One more awesome photo :) And Photo Credit goes entirely to Chelsey!

PHOTOS! :)

 

Realizations About Arab Spring Through Lalami’s Narratives

It’s hard to imagine why someone would light themselves on fire, taking their own life in a brutal manner, simply to protest something, especially for us Americans. However, after reading Laila Lalami’s novels, reasons for such a horrific decision became slightly more clear to me. I found myself liking characters such as Halima and Youssef in Lalami’s novels Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits and Secret Son. The characters Lalami created were not crazed members of a terrorist organization, they were regular people who found themselves in a desperate situation. I cannot pretend that I fully understand an issue such as Arab Spring, or what these people must be feeling in order to make such tragic and drastic decisions. Nevertheless, after reading Lalami’s novels I did feel myself coming closer to seeing how people in these situations must feel that they are left with no other options. I believe there are things in life worth dying for, and both Halima and Youssef displayed this. In the end their acts of desperation were heroic, and to a degree they were necessary. After coming to know these characters, I found myself feeling that what they did was right despite the fact that it was drastic. At the very least, I learned that I should not judge others unless I have been placed in the same situation myself. 

Kawtar: A Great Delight and Honor

As I sat down in the university coffee shop after our Arabic lesson I felt tired and drained both physically and emotionally. My throat was dry from the dusty air and the comfy looking couch sitting nearby was far too tempting. After keeping my mind focused for an hour and a half attempting to absorb a new difficult language my thoughts began to wonder away to places such as the hotel pool. As much as I hate to admit it, I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to the university students. I thought of a few questions I wanted to ask, but then I quickly realized I would need a drink of two before asking them because I was afraid they could be taken the wrong way. I didn’t know these people or enough about their culture. What if I asked something they felt was offensive? My body tightened a bit at the thought of saying the wrong thing. Luckily, before I had time to create more anxiety three young men came and sat at our table. We introduced ourselves and started making small talk. The conversation continued but it felt mostly shallow, as if we were all just trying to avoid falling into a pattern of awkward silence. Then, Kawtar arrived and sat one set removed from me. I couldn’t help but notice her obvious beauty that was even more exemplified by her bright yellow headscarf. I immediately felt connected to her because she was the only other female in my discussion group. From the first time she opened her mouth she embodied a perfect combination of wit and intelligence. At first she intimidated me; I thought to myself, “this girl as it all!” She looked me directly in the eyes when she spoke, and her smile quickly won me over, making me feel accepted and comfortable. We quickly moved past the simple questions and began discussing issues with more depth. I asked her, “why do you chose to wear a headscarf,” and “what about all of the girls here who chose to dress in a more Western fashion?” Her response was not what I expected in the least bit. She explained that in her opinion most of the women that try to appear Western or “more modern” actually tend to be uneducated and seeking the wrong kind of attention. She explained that wearing a headscarf is very much her own choice, as is the case for almost of the women in Morocco. It certainly did not make her less modern. As I listened to her speak eloquently I began to view her headscarf as a symbol of honor, beauty, independence and tradition. This conversation lead into politics when she asked me what I thought of Obama and the upcoming presidential election. This brought about a heated discussion between myself, Michael and Nick. However, before we could get into much of an argument she brought us back to what was really important. She praised us for our awareness of the issues in our country. She explained that the people in Morocco don’t really educated themselves on the matter because the politics in their nation are so dysfunctional and complex. She said that even though half of the voters are women, they hardly ever vote women into office in Morocco. Kawtar explained the need for female politicians with such compelling conviction I thought someone should vote her into office! Our talk continued from one powerful issue to the next with equal intensity. When Mouhsin came and told us that it was time to go, I wanted to stay and talk with Kawtar for hours. My tiredness had vanished entirely and been replaced with passion and desire to learn more about life as a woman in Morocco. Despite the many differences that Kawtar and I might have, we had become friends in this short period of time. I thought to myself as we left the university that evening what an honor it would be to have a relationship with a woman such as Kawtar. She displayed poise, power, kindness and so much more in the little time that I spent with her. It became clear to me that despite any differences we may have, it isn’t hard at all to overcome them if you take the time to learn about one another. I was saddened by the fact that I knew I would most likely never see her again. Little did I know, God had other plans. As it turns out Kawtar was the one to accompany me on my first exciting adventure to the hammam, where I had the honor to learn more about her culture in action. It’s safe to say that this experience brought us all pretty close pretty quickly, if you know what I mean. While there is much that can be learned through studies–visiting sites, reading and discussing, it doesn’t quite compare to what you can learn through friendship.

