I had previously read about Morocco's important geo-political role. As an Arab nation, it is the most advanced democracy among them, the most modern and the most likely to embrace an inclusive notion of globalization. While Iraq is where the battle between the modernism and fundamentalism is taking place with guns, Morocco is on the forefront of the ideological battle, seeking to modernize and adapt while also sensing the Islamic revival that has emerged in the past couple decades. I heard that Morocco can be seen as a sign of things to come for west-east relations. If Morocco allows modernism and tolerance to overcome extremism and bigotry, it portends good things.
I've had many experiences that testify to the struggle in this country that I had read about. However, I have also been humbled by how much I did not expect, both in the ways Morocco is still tied to the past and the ways it is embracing the future, and by those small things you just cannot prepare yourself for. This is really the first place I've ever been where I've faced Islam and Arab culture head on so I've had a number of firsts: fully veiled women, a taboo against alcohol, Mosques where non-Muslims are prohibited from entry, gyms segregated by sex. By the last thing, I do not only mean that you have men's gyms and women's gyms with different focuses etc. Instead, there are gyms with hours or days for each sex so that each gender has a single-sex workout environment. I could never imagine this in the US so you can imagine my surprise when I first was made aware of this by the gym receptionist. Morocco seems to be full of contrasts, a place where where one of the biggest issues of our shrinking world, traditionalism versus modernism, is ever-present, juxtaposed and divisive.
One example of this contrast is the culture of drinking here. It's something I've struggled to get used to, particularly coming from France where anyone and everyone past infancy has a glass of wine or two with dinner. While alcohol is technically forbidden by the Koran, this does not mean that Muslims do not drink. Instead, there really is a variety of the way people interpret this: some have a glass of wine, some don't, others have about ten of them. Like some of the Southern US, there are attempts made to keep alcohol on the down low. For instance, at the local supermarket ,there is a separate subterranean (it is technically underground) floor devoted to alcohol. With wine, beer and everything it was an alcoholic's paradise. As you check out, they go to great effort to hide the contents of your bag. They are dark black and they double bag it - tying the first bag off. Interestingly, I didn't notice a single female client there.
Another example of the modernism/traditionalism contrast is the below picture .
Right outside the main square in Marrakesh, about 4 hours SW of Rabat, a teenager was selling this toy. which was an electric train with two parts: our president, Dubya, on a tank with its barrel pointed at Osama Bin Ladin in the car in front of him. As I'm sure was the intention, Dubya and him go around and around in circle, with W never catching him. In a country where most people strongly dislike Bush, this product is being marketed to tourists, representing the modern capitalistic influence, promising to share the better standard of living shared by the western world. Meanwhile, the omnipresent symbol of traditionalism, Osama, is very much a part of this picture, providing the dramatic chase and fighting against the values that tourism - and Bush - represents.I encountered this again when talking to a local shopkeep in the Medina (or old city) in Rabat that I have gotten to know. He argued two things. First, that the only thing coming between the US and the Arab world is Israel Palestine, saying that is solved tonight, Americans and Arabs would be dancing arm-in-arm. Second, that Bush is the same type of person as Bin Laden, just the other extreme. Bin Laden offers complete traditionalism with the destruction of the US and what it represents and Bush offers the opposite.
One stereotype that has proven true is that no one likes Bush in Morocco. Once, I even had a taxi driver ask me what I thought about Bus before he'd let me out of the cab. While I have been here for the summer and during the last four months in France, for that matter, I've often found myself sympathizing and agreeing with the pretty significant disdain for Bush, as I did with that cab driver. Yet, I've also occasionally - and grudgingly - found myself defending him. I've not really made an attempt to defend what he's done but more-so his intentions. Besides some of the arrogance and belligerence he's shown, I believe he has had mostly good intentions. For instance, my work here, promoting democracy, is something he's stood staunchly behind. I do commend him for this but I also remember that this is exactly what he was doing in Iraq... When thinking about Iraq, I remember my country too contains some of the same contrasts and hypocrisy I've run into in Morocco. Bush does represent a kind of extremism that does delegitimize some of the good work being done to promote democracy that NGOs such as NDI are doing. While Osama clearly is much more extreme, his presence too delegitimizes a cause that does have some merit, preserving some of our traditional values in light of a world that is rapidly changing, yes, often for better but, occasionally, also for worse.
Yet, It seems like the media sensationalizes and distorts reality by over representing these extremes. As Jon Steward says, the media only talks about the trucks that are on fire. I've been amazed by how mixed these two "worlds" are . I imagined a deeper separation
but I've encountered a blend of traditionalism and modernism in many parts of daily life. Unlike the impression I got from what I've read or seen in the media, these aren't always in conflict. One of my friends cares for both mixed drinks and Allah. I asked if he thought this was a contradiction and he said not at all. Instead, just like Christians who do not follow all of the instruction of Leviticus, he said that he has his interpretation of what's important just as others have their. Taking to him, I realized that I have a lot to learn about Islam and the role it plays in the lives of those who follow it. Just as Christians are a motley crew, so too the Islamic world is full of contrasts. That is something I hadn't really begin to understand until I got here.I also realized I did not understand what the contrasts of this nation really meant. I had in mind the deadly results of extremism and modernism clashing symbolized by the Casablanca bombings in 2003 that killed more than 40 people. However, such explosive events have seemed to be the exception, not the rule. Instead, Moroccans of all beliefs have lived together in relative peace in spite of their "contrasts". Thanks to this, baseball caps are seen next to veils, the sound of the call to prayer are heard along side the sound of merchants selling socks (made in China, of course), Coke is sold along side of The a la Menthe (traditional Moroccan mint tea) and tradition and modernism are able to live side-by-side.
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