The Middle East, which is commonly known as a region that includes most countries of Southwestern Asia, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Peninsula, and several North African countries, and are often seen as part of a wider cultural and geopolitical landscape. Majority of the people in these countries participate in Abrahamic religions such as Islam, Christianity, or Judaism, some of which prohibit premarital sex depending on the wide variety of different sects. While dating and premarital sex are looked down upon for religious and social reasons, it is not illegal. In addition, young people rarely learn about sexual health in school, and other sources of information may not be reliable.

Sexuality is an essential part of everyday life, which not only includes sex, gender identities and sexual orientation, but also pleasure and intimacy, and as the World Health Organization argued, the sexual health of a woman is physical, mental, and emotional state of being, which should be not tolerated but accepted. Cultural taboos consist of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and other related issues, such as early marriage, female genital mutation, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and women who suffer from the ignorance of all of these, which globally seen as basic rights.

Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Sexual health education differs across countries, reflecting a variation in cultural, religious, and political frameworks. Reproductive health (RH) is a part of sexual health, which can be defined to have a desirable and safe sexual life with the ability to reproduce and having a free will to determine if, when, and how we do so. RH also refers to the basic right to access health care and education which, for instance, allows women to have safe pregnancies and deliveries, but it should also enable the appropriate care and consultation concerning reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases.

In many Middle Eastern countries, young people primarily rely on their parents to receive information about sexual and reproductive health. However, cultural sensitivities create barriers for open communication, as many young people fear that their inquiry into sexuality will be interpreted as evidence of personal sexual activity. Media in the Middle East provides limited content related to sexual and reproductive health. Additionally, policy makers fall short in their advocating for comprehensive education in this area.

Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) argued that the SRH services are challenged by the lack of integration and inequity in access and also questionable quality of the services, therefore an urgent call is needed to the SRH services in the MENA region, making sure that these services are not distinguished between socio-economic levels, urban or rural areas, or between age groups, and to improve the quality of the services. DAWN also realized, that by engaging more in the region between research institutes, civil society, and governments, they are able to create better outcomes in the Middle East.

Quantitative research in the Middle East and particularly in surveys done with the youth have shown that there is a lack of adequate education of younger populations as to their sexual health, including taboos, contraception and family planning. Empirical data gained from interviews clearly show a clear discomfort of younger generations in broaching these subjects, making it all the more difficult to properly address the problem of their insufficient education.

As sexually transmitted diseases and infections can be especially preeminent in low-income countries, the sexual and reproductive health of younger individuals is seen as paramount by governments, NGOs and health professionals. Awareness of the dangers of unprotected sex and wider lack of reproductive healthcare infrastructure is the focus of many campaigns in increasing SRH.

Egypt The formal education system in Egypt provides young people with very limited information on sex and reproductive health. A survey conducted in 2009 by the Population Council in Cairo showed that 15,000 people aged 10–29 received little to no information on sexual health from public school.

Media literacy It is paramount to look at sexual and reproductive education challenges using a single service delivery system as opposed to the current disposition of no vision at all. Among the numerous problems dogging media literacy in Middle East are reproductive health and sexual health issues.Saleh, I., (2009). Media Literacy in MENA: Moving Beyond the Vicious Cycle of Oxymora, Mapping World Education Policies. Latin American Journal of Media Education. 31(1): 155-176. The twist in the tale is that premarital sex is largely prohibited while media coverage of such issues as sexual and reproductive health is considered taboo. This indicates a society characterized by self-denial and hypocrisy because people think and even know that sexual reproduction health is crucial but nobody wants to confront it.

Perceptions of Premarital Relations

Iran In recent decades, influenced by modernity and increased access to global technologies, Iran's traditionally conservative and religious society has gone through shifts in social values. These changes have widened the gap between the older and younger generation of Iranians, many of whom have begun delaying their marriages. As these marriages are delayed, the gap between puberty and marriage for young Iranian women increase, leading to more open and accepting attitudes toward premarital sex.

A majority of both men and women in Iran support dating as a way to get better acquainted with a potential spouse before marriage. However, when it came to intimacy and non-sexual contact, 69% of men were open to it compared to only 50.5% of women. Several factors could affect a person's attitudes towards premarital sex. Religion played a big part in the attitudes towards premarital sex. Those who identified as more religious were less inclined to premarital sex compared to those who identified as less religious.

