to 'play the game' to get promoted? There are stories about how Prophet Muhammad would be approached in the mosque by women and men asking open questions about sexuality. In one famous tale, a woman came to see him on her wedding night, to complain her husband was too busy praying and hadn't come near her.
The Prophet went to see the husband, admonished him for being too engrossed in religious prayer and instructed him to, erm, pay more attention to his bride. This openness has been lost over time, and discussions about sex have become taboo. However, things are slowly changing. Wedad Lootah is a UAE marriage counsellor who published an Arabic sex guide, Top Secret: Sexual Guidance for Married Couples , on how to achieve sexual intimacy with your partner, stating couples needed the advice.
Her book was blessed by the mufti of the UAE. But she received intense criticism. Wedad Lootah's controversial book. The one day training included an hour about sex. Jenny is an Irish Muslim organising a similar two part seminar for young women only, the first on marriage, the second on intimacy.
Nomani says she received negative feedback about the bill. But when I read about it I remember thinking, this is not in the least controversial or new for Islam. But push on I will. There is a lack of research about the existing levels of sexual knowledge among Muslims. How much do they know? Where do they gain their knowledge? And perhaps the most difficult to ask: what is the reality of how they conduct their sexual lives? And last year in the US, an anthology of true courtship stories written by Muslim women was published delightfully entitled Love, Inshallah God willing.
