[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.96,0:00:03.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So when I was in Morocco,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.16,0:00:05.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Casablanca, not so long ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.69,0:00:10.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I met a young unmarried mother called Faiza.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.17,0:00:13.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Faiza showed me photos of her infant son
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.50,0:00:19.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she told me the story of his conception,\Npregnancy, and delivery.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.64,0:00:21.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a remarkable tale,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.60,0:00:25.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but Faiza saved the best for last.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.28,0:00:28.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You know, I am a virgin," she told me.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.85,0:00:33.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I have two medical certificates to prove it."
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.25,0:00:35.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the modern Middle East,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.88,0:00:38.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where two millennia after the coming of Christ,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.51,0:00:42.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,virgin births are still a fact of life.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.74,0:00:48.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Faiza's story is just one of hundreds I've heard \Nover the years, traveling across the Arab region
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.40,0:00:51.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,talking to people about sex.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.68,0:00:54.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, I know this might sound like a dream job,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.90,0:00:58.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or possibly a highly dubious occupation,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.17,0:01:01.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but for me, it's something else altogether.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.52,0:01:04.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm half Egyptian, and I'm Muslim.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.11,0:01:07.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I grew up in Canada, far from my Arab roots.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.90,0:01:10.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like so many who straddle East and West,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.54,0:01:15.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've been drawn, over the years, to try to better\Nunderstand my origins.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.46,0:01:19.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That I chose to look at sex comes from \Nmy background in HIV/AIDS,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.58,0:01:23.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a writer and a researcher and an activist.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.67,0:01:28.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sex lies at the heart of an emerging epidemic\Nin the Middle East and North Africa,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.79,0:01:35.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is one of only two regions in the world\Nwhere HIV/AIDS is still on the rise.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.34,0:01:38.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now sexuality is an incredibly powerful lens
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.38,0:01:41.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with which to study any society,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.10,0:01:43.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because what happens in our intimate lives
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.61,0:01:47.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is reflected by forces on a bigger stage:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.78,0:01:53.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in politics and economics, in religion and tradition, \Nin gender and generations.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.86,0:01:57.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As I found, if you really want to know a people,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.14,0:02:01.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you start by looking inside their bedrooms.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.67,0:02:05.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now to be sure, the Arab world is vast and varied.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.86,0:02:08.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But running across it are three red lines --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.52,0:02:13.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these are topics you are not supposed \Nto challenge in word or deed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.74,0:02:16.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first of these is politics.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.15,0:02:18.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the Arab Spring has changed all that,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.58,0:02:23.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in uprisings which have blossomed \Nacross the region since 2011.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.60,0:02:26.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now while those in power, old and new,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.46,0:02:29.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,continue to cling to business as usual,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.26,0:02:31.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,millions are still pushing back,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.87,0:02:36.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and pushing forward to what they hope\Nwill be a better life.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.98,0:02:40.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That second red line is religion.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.16,0:02:42.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But now religion and politics are connected,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.100,0:02:46.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the rise of such groups as the \NMuslim Brotherhood.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.14,0:02:49.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And some people, at least, are starting \Nto ask questions
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.60,0:02:54.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the role of Islam in public and private life.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.67,0:02:58.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, as for that third red line, \Nthat off-limits subject,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.42,0:03:00.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what do you think it might be?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.20,0:03:01.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Audience: Sex.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.26,0:03:02.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Shereen El Feki: Louder, I can't hear you.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.56,0:03:03.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Audience: Sex.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.41,0:03:05.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,SEF: Again, please don't be shy.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.04,0:03:06.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Audience: Sex.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.09,0:03:13.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,SEF: Absolutely, that's right, it's sex. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.14,0:03:19.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Across the Arab region, the only accepted\Ncontext for sex is marriage --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.35,0:03:23.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,approved by your parents, sanctioned by religion
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.13,0:03:25.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and registered by the state.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.67,0:03:28.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Marriage is your ticket to adulthood.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.55,0:03:32.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you don't tie the knot, you can't \Nmove out of your parents' place,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.38,0:03:34.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you're not supposed to be having sex,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.68,0:03:37.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you're definitely not supposed \Nto be having children.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.83,0:03:41.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a social citadel; it's an impregnable fortress
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.19,0:03:45.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which resists any assault, any alternative.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.66,0:03:49.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And around the fortress is this vast field of taboo
