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Wednesday
Aug082012

Sexual harassment and the demonization of Arab men

In my frequent travels to Arab countries I have become aware that sexual harassment is a daily problem for women. Morocco is no different, as I learned on the last night of the 2012 Fez music festival. The atmosphere was electrifying and the crowd great, despite the presence of a man who repeatedly made sexual advances toward my friend Merriam and me. At some point, tired of his efforts, we moved our position to stand next to a family and enjoy the show undisturbed. The music was phenomenal and we swayed to its commanding beat.

The moment was invaded when I felt something hard press against my backside. Fear ran through me in that instant and I felt paralyzed with shock, but I managed to quickly move away before I recognized my aggressor as the man from before. He had followed us to our new spot to press his body against mine without my knowledge.

It was a terrible experience, and by far my worst in Morocco, where usually the sexual harassment of women is limited to the comments or gaze of men sitting outside coffee shops. The latter still have a powerful way of making women feel uncomfortable and violated, especially because demeaning whispers always follow the behavior, but still they are less invading.

That night I envied Merriam, who enjoyed a more peaceful visit since she speaks no Arabic and could not understand any of the comments hurled at our bodies in public spaces. Additionally, Merriam's physical appearance resembles that of many Moroccan women, so the men often spared her the more blatant harassment sometimes reserved for foreign women.

In 2011 Morocco had a nine percent unemployment rate and in 2012, 70 percent of the country's population was younger than 25 years of age. Most people in Morocco have limited access to sexual education during the formative years, mostly because of practices relating to cultural and religious values. Additionally, as many young people spend considerable time outside their homes, the combination of the two factors poses a lethal challenge in the prevention of HIV and other diseases transmitted sexually.

Ignorance of human sexuality contributes to the sexual harassment of women. Thankfully the Arab Spring succeeded beyond overthrowing dictatorships—it brought the abuse of women to the revolution front. Many people have suggested that repressive regimes were the base cause of the social abuse of women in the Arab world, but religion is also a probable influencer. Moreover, the region has imported many western values—based on principles that liberate human sexuality—and integrated them in Moroccan life, even though the area does not encourage sexual discussion.

The existence of progressive western values on sexuality and traditional Moroccan culture creates a moral paradox for Arab men in the region: On the one hand they desire an unhindered sexual life; on the other they cannot openly discuss desire. This creates an inner struggle that manifests publicly against women as sexual harassment. It may also explain why men who seek solace in pornography still demand virginal women in marriage. The conflicted condition extols an existence mired in eroticism, frustration and guilt.

To complicate matters, Arab societies function on the segregation of men and women. The lack of free interaction between the sexes motivates men to imagine women as exotic, magical creatures whom they must protect and dominate. Early in life Arab men learn from their families and communities that they must be masculine, strong patriarchs (surely a value also existent in western societies).

Discussing these issues is difficult, particularly because people tend to associate the manifestation of social problems with the character of human beings of a specific ethnic group. Many make the mistake of demonizing Arab men because of sexual harassment in their communities, but the sexual abuse of women—whether verbal or physical—is not an Arab or middle eastern problem; it is a human problem that occurs throughout the world and requires that people treat it with reason and a non-judgmental approach.

It is especially important to not judge Arab men as monsters because not all of them sexually harass women, and most women harassed do not speak of the abuse. Out of shame and a need to protect the men of their culture from global hatred, these women do not report incidences of abuse and suffer in silence. The cycle of abuse thus rages in secrecy, becoming more offensive with time—as it did on the night a stranger in Morocco stalked me and forcefully used my body for sexual gratification.

Fortunately I know the difference between justice and prejudice. I share my story to break the culture of silence that forces women to conceal abuse. The revelation of my sexual harassment in Morocco bears no judgment on the human worth of Arab men.

Sharifa Abdulaziz prepared this text with assistance from e-feminist staff.