This week has been a whirlwind, and from speaking with other TGC participants, it seems to be that way for all of us. After finalizing lesson plans for next week and grading papers in preparation for my students' midterm grades, I spent much of my afternoon reading up on Morocco- particularly about its government and gender relations. After administering the pre-travel questionnaire, I noticed many of my students were stumped about questions surrounding the Moroccan government. I will admit that when I began researching Morocco, I wasn't certain of their government structure either, but I guessed it to be a constitutional monarchy. While I was correct in my estimation, I was surprised to learn that the current king of Morocco, King Mohammad VI, serves as both a secular leader and a leader in the Islamic faith- literally translated as "Leader of the Faithful". It is believed the King is a direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammed and therefore should lead the country in the Muslim faith. Interestingly, I learned the King proposed several policy changes that were deemed "too secular" including Mudawana (providing more rights for women) in 2004, and various social and political reforms in 2011. The Mudawana increased the minimum age of marriage for females to 18, set standards addressing polygamy, allowed women to file for divorce and go before a secular court rather than a religious court in divorce proceedings, and a rights to inheritance were granted to daughters as well as sons. While these reforms are applauded for improving the human rights of women, in many families, a more strict code will survive, regardless of these governmental policy changes. During what many would call the "Arab Spring" in 2011, many Moroccan protests began over alleged government corruption, political discontent, and difficult economic conditions. King Mohammed VI responded with a televised speech to the Moroccan people, proposing changes that included shifting more power to Parliament and the Prime Minister and making the Berber language an official language as well as implementing the preservation of Hassaniya, the language of the Sahrawi people in the southern region of the country. These proposals were generally well liked by the Moroccan people and much like Mudawana, the reforms were applauded by democratic powers of the world.
I am eager to discuss these changes with my host teacher or other Moroccans I meet- particularly those that may indirectly effect education. For example, increasing the minimum age of marriage is likely to increase the average years of education a female will complete, thus improving her economic status. Including Berber as an official language opens up political and economic advantages to those citizens who only speak Berber, and preserving the Hassaniya language suggests the King (and the people of Morocco) are interested in sustaining the heritage of the area. While I realize not every Moroccan will appreciate or support these reforms, as an American, I see them as exciting. In my opinion, these reforms have improved human rights, thus improving access to business, education, and foreign diplomacy. I am intrigued by the idea of a country being led by a man who is both an Islamic religious leader and a social reformer- the delicate balance that is being asked for by many Muslim populations.
I am eager to discuss these changes with my host teacher or other Moroccans I meet- particularly those that may indirectly effect education. For example, increasing the minimum age of marriage is likely to increase the average years of education a female will complete, thus improving her economic status. Including Berber as an official language opens up political and economic advantages to those citizens who only speak Berber, and preserving the Hassaniya language suggests the King (and the people of Morocco) are interested in sustaining the heritage of the area. While I realize not every Moroccan will appreciate or support these reforms, as an American, I see them as exciting. In my opinion, these reforms have improved human rights, thus improving access to business, education, and foreign diplomacy. I am intrigued by the idea of a country being led by a man who is both an Islamic religious leader and a social reformer- the delicate balance that is being asked for by many Muslim populations.