CAES Morocco: Advanced Leadership Theories, Ethics, and Culture

     Perceptions of the practice of veiling by modern Islamic women from the West often miss the mark. In a feigned attempt to promote women's "liberation", the practice is reduced to a matter of gender inequality. In doing so, we miss the beautiful complexities of personal expression and faith. Simultaneously, in inventing a picture of an Islamic monoculture where all devout women veil, the Islamic faith, and a woman's spirituality are simplified to adorning a hijab. The irony of this flash judgement is that in trying to "fight" for women's right to choose (which assumes that right is not already present) it removes the woman's agency. Since our time in Morocco, I have spoken with young and elder women alike, whose perspectives and individual relationships with Islam and spirituality have cemented just how personal veiling and faith are in this culture. From my conversations with Ratem, the social norms of modesty in dress are not so much Religious ...

Blog Post #2 Religion: The Kingdom of Morocco is generally considered an Islamic country. The population is made up of more than 37 million people with at least 99% being Muslims. In my own community, the large percentage of people I encounter are of the Christian faith. This difference coupled with the influence of Islam on Moroccan culture & laws means that I have experienced a few things that I never would have thought about in my own secular society. One of the practices that stuck out this week was the fact that Friday is considered a holy day in Islam. The ways Fridays were treated is taken seriously as well.  This Islamic holy day is referred to as “jum’ah,” which comes from the same word as “gather.” This day is designated as a prayer day to worship. According to an encyclopedia source, Fridays also have a noon prayer service that free adult males must attend. In honor of Jum’ah, it is not uncommon for people to take off work or for businesses to close early. In fac...

  Marriage is when two people find love and decide that they want to spend their life together or at least as much of their life together if they decide to divorce later on. Additionally, I have been taught that there are plenty of fish in the sea, but you don't know when the perfect or right fish comes along. The sea is huge, and it is okay to get lost in the sea and meet a couple of the wrong fish along the way. It also does not matter what religion or belief the other is as long as y'all love each other. However, that is not the case in every religion or belief. I found this article that explains about mixed marriages that focuses on the religion aspect in the law's eyes. A Muslim man whom is not from a Muslim country that wants to marry a Muslim Moroccan woman needs a notarized statement of his religious denomination (Hekking, 2019). Then, a non-Muslim man must convert in order to be married in Morocco (Hekking, 2019). In order to be married in Morocco, he will need pap...

Morocco's cultural depth has astounded me, and I think that the role of religion is accredited for creating an incredible atmosphere. The way they practice religion in their daily lives has been amazing to witness. Not only is the religion different from what I’m used to, but the way they practice it as part of their everyday lives has been amazing to see. The ancient traditions seem to still be so prevalent here, like the cleaning before praying, the religious clothing they wear everyday, adhan recited from minarets five times a day, and much more. This is a big difference than what I am used to in America. I don't see people practicing an ancient tradition in regards to Christianity - especially in public. Other than saying a prayer before a meal, I usually can't tell if a person is religious or not because we don't portray our practices publicly. The shared traditions and customs in Morocco truly unites the people on a deep national level. I read that at any given po...

  The purpose of prayer in Christianity from my perspective growing up Christian was to be saved, to reach a higher power for daily life guidance, and to be forgiven/confess your sins. Here in Morocco it feels that the purpose has a different context. Prayer in Islam or at least Moroccan Islam seems to be motivated by spiritualism. From my numerous conversations about religion with Hamid I have discovered the purpose is a release of spiritual energy. There are however overlapping themes with both. I have noticed the gratefulness and mercy both religions show to their respective creator. In Islam when you wake up there is a prayer to thank the lord you woke up. In Christianity there are many thanks given to the lord such as before a meal thanking the lord for food. I also see religious guilt in both. With Christianity I have felt the guilt of not praying by family, preachers and myself. In Islam there is guilt every day when the call to prayer occurs from the sirens in the meirnet. ...

  For perhaps the first time, I am actually experiencing a small piece of the “art” Hetain Patel discussed in our very first Blog prompt. While I am not trying to imitate the Islamic faith and becoming more like my authentic self in failing to be Muslim, I do think experiencing other religions helps solidify your own beliefs. I have enjoyed some of the conversations with my peers on this trip regarding spiritual beliefs. Religion is one of those topics that definitely presents an opportunity for conflict. I think it is easy to see an “in-group” and “out-group” perspective where religions are concerned. According to Homan and Jehn (2010), the “in-group versus out-group distinction can in turn instigate intergroup bias, which manifests in low trust and dislike between the subgroups” (p. 90). “Xenophobia is the general fear or hatred of those who are considered to be in a different group than one’s own” (Pittinsky, 2010, p. 125). Speaking from my own experiences, being raised in r...