Casablanca Calling 70 minutes: (timecode in elapsed time)
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Timecode |
Subtitle |
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00:00:19 |
... our prophet
Mohammed ... |
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00:00:24 |
... a woman must stay
at home ... |
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00:00:25 |
... married Aisha when
she was a child ... |
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00:00:30 |
... women should not
be educated … |
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00:00:31 |
... this is the danger
... |
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00:00:32 |
… discipline women ... |
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00:00:36 |
... a woman must stay
at home … |
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00:00:37 |
... obey her husband … |
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00:00:38 |
... not be educated
... |
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00:00:42 |
… she will bring you
shame … |
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00:00:44 |
... obey her husband
... |
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00:00:45 |
... marry her early
... |
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00:00:50 |
... God is great |
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00:01:16 |
Why must women suffer
from childhood to old age? |
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00:01:24 |
I can’t believe Islam
says we should live like this live this bad life |
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00:01.33 |
CASABLANCA CALLING |
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00:01:59 00:02:06 00:02:11
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Morocco and other Muslim countries have been living in a long period of ignorance and stagnation. So women have suffered injustice and discrimination. |
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00:02:17 00:02:21 00:02:25
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Many people, knowingly or
unknowingly have blocked the most basic rights
Islam gives women. We’ve realised that women here
really need female religious leaders. |
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00:02:34 00:02:37 |
In 2006, the Moroccan government began
training women as Muslim preachers for the first time. They are called Morchidat (spiritual
guides). |
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00:02:41 |
(TV CLIPS – NO SUBTITLES) In Morocco women preachers are taking up the
front-line positions in the fight against Islamic radicalism. |
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00:02:46 |
... Islamic preachers. The Morchidat, as
they’re known, were created after the 2003 bombings in Casablanca. |
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00:02:51 |
(Ahmed Koutas - Ministry Islamic Affairs) The, the, the Islam practice is, is, is
getting more and more extreme, and there was a need to re-address the
situation in any way ... |
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00:03:01 |
Trainee preachers must undergo an
intensive six-month course, alongside male colleagues. |
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00:03:05 |
It’s the first such experiment in the
Islamic world - women preachers. The women also work in hospitals, schools,
even prisons. The goal is to first empower women, and help them… |
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00:03:17 |
... it is hoped these female guides will
encourage a more tolerant Islam. |
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00:03:23
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Rabat-Salé Capital of Morocco |
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00:03:37 |
HANNANE Morchidat since 2009 Work: Mosque, prison, school |
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00:03:53 00:03:57 00:04:04 00:04:08 |
We can’t worship God
with ignorance. Islam came to fight ignorance Islam is about
forgiveness, fighting violence, compassion Our religion is not
about how we appear. It’s what is in our
hearts |
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00:04:12 00:04:15 |
What is your role in
society? Society needs you.
Society is not just ‘Me, my husband and my children’. |
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00:04:20 00:04:26 00:04:30 00:04:33 00:04:37 00:04:39 00:04:42 |
I don’t want to sound
like a movie star and say ,“I was born to do this” but if someone took me
back 30 years and asked me what I
wanted to do with my life I’d say I want to be a
Morchidat because I really feel
I’ve found my role I love talking to
people and giving them advice I love the work I do |
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00:04:47
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Alfalah Mosque Rabat Old Town |
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00:04:54 00:05:00 |
These ideas come from
Islam and we need to rebuild them together It won’t be possible
if just one person tries. We must all try together |
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(PRAYERS) |
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00:05:25 00:05:27 |
Does anyone want to
ask advice about anything? Any issues with
neighbours or husbands? Or anything else? |
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00:05:36 00:05:38 00:05:44
00:06:06 00:06:08 00:06:12 00:06:16 00:06:20 00:06:25 00:06:27 |
What’s wrong, Fatna? -My granddaughter is
always upset and we don’t know why How old is she? -About 14 Is she at school?
-Now she is always
upset. She says she has no luck, even with marriage
No, she’s still young This poor girl has
missed out on so much Try to be patient with
her, not violent Don’t beat her and
don’t shout at her. Talk to her.
