The fatwa on fake-virginity kits
Conservative Muslims in Egypt try to ban a device designed to fool men on their wedding nights
Artificial Virginity Hymen kit as sold online
(gigimo.com)
"Virginity fetishism is doomed, boys. Give it up," said William Saletan in Slate. Especially now that a company called Gigimo is selling a fake virginity kit for $30, and offering shipping to Muslim countries where a woman might be beaten or killed if she doesn't bleed on her wedding night. Angry Egyptian lawmakers want the kits banned, but they'd be better off accepting the end of the "barbaric" tradition of demanding proof of a woman's virginity.
Don't expect Egyptian conservatives to give in so easily, said Jeffrey Fleishman and Amro Hassan in the Los Angeles Times. After all, over the last 40 years they've succeeded in forcing Egyptian women out of miniskirts and into hijabs. The powerful Muslim Brotherhood is pushing a ban on the grounds that the fake-virginity kits encourage promiscuity in a nation that prohibits premarital sex, and cleric Abdul Moeti Bayoumi has issued a fatwa urging that anyone selling the device be punished for spreading immorality and sin.
In theory, the Artificial Virginity Hymen kit could save lives in places where that mentality rules, said Charlie Sorrel in Wired. But in reality, "it is unlikely that a woman who may need this would have access to it anyway." And the device is being marketed on a sex-toy website (read Gigimo's "icky" pitch on its NSFW site), so it seems directed at some market other than oppressed Muslim women.
"The product is no joke, said parenting blog Mom Logic. "Here's how it works: The device is inserted into the vagina and emits a small amount of fake blood when 'triggered.'" The stigma for women who have had premarital sex is so strong that some women shell out big money for "the popular and illegal hymen-repair surgery"—it's good that there is now "a safer and cheaper alternative."
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6 Comments
Posted by Randy Thorpe, Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 7:28 pm This article is sad, funny, and outrageous, all at once. What kind of dark ages society makes such a product marketable?
Posted by venicementor, Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 9:19 pm WOW, why bother...for 'societies' and yes, I mean the Muslim Brotherhood amongst others, where a hymen makes a difference whether or not a woman is 'worthy', is a sure indicator that it is most likely run by a group of men who don't have penises big enough to puncture them anyway.
Posted by moderate, Friday, October 9, 2009, 8:05 am Ok, this article is about Muslim societies trying to ban this toy. But in my mind the real audience for this device is the lady who wants to give her husband a virgin on his wedding night. After all, the bible says that if a woman is not a virgin on her wedding night, she should be killed. Seems a little strong to me,,,, but,,,hey it is in the bible.Deuteronomy 22:1321
Posted by DA, Sunday, October 11, 2009, 6:32 am The largest problem that I see with this issue is not even one of virginity or religious protocol, but rather of some peoples' attitudes toward women in general. In ,,Muslim countries where a woman might be beaten or killed if she doesn't bleed on her wedding night,,, should it not be noted that some women's virgin hymens don't bleed? Hymens can be torn even by tampons. Many women aren't even told what sex is before their first encounter with it on their wedding nights...but this problem is not isolated to Muslim countries.
Posted by homebuilding, Saturday, October 17, 2009, 9:38 am As one might expect, a higher level of education could be of help here. Any young woman who is unfamiliar with intromission needs to get out more, or contemplate basic biological functions so obvious in mammalian reproduction.The men with these crazy expectations will probably get the resentment and passivity that go along with the servitude instead of the love and adoration of an enthusiastic partner.
Posted by Arabella, Monday, October 19, 2009, 1:07 pm If any religion killed all of those guilty of premarital sex including masterbation the only people left would be children under the age of 5. Anyone that believes those manmade books of lies called the bible or the koran should get a grip on reality. Religion is the BANE of mankind and will be it's ultimate demise, as its proving to be.
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