Shereen El Feki "Sex and the Citadel" a Presentation by Autumn Smith

https://www.queerty.com/egypt-tells-un-lgbtq-people-dont-exist-20200327

The novel holds unique power with regards to how it transmits information. It can combine elements of truth with those completely imagined. It can be unmistakably fictional or shockingly realistic. A good novel, despite the nature of its contents, bears a message of some sort, and Arab-American literature is characterized by messages of culture and identity. At the same time, a good novel cannot afford to simply say what it means to be Arab-American or to live in an Arab country, it must be embedded within the narrative. Nonfiction works do not face this challenge, owing instead to their readers an ample body of evidence and logical text to support their argument. Shereen El Feki’s Sex and the Citadel does this with expert technique, packing evidence from a wide variety of disciplines to intricately paint a portrait of the cultural, political, and social landscape in contemporary Egypt. 

Autumn’s presentation of El Feki’s work was comprehensive and well-articulated, attacking each topic with a clear breakdown of the most important points within each and revealing a close and analytical read of a fascinating source material. The description of homosexuality, for example, was particularly interesting. Societies throughout time and on every continent have maintained a double standard for men and women, but it was striking to see the application of this to homosexuality. Male homosexuals (especially those in couples) are often verbally and physically abused and can be jailed. They may also be subjected to “reorientation” to “cure” them of their condition, which is thought to be the result of trauma. In contrast, gay women are effectively ignored and can live in couples in relative peace. This stems from the lack of female agency within Egyptian culture, and from the view that Lesbian sex (being nonpenetrative) is not actually sex. 

In Cairo, women protest male violence and rape
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-21/
women-protest-in-egypt/3741374?nw=0

This double standard seemed eerily similar to embedded perceptions of homosexuality within American culture. Men have historically faced more abuse and shaming for being gay than women, and female-female attraction even became fetishized and openly used as a trope within movies and television shows. The blatant dehumanization that accompanies this perception in both cultures in highly problematic, whether it is the unrelenting shame that is hung over the heads of gay men, or the disregard of the authenticity of lesbian relationships. Having spent a semester reading about all of the stark differences between Arab and American culture, it was unfortunate to find that nuanced homophobia is such a common feature. 

I was also shocked to learn that female genital mutilation is so pervasive in contemporary Egypt.  Male circumcision occurs commonly in the United States, but female circumcision is practically unheard of, and while I was aware that it was still happening in parts of Africa and in some Arab states I was not privy to how frequently it occurs. If we are to remain with the theme of sex-based double standards, then I could easily expound on the implications of my own misconceptions, but perhaps it is more interesting to simply discuss the apparent de-sexualization of women in Egyptian culture. Not only are women inherently incapable of sexual relationships in Egyptian thought (as evidenced by the disregard of Lesbian couples), they are also actively robbed of their ability to enjoy sex via mutilation of their genitals, which often involves removal of the clitoris. Sex and the Citadel demonstrates the prolific de-humanization of women in Egypt through de-sexualization, a truth which resonates with the American reader in unexpected ways.