Say, ‘Listen, you’re still young to get
married ... …married life is not
easy’ Many young girls get
married and it doesn’t work |
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00:06:30 00:06:33
00:06:48
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A girl should get
married at 25 or 26 and a man should be
40! That’s old! Ok, then, 32 or 33 Men take a long time
to grow up! How many girls have
been left by their husbands with a baby on their back? |
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00:06:57 00:07:00 00:07:05 |
Girls of 12 years old 12 years old,
divorced, and with a child? At that age, girls are
still playing hopscotch! |
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00:07:22 00:07:27 00:07:33 00:07:38 |
Early marriage is a
problem that comes up a lot. The state has tried to
deal with it through legislation. It’s now illegal to
marry before 18. This was a really
positive move that has helped us in our work. |
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00:08:01 00:08:04
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If any of you have
anything you want to discuss today We can talk privately
now, ok? |
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00:08:08 00:08:13 00:08:19
00:08:26
00:08:33 00:08:39 00:08:45
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-My dad told me I’ve
been promised to this boy since I was 4. Now it’s more difficult
to come to school because my family say
now I’m getting married I shouldn’t leave the house. Look, you obey your
parents in many things but with marriage, God
has given a woman the right to choose for herself. You must explain that
you have the right to refuse this marriage. This is your right.
Sharia law says so. |
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00:09:06
00:09:11 00:09:17
00:09:20
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Religious scholars
define Sharia law based on the Koran and the Prophet’s teachings but these definitions
have to be revised over time as society changes and our religious
scholars have decided that a young girl is not ready to get
married. |
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00:09:36 00:09:41
00:09:47
00:09:51
00:09:55
00:10:00
00:10:06
00:10:10 00:10:16 00:10:23 00:10:27 00:10:33 00:10:37 00:10:42
00:10:47 00:10:49 00:10:52 00:11:01 00:11:06 00:11:09 00:11:13 00:11:16 00:11:20 00:11:23 00:11:29
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That one is 350
dirhams but if you like it I
can give you a good price. -I don’t have that
much time … -No, really, I just
finished work and I have to get home
to the children. Don’t you think it’s
hard for children when both parents are working? -Ah, you are one of
those who think women shouldn’t work? Yes, it means there’s
nothing cohesive for the children. -OK but ... You understand me?
When do you see your children? At 6 or 7 when you
come back from work, they’re calling for mummy and daddy and you say you’re
tired, you don’t have time. It’s not like a woman who stays at home and when her husband
comes home, dinner is ready, things work smoothly. -Yes, sometimes, but
there are mothers who stay at home and still don’t bring
up their children well. It’s about quality,
not quantity! Many people we meet
think that Islam forbids women to work but when you ask them
for proof they can’t find it. The problem is the
social traditions passed from one generation to another. Some religions really
look down on women. They don’t even let
girls go to school. Girls are a bomb
waiting to explode and ruin the family’s
reputation at any time. So we must get rid of
this bomb as soon as possible... -By marriage The important thing is
that Islam doesn’t say that. Islam gave women a really important role,
whether at home or out in society. |
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00:11:36 |
There are now more than 400 Morchidat
giving spiritual guidance to women and young people across Morocco. |
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00:11:43 |
Larache region North-west Morocco |
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00:12:37 00:12:40 00:12:44 |
Around here, most men
don’t work. If you go to a house
now, you’ll find the men sleeping. Women are working in
the fields all day. |
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00:12:50 00:13:00 00:13:08 00:13:12 00:13:16 00:13:20 |
RACHIDA I live with my mum,
dad and brothers. I’m the one supporting them all. First you work to
support your own family then you work to
support your husband and children. It’s the same thing. And so it goes on,
until God offers you a way out. |
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00:13:29 00:13:32 00:13:37
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I don’t know how old I
am. I’ve always worked. I
never went to school. My dream was to go to
school and learn to read. |
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00:13:48 00:13:51 |
Around 60% of women in
Morocco are illiterate. In some rural areas more
than 90% cannot read. |
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00:14:01 00:14:06 |
When I compare a girl
in school and a girl working in the fields I feel a crime is
being committed against the girl in the fields. |
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00:14:15 |
BOUCHRA Morchidat since 2009. Work: school, rural
mosque. |
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00:14:20 00:14:27 00:14:35 |
When I see girls of 13
or 15 with hands so rough from all the hard digging … Islam doesn’t forbid
girls to work, but that is not where a girl should be. A girl should be
getting an education. |
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00:14:39 00:14:43 |
There are few schools in the countryside, so girls often stay in
dormitories in nearby towns. But most parents don’t want to send their daughters away from home. |
