Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, an Egyptian caused controversy worldwide when she posted a nude picture of herself on her blog. Islamists in Egypt have accused her of “violating morals, inciting indecency and insulting Islam.” Egyptian liberals including the organisers of the protests to oust the country’s former dictator have been just as scathing. Aliaa Elmahdy tagged her nude picture with the hashtag #nudephotorevolutionary on twitter.

Asked by CNN why she posted a photo of herself nude online she stated “After my photo was removed from Facebook, a male friend of mine asked me if he may post it on Twitter. I accepted because I am not shy of being a woman in a society where women are nothing but sex objects harassed on a daily basis by men who know nothing about sex or the importance of a woman.

The photo is an expression of my being and I see the human body as the best artistic representation of that. I took the photo myself using a timer on my personal camera. The powerful colors black and red inspire me”

An unlikely group of 40 Israeli women (VIDEO below) have shown solidarity and support for Aliaa Elmahdy by stripping off for a photo of their own. They didn’t go quite as far as Aliaa. They were photgraphed behind a sign that read ‘Love without Limits’ and ‘Homage to Aliaa Elmahdi. Sisters in Israel’.

It is no doubt that Aliaa Elmahdy, who has stated she is now an atheist, is a very brave woman indeed to have chosen to protest in this way in what is a very conservative country. Whether her method works effectively in highlighting her cause is, however, debateable. It risks entrenching the more conservative views held in Egypt. It is notable that Egyptian liberals including the organisers of the revolution to oust Egypt’s former dictator have distanced themselves from Aliaa Elmahdy’s brand of revolution. Egypt goes to the polls on 28th November with the country split between those who want a more Islamic Egypt and those who would wish to see a more liberal Egypt. In some ways, Aliaa Elmahdy has become a test and a marker for what is acceptable by both liberal and conservative Egyptian voters and Egyptians at large.

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Related Post: Aliaa Magda Elmahdy gets own Love Song.