The Western World looks to the Muslim countries with some trepidation since 11-S. We look askance into the unknown, into “the other” and from a distance, as if we are very far from that reality so unstable and culturally distinct. But the reality of Morocco is different.
Written by Judith Viloria
A few weeks ago the Spanish newspaper El Pais, published a report about the Spanish and the Roman legacy has Morocco, which showed pictures very curious about this country: a mix between modernity increasingly growing, and a similar past to Spain a few decades ago. A society linked to two continents and the Mediterranean, with victories on all fronts and a historical legacy that remains tattooed on their culture.
Morocco changes at breakneck speed and youth are at the forefront of change. A few weeks ago I was walking in Ouarzarzate, a city of Kasbahs and oases in the desert, the perfect location for isolation and that, on the contrary, smells new with its wide avenues. I was walking around and I came across a group of young people dancing break dance with the same flow that an American would. One even wore Converse sneakers, probably second hand.
It’s funny to see guys Berbers with blue turban and a shirt from Rip Curl, leading a camel and talking about dunes and sand storms while checking their mobile phone if they have a message from his “habibti”.
The guide who accompanied me, a young man in his 30’ from Marraketch, pointed that an unusual sign that something is moving in Morocco, in his own words, is that “young people today, unlike my generation, don’t speak about Religion as we used to. They talk about Music, Politics, but they do not discuss about Islam “.
In that sense, women in the big cities and medium-high purchasing power, with a degree and credit card are also showing, from my point of view, rebellion limiting religion to the private sphere (or nonexistent). – More and more women let their hair be seen, wear a miniskirts or shorts.
The King Mohammed V also deviates from the footsteps of his father and let people see his wife’s face, unlike its predecessors, in photographs. Maybe this is just a symbol but, until recently, there was no divorce and men could have several wives, which is now only possible with the permission of the first wife and the judge.
It is obvious that there are still many changes to be done in matter of rights, but 50 years ago in Spain also began to evolve by leaps and bounds in a society Catholic Apostolic and Roman, dressed with decency and neatness, and the youth went to the service every Sunday. Is Morocco living a transformation of ideas?
Daily Sun Breaking News: Get the technology advantage you need to stay ahead of the competition. New payment processing services help you migrate your pos system to the cloud. Works with Visa Mastercard and Discover Processors.