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00:14:50 |
Abi Almahassin Dormitory Larache Region |
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00:15:09 00:15:14 00:15:20 00:15:27 |
This is a dormitory
for girls at secondary school and I chose to do some
of my work here with them. All these girls are
from the countryside. Their parents have
made a big decision to send them here. |
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00:16:02 00:14:06 00:16:11 |
I really enjoy being
with them. Sometimes they have
problems and I really feel for them. I try to advise them
as best I can. |
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00:16:24 00:16:29 00:16:32 00:16:35 00:16:38 00:16:42 00:16:45 00:16:49 00:16:54 00:14:57 00:15:02 00:17:05 00:17:07 00:17:09 00:15:17 00:17:20 00:17:25 00:15:28 00:17:32 00:17:34 00:17:37 00:17:39 00:17:42 00:17:48 00:17:54 |
I have a problem with
my dad. I don’t have any
freedom at all. The only place I’m
allowed to go is school. I’m not even allowed
to talk to my friends. -But you are boarding
here? How does he know if you are with friends? He finds out. -He finds out even
when you’re here? -Is he worried about the
girls you are friends with? Do you think some
girls are a bad influence? -There are some good
girls and some bad. Your dad doesn’t know
them individually who’s good and who is
bad. He is probably scared
of something bad happening to you and to you it feels
like you have no freedom. In our society there’s
a misunderstanding that girls are the
cause of troubles and if a girl is away
from home she’ll get herself into trouble. These are the kind of
worries your dad has and he’s projecting
his fears onto you. We will change his way
of thinking. As women, we can do
anything and as a girl you can
help change your dad. We’ll try lots of
things and if one doesn’t work then we’ll try something else. But when you go home
this holiday, will you make an effort to be nice to him? -I promise I will. |
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00:18:06 00:18:14 00:18:19 00:18:23 |
I had a good job
before, and I always used to give people advice at work but I always wanted to
do something like this. So when this
opportunity came along I was hoping to be chosen and when I passed the
exam and got selected, I was so happy. |
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00:18:43 00:18:48 00:18:56 00:19:01 00:19:06 00:19:09 |
God loves people who
want to learn. You are fighters,
you’ve left your homes and your families behind. I hope I can help you
if you come to me with a problem. I don’t have a magic
wand to fix everything, but what we can do is
talk together and try to find a way
through. |
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00:19:16 00:19:24 00:19:29 00:19:36 00:19:40 00:19:43
00:19:46 |
I’m surprised your
brother is not married at 35. Normally in the village people get married
earlier. -Yes, my brothers are
the only men not married. In the village it’s
very hard for men to meet women. You need to intervene.
After the holidays I
want to hear that you’ve helped your brothers find wives. 32 and 35 and still
not married? That’s very difficult. -You should see them, they
look 40 … |
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00:19:51 00:19:55 00:19:58 00:20:02 00:20:06 00:20:11
00:20:16
00:20:20 00:20:25 00:20:34 |
-My older brother,
I’ve heard rumours that he is going out with somebody But she has a bad
reputation. -Listen to me. Let me give you some advice.
Don’t interfere with anything You’re not going to
find a wife for your brother who is perfect, with no past behind her. Just look around you.
Many 15 year olds get up to bad things. Is that true? -Yes. So do your prayers and
hope for the best. Talk to your brother. If they love each
other and can make a good home and family He should marry her
and forget about the past. I really want to hear
some good news .., -God willing. |
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00:20:56 00:20:59 00:21:02 00:21:05 |
We can talk to Bouchra
about anything. She knows everything
that’s going on in our lives, any problems at home. She’s like our mum,
sister, teacher, everything! |
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00:21:16 00:21:20 00:21:24 00:21:29 00:21:33 |
Here in the dormitory
we are like family. Sometimes we get into
fights together. Recently there was a
fight between Real Madrid and Barca supporters. Some girls like Barca,
some like Madrid... Barca won, Madrid lost... War broke out! |
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00:21:50 00:21:55 00:21:59 00:22:02 00:22:04 |
We have a lot of girls
here, 230 of them. When Bouchra comes, I
need her help. It’s too much for me
to manage on my own. I don’t have enough
time. And when I go home at
night, the girls are left completely on their own. |
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00:22:20 |
-Good night, girls |
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00:22:36 00:22:41 00:22:46 00:22:50 |
Many parents are
scared of sending their daughters away to school. The dormitories have a
reputation for being bad places where girls will be
lonely, they will be attacked by men. And some parents think
girls don’t need to go to school at all. |
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00:23:23 |
As well as working in
the dormitory, Bouchra advises women across the Larache region. |
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00:23:40 00:23:43 00:23:46 00:23:48 00:23:54 00:23:58 00:24:05 00:24:10 00:24:16 |
-So, Fatima, what is
wrong? -What’s wrong? -Her husband? -It sounds like he
wasn’t a good choice They got married
within a month. We didn’t have time to find out what he was like. -Our religion says we
should only marry a man when we trust his character. It’s really important
to know what a man is like before marriage. This shouldn’t happen.
