21/2010
El Asira: Online Islamic Sex ShopSort of following on the heels of the much-debated German Liason Dangereuse lingerie
ad featured a burqa-clad woman (read about it on Muslimah Media Watch
here), now we have our first Muslim sex shop, located in Amsterdam but available over the internet at
http://www.elasira.com/.Shop owner Abdelaziz Aouragh is a practicing Muslim and businessman who before embarking on his most recent business venture checked first to make sure that it was halal to do so, going first to his imam who then consulted a Saudi sheikh. The products he sells (no animal fats allowed) and the ways in which he markets them through his website (no images of men or women) have also been given the halal green light. His goal is not just to provide a service to the Muslim community, but to change the way non-Muslims think about Muslims. In particular, I like how he says "The image of women in the kitchen, submissive, dressed in a burkah isn't true. There is a lot of love. Islam has a lot of respect for women. Our shop puts the woman at the center of things."
This news is cool in a couple different ways. First, it points to the diversity of religious opinion in Islam (as I'm sure there are shukuyh who wouldn't agree that selling sex toys is halal, but then again, according to Islamic tradition sex is meant to be
a pleasure and a blessing). Clearly this is not a monolithic faith; it's beautifully multifaceted. Second, the importance, especially among traditional Muslims, of making sure that deeds are sanctioned through references to sacred texts via the scholars who study and thereby represent them. And finally, while the site hasn't yet debuted (March 21, be there or be square), I think that this is a much more positive statement about Muslim sexuality than the Liason Dangereuse ad, which may have been trying to make a point, maybe, but just ended up emphasizing that veiled Muslim women are still
fetishized in Western culture. One final note, I think this challenges the idea that Muslim couples aren't affectionate. Though it's not common to see public affection in the Gulf (and perhaps I can go so far as to extend that to the Middle East as a whole), I did break out in a big smile the other day at the Villagio mall here in Doha when I saw a Gulf-Arab man walking with his wife (wearing a niqab), the two of them arm-in-arm and giggling, obviously crazy about one another. Perhaps they've already discovered El Asira?
Online Islamic Sex Shop Opens for Business, The Malaysian Insider, March 20 2010
Posted by ilmgirl at
10:03 AM Labels:
Internet,
Qatar,
Sexuality,
Wome1 comments:
JANdeWIT said...
Hi Ilmgirl.I have posted this nice article on: DRASTIES - Dutch on the world. World on the DutchI hope that is ok with you.Thanks JANdeWIT.http://www.drasties.com/
March 31, 2010 8:31 PM Post a Comment HomeSubscribe to:
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ilmgirl
Ilmgirl is an anthropologist, New Orleanian, and Muslim convert. She holds an M.A. in Sociocultural Anthropology with a particular interest in Islam, new media, and identity. Her work has been published online and most recently in The Arab-American Handbook (Cune Press). Currently she works and studies Arabic in Doha, Qatar, on a grant through Georgetown University.
View This news is cool in a couple different ways. First, it points to the diversity of religious opinion in Islam (as I'm sure there are shukuyh who wouldn't agree that selling sex toys is halal, but then again, according to Islamic tradition sex is meant to be
a pleasure and a blessing). Clearly this is not a monolithic faith; it's beautifully multifaceted. Second, the importance, especially among traditional Muslims, of making sure that deeds are sanctioned through references to sacred texts via the scholars who study and thereby represent them. And finally, while the site hasn't yet debuted (March 21, be there or be square), I think that this is a much more positive statement about Muslim sexuality than the Liason Dangereuse ad, which may have been trying to make a point, maybe, but just ended up emphasizing that veiled Muslim women are still
fetishized in Western culture. One final note, I think this challenges the idea that Muslim couples aren't affectionate. Though it's not common to see public affection in the Gulf (and perhaps I can go so far as to extend that to the Middle East as a whole), I did break out in a big smile the other day at the Villagio mall here in Doha when I saw a Gulf-Arab man walking with his wife (wearing a niqab), the two of them arm-in-arm and giggling, obviously crazy about one another. Perhaps they've already discovered El Asira?
Online Islamic Sex Shop Opens for Business, The Malaysian Insider, March 20 2010
Posted by ilmgirl at
10:03 AM Labels:
Internet,
Qatar,
Sexuality,
Wome1 comments:
JANdeWIT said...
Hi Ilmgirl.I have posted this nice article on: DRASTIES - Dutch on the world. World on the DutchI hope that is ok with you.Thanks JANdeWIT.http://www.drasties.com/
March 31, 2010 8:31 PM Post a Comment HomeSubscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)About Me
ilmgirl
Ilmgirl is an anthropologist, New Orleanian, and Muslim convert. She holds an M.A. in Sociocultural Anthropology with a particular interest in Islam, new media, and identity. Her work has been published online and most recently in The Arab-American Handbook (Cune Press). Currently she works and studies Arabic in Doha, Qatar, on a grant through Georgetown University.
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