Waiting for Conviction - Islam and the Veil

Disclaimer:  What follows is my interpretation of conversations with dozens of Moroccans, many of them between 16-20 years-old, in two places:  Taza and Rabat.  I’m sure there are nuances that were missed in translation and different interpretations of all of these ideas.

This is my first trip to a predominantly Muslim country and I had been told that I would find a lot of diversity in religious expression in Morocco.  I haven’t been disappointed!  What has surprised me, however, is Moroccans’ openness to conversations and questions about Islam, especially among women and girls, whose religious conviction (or lack thereof) is most visible.

Pronouns!

One of the important things to know is that Moroccans often use the pronoun “we” when talking about religion and Moroccan culture, even as differences are acknowledged.  “We are Muslim and so…”  “As Muslims, we…”  “In Morocco we…”  While there is no denying the presence of religious minorities in Morocco, there is an assumption that if someone is Moroccan they are Muslim.  As an American who is trained to avoid potentially unwanted or inaccurate inclusion by the use of “we,” I found this especially interesting.  And while I see the danger in the use of “we,” particularly for atheists, non-Muslims, and foreigners, I also think that because Moroccans are generally tolerant, it shifts the context of conversations about topics like religion.  Moroccan identity - “we” - tolerates a lot of diversity.  For example, a 17 year-old student who still isn’t “convinced enough” of her religion to wear the veil is still part of the “we”.  People in the countryside who have a different history and culture are part of the Moroccan “we.”  I know there are exceptions - divorced women and people with dark skin are examples that come to mind - but I think there is evidence to support the fact that ideas about and discrimination against these groups are changing among young people.

My host teacher's daughter (on far left), wife (in pink), sister-in-law (brown shirt), and co-teacher Katherine.

The Veil!

Many of my conversations about religion in Morocco have focused on the veil as it’s the most obvious and common expression of religious conviction.  It is possible to see men with beards and skullcaps - including the Fes hat - but it’s not as common a sight as women wearing the veil.  Women and teenage girls cover their heads and necks with a wide range of veil styles and colors.  What does not differ, however, is what girls say about wearing the veil:  it’s my choice AND the Quran states that women should cover their heads.  What this means for girls and women is that their choice not to wear the veil isn’t a disagreement about what the Quran says, but is rather an expression of where they are in their religious journey.  Most girls - and even women - who don’t wear the veil say things like, “I’m not convinced [of my religion] yet, but maybe later I will be.”  My guide here, a middle-aged Moroccan woman, said that she just started wearing the veil this year after a trip to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. Other girls equate the veil with freedom and say things like, “I’m still enjoying the way it feels to have wind in my hair.”  And some girls, women, and even boys/men feel like wearing the veil gives a woman more respect and even prevents harassment, though there is disagreement about this.

Schools and Students

In Rabat and Taza, I have spent time in both public and private schools, as well as at a teachers' college.  While we were warmly welcomed at every school we visited (usually with Moroccan mint tea), all of the visits required prior approval from the Moroccan Ministry of Education.

The Moroccan educational system is based on the French system.  Students take most of the same subjects as American students (though art and music are not part of most students' high school experience), but at the end of high school take the baccalaureate exam, a high-stakes test that determines what a student can do after high school.

Courtyard of Moulay Youssef Public High School in Rabat, one of the best public high school in Morocco, with the minaret of the neighborhood mosque in the background

The sports area at Moulay Youssef.  Some of the upstairs rooms serve as dormitories for students who board there.

Library (above) and media center (below) at Moulay Youssef

 

The Moroccan educational system has undergone several reforms, including one between 1999-2009 which aimed to universalize education among 6-15 year-olds (giving everyone between 6-15 access to free education) and narrow the achievement gap between boys and girls as well as between students in rural and urban areas.  To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Education focused more on quantity - number of schools built and students enrolled - rather than quality.  Since 2009, reforms have been directed toward quality, with the Ministry renovating and modernizing schools as well as implementing incentives that would make attending school easier for poor children in rural areas, such as offering financial incentives to families and providing bikes to get to school.

Houria, our Moroccan guide, with a math teacher at Moulay Youssef in Rabat.

Host teacher Mohamed El Hayal at Ali Ben Barri Public High School in Taza.

Private schools seem to be more common here than in Vermont, with many middle class families opting to send their children to private schools.  The private schools I’ve seen have nicer facilities and slightly smaller class sizes than public schools, but are not as different from each other as I expected.  My host is an English teacher at both a public and a private school.

And, of course, THE STUDENTS!!  Like you, the students here are intelligent and curious, play sports and hang out with their friends and families.  Students don’t have to wear uniforms and don’t dress much differently from students in Vermont, especially the boys.  About half of the girls wear the hijab, styled differently from person to person, and all wear longer and higher cut shirts than girls in Vermont choose.  (No yoga pants or spaghetti straps here!)

 

Students at Moulay Youssef High School in Rabat

        

Students at Abi Dar Alghiffari Public High School in Rabat. (I have a couple of great videos to share from these girls that I will upload when I have faster wifi.)

Students at Ali Ben Berri Public High School, Taza.

Katherine Korte (teacher from Missouri), Mohamed El Hayal (host teacher), Kari Hoose, and students at Ali Ben Berri Public High School in Taza.

Here are some of the things Moroccan students wanted YOU to know about THEM:

• We are not terrorists.
• We love America.
• Islam is a religion of peace.
• Our technology is modern.
• Moroccans are open-minded.
• Moroccans are tolerant.
• We are talented.
• Moroccans are hospitable.
• Despite differences between our cultures, we are all part of humankind.
• Muslims are peaceful - peace is the most important part of our religion.  