Girls are so young and you accept the first person who wants to marry
them... |
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00:24:21 00:24:27 00:24:31 00:24:36 00:24:42 00:24:46 00:24:49 |
-Men don’t want to
marry and respect you, they just want you to do the donkey work. Women are not
respected, even older women, once their husbands get money. They just want a new
car and a younger woman. Many girls round here
have committed suicide. -Suicide is the wrong
way. -It’s the stress. When
a girl leaves her husband and goes back to her family they send her back to
her husband. The cycle goes on and
on until she can’t take any more. |
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00:24:55 00:24:59 00:25:05 |
-Rachida, you seem
like a very strong person? What’s made you
stronger than other girls in the village? -I’m my own person and
I think for myself. |
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00:25:10 00:25:19 00:25:23 |
-I’ve already suffered
a lot. I won’t get married and make my life worse. -There’s too much
ignorance here. -Yes, but if you’re
strong; you can stand up to it. |
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00:25:29 00:25:37 00:25:42 00:25:49 |
-Now, your daughter
needs the help of a women’s rights group. My powers are limited,
but I will talk to them about her situation. They will try to meet
her husband and make him face his responsibilities. Call me next week. If
I don’t hear from you, I’ll call Rachida. |
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00:26:03 00:26:09 00:26:14 00:26:19 00:26:24 00:26:29 00:26:34 |
Even though I believe
in my work, sometimes I feel I can’t do enough. In some situations
there is little I can do to help. Girls here are forced
to work because of poverty. They don’t have
choices in life and get mistreated by their husbands. It’s a combination of
ignorance and poverty. We can’t get rid of poverty
but we can try to
change how people think. |
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00:27:22 00:27:27 00:27:33 00:27:39 00:27:45 00:27:49 |
Women teaching
religion could change things, so people have faith, help one another and make women better
people. We need advice on how
to behave, to know right from wrong. The women here are like
cows, just running round, working and running, just like animals. |
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00:27:56 00:28:01 00:28:08 00:28:11 00:28:15 00:28:17 00:28:21 00:28:24 00:28:28 00:28:32 00:28:38 00:28:43 00:28:47 00:28:54 00:28:59 00:29:05 |
-Why is it that
whatever a woman earns goes to the man and she never sees it? -Because women are
scared of men, a woman can’t refuse if he asks for the money. RACHIDA’S BROTHER -It’s exploitation. -Yes it is. She works
while he sleeps, and then gives him the money. -Women here work like
this because they have no education. Without skills, or
qualifications, they are under men’s
control. If a man makes a small
demand and his wife doesn’t obey him he can divorce her. So
she has to just work and carry on. It’s just the way
things are. -She gets beaten with
a stick! Even though she’s the
one working, he will still beat her, often for a tiny thing. ‘Why didn’t you do
this? Why didn’t you wash that?’ -Women are doomed. And
then they die. It’s a life of hard
labour. |
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00:29:19 00:29:24 00:29:29 00:29:34 |
What can we do? If I
found work, I wouldn’t let my wife work, but God knows ,we are
poor. I wish I could keep my wife at home. But times are hard.