Youssef

Options exhausted

There is no where else to turn

Alone and betrayed

Left with an empty burn

 

You do not know desperation

Not the way I do

Every road a dead end

No way to get through

 

I did not mean any harm

If you could only see

There was no other choice

I had to make a decree

 

At the end it was hopeless

Standing up for what is right

It does not even matter

I should not have bothered to fight 

A Call For Reconciliation

Although we had been planning to meet the Imam for an extended period of time, it didn’t really hit me until we were leaving our hotel to go meet him. I thought about the questions I had for him as I sat squished in the taxi with the hot wind blowing against my skin. Before I knew it we were there, and I was climbing the stairs to the room where we would sit and talk with him. I removed my shoes by the entrance and walked into a stunning open room, with walls lined with cushion seats and lots of blue. Several men wearing djellabas entered the room and began to serve us dates, tea and something similar to coffee cake. Any nervous or unsettled emotions I was experiencing were swiftly extinguished and replaced with warmth and comfort. Even though these Islamic men didn’t say anything to me, I could feel their sincerity and acceptance despite the fact that we come from different religious backgrounds. These men demonstrated genuine love towards me through their desire to serve and honor myself and my friends. After listening to the Imam answer only a few brief questions, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. I couldn’t believe that after all of the judgements Americans and Christians have displayed towards Muslims that these people where so welcoming towards us. It became undeniably clear that these people weren’t violent, and they certainly didn’t hate us because of our religion or our nationality; in fact, I discovered quite the opposite. I thought to myself maybe we were the ones who were violent because we have forced our stereotypes upon these people for so long–an act of violence indeed. But in such a short period of time, despite the fact that I had many questions go unanswered, we were able to bridge the gap. I felt understood and accepted, and in return I had quickly fallen in love with these people through a simple and brief encounter. What if we all just took a small amount of time to try to understand the misunderstood? Instead of basing our reality on what we were told, what if we based it off of the real truth? A truth that can only be found by going through the source itself. After meeting the Imam I came to the realization that reconciliation is not unreachable, but it takes willing hearts with a desire to achieve it. 

Trying to Understand the Feminine in Religion

Does the root of the never-ending gender controversy lie with religion? This has been a concept I have struggled with since the time I was old enough to understand gender roles in my own society. But where did these roles come from I wondered. I began to think that perhaps religion had something to do with it, since I had heard so many times “wives submit to your husbands” and other similar verses. After hearing many mixed messages from different churches and pastors concerning this topic, I decided to read the Bible from front to back in hopes of finding my own conclusion. From the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, a misogynistic view begins to develop. It is challenging not to see the fall of mankind as mostly Eves fault rather than Adams. Is this why women are cursed–always being oppressed and mistreated throughout history? I struggled with the story of the fall and with other verses in the Bible that seemed to place man ahead of women. One also can’t help but notice that only two females have their own books in the Bible, and all twelve disciples were men. 

Years later I heard a sermon correcting the misconception that the Bible states, “wives submit to your husbands.” This particular pastor explained the passage as stating, “wives submit to your husbands, and husbands submit to your wives equally.” This makes much more sense to me, because for any relationship to work, we must at times submit to each other. In a healthy relationship both people make sacrifices and both submit at times. After hearing this sermon I began to think that part of the reason our religion seems so patriarchal is because it has been extremely misinterpreted and men have abused the Bible in order to keep women beneath them. It was not until I traveled to Morocco and studied Islamic culture that I made the connection that this religion also has been misunderstood and abused. 

The prophet Muhammad granted women citizenship long before women were seen as equals in Western society, especially when recognizing that in the US women could not vote until 1920, hundreds of years after Muhammad. It’s very misleading that in a nation “under God, with liberty and justice for all” half of the population was denied their rights for so long. When studying the women in Muhammad’s life, one has to admit that Muhammad loved, valued and supported strong and independent females. On the other hand, it appears that the West values the opposite. This is demonstrated by philosophers such as Kant, who forces women to chose between being beautiful  or intelligent. A devastating and impossible choice as Mernissi points out. 

I still do not have the answers for why women have been oppressed and undervalued in many different cultures during all different periods of time. From what I have found by studying Christianity, it could easily be argued that it is a patriarchal religion and possibly even a misogynistic one. However, I think it is fair to say that both Christianity and Islam have been greatly misinterpreted and altered, and therefore used as just another way to oppress women despite the fact that at the heart of these religions they call for equality and praise the feminine. 

