CAES Morocco: Leading Across Differences

While in Morocco, I became interested in learning more about how transgender people are viewed within Moroccan society and how cultural and religious values influence gender roles. Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country where traditional expectations around gender and identity are deeply connected to religion, family, and social norms. According to Human Rights Watch (2022), LGBTQ+ individuals in Morocco, including transgender people, often face discrimination, social stigma, and limited legal protections. Public discussions surrounding gender identity are not very common, and many transgender individuals experience pressure to hide their identities to avoid judgment or harassment. These societal attitudes can affect access to employment, healthcare, and social acceptance, making it difficult for transgender people to openly express themselves. Learning about this topic made me reflect on how differently gender identity is understood across cultures. In the United States, conversat...

While visiting the souks in Morocco, I noticed how differently many market sellers are treated depending on the expectations of tourists, especially French tourists. Morocco was under French colonial rule from 1912 to 1956, and the effects of colonization are still visible today in language, tourism, and economic systems. French is still widely spoken in business settings, and many tourists from France visit Morocco expecting locals to accommodate them culturally and linguistically. According to Britannica, French colonization heavily influenced Morocco’s economy, education system, and urban development, creating long-lasting social and economic divisions (“French Protectorate in Morocco,” Britannica). In the souks, many sellers depend on tourism to support themselves, which can place them in a lower social position where they feel pressured to meet tourists’ expectations in order to make sales. This creates an imbalance where tourists often hold more power than the local workers whose...

In Islam, cats are regarded as clean animals deserving of respect, a belief that significantly shapes how they are treated in many Muslim-majority countries, including Morocco. This perspective is rooted in Islamic tradition, where the Prophet Muhammad's kindness towards cats has become a cultural norm of caring for them. In Morocco, it’s quite common to observe community members actively feeding and safeguarding street cats, allowing these animals to live alongside people without fear of neglect or harm. This behavior reflects the intertwining of religious values and cultural practices that emphasize compassion and hospitality. The Encyclopaedia Britannica highlights that Islamic teachings promote kindness toward animals and stress the importance of humane treatment of all living creatures (Esposito, 2023). In the images attached to this blog, the street cats in Morocco appear healthy and relaxed, comfortably interacting with humans. This is largely due to the collective effort of...