Africa | Morocco | Activism

A Muslim woman’s place? In Casablanca, it could be burning rubber on a Harley…

Silhouetted against a backdrop of moving traffic, it’s easy to make out lots of long hair being flicked, shaken and ruffled back into place. None of which would be surprising… but for fact that this group is made up entirely of women, something that has also caught the attention of the crowd of tea drinkers, many of whom are now staring at them with astonishment. “We call ourselves Les Miss Moto Maroc and we’re the first all-female motorcycle club in Morocco,” says Dalila Mosbah, the leader of the group, sitting down at a table. The club also hosts an annual international rally,�

Africa | Morocco | Crimes

Moroccan women ‘freed’ over wearing skirts in Inezgane

Source: BBC

Two Moroccan women have been acquitted of indecency charges after they went on trial for wearing short skirts, their lawyer says. They were arrested on 16 June in a market in Inezgane, near Agadir, after being heckled by market traders. Their case sparked a national outcry and an internet petition calling the arrest an attack on personal freedom attracted thousands of signatures. Hundreds of lawyers offered to defend the women in court. Women's rights campaigner Fouzia Assouli told the AFP news agency the acquittal showed that wearing a skirt "is not a crime".

Africa | Morocco | Activism

Amnesty condemns trial of Moroccan women who wore ‘too tight’ dresses

Source: theguardian

Amnesty International has condemned a Moroccan court’s decision to put two women who were wearing dresses on trial for indecent exposure as “part of a pattern of discriminatory laws” in the kingdom. The women, aged 23 and 29, were arrested in the southern city of Agadir in mid-June after walking around a market in outfits deemed to be provocative by passersby. In the police report, the women, both hairdressers, were said to have been wearing clothes that were “too tight”. Liz McKean, the director for women’s human rights at Amnesty International UK, said on Tuesday: “It’s

Africa | Morocco | Activism

Women in Morocco start campaign in defense of short dresses

Source: Pangea Today

Moroccan cyberspace has been flooded with a women’s outcry a few days after two women in the city of Inezgane in the south of the Arab country were charged with breaching the community standard of public modesty for wearing “short dresses.” Security forces took the two women in when they were verbally threatened by one of the merchants at the market where they were shopping. He was denouncing the ladies’ outfits. The incident raised controversy on social media and among women who considered the police behavior as obstructing individual freedoms stipulated in the Moroccan co

Africa | Morocco | Culture

Abortion in Morocco: will the king approve a progressive law?

Source: theguardian

A new abortion law is currently being debated in Morocco, led by the king and a sacked gynaecologist. Will a progressive result be achieved? “If the new abortion law addresses only 10% of the cases, what’s the point?” says Dr Chafik Chraibi, a gynaecologist and leading activist against illegal abortion in Morocco. “What are we going to do with the 90% remaining? We need a sustainable law that is going to serve this and future generations.” Morocco is now considering legalising abortion, polarising debate between conservatives and liberals, who fear a partial law that will only

Africa | Morocco | Sports

All-women’s rally draws the greatest number of teams

Source: Chron

It's called the toughest all-women's sporting event in the world. The Ralleye des Aicha Gazelles has become legendary over the past 25 years for its off-road challenge in southern Morocco. I know off road. I know tough. And, having just completed the 9-day-long run across the Sahara, I can tell you it is tough. The average course is close to 1,500 miles over varied and challenging landscape using only a compass, plotter and ruler, and black and white maps that date from the 1940s to 1960s to find a series of checkpoints each day - days that ranged from 14 to 21 hours of non-stop driving and na

Africa | Morocco | Society

Moroccan women gear up for rally to demand equality

Source: Al Arabiya News

The government unveiled last week a draft law to established a specialized “authority to ensure parity between men and woman” as laid out in the constitution. The draft law could be put to vote in the parliament next week and if passed it would be a major win for women’s rights activists in the country.