Halal Sex

SHORTLISTED FOR THE QWF CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY FIRST BOOK PRIZE

“Each word of Halal Sex is a kind of transgression … Trenchant and urgent … brilliantly accomplished.”
—Quill & Quire

“About halfway through this extraordinary book, one participant reflects on what it was like growing up in a traditional and religious household, where topics such as sexuality, desire, and her changing body were never discussed. ‘Imagine if we talked about it rather than me having to Google things,’ she says. Through these six often hilarious and always inspiring stories, Halal Sex does just that: it pulls these vital conversations into the open. I loved every minute I spent reading this book.”
—Robyn Doolittle, author of Had It Coming

“Halal Sex is an inspiring portrait of intimacy built on a remarkably intimate process. Through empathetic reportage and meticulously cultivated trust, Sheima Benembarek has made possible a frank, generous conversation about the pursuit of pleasure. The many voices in this book––including Benembarek’s own personal reflections––emerge distinctively, playfully, and joyfully as they name their desires. Halal Sex is a thrilling collaboration between writer and subject and a testament to the liberatory power of listening.”
—Tajja Isen, author of Some of My Best Friends

“Sheima Benembarek’s Halal Sex gives voice to engaging and rarely divulged stories from diverse Muslim women about their fantasies, fears, and desires. It is a brave book, and a feat of reporting considering the sensitive nature of topics covered. Each tale is riveting and earns the reader’s complete attention.”
—Zarqa Nawaz, creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie

“In her enthralling book, Halal Sex, Moroccan Canadian journalist Sheima Benembarek has given the world an astute and unprecedented glimpse into the sex lives of female and gender-expansive Muslims living across Canada and the United States. The stories are complex, eye-opening, fascinating and courageous, inspiring thought and discussion regarding patriarchal systems, female pleasure, and the role that religion plays in women’s lives.”
—She Does The City

SHEIMA BENEMBAREK is a Moroccan Canadian journalist who’s written for The Walrus, Broadview, Maisonneuve, and the Literary Review of Canada. She has an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King’s College, where she was a finalist for the Penguin Random House Canada Best Nonfiction Book Proposal Prize. In 2020, she was chosen as one of the five RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writers of the year. She’s currently a senior editor at Toronto Life.

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