Heba Kotb

Heba Kotb (Arabic: هبة قطب‎; born September 19, 1967) is an Egyptian certified sex therapist and host of The Big Talk, a sexual advice show airing in Egypt. The first licensed sexologist in the country, Kotb bases her methods on the teachings of the Qur'an, which she says encourages strong marital life including healthy sexual relationships between husband and wife.[2]

Heba Gamal Kotb
Born (1967-09-19) September 19, 1967[1]
Egypt
NationalityEgyptian
OccupationSexologist
Websitehttp://www.hebakotb.net

Early life and education

Born and raised in Egypt, Kotb grew up wanting to be a surgeon.[3] She attended medical school at Cairo University, writing a thesis named "Medicolegal Implications of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Sexually abused Children."[1] While writing her thesis, she realized that she had very little idea about normal sexuality.[3] As a result, she began researching the topic, eventually coming across a passage in the Qur'an discussing sexual relations between husbands and wives that she saw as speaking to the woman's sexual rights. Of the experience, she said:

I was so proud of my religion when I saw that. My religion was advanced enough to talk about women's rights in sexuality how many years before modern science did?[3]

In 2003, she became the first licensed sexologist in Egypt, graduating with a degree in clinical sexology from Maimonides University. She continued her studies, eventually earning a Ph.D with her thesis, entitled "Sexuality in Islam".[1]

The Big Talk

Kotb's show, The Big Talk, is a call-in show broadcast on Al-Mehwar, an Egyptian satellite channel,[4] where she answers questions about common sexual topics including masturbation and foreplay. Although Kotb states that she is open to most questions, as part of her proposal she agreed to not discuss sex outside of marriage[5] and also refuses to discuss topics which are haram, or prohibited by Islam, such as sex during a woman's menses and anal sex.

Although Kotb's show is extremely popular, it has drawn its share of conservative critics.[6] Sheik Youssef al-Badri, a conservative cleric noted for his support of female circumcision,[7] has criticized her show for "increas[ing] the number of sex perverts".[2]

Beliefs about sexuality

Kotb cites Al-Baqara ("The Cow"), the longest surah (or chapter) of the Quran, as her inspiration for understanding human sexuality, noting that it speaks about the daily life of a man and woman and commands the man to provide pleasure to his wife.[2][8] She argues that Islam in general and the Qu'ran in particular is very permissive of sex, and that discussion of the topic is suppressed not by religion but by culture.[2]

While this stance is seen as extremely liberal in Egypt, Kotb's beliefs about sexuality tend to be conservative by Western standards. Although she has called for women to explore their bodies, she has also stated that women do not need to masturbate, discouraging the practice by saying that "a woman has to remain blank until she gets married and by masturbating she's forming her sexuality."[2]

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References
  1. "Resume (official site)". Archived from the original on 2007-10-17. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  2. Clark-Flory, Tracy (2007-06-06). "Sex and the married Muslim". Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  3. "Egypt's 'Dr. Ruth': Let's talk sex in the Arab world". CNN. 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  4. Jaafar, Ali (2007-04-16). "Femme-led talk shows tackle taboos". Variety.
  5. "Doctor airs sex talk in Egypt". United Press International. 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  6. Radwan, Amany (2008-02-22). "An Islamic Answer to Dr. Ruth". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  7. "Egyptian ban on female circumcision upheld". BBC News. 1997-12-28. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  8. Dinnick, Wilf; McGregor-Wood, Simon (2007-04-11). ""Have More Sex" Says Muslim 'Dr. Ruth'". ABC News. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
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