Turkey Turkey has been a secular country since 1928, but Islamic values are still present in daily life. With urbanization, majority of middle class urban family place less value on honor, and the separation of sexes is less strict. The younger generations have more access to autonomy and are thus less restrictive in interactions with the opposite sex and more accepting of Western practices.

A 2003 study done in Turkey including 124 undergraduate students and 60 adults, showed some of the various views on premarital sex. Premarital sex is growing more acceptable for men in Turkey, but is still widely disapproved of for women. Although men looked more negatively upon premarital sex, they engaged in premarital sex more than women did. Women who have engaged in premarital sex are looked at as being less desirable than women who are virgins. This reflects the value placed on female purity in Turkish culture.

Political and Public Goodwill

Disconnect between policy, research, and practice is detrimental to sexual and health reproduction in Middle East. Usually, the official policies in Middle East do less than combat the underlying sexual taboo.Saleh, l., (2010). Media Education in the Middle East & North Africa: Dancing naked in a Swamp of Coercive Societies. International Association for Media & Communication research (IACMR), Braga, Portugal.

New policies and projects were introduced in connection to Sexual and Reproductive Rights in the region in the last two decades, however it should be a great importance to assure those rights in a more detailed manner.

All efforts by all stakeholders should ensure the following: prevention of early marriage through programs which take into consideration the circumstances and needs of the girls/women, their parents and communities prevention of FGM, legislative reform is needed in connection to abortion, SRH rights should be given not only to local, but for migrant workers as well, the region needs to develop a comprehensive sex education as an integral part o school curricula (and not only at universities), and they should develop comprehensive strategy to prevent gender based violence in the MENA region.

Religion and Sexuality The Middle East is home to many religions, with the three most widely practiced being Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Islam

Although there are various interpretations of scripture, the hegemonic viewpoint paints homosexual attraction and gender diversity as problematic. Under Islamic law sodomy is prohibited. The story of "the people of Lut" in the Qur'an is often cited as God's forbidding homosexuality, Lot being the Islamic prophet who preached against homosexuality in the cities of Sodom and Gomorra. However, many Muslim scholars have argued that rather than homosexuality, the Story of Lot reflects God's anger toward the violence, inhospitality, and sexual immorality that occurred.

In addition to the hegemonic viewpoint on homosexuality and gender diversity, there are progressive Muslims who have interpreted the Qur'an differently. Throughout Islam's history, Islamic art such as poetry, literature, and paintings, have recorded sexual behavior between same-sex individuals. There is no record of the prophet punishing anyone for homosexuality. Their one interpretation holds that homosexuality in this case is a natural diversity that occurs in human societies.

Christianity Christianity has a variety of sects in the Middle East, but two important ones are the Coptic and Maronites Churches. Maronites have long taken a stance against same-sex relations, and most recently, have rejected the Catholic Pope’s statement to welcome LGBTQ+  people into churches. The criminalization of homosexual relations with Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal code (Lebanon having the highest concentration of Maronites in the Middle East) was heavily supported by Maronite and Jesuit communities.

According to the Coptic Church “Everything that is created by God (specifically those attributes that relate to the image of God which all human were created on) is not just good but is very good (Genesis 1:31). This means that when the human being uses and expresses all the God given faculties in a proper way as intended by God, in the proper time and proper place, these things lead to edification and even to salvation.  This includes the expression of love through the means of marital relations and sexuality.” This being said, same-sex marriage in most countries in the Middle East, rendering homosexuality intolerable by Coptic religious moors.

Judaism There are many reactions to homosexuality within Judaism. Orthodox Judaism does not condone homosexuality as a way of life, however, with modernity, gay liberation movements have begun to challenge the Orthodox. Reconstructionist Judaism, a small movement in North America were accepting of homosexuality, being the first rabbinical school open to lesbian and gay students as well as to endorse same-sex ceremonies.

Although there exist many myths on sexuality within the Jewish community, many are misconceptions. There exist many specific restrictions on nuances of sexual contact, that vary with the wide number of communities around the MENA region. To exemplify, “Traditional Jewish observance expressly forbids sexual contact between spouses during the days of menstruation and for a week thereafter”. Despite this, Judaism is very encouraging towards sexual relations in the context of marriage, not only for the objective of bearing children, but also for sexual health and strengthening the marital bond.

Advocacy for Sexual and Bodily Rights