The Faculty of Arts and Humanities staff
from Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra held a conference on Monday, May 2nd,
titled “Women in Politics”. Moderated by Professor Soumaya Belhabib, without
whom the conference would not have been possible, two professors – Aili Mari
Tripp from Al-Akhawayn University and Naima Benlarabi from Ibn Tofail –
delivered their talks in English. The conference began after Chairwoman
Belhabib warmly thanked the two professors for accepting her invitation to
speak and making the event happen. She also spoke briefly about the importance
of women in Middle East and North African (MENA) politics and the recent
progress that has been made on this front. Afterwards, she yielded the floor to
Professor Tripp to deliver her remarks.
Professor Tripp’s speech, titled of “Women’s Representation in the Arab Maghreb,” began by raising the following question: Why has political representation of women in Maghreb countries increased faster than other MENA countries? According to her research, there are three main reasons for this change: The increase in political opportunities and stability, the strength and autonomy of women’s movements, and elite accommodations. Afterwards, she addressed commonalties and differences among Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia based on the Imam Malik’s unified laws. Professor Tripp concluded by what explains the difference between Maghreb and rest of MENA: political opening, women’s movements and coalitions supported by donors, and political elite accommodations.
At the end of
Professor Tripp’s remarks, Moderator Belhabib introduced Professor Naima
Benlarabi, mentioning some of her published works and research on the topic of
women’s rights in Morocco. Professor Belarabi’s talk, entitled “Women’s Rights in Morocco,” focused
on the status of Moroccan women in the post-independence era. She stated that
thanks to education, women have become more aware of their political rights.
The speaker supported her argument with a passage from Morocco’s 1962
Constitution, Article 30: “women and men should have equal access to elected
office”. She argued that Morocco’s pioneering Constitution and women’s movement
were owed in part to the progressive nature of Islam, citing some of the
Prophet’s sayings (Ahadiths) as well as some historical anecdotes featuring
women protagonists. Subsequently, she addressed the source of women’s weakness
in public life. Among the obstacles she mentioned were: Male dominance
(patriarchal attitudes and society), local traditions, and high illiteracy
rates among women. However, she pointed out that the new Constitution of 2011
enshrined the principals of cultural and linguistic pluralism, individual
rights, and the equality of citizens, including women and men. Such royal
instructions, Professor Belarabi observed, have made women more motivated than
ever to claim their rights as equals. Professor Belarabi also identified King
Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne as another watershed moment for woman in
Morocco. The King established a royal commission of religious authorities and
legal experts to propose recommendations for amending the Mudawwana in
accordance with religious principles. Afterwards, the King went on to tackle
the issue of women occupying ‘public positions’. Citing reports from early
Islamic history that refer to the participation of some women in political
affairs, the King held that according to Shariah
women were not to be deprived of holding elected office. Professor Belarabi
concluded that as a result of women being deprived of their rights to
participate in public matters, many Muslim countries remain underdeveloped and
that despite the Constitution’s forward gaze, female pronouns were not as
conspicuous as male pronouns in matters concerning public life. Again, she
historicized this issue by providing some vivid examples of women who were
compatriots of the Prophet (PBUH).
Last, but not least, the conference
was of great benefit and importance personally for us MA students. We got the
chance to learn a bit about the status of women and their relationship with
politics. The limited number of speakers who participated in this event enabled
many students to reflect, comment, and ask questions. Still, I am skeptical
about Professor Belarabi’s argument that Muslim countries remain underdeveloped
because of local traditions and patriarchal attitudes. I believe that many Arab
countries are, and will remain, underdeveloped so as long as they are
undemocratic. Once they have become true democracies, women’s suffrage and
political participation are unlikely to face serious barriers.
Images accredited to; Issam Karram
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