Stepping off the tourist bus, some may simply conclude that Morocco is a male-dominated, chauvinistic culture whose women are second-class citizens; and because of the fact that women veil, sometimes completely, this means that they are subjugated. This perception of the Muslim world in general is commonplace.
But while some things I've observed may fit with generic perceptions of the Muslim world, there are also many other things that go against these generalizations and may even be more “progressive” or PC than the West.
For instance, while it can be offensive the way Moroccan men are relentless with tourist women, saying and doing things they would never say or do to their own women (like touching strangers in general or more extreme examples such as groping and tasteless comments), I question whether the men sexually objectify their own women and if, perhaps, it's just the foreign women they view this way. Thanks to the media industry, which has consistently portrayed Western women as sex objects, while this double standard would be unjust, it's understandable on some level. And despite the hassling, I do believe that at least with some men I've met and have gotten to know here, there aren't always ulterior motives involved. In those cases, the fact that I can have a platonic friendship with a man here is something largely inaccessible to Muslim women, except for some of the youth, as far as I know.
A story that was relayed to me by another traveler who spent time living with a family in the mountains was her surprise at watching the women breast feed in the open, in front of all the men who didn't even bat an eye at boobs hanging out. She said that a woman could be breast feeding and a man would come up and kiss the baby on the head (in public) and that no one even seemed the least bit phased. Even after the baby was finished, the women would just leave their boobs hanging out, almost absentmindedly. Compare this to the States where a woman sued an airline over not being able to even discreetly nurse her baby during a long flight or where women have to find special rooms or use the toilet in order to feed their child. I'm sure there are certain areas of Morocco where you wouldn't see open, public breast feeding but the fact that it does happen in rural areas that are Muslim is fascinating.
And from my own experience: Seeing women in full veil, with just small slits for the eyes, still has a startling effect on me; maybe it's because since the burqa is usually completely black, it conjures up an image in my head of a black ghost floating towards me. It also touches on the Western perception of the Muslim world- that when a woman is completely veiled, she is at her most unempowered place.
However, the other day, I walked into a CD and book store seemingly run by two women in full veil (there were no men around). It made it a little difficult talking with them because I could barely make eye-contact through their burqas but nevertheless, they made me feel incredibly welcome and gave me a daily Koran meditation/prayer book as a gift. I haven't seen many women running shops on their own here and definitely not in full veil, so this was particularly interesting.
Similarly, while clearly the men dominate the streets and cafes, it being extremely rare to see Muslim women in a cafe or restaurant, it's also clear that the women rule the roost; they are by no means shrinking violets and are without a doubt, some of the most vocal, unflinching, tough women I've ever met. Their lives are hard- very hard- by our standards. In the rural areas, they do most of the physical labor. Right up until when they give birth, they can be seen lifting heavy objects, working in the fields, with seemingly none of the fragility with which we tend to approach childbirth in the West. So despite the fact that they might be veiled to varying degrees, they could certainly be classified as “hard core.”
An interesting point on the veiling: I have read and heard it argued that the veil is meant to protect women, not subjugate them. While some women in the West might take issue with that, I can attest to understanding it just a bit, even as an outsider. When I got sick and tired of the constant stares and attention, in some rural areas (although granted, not everywhere) I did find relief in veiling myself and hiding behind it. Therefore, I don't think the “protection” claim is baseless and it seems perfectly reasonable to me that a woman would freely choose it.
(Just imagine if there were some way back home to veil yourself so that going to a co-ed gym, the men wouldn't be constantly sizing you up and looking you up and down... tempting, eh?)
And particularly interesting to me is seeing the open displays of affection and emotion, especially among and between men. It's not uncommon to see men holding hands in the street- even police men. It has nothing to do with homosexuality, as it's illegal here. So isn't it interesting in a culture where homosexuality is illegal that you would see so many men holding hands? Watching men greet each other is also fascinating as I've often seen hugs turn into playful wrestling that back home, we would label as being beyond the boundaries of pals or family.
So as I have visited with other Western travelers and compared notes and experience, I'd say that like most places and things in life, there are many layers, there are no easy answers, and there is rarely black and white.
