Sanaa Wright: Race, Ethnicity, Culture or Religion

 I think there have been many differences I have encountered since visiting Morocco, but something that definitely stood out to me is how central religion and gender are to Moroccan culture. Although religion does not have a firm place in the government, as in many Islamic countries, it is more socially embedded in a way that is more stark in comparison to the U.S. After visiting the Hassan II Mosque and seeing firsthand how important the Islamic religion is in this country, I had a great appreciation for their faith and the community it creates. Although there are no laws (that I am aware of) that govern the people on important parts of the faith such as prayer and visiting a Mosque on Fridays, or even what religion anyone is at all, it is still very culturally relevant in the workplace (breaks for prayer on fridays, breaks during the day for prayer, prayer rugs in every building), in gender norms (roles of women vs. men, segregation of genders), and social expression (modest dress, sayings and expressions, etc.). 

I think there are issues in every culture— no one is perfect, and there is no “correct” way of doing things. After touring Casablanca and hearing more about Islamic culture from someone of that religion, notably a woman, I remember feeling a sense of internal conflict, challenging my own perceptions of the Islamic religion and of Muslim countries. My first impression from day one was that the women of Morocco faced an element of oppression, whether social or systematic, based on the disproportionate ratio of men to women walking around alone, in cafes and shops, and my initial reaction was to judge this negatively. However, during the tour, I was given more critical information, which I used to form a new understanding of the culture— how women prefer nicer cafes to the gritty ones we had visited, and how women are facing new liberations under the current government administration/king. While I think there are still systematic imbalances between the two genders in this country compared to the states, I know there is still a lot for me to learn about how religion impacts the culture, whether or not the women “feel” the differences/forms of oppression, and I would like to hear more variety of experiences before coming to my own conclusion.