Movies: Revealing Positive Aspects of Globalization

I stood timidly at the counter of the teashop bustling with people waiting for someone who might be able to understand me. Suddenly, a handsome waiter appeared. I stammered while attempting to place my order in a silly-sounding hybrid of Spanish and English. He looked as if he was trying to suppress a smile as he allowed me to struggle for several more moments. When I finally stopped stammering, he repeated my order back to me in perfect English and asked if I would like anything else to go with it. I could feel my face flush and I was certain that I was the color of the red carpet. Not to mention the fact that my mouth was hanging open out of shock—I hadn’t heard anyone speak such perfected English out on the streets since I arrived in Morocco. After he left the other girls and I giggled while discussing how cute he was like we were fifteen years old. Later in the evening he returned to my table and we began to strike up a conversation. I asked him how he learned to speech English so well, and he told me that he was only able to take one year while in school, but he continued to practice by watching Western films. After he walked away I began thinking about what he said, and my perspective on movies change a little bit.

The next day I walked past the local movie theater, and instead of viewing it as corruptive, I thought of it as an exciting social setting for the Moroccan people and more importantly, a place that was somewhat educational. Later that day I stumbled across a video store displaying films staring Arab actors and actresses. Although the film posters were similar to ours in America, they portrayed Islamic people and culture instead. I’m sure that the films are heavily influenced by Hollywood and American culture, however they have put their own spin on the films they have created. The presence of films that emphasizes Moroccan society can bring the community pride and joy.

American films can be positive as well because they allow people who cannot receive a formal education the opportunity to learn English. I also had the chance to meet with several university students, and I asked them if it was easy to find people to practice their English with in Morocco. Surprisingly, they also said that the best way for them to practice their English was by watching American movies. They told me that going to the theater is a very common activity for young people in Morocco, and that sometimes they might go as many as 5 or 6 times in a weekend because the theater is such a cheep form of entertainment. From the information I received from the Moroccan people that I meant I realized that Hollywood benefited the Moroccan people in many ways. Films bring the community together, allowing the people to celebrate their own celebrities and culture, as well as providing them with an educational experience.

 

The Western Harem

I found Fatema Mernissi’s book Scheherazade Goes West fascinating because I learned dozens of new things from her comparison of feminist beauty in the East and the West.  The most significant piece of information I took from her work was simply how little we really know about cultures outside our own until we take the time to study it and immerse ourselves in it. Scheherazade Goes West made me feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Morocco, especially because Mernissi placed such a strong emphasis on travel and learning from foreigners. Mernissi states “travel helps you to figure out who you are and how your own culture controls you” (91). I discovered numerous ways that my culture has controlled me, creating false truths about the East, simply from reading Scheherazade Goes West. Therefore, I cannot wait to discover the reality of Eastern culture through experiencing Morocco first hand.

Beyond realizing and accepting how very little I know about culture in the East, Mernissi’s book shed new light onto how Western women have also been forced into a sort of harem by men and “the male gaze.” Before examining the ideas and evidence in Scheherazade Goes West I believed that all men, regardless of their global location, objectified women for the same reasons. However, Mernissi points out that “the second distinctive feature of the Western harem: Intellectual exchange with women is an obstacle to erotic pleasure” (26). This concept is repeated through Western artwork as well, which display vulnerable and passive harem women. Jacques tells Mernissi, “In my harem, I prefer my women to be totally nude, just like Ingres’s Grande Odalisque…Nude and silent—these are the two key qualities of my harem women” (106).  Mernissi acknowledges that harem paintings in the East depict a much different type of women.

Similarly to their miniature paintings, the tales of famous Eastern women describe strong, active and intelligent women. In fact these women, such as Tawaddud, rely on their intelligence and are praised by men for it; unlike women in the West, where men seem to want a women “with a paralyzed brain” (95). Mernissi quotes Kant’s words on educated women, “Laborious learning, even if a woman should greatly succeed in it, destroys the merits that are proper to her sex, and because of their rarity they can make her an object of cold admiration; but at the same time they will weaken the charms with which she exercises her great power over the other sex” (90). Kant’s ideas, which reflects the views of the Western world about femininity force women to choose between being beautiful and intelligent.

Through her interaction with Western men and culture, Mernissi discovers that men in the East are attracted to an entirely different type of woman than men in the West (generally speaking). Men in the East trap women in harems because they realize that they are intelligent and potentially dangerous; these men are aware that the women are capable of disturbing the culture and economy. However, it seems that in the West men desire a women who is somewhat brainless. They have created a particular image of what makes a woman beautiful, and intelligence is not a part of that image. Mernissi concludes that men in both cultures, the East and the West, have trapped women in harems, so to speak, but in different ways and for different reason.

