Rita, re. Moroccan daughter story

Submitted by Lina (United Kingdom), Jun 8, 2009 at 15:26

Those were my exact thoughts, Rita - the story does seem rather extreme in parts. Some of it did sound like a melodramatic movie lol, especially the abduction part. Although child & religious abuse is rife - and should never be ignored - in Morocco... this doesn't quite add up at times, & strikes me as a form of propaganda. Particularly the part where the author speaks of racism against Berbers - which also exists, but it is rarely due to skin color. A lot of it is engaging & often true, but...

Does the story relate to marrying Moroccan men? I'd sooner say that it relates to the general, international abuse of women. Or to marrying someone when you're far too young, and with low self-esteem, which happens all the time, all over the world. It's the 17-year-old girl with low self-esteem who marries a controlling man 10 years her senior & has a baby; it's the 18-year-old girl who has an arranged marriage to a grotesque man in Pakistan, & her children feel unloved because she married solely for reputation, & she'd rather marry the boy of her dreams. It's not a Moroccan thing.

And you're right, abuse isn't just a product of muslim marriages. In fact, I live only a few doors down from a non-muslim man who domestically abused his wife - which clearly shows that such behavior is closer to home than anyone would imagine. Domestic and child abuse is carried out by severely mentally ill, sadistic or messed up people, from all walks of life. They should never, ever blame their cruelty on their religion or upbringing - this adds further insult to the victim, & abusers always love to blame their actions on others.

As for circumcision, this practice usually takes place in the African "sticks". If it occurs in Morocco, it's probably in some obscure village.

When I was in Morocco, I saw that the children had relative freedom compared to a lot of other muslim countries. Young couples canoodling in public, teenage girls in "western" clothing, mixed young people hanging out in games arcades & on beaches. Me & my half-Moroccan sister even had a laugh with some local young men lol.

There's probably a higher risk of abuse if the Moroccan partner has an authoritarian father & oppressed mother - as there's a chance that he will turn out just like his dad. But then he could also go in the opposite direction, and decide that he wants to be nothing like him...

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