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.67,0:03:54.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,against premarital sex, against condoms,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.64,0:03:57.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,against abortion, against homosexuality,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.58,0:03:59.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you name it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.75,0:04:02.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Faiza was living proof of this.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.98,0:04:07.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her virginity statement was \Nnot a piece of wishful thinking.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.26,0:04:12.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Although the major religions of the region\Nextoll premarital chastity,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.58,0:04:15.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a patriarchy, boys will be boys.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.89,0:04:17.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Men have sex before marriage,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.84,0:04:21.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and people more or less turn a blind eye.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.63,0:04:23.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not so for women,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.84,0:04:26.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are expected to be virgins \Non their wedding night --
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.89,0:04:31.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is, to turn up with your hymen intact.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.14,0:04:34.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is not a question of individual concern,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.81,0:04:39.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is a matter of family honor, \Nand in particular, men's honor.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.96,0:04:41.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so women and their relatives
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.71,0:04:46.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will go to great lengths to preserve \Nthis tiny piece of anatomy --
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.07,0:04:48.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from female genital mutilation,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.28,0:04:52.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to virginity testing, to hymen repair surgery.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.64,0:04:55.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Faiza chose a different route:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.64,0:04:58.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,non-vaginal sex.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.03,0:05:00.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Only she became pregnant all the same.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.64,0:05:03.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Faiza didn't actually realize this,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.38,0:05:07.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because there's so little \Nsexuality education in schools,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.15,0:05:11.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so little communication in the family.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.17,0:05:13.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When her condition became hard to hide,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.93,0:05:18.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Faiza's mother helped her flee \Nher father and brothers.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.38,0:05:21.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is because honor killings are a real threat
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.40,0:05:25.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for untold numbers of women in the Arab region.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.17,0:05:30.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so when Faiza eventually fetched up at \Na hospital in Casablanca,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.22,0:05:32.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the man who offered to help her,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.90,0:05:36.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,instead tried to rape her.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.35,0:05:41.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sadly, Faiza is not alone.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.46,0:05:43.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Egypt, where my research is focused,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.24,0:05:48.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have seen plenty of trouble \Nin and out of the citadel.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.84,0:05:52.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are legions of young men
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.18,0:05:54.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who can't afford to get married,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.29,0:05:57.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because marriage has become \Na very expensive proposition.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.71,0:06:01.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are expected to bear the burden\Nof costs in married life,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.27,0:06:03.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they can't find jobs.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.58,0:06:06.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is one of the major drivers \Nof the recent uprisings,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.75,0:06:09.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it is one of the reasons for the \Nrising age of marriage
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.92,0:06:12.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in much of the Arab region.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.95,0:06:15.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are career women who want to get married,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.72,0:06:17.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but can't find a husband,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.32,0:06:20.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they defy gender expectations,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.50,0:06:24.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or as one young female doctor \Nin Tunisia put it to me,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.29,0:06:26.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"The women, they are becoming more and more open.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.100,0:06:32.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the man, he is still at the prehistoric stage."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.80,0:06:36.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then there are men and women who \Ncross the heterosexual line,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.69,0:06:38.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who have sex with their own sex,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.59,0:06:41.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or who have a different gender identity.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.60,0:06:45.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are on the receiving end of laws\Nwhich punish their activities,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.56,0:06:47.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even their appearance.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.61,0:06:51.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they face a daily struggle with social stigma,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.45,0:06:53.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with family despair,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.08,0:06:57.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and with religious fire and brimstone.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.25,0:07:01.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, it's not as if it's all rosy \Nin the marital bed either.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.45,0:07:03.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Couples who are looking for greater happiness,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.98,0:07:06.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,greater sexual happiness in their married lives,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.61,0:07:08.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but are at a loss of how to achieve it,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.97,0:07:13.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,especially wives, who are afraid \Nof being seen as bad women
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.50,0:07:16.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if they show some spark in the bedroom.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.70,0:07:18.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then there are those whose marriages
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.62,0:07:21.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are actually a veil for prostitution.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.73,0:07:23.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They have been sold by their families,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.89,0:07:26.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,often to wealthy Arab tourists.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.77,0:07:32.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is just one face of a booming \Nsex trade across the Arab region.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.37,0:07:36.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now raise your hand if any of \Nthis is sounding familiar to you,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.56,0:07:40.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from your part of the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.53,0:07:46.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yeah. It's not as if the Arab world\Nhas a monopoly on sexual hangups.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.54,0:07:49.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And although we don't yet have\Nan Arab Kinsey Report
