Muslims & Sexuality

Dr. Heba Kotb

I have tackled more or less the same topic in a previous post but from another perspective. At that time I referred to a fatwa issued by an egyptian cleric declaring a marriage contract illegal if a married couple engage in sexual intercourse while naked. This time I came across this news item by CNN which reads: "Egypt's "Dr Ruth": Muslims Need Better Sex".

The article in question is about an egyptian medical doctor Mrs. Heba Kotb, (I wonder if she is a relative to egyptian author and islamist Sayyed Qutb, for I am sure he wouldn't be appreciative of what she is doing if he was still alive), who specialized in human sexuality and got her degree from an American University (no wonder).

Dr. Kotb also runs the show "The Big Talk" a famous program broadcasted in one of Cairo's TV channels. In her show Dr. Kotb tackles the issue of sexuality which you like it or not is still a taboo subject in most conservative arab and moslem societies. Dr Kotb's main advice to married couples is to have more sex ( which CNN badly rephrased : "Muslims Need Better Sex", are we arabs and moslems so bad at having sex?? are there international standards for good sex?? I am asking).

In "The Big Talk", Dr. kotb talks about issues like masturbation ... sex over the Internet... sex and Ramadan...the wedding night... however she sticks to the teachings of the Quran something that brought her criticism from those more liberal [who] think she's not being open enough about sex, ignoring topics like extra marital affairs, homosexuality and pregnancy out of wedlock [and] conservatives [who] think sex is not for public discussion.

All in all I personally think that Dr. Kotb's initiative despite its shortcomings is something worth praising and something that needs to be generalized in other arab and moslem societies.

Undercover Mosques

After watching this troubling documentary aired by the British Channel 4 on January 15, 2007, I personally came to the sad conclusion that the argument advanced by moderate moslems that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance will hardly be accepted or at least understood by those who think that Islam and Moslems are the real enemy of the West.I even doubt if moderate Moslems living in the UK, in particular, and in the West, in general, will be able to explain or defend the argument that what the documentary has shown is but " an extremist, dark, misleading and dangerous way of Islam" that has nothing to do with the real nature of Islam and Moslems. After watching this program, I would say that, unfortunately, this documentary and similar ones will just add fuel to fire and further stigmatize the already tarnished image of Moslems and Islam around the world and reinforce the idelogies of hate and the rejection of the other.

The documentary is in six parts, and you can view it here.

Via BKP