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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of personal autonomy in the fight for social justice.
Mona Eltahawy articulates that true social justice and human dignity stem from the fundamental belief in individual consent and agency over one's own body. By asserting ownership of oneself, the quote challenges societal norms that often subjugate individual rights to various institutions like the state or family, highlighting the necessity of personal empowerment in the pursuit of equality and justice.
Themes
ConsentAgencySocial JusticeAutonomyDignity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about social reforms, one might reference Eltahawy's quote to emphasize the need for individual rights.
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 will never ally with Islamophobes and racists. But in the choice between 'community' and Muslim women, I will always choose my sisters.
Mona EltahawyRead
I detest the niqab and the burka for their erasure of women and for dangerously equating piety with that disappearance - the less of you I can see, the closer you must be to God.
Mona EltahawyRead
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