An Arab League deadline for Damascus to stop its lethal crackdown on protesters expires today, a day after Syrian security forces killed at least 12 civilians, including two children.

Wearing nothing but a pair of stockings, red ribbon in her hair and a pair of flat red shoes, the black and white shot would not look out of place in a nude photography book. But this is no ordinary art project. It is the work of a feminist Egyptian activist who is making a bold and potentially dangerous statement.