![]() ![]() (Her description of her own circumcision at age six-subject of the Ms. She opens with a (repetitive) discussion of sex roles and the sexual double standard: the insistence on virginity and monogamy for women only the selling of daughters into marriage (or prostitution) the husband's complete dominion over the wife, including the right to divorce her at will the grisly, and often unsafe, ritual removal of the clitoris. Otherwise, her anger at the position of Arab (especially Egyptian) women is so sharp and ever-present that her defense of Islam is unconvincing by comparison. Saadawi's overall purpose is to defend Islamic treatment of women against Western feminists' criticism-and to the extent that she has in mind Western cultural imperialism, she has a point. ![]() that stands out, unfortunately, as the one strong segment here. Prominent Egyptian feminist Saadawi-imprisoned in Sadat's round-up of perceived foes, and only recently released-made a stir with a powerful piece in Ms. ![]()
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