Join the Discussion

“Sex and the Citadel is by no means the last word of sexuality in the Arab world, but it is an early step in a new century, for others to take forward.”

The aim of this website – aside from persuading you to buy my book, that is – is to help all those interested in better understanding sexuality, past and present, in the Arab region, and to forge links between communities of researchers and activists around the world.

So over to you. If you’re an academic, or an activist, or a funder, or a policymaker, or a journalist, or a healthcare professional or a lawyer – anyone with an interest in the study of sexuality in the Arab region, please share your news and views. For example:

  • Alert us to upcoming academic articles and publications
  • Keep us up-to-date with related conferences and workshops
  • Tell us about your ongoing research or community projects
  • Let us know if there are funding opportunities coming our way
  • Keep us in the loop on movies, documentaries, and other media coverage of interest
  • Point the way to useful links

Comments are moderated as quickly as this one-woman website can manage. Relevant news, events, links and other material will be posted on the “Research and Resources” page, as well as highlighted in my blog.

For those with a personal, rather than strictly “professional”, interest in sexuality in the Arab region, I invite you to visit my Facebook page where you can exchange opinions and experiences with others.

Please keep your contributions courteous and constructive. As my Egyptian grandmother used to say, “It’s easier to attract flies with honey than vinegar.”

NOTE: APOLOGIES TO ALL THOSE WHO POSTED ON THIS SITE IN 2013; SADLY, TECHNICAL PROBLEMS LED TO YOUR EXCELLENT QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS DISAPPEARING FROM VIEW. THE SITE IS NOW FIXED, SO IF YOU’RE A REGULAR VISITOR TO sexandthecitadel.com, PLEASE REPOST–WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.

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1 People have written:

Jan Boyes says:

I listened to your Interview on Tapestry on CBC, and while I quite understand about the Honour and desirability of a young woman being a virgin at marriage, what about the young man? Is he expected to be Pure at marriage as well? If not, where is he expected to get experience, if he IS expected to have experience?
I am not Muslim, but when I married, I did not like the idea of marrying a man who had been sexually promiscuous. Fortunately he wasn’t, so I was happy to marry him. We learned together.
Jan