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Mona Eltahawy on the Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls

History &
Social Policy

Rather than teaching women and girls to survive the patriarchal system they have found themselves in, Eltahawy will use these stories to show them how to dismantle it

Be angry, ambitious, profane, violent, attention-seeking, lustful, and powerful. These are the “seven necessary sins” that Egyptian writer and activist Mona Eltahawy says women and girls are not supposed to commit – but absolutely should. Eltahawy advocates a muscular, out-loud approach to teaching women and girls to harness their power.

Eltahawy came to Intelligence Squared to tell the stories of activists and ordinary women around the world from countries including South Africa, China, Nigeria, India, Bosnia and Egypt who are fighting back against these taboos and tapping into their inner fury. Rather than teaching women and girls to survive the patriarchal system, they have found themselves in, Eltahawy uses these stories to show them how to dismantle it.

Event Name

Mona Eltahawy on the Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls

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Speakers for the motion

  • Mona Eltahawy

    Egyptian-American freelance journalist

Chair

  • Helen Czerski

    One of the UK’s most popular science presenters

Speakers

Speaker

Mona Eltahawy

Egyptian-American freelance journalist

Feminist author and award-winning commentator. Her work has been published in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications around the world. She is a frequent guest on current affairs programmes on the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and other media outlets, where her goal is always to disrupt patriarchy. She is also the author of Headscarves and Hymens and recently launched her newsletter Feminist Giant. Her latest book The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls is published by Tramp Press on April 22.
Chair

Helen Czerski

One of the UK’s most popular science presenters

British oceanographer, physicist and television presenter. Her many programmes for radio and TV include Radio 4’s Inside Science, Orbit: Earth’s Extraordinary Journey, numerous Horizon documentaries, The Sky at Night, and Dara O Briain’s Science Club. She is a Research Fellow at University College London, and holds a PhD in experimental explosives physics. She is the author of Storm In A Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life. She gave the 2020 Royal Institution's annual Christmas lecture on the workings of the world's oceans and how they serve as the heart of our planetary life support system.

 

Speakers are subject to change.