Comment

Nine Parts of Desire

the Hidden World of Islamic Women
Sep 18, 2017KMJ_ rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book is over twenty years old, so there are parts that are out of date. Certainly a lot has happened in the Middle East since 1995! That being said, many parts of the books are very relevant to the World today. The book looks at the role of women in Islam, and the different ways that religious texts have been interpreted. The book shows the diverse cultures among women in the Middle East and North Africa, describing the differences in the lives of women in Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories. The book sometimes has a very disjointed tone, with chapters being dedicated to belly dancing, sports, and Queen Noor, while other chapters cover more serious topics like the penalties for adultery, so called "honor killings", female genital mutilation, and women who are barred from leaving their houses. For a book supposedly about Islamic women, it ignores a very large part of that population by only looking at women in the Middle East and North Africa.