Radius Quotes

“That something about cultures of contempt for women, of refusal to see them as equal in systems that are set up by men, rotates around this biological difference that makes us able to deliver life. That it—we—need to be controlled because we have this ability, which makes us so powerful but also, at times, so vulnerable. That we need to be defined by it.”
― Yasmin El-Rifae, Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution

“In some sense, my body has always been treated like it was not just mine—it was always all of its reproductive potential, both a potential asset and a potential disruption.”
― Yasmin El-Rifae, Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution

“When she says “with her” she doesn’t use ma‘aha, which you would you use to say, for example, I went to the store “with” someone. She uses beeha, which is used for tea with sugar, or pregnant with twins. Its meaning stretches beyond companionship.”
― Yasmin El-Rifae, Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution

“Because in a way when you’re a survivor, this becomes part of you for the rest of your life. There’s no way of forgetting it, it becomes part of your identity, you keep surviving, it’s open-ended.”
― Yasmin El-Rifae, Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution

“What effect do these experiences have on us? Maybe, even when we brush them off, they make us understand that our bodies are potential prey.”
― Yasmin El-Rifae, Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution