Discussing the politics, religion, and roles of women in Moroccan society during class today made me start to think more about what I’ve actually observed so far here in Morocco relating to those topics. Learning in class is interesting, but witnessing the culture in person and being fully immersed into a Moroccan household with my family has given much more life to these topics than any lecture could.

Moroccan politics are unique in the mix between the monarchy and the rest of the government, and there has been much change in only the past couple decades throughout the country’s political system. One of the most impactful changes was centered around furthering women’s rights in the early 2000’s giving them more freedom in their marriage/divorce choices, self-guardianship, child custody, and more. While the political system and longstanding laws are difficult to change in Morocco, initiatives continue fighting for more modern laws within the country.

Religion is something i was not well educated on before coming to Morocco, especially Islamic practices, but now living with my host family I’ve already learned so much. My brother in my host family takes his religion very seriously, as he’s often reading the Quran and praying. He’s very open to discussing his religion and beliefs with me and has no issue praying in front of me or explaining something about the religion I don’t understand. On top of this, he has no disdain for other religions and never speaks badly about other practices which is something I was surprised by.

Seeing how women live in Moroccan society has probably surprised me the most out of anything, because there is such a diverse spread of women I’ve met in only a few days which was nothing like my expectations. I thought that basically every single woman in Morocco would be extremely reserved and only wear the hijab while out, but there are actually many more than I expected who opt for less traditional clothing and more openness. The women in my host family are also wonderful and have been extremely welcoming and kind to me in my time here. They are constantly busying themselves and seem to never rest between cooking and doing other chores around the house, and it has been great to see their role within the culture and the household firsthand.

All of these topics have been great to witness, especially the ongoing changes within them that I’ve been able to see right in front of me.

-Austin Gilliland