MOROCCO Marrakesh or Mar·ra·kech ,

TUNISIA AcityofwestA city of west-central Morocco in the ALGERIA LIBYA EGYPT WESTERN SAHARA foothills of the Atlas

MAURITANIA MALI NIGER Mountains. Founded in ERITREA CHAD SENEGAL SUDAN THE GAMBIA DJIBOUTI BURKINA 1062, it is a commercial GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA TOGO NIGERIA ETHIOPIA COTE SIERRA-LEONE CENTRAL D'IVOIRE BENIN GHANA AFRICAN REPUBLIC center and a popular LIBERIA CAMEROON UGANDA SOMALIA EQUATORIAL GUINEA KENYA resort noted for its GABON RWANDA CONGO ZAIRE BURUNDI ANGOLA TANZANIA lthleatherwork . Population, 439,728. ANGOLA

ZAMBIA MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUE MADAGASCAR ZIMBABWE

NAMIBIA BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

SOUTH LESOTHO AFRICA Concepts and Issues for SOME WOMEN OF MARRAKECH

™ family honor/shame complex ™ female purity ™ bloo dy br ida l linen ™ male virility & female chastity ™ veil ™ seclusion (purdah) ™ strongly patriarchal ™ Koran justifies a woman’s position: ƒ E.g., sisters receive half the inheritance of brothers ™ Moderate form of Islam in Morocco ™Women can initiate divorce ™Sharia regulations strongly moderated by state ™Rural and urban differences in following rules What is Sharia?

• Shar ia dldeals wihith many aspects of dayay--toto--day life, including politics, economics, banking, business law, contract law, sexuality, and social issues. Some Islamic scholars accept Sharia as the body of precedent and legal theory established before the 19th century, while other schlholars view Shar ia as a c hihanging bdbody, an d ildinclude Islamic legal theory from the contemporary period. • There is not a strictly codified uniform set of laws pertaining to Sharia. It is more like a system of devising laws, based on the Qur'an, Hadith and centuries of dbdebate, interpretat ion an d prece dent. • There are different schools of Sharia legal thought Opening Lines of a girl reciting the Koran in school

“In the name of Allah the compassionate. Men have authority over women because Allah has made one superior to another and because they spend their wealth to maintain them good women are obedient. In the name of Allah the compassionate and merciful.” Story Line

•In general the lives of three kinds of women portrayed p – Urban upperer--classclass women living in purdah (seclusion) – UbUrban lowerower--mmiddle class woman – Sin gl e f em al e w orkin g as a s inge r a nd dancer In General the Film Shows

• Life of a woman ––househouse – children ––ownown filfamily – social circle with other women • A Wom an' s Si tuati on – life impossible or difficult without a man ––spendsspends most time with children or other women – more freedom in village surrounded by kin • requirement to wear veil relaxed • easier interaction with men – in the city caut ion an d mo desty in the market and other public places