I thoroughly enjoyed how Mernissi concluded her work by retelling her shopping experience in New York City. As a Western woman, I’m used to being told that to be beautiful is to be thin. But it never really occurred to me that physical beauty is of less importance in other parts of the world, because it is so essential in the world I’ve grown up in. Before going shopping in New York, Mernissi wasn’t aware that she wasn’t the ideal size, or that her weight could make her less attractive to people. She told the saleswomen, “I come from a country where there is no size for women’s clothes” (212). But here in the West, women are more than aware of their size and weight everyday. I thought to myself that it must be very freeing not to have to worry about what size of clothing you wear, not having to spend hundreds of dollars on make-up, and not feeling that it is necessary to spend most of the morning trying to make yourself look appealing. While I feel that our society has moved past Kant’s idea, that the idea women is silent and uneducated, I do see how Western women are still forced to subscribe to certain ideas of what makes them beautiful. Mernissi says it perfectly, “the threat [her words] implied was so cruel that I realized for the first time that maybe ‘size 6’ is a more violent restriction imposed on women than is the Muslim veil” (213). In some respects, women in the East are freer than women in the West because the male gaze has put Western women in an invisible harem, without physical barriers but nevertheless very oppressive.

The Importance of Islam and Trans-nationalism in Regards to Moroccan Culture

I learned many new fascinating things about Moroccan culture and identity through the Orientation class and the films shown this quarter. One of the historical concepts I found most interesting concerned the history of Islam through the film Faith of Islam and the lectures Dr. Segall gave about this religion and it’s influence in Morocco. My previous studies emphasized learning about the history of Christianity, but I lacked any substantial knowledge about other prominent religions. This film revealed that one forth of the world respond to the call of Islam. The religion stresses the importance of tolerance—for a substantial amount of time Christians, Jews, and Islamic people co-existed quite harmoniously. This was surprising to me because Western culture often projects the idea that Islam, particularly in the Middle East, is violent and hateful. This film demonstrated how this is a false illustration of Islam. Western culture also teaches that modern thinking stems mostly from Europe, when in fact Christians were learning Arabic because that is where the knowledge was found and learning was prosperous. Islam places high importance on taking care of the orphans and the widows. This is partially interesting because Muhammad himself was an orphan. I was captivated by how the film revealed that the Islamic people took in children without parents, creating a strong and stable community with love and support for the disadvantaged. Despite the fact that Muhammad was an orphan, he was obviously able to not only survive, but also succeed in life because the society taught that it was the responsibility of others to step up and care for the helpless. Contrary to what Western culture might say, Islam values and respects the women in their society. In fact, Muhammad’s wife, Khadija, proposed to him. She had an extensive impact on his success, as well as being highly successful all on her own. She was a mentor to him, partially because she was older and wiser, and she was a prosperous businesswoman. Khadija is now known as the “mother of Islam,” and undoubtedly respected, strong, and valuable woman. The veiling of women can be very misleading to Westerners because the true meaning is not explained in Western society.  The forced veiling of women is actually due to backlash against Western culture, not out of hatred or disrespect towards women in Islamic culture. Islam is overflowing with wonderful values and ideas such as the importance of social justice and reconciliation. Through the film Faith of Islam I discovered that everyone, regardless of religious beliefs or geographical location, could learn and benefit from the philosophies that Islam teaches and practices.

 

 

Another new idea that I discovered due to this course was the concept of trans-nationalism, in this case pertaining to the connections between Morocco and Spain. Laila Lalami’s novel Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits demonstrated this through numerous characters that were trying to illegally leave Morocco and go to Spain for various reasons. Each one of the characters was changed by their trans-national journey, whether they successfully crossed into Spain or not. This change is drastically revealed particularly through Faten and Halima, whose identities are entirely altered by their journey. Before the journey Faten is a highly religious woman who wears a headscarf by choice despite what society tells her to do. Her strong opinions have great influence on her friend, Noura, who follows Fatan’s example closely. This angers Noura’s powerful father, who had different expectations for Noura’s future. Therefore, he proceeds to have Fatan fail her final exams, leaving her with few options outside of attempting to make a life for herself elsewhere. Fatan is successful in illegally immigrating to Spain. But the economy in Spain proves to be no better for Fatan; she abandons her beliefs and turns to prostitution. Another character, Halima, risks her life and the lives of her three children to escape her abusive husband. They are caught immediately after they cross and returned to Morocco. Interestingly enough, Halima refuses to let this hold her down. Her husband finally grants her a divorce and the right to keep her children. Through this trans-national journey Halima is made stronger, and proves that she is willing to stop at nothing to gain her freedom. Lalami’s novel emphasizes the influence that this journey has on each individual character, and how trans-nationalism goes both ways, affecting Spain and Morocco both.