Mo Salah’s GQ Middle East has cover stirred quite the controversy.
In Arab and Muslim communities, men and women are judged based on two entirely different systems. Women are policed every step of the way and their lives are dissected under a patriarchal microscope. Men, on the other hand, are hardly scrutinized at all. They are rarely held accountable for their shortcomings, which are often brushed off with little to no consequences.
Star Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah is a case in point.
The Liverpool forward recently starred on the cover of GQ Middle East alongside Brazilian model and television personality Alessandra Ambrosio. The shoot stirred quite the debate online, having captured the model with her arms around the Muslim footballer. While the pose looks rather friendly and does not seem to hold any further insinuations, it raises plenty of questions regarding double standards in the region.
Arab and/or Muslim women know very well how challenging it is to go under the spotlight scot-free. Egyptian actress Dalia Mostafa endured heavy backlash after posting a photo of her upper body in a one-piece bathing suit and Muslim blogger Dina Tokio received death threats after she stopped wearing the hijab, and the list goes on…
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Rayana Khalaf is a law student who enjoys writing for StepFeed, binge-watching legal dramas and complaining about the patriarchy.
