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Morocco: Setting the Precedent for Womens Rights
12/01/07 13:13 Filed in: Morocco
Articles
Students in collaboration in Washington
D.C. and Morocco have come together to
discuss women’s rights in Muslim countries.
Their focus: Morocco. The new, often viewed
as hip, King of Morocco Mohammed VI has
been pushing reforms through parliament
that give women many more rights under
traditional Islamic Law.
In recently passed legislation, according
to the report published by three University
students in the Common Ground News Source
(CGNews), women now have the right to
self-guardianship, divorce, and child
custody. Furthermore, the King has limited
the rights of those who wish to practice
polygamy, making the requirements quite
difficult to obtain. Additional changes
were the legal age of marriage and sexual
harassment laws, all prominent issues on
the forefront of Moroccan society.
Western countries have given kudos to Morocco’s attempts to do what many agree is a step in the right direction. Conservatism in Morocco’s government, however, had to be swayed in what has been called “a careful wording” of the amendments to Morocco’s constitution. Traditionalists, often still lingering in office from the previous King’s rule, have held staunchly to what they argue is Islamic code.
In Morocco, travelers can easily see that King Mohammed VI and his family set the example of a modern family choosing their own religious path. Some Muslims argue that women are not required to wear the veil, to cover their hair, or dress in any specific way; it’s all a matter of interpretation. In fact, King Mohammed’s wife, Princess Lalla Salma, is heavily involved in pushing even further the rights of women, including greater inheritance rights and protection from sexual abuse.
Morocco has always been pulled in different directions and influenced by Western and Middle Eastern ideas and thoughts concerning civil liberties. Wanting to maintain their Islamic identity, but wanting to open the doors, regardless of how carefully, the royal family and other liberal members of parliament agree that the changes are a positive step ahead. The students who reported in this article were aware enough to state that Western activists working for the rights of women in Islamic countries should also be aware of “ethnocentric definitions of rights and norms” so that compromise, collaboration, and cultural consideration are at the center of their debates. Many agree that change has to take place from within and that the outside, namely the Western world, needs to allow it to do so organically.
Source: Murai Yusuko, Kathleen Martinez and Meriem Boulekbod. Common Ground News Service (CGNews)
Western countries have given kudos to Morocco’s attempts to do what many agree is a step in the right direction. Conservatism in Morocco’s government, however, had to be swayed in what has been called “a careful wording” of the amendments to Morocco’s constitution. Traditionalists, often still lingering in office from the previous King’s rule, have held staunchly to what they argue is Islamic code.
In Morocco, travelers can easily see that King Mohammed VI and his family set the example of a modern family choosing their own religious path. Some Muslims argue that women are not required to wear the veil, to cover their hair, or dress in any specific way; it’s all a matter of interpretation. In fact, King Mohammed’s wife, Princess Lalla Salma, is heavily involved in pushing even further the rights of women, including greater inheritance rights and protection from sexual abuse.
Morocco has always been pulled in different directions and influenced by Western and Middle Eastern ideas and thoughts concerning civil liberties. Wanting to maintain their Islamic identity, but wanting to open the doors, regardless of how carefully, the royal family and other liberal members of parliament agree that the changes are a positive step ahead. The students who reported in this article were aware enough to state that Western activists working for the rights of women in Islamic countries should also be aware of “ethnocentric definitions of rights and norms” so that compromise, collaboration, and cultural consideration are at the center of their debates. Many agree that change has to take place from within and that the outside, namely the Western world, needs to allow it to do so organically.
Source: Murai Yusuko, Kathleen Martinez and Meriem Boulekbod. Common Ground News Service (CGNews)