About half of the girls we’ve met wear the hijab at school.  Here are some of their comments about the hijab:

• We wear the hijab because it is part of our religion.  (This student spoke about having “conviction” and wanted to make the point that wearing the hijab was a choice.)
• I choose not to wear the hijab because I’m not convinced yet [about my religion].  Maybe in the future I will be.  (This student also mentioned that her family, while Muslim, does not pray.)

QUESTION:  What do you want Moroccan students to know about YOU?

A Fake Marriage

When I left my room this morning, I thought I was going on a hike.  Instead, I pretended to get married.  Elderly ladies dressed me in fancy white clothes as they patted my cheek and smiled.  I danced a special dance among well-dressed men and women, and was reserved a place of honor under a festive tent.

Use your photo analysis graphic organizer to guess where these photos were taken and email me your response.  The most specific and correct response gets a treat from Morocco.

Polyglot Nation

“A gift from God,” is how one local characterized Moroccans’ multilingualism.  Most of the Morccans I have met speak both Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect, as well as Standard Arabic and/or Classical Arabic, which is the language of the Quran.  In addition, many people’s first language is Amazigh (also known as Berber) and most have learned at least some French as it was historically the language of instruction and continues to be required in both public and private schools.  Today, many Moroccans are also proficient in English.  

This reality has made wonder whether proficiency in a second language should be part of my conversations about 21st century skills. Will our American graduates be less competitive because they are unlikely to speak more than one language? Will technology save the day? Will everyone simply learn to speak English?

How would you - student, parent, teacher, administrator - feel about bilingual education, in which some classes are taught in another language?

 

History Lessons

Fountain outside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat.

Fun fact:  Morocco was the first country to recognize US independence.  According to the Moroccan Embassy’s web site, the US used the port of Tangiers so often during the American Revolution that the Continental Congress sought to formally recognize the close relationship in 1777.  A treaty, the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship, was signed in 1786 and is the longest unbroken treaty in US history.

While you were playing in 2 feet of snow, I was standing in the sun outside of the heavily fortified US Embassy building, waiting in line to empty my pockets and walk back-and-forth through the metal detector until even the lint in my pockets ended up in the little basket of prohibited items.  The embassy personnel, with extensive experience in education in Morocco - and throughout Africa - helped our group understand the current state of Moroccan education.  It’s a pretty interesting story that I’ll save for later.

A mid-afternoon lecture on Morocco’s history and culture bought the group a few hours of freedom, which we used to explore the Hassan Mosque and Tower as well as the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.  

Construction of the Hassan Mosque (below) began in 1195 and would have been the second largest mosque in the world during that time.  In 1199, building was halted and today visitors can only see the ruins of the walls and the minaret.

Adjacent to the ruins of the mosque is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (below).  In fact, it’s not just Mohammed V, but also Hassan II (Mohammed’s son) and Moulay Abdellah (Hassan’s brother) who are entombed in the mausoleum.  The structure is covered in stunning mosaics, ornate carvings, and phrases in Arabic.

As we were preparing to leave, the call to prayer (the 4th prayer of the day) began.  The door behind me opened and Muslim men began streaming through the gates around the Hassan Mosque and entering the working mosque behind me.

Early Morning in Paris

Walking through an international terminal at any major airport is like being in a candy store.  You could fly to Dar es Salaam, Beijing, Tehran, Buenos Aires, Windhoek, Rome - nearly any major city on the planet - including...Rabat!  And it’s not just the locations that fascinate me.  Just now I passed a family of Orthodox Jews praying, Muslim women sporting a variety of headscarf styles, and Senegalese men wearing traditional clothing.  Our group of teachers may be less interesting to observe, but is incredible nonetheless.

This is the group at the Paris airport after a nearly 9-hour flight from Atlanta.  A couple members of our cohort got thwarted by weather and are meeting us in Morocco.

So, why am I going to Morocco?  As one of my fellow teachers said when I asked him how he was explaining our adventure, that depends on the audience.  To non-teachers, I might say I am a citizen-diplomat, spreading goodwill and a positive image of Americans.  To teachers and administrators, I could say that I am collaborating with American and Moroccan teachers, trying to establish relationships and understand different ways of educating young people.  To a student audience, I might mention my intention to better understand Islam - a subject I frequently include in curriculum - and the culture of Moroccan teens.  But none of this really gets to the heart of what I’ve always loved about living, teaching, and traveling abroad.  I’m fascinated by the different ways people live and learn, and seek to understand WHY we live and learn the way we do.  How does our culture affect the way we educate our young people?  Why do some places prioritize conformity and obedience while others focus on critical thinking and developing an opinion, for example, and what does that illustrate about a place and mean for the future of a people?  I’m not sure how deep I’ll get to dig during my two weeks in Morocco, but I’m psyched to begin the adventure!

Heading south to go north: Epic layover in Atlanta

I have no one to blame - or credit - but myself.  I was emailed a tentative itinerary that involved an 8 hour layover in Atlanta en route to Paris (and ultimately Rabat) and had the opportunity to suggest changes.  But, as my funny luck would have it, this epic layover has given me time to catch up on the Capstone Project work that I should have started weeks ago.  So here I am, bleary-eyed and wanting to "Netflix and chill," as my son would say, slogging through stage one of my project.  Flight boards in 4 hours.  Anyone want me to read their advisee's Grad Challenge paper?