A Muslim Woman, a Story of Sex

The Almond, the first novel of North African writer Nedjma, has attracted media and critical attention ever since its publication in France last year. The novel is a study of sex – a topic very much off-limits to authors in traditional Arab societies, let alone the women who live within the conservative-leaning social structures. Nedjma, herself a female and a product of Muslim society, has forced another look at those assumptions. The book explores the social dynamics of men and women who love within cultures that reject overt sexuality. Its explicit description of sexual thoughts and acts involving a contemporary Arab woman has scandalized some, but brought applause from others. Nedjma says The Almond was inspired by her frustrations at the back-and-forth East-vs-West misunderstandings and hatred following 9/11. Though she still prefers her anonymity as a guard against those who view female sexuality with distaste, or disrespect, she sees her novel on the female body as a principled stand against this type of repressiveness. Muslims talking about sex, she claims, is "the last battle for democracy." –YaleGlobal