CAES Morocco: Advanced Leadership Theories, Ethics, and Culture

  A significant element of culture is beliefs.   Beliefs are strongly influenced by  religion, a system containing specific practices and perspectives that connect man to a higher being (Beyers, 2017).   There are many religions, but two most prominent ones are Christianity and Islam with both accounting for approximately 55% of the world population that identify as religious (Statista, 2021). Religion manifests itself in behaviors and practices as followers practice instructions of their religion. Religion is so influential that it in-groups and out-groups are formed based on religion (Hannum et al., 2010). In an organization, any differences between members of different religion can be a fault line, an attribute that can split a group, where any conflict can spillover to society at large ( Hannum et al., 2010 ) Religion has been discussed from the very start of our trip, at orientations and in materials that were accessed in preparation for coming to Morocco. Durin...

     Being in a predominantly Muslim part of the world when we come from a predominantly Christian country, it is not hard to recognize these as differing identities. A particular aspect of our tour in Medina that piqued my interest was the cleaning ritual (Wudhu or Wudu) that Muslims partake in before praying. To quote our wonderful guide for the day with additional requirements from BBC (2022), the process of this washing is as follows:  Right then left hand three times Mouth three times Breathe water in through the nose softly three times Wash face at least once, but usually, this is done three times Right arm up to the elbow three times Left arm up to the elbow three times Water from wet hands goes through the hair from the hairline to over the head Wipe the back and inside of ears Right foot up to the ankles three times Left foot up to the ankles three times      This ritual is done in order to prepare for an "appointment before God" as described ...

  Moroccan religious or celebratory music revolves around either the cleansing of the spirit, the celebration of a union, or for purely enjoyment purposes (Schuyler, 1981). One genre is called Gnawa and is known for being a traditional form of Islamic religious songs and rhythms founded in Morocco and West Africa. Unlike many of the songs heard in more tradition Catholic or conservative churches in the Western culture, the music is made to invoke rhythmic movements from the listener (Schuyler, 1981). Dancing is a major part of the culture surrounding Gnawa and other religious/celebratory music and the game of Txabia (a musical game of hide-and-seek) is an excellent example of how that music is used (Schuyler, 1981). After proper ceremonies, Txabia is used as a part of the ritual devoted to enjoyment after more serious moments where dancers are entranced (Schuyler, 1981). The musical ceremony we saw yesterday also encouraged free dancing and movement that was intertwined with both r...

 I have read multiple articles on religion in Morocco, and it is clear that Sunni Muslim is the dominant religion in Morocco. According to this International Religious Freedom Report for 2019, more than 99% of the population in Morocco is Sunni Muslim ( U.S. Department of State,  2020). Even more interesting is that Casablanca was named the place with the highest religious diversity multiple times. Compared to the United States, this is very isolated diversity. I grew up in the southeast part of the United States, where Christianity is the dominant religion. However, I was often exposed to other religions; even in my household, one of my parents was Christian while the other was Muslim. I never felt pressured to choose a religion or act religious at all, but my parents allowed me to explore all religions. The freedom of religion expressed in the US is often without the pressures of society. It is common to have people in the same community who openly practice different religio...

       I have been very interested in Moroccan praying practices. On the first day of arrival, I remember hearing music playing around the city. I then learned that that music was a way of calling people to the Mosque to pray. As I listened more, I noticed this prayer/song would be played multiple times a day.       The Muslim Student Association from Benedictine University stated, “The five daily prayers include: Fajr (sunrise prayer), Dhuhr (noon prayer), Asr (afternoon prayer), Maghrib (sunset prayer), and Isha (night prayer)” (2014).” They go on to state that Muslims are supposed to pray at all five of these times, however, it is really up to the faith and commitment of each individual. The times the prayer begins depends on the sun, and they end when the next prayer begins. The Student Association stated that the prayers do not have to last very long (5-10 minutes). Lastly, when they pray they must face towards Mecca.     ...

     An aspect of the culture in Morocco I find to diverge from the culture I’ve experienced in the United States (in all regions I’ve lived) is the active engagement to break down language barriers. The state of languages prevalent in Morocco post-independence has been considered and extrapolated upon in academic work. The country’s medium of instruction (MOI) post-independence shifted to Arabization for 30 years until 2011 when Amazigh language(s) were recognized as an official language(s) in Morocco. Prior to 2011 but post-independence, this meant teaching the core subjects in Modern Standard Arabic(MSA) instead of French to reclaim cultural capital and reduce the influence of France’s previous colonial power. Moroccan Arabic (Darija) is considered the "real mother tongue" ( Spolsky ) of non-Amazigh speakers but has been restricted to the home whereas French and Classical Arabic are restricted to the workplace. As such, it is commonplace for Moroccans to be multilingua...

Moroccans are very generous with their culture especially with their land. As we heard from our entrepreneur farmer he rents plots by his farm to expand for $300 per year. This is an insanely low prices for land. It makes some sense that you could get the land for very cheap when there is nothing their and the plot does not have much value. Although I think this could create a potential fault line in the future for our farmer.  If the farmer rents the land for $300 when the plot is relatively worthless everyone is happy. Although after years of fixing the land and turning it into a beautiful lively garden the land owner may not be so happy anymore. Their land will now be worth significantly more. I could see a potential problem if the owner was to come back and demand a higher price, and if the farmer was not willing to pay that new higher price they would most likely be able to take the farm because at the end of the day it is their land.  All in all, I think the generous cul...