Egyptian-American journalist
Mona Eltahawy is an award-winning Egyptian-American journalist. She wrote a weekly column for the Saudi-owned international Arab publication Asharq Al-Awsat before her articles were discontinued for being “too critical” of the Egyptian regime. Since the Arab Uprising, she has been featured prominently in broadcast and print for major networks such as ABC, CBS, PBS, HBO, and The New York Times. Newsweek magazine listed her as one of its “150 Fearless Women of 2012,” and Arabian Business magazine listed her among the “100 Most Powerful Arab Women.” She received the Women’s Media Center Speaking Truth to Power Award in 2014. After writing a controversial column for Foreign Policy on widespread misogyny in the Middle East called “Why do They Hate Us?” she published a book based on the same topic called “Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution.” Eltahawy later published “The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls” and “This Arab is Queer.” In 2018, she spearheaded the #MosqueMeToo campaign, which shed light on female worshippers speaking up about sexual abuse experienced on the Hajj.
