Sex and the Citadel

If you really want to know a people, start by looking in their bedrooms.
     Since political unrest erupted across the Middle East, all eyes have been on the streets and squares. But for the past five years, Shereen El Feki has been looking at upheaval a little closer to home--in the sexual lives of men and women across the Arab world. The result is an informative, engaging and timely account of a still largely secret aspect of that society.
     Sex, shows El Feki, is a prism that opens up the region's complex social spectrum, from religion and culture to politics and economics. Sexual attitudes and behaviors not only are a reflection of the conditions that led to the recent uprisings but will also be a measure of hard-won reforms in the years to come.