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.51,0:07:53.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to tell us exactly what's happening \Ninside bedrooms across the Arab region,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.92,0:07:57.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's pretty clear that \Nsomething is not right.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.86,0:08:00.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Double standards for men and women,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.55,0:08:03.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sex as a source of shame,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.81,0:08:07.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,family control limiting individual choices,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.96,0:08:11.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a vast gulf between appearance and reality:
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.71,0:08:13.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what people are doing
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.29,0:08:15.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what they're willing to admit to,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.64,0:08:19.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a general reluctance to move \Nbeyond private whispers
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.62,0:08:23.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a serious and sustained public discussion.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.70,0:08:27.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As one doctor in Cairo summed it up for me,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.19,0:08:30.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Here, sex is the opposite of sport.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.52,0:08:32.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Football, everybody talks about it,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.68,0:08:34.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but hardly anyone plays.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.65,0:08:36.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But sex, everybody is doing it,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.63,0:08:40.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but nobody wants to talk about it."\N(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.78,0:08:51.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music) (In Arabic)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.35,0:08:54.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,SEF: I want to give you a piece of advice,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.01,0:08:58.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which if you follow it,\Nwill make you happy in life.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.10,0:09:00.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When your husband reaches out to you,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.48,0:09:03.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when he seizes a part of your body,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.29,0:09:06.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sigh deeply and look at him lustily.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.65,0:09:09.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When he penetrates you with his penis,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.18,0:09:14.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,try to talk flirtatiously and \Nmove yourself in harmony with him.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.47,0:09:15.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hot stuff!
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.93,0:09:17.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it might sound that these handy hints
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.92,0:09:21.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,come from "The Joy of Sex" or YouPorn.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.03,0:09:24.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in fact, they come from\Na 10th-century Arabic book
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.88,0:09:27.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,called "The Encyclopedia of Pleasure,"
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.22,0:09:31.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which covers sex from aphrodisiacs to zoophilia,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.36,0:09:34.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and everything in between.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.44,0:09:38.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Encyclopedia is just one \Nin a long line of Arabic erotica,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.50,0:09:41.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,much of it written by religious scholars.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.72,0:09:44.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Going right back to the Prophet Muhammad,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.09,0:09:46.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there is a rich tradition in Islam
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.50,0:09:49.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of talking frankly about sex:
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.08,0:09:52.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not just its problems, but also its pleasures,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.38,0:09:56.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and not just for men, but also for women.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.95,0:10:02.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A thousand years ago, we used to have \Nwhole dictionaries of sex in Arabic.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.82,0:10:06.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Words to cover every conceivable sexual feature,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.97,0:10:10.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,position and preference, a body of language
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.56,0:10:17.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was rich enough to make up the body \Nof the woman you see on this page.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.10,0:10:20.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, this history is largely unknown \Nin the Arab region.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.70,0:10:25.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even by educated people, who often\Nfeel more comfortable talking about sex
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.50,0:10:30.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a foreign language than they do\Nin their own tongue.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.48,0:10:34.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today's sexual landscape looks\Na lot like Europe and America
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.20,0:10:36.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the brink of the sexual revolution.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:36.94,0:10:39.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But while the West has opened on sex,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:39.98,0:10:46.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what we found is that Arab societies appear\Nto have been moving in the opposite direction.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.62,0:10:48.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Egypt and many of its neighbors,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.87,0:10:51.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this closing down is part of a wider closing
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.75,0:10:55.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in political, social and cultural thought.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.33,0:10:59.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it is the product of a complex historical process,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.39,0:11:03.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one which has gained ground with the rise \Nof Islamic conservatism
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.18,0:11:06.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,since the late 1970s.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:06.18,0:11:09.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Just say no" is what conservatives \Naround the world
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.86,0:11:14.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,say to any challenge to the sexual status quo.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.32,0:11:18.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the Arab region, they brand these attempts\Nas a Western conspiracy
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.61,0:11:22.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to undermine traditional Arab\Nand Islamic values.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.91,0:11:24.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what's really at stake here
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.91,0:11:28.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is one of their most powerful tools of control:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.80,0:11:32.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sex wrapped up in religion.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.96,0:11:36.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But history shows us that \Neven as recently
