Controversial Egyptian blogger, Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, whose nude photographs shocked her country, has asked those of her countrywomen who wish to remove their veils to send her photographs of their faces, to be published online.

Elmahdy has called for photographs along with names and the reasons behind having worn the veil for so long, as well as that for removing it now.

Women who were veiled and took off the veil and women who are veiled and want to take off the veil, send me all or some of these items on aliaaa.elmahdy@hotmail.com if you agree to publish them, Elmahdy wrote on her blog, a link to which she posted on Twitter, on Monday.

In her post, she has asked for the following details:

  • Full or first name...
  • Two photos one with hegab (veil) and one with no hegab...
  • Why you wear/wore hegab...
  • Why you took off hegab...
  • What were the responses when you took off hegab...
  • Why you want to take off hegab...
  • Why you didn't take off hegab in spite of your desire to take it off...
  • What were the responses when you said you want to take off hegab...
  • The age when you started wearing hegab...

She had earlier called on Egyptian men to show solidarity with their women, and take photographs of them wearing veils and upload them on the Internet, in an attempt to create awareness over hypocritical attitudes that require only women to cover their heads.

The young blogger, who termed her nude photographs screams against a society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy, has been at the receiving end of a number of death threats, online complaints and even a legal charge, filed by the Coalition of Islamic law graduates for insulting the Islamic religion and for advertizing immorality.