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.10,0:11:39.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as our fathers' and grandfathers' day,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.01,0:11:41.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there have been times of greater pragmatism,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.96,0:11:47.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and tolerance, and a willingness\Nto consider other interpretations:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.48,0:11:54.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,be it abortion, or masturbation, or even \Nthe incendiary topic of homosexuality.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.40,0:11:59.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is not black and white,\Nas conservatives would have us believe.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.27,0:12:02.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In these, as in so many other matters,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:02.47,0:12:05.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Islam offers us at least 50 shades of gray.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.89,0:12:08.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.31,0:12:09.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Over my travels,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.46,0:12:12.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've met men and women \Nacross the Arab region
Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.06,0:12:15.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who've been exploring that spectrum --
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.06,0:12:17.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sexologists who are trying\Nto help couples
Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.76,0:12:21.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,find greater happiness in their marriages,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:21.68,0:12:27.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,innovators who are managing to get \Nsexuality education into schools,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.37,0:12:29.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,small groups of men and women,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:29.73,0:12:32.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,lesbian, gay, transgendered, transsexual,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.45,0:12:34.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are reaching out to their peers
Dialogue: 0,0:12:34.13,0:12:38.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with online initiatives and real-world support.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.79,0:12:42.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Women, and increasingly men,\Nwho are starting to speak out
Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.75,0:12:45.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and push back against sexual violence
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.84,0:12:49.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the streets and in the home.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.39,0:12:54.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Groups that are trying to help sex workers\Nprotect themselves against HIV
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.13,0:12:56.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and other occupational hazards,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.99,0:13:00.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and NGOs that are helping unwed mothers like Faiza
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.92,0:13:06.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,find a place in society, and critically,\Nstay with their kids.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:06.70,0:13:10.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now these efforts are small, \Nthey're often underfunded,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:10.11,0:13:13.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they face formidable opposition.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.42,0:13:16.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I am optimistic that, in the long run,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.94,0:13:20.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,times are changing, and they and their ideas
Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.32,0:13:22.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will gain ground.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:22.25,0:13:27.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Social change doesn't happen in the Arab region\Nthrough dramatic confrontation,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:27.90,0:13:31.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,beating or indeed baring of breasts,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:31.29,0:13:33.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but rather through negotiation.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:33.75,0:13:37.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we're talking here is not about a \Nsexual revolution,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:37.42,0:13:41.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but a sexual evolution, \Nlearning from other parts of the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:41.90,0:13:44.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,adapting to local conditions,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:44.27,0:13:50.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,forging our own path,\Nnot following one blazed by another.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.16,0:13:56.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That path, I hope, will one day lead us \Nto the right to control our own bodies,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:56.60,0:13:59.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to access the information \Nand services we need
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.67,0:14:04.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to lead satisfying and safe sexual lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:04.08,0:14:06.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The right to express our ideas freely,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.65,0:14:11.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to marry whom we choose, \Nto choose our own partners,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.30,0:14:16.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be sexually active or not,\Nto decide whether to have children and when,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:16.16,0:14:22.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all this without violence or force or discrimination.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:22.53,0:14:25.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now we are very far from this \Nacross the Arab region,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:25.94,0:14:29.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so much needs to change:
Dialogue: 0,0:14:29.04,0:14:32.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,law, education, media, the economy,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:32.97,0:14:35.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the list goes on and on,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:35.85,0:14:40.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it is the work of a generation, at least.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:40.16,0:14:43.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it begins with a journey that I myself have made,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.33,0:14:46.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,asking hard questions of received wisdoms
Dialogue: 0,0:14:46.30,0:14:48.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in sexual life.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.10,0:14:52.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it is a journey which has\Nonly served to strengthen my faith,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:52.62,0:14:56.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and my appreciation of local histories and cultures
Dialogue: 0,0:14:56.13,0:15:01.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by showing me possibilities \Nwhere I once only saw absolutes.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:01.93,0:15:05.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now given the turmoil in many\Ncountries in the Arab region,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:05.39,0:15:08.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,talking about sex, \Nchallenging the taboos,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:08.46,0:15:13.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seeking alternatives might sound like\Nsomething of a luxury.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:13.80,0:15:16.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But at this critical moment in history,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:16.59,0:15:20.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we do not anchor freedom and justice,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:20.97,0:15:22.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dignity and equality,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:22.60,0:15:27.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,privacy and autonomy in our personal lives,\Nin our sexual lives,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:27.84,0:15:32.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we will find it very hard to achieve in public life.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:32.14,0:15:38.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The political and the sexual are intimate bedfellows,\Nand that is true for us all.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:38.90,0:15:42.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no matter where we live and love.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.31,0:15:43.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:43.83,0:15:48.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)