What can we do? Stay hungry? What can we do? RACHIDA’S COUSIN |
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00:29:36 00:29:42 |
What, I should do
women’s work? It would be shameful to see me doing housework. If the neighbours saw
me sweeping the floor I’d be a laughing stock. |
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00:30:36 00:30:39 00:30:45 00:30:47 |
I had a call from the
teacher asking me to come to
the dormitory urgently. I asked her what had
happened. She told me that one
of the girls here has killed herself. |
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00:31:09 00:31:15 00:31:20 00:31:24 00:31:27 00:31:32 00:31:38 00:31:43 00:31:48 00:31:54 |
We are here to talk
about something I would never wish to happen. I love each of you, as
if you were my sister as God is my witness. But today I got really
terrible news that we have lost one
of us. She was a girl who
loved life. She was a beautiful
girl and lived life to the
full. Surely it wasn’t easy
for her to take her own life? Why would one of us
feel pushed to take this step? |
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00:32:00 00:32:05 00:32:08 00:32:13 00:32:17
00:32:22 |
-She was going through
really difficult times. I know her well and we
talked a lot. Like you said, she was
someone who loved life. I was shocked, and
never thought that she would do this. I still can’t believe
that it has really happened. It’s like a dream. I
keep thinking she will come back. |
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00:32:28 00:32:32 00:32:35 00:32:39 00:32:41 00:32:44 00:32:48 |
-Does anybody know why
she did it, what happened? -Her father came to
pick her up from school. He couldn’t find her,
so he waited for her in the street, and he saw her with a
boy. When he saw her he
started beating her, dragging her by her
hair. Everybody was watching. He came here, got her
things and took her home. |
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00:32:52 00:32:54 00:32:57 00:33:02 |
-What her father did
is completely wrong. We are against that
100%. You’re at school with
boys, so of course you spend time with boys, and swap mobile phone
numbers. |
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00:33:08 00:33:13 00:33:23 00:33:28 00:33:33 00:33:37 00:33:39 00:33:43 00:33:47 00:33:49 00:33:51 00:33:57 00:33:59 00:34:03 00:34:11 00:34:14 00:34:18 00:34:21 00:34:23 |
None of that is
forbidden in Islam. But there are some
limits and boundaries we have to respect. Many of your mothers
want you to achieve things they weren’t able to. They put their hopes
in you and so do your fathers. A father will worry
for the daughter he’s sent far away from home. She's young and
vulnerable maybe boys will trick
her, and use her. Perhaps she will
innocently accept the offer of a drink and then find herself
in a bad situation. You understand? This is the fear your
fathers live with. I really hope you
can understand it. All of you need to be
aware you could find
yourself in a similar situation and you need to be
prepared for how to deal with it. Every single person
has a huge value in the eyes of God. So none of you should
ever feel that you are worthless. Anyone who has a
problem that seems to have no solution, please just call me. Call me, just to talk. |
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00:34:30 |
(PRAYERS) |
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00:36:19 00:36:24 00:36:31 00:36:34 00:36:39 00:36:42 00:36:46 |
In every home there is
a problem, but I feel my friend
who killed herself had the same problem as me. I can understand her, because what she was
feeling, I feel it too. We had a lot in
common, and when we talked
together, I just felt her
situation was my situation too. |
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00:36:57 00:37:01 00:37:04 00:37:11 00:37:15
00:37:19 00:37:26 00:37:36 00:37:40
00:37:47 00:37:53 00:37:55 |
What do you think
about calling in all the girls’ parents and guardians? What’s happened
doesn’t only affect the girls. It’s something parents
need to take responsibility for too. I’d really like it if
we could meet with them so we can talk to them
and help them understand what it’s like for
their girls as they’re going through adolescence. It’s a good idea but
it won’t be easy to get the parents to come. Even those who live
nearby say it costs too much to get here. The bus fare here and
back, that’s a day’s wage. I often call when
there’s a problem but they don’t come. I will try to get them
to come, let’s hope ... It’s important to get
the message across. |
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00:38:09 00:38:15 |
With problems this
big, we need society to help us. There are many things
beyond our control. |
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00:38:28 00:38:34 00:38:40 |
I don’t think as
Morchidat we can fix every problem, but we have to try and
help people understand each other better. It’s a matter of
conscience. |
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00:39:19 |
Rabat-Salé |
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00:39:39 00:39:43 00:39:49 00:39:53 |
When Islam began, many
women held high positions and women were behind
many developments in Islamic culture. So why is our status
now so low? Why are we having to fight
for the rights we were originally given? |
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00:40:00 |
KARIMA Morchidat since 2009 Work: Mosque, school |
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00:40:16 00:40:22 00:40:26 00:40:32 00:40:38 00:40:42
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“Women Breaking
Boundaries” international conference Islam gave the opportunity for
both men and women to participate And doesn’t make roles exclusive
to one or the other. As Morchidat, our task ahead is
long and difficult As we are determined and united I hope that all the obstacles we
face will eventually disappear. |
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00:41:09 00:41:14 00:41:23
00:41:29 00:41:37 00:41:43 00:41:52
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When I was small, my
father used to gather us together. Every Saturday night
he would tell us stories about women at the time of the Prophet. I loved the stories of these women. They were successful
business women, like Khadija, the Prophet’s wife. They were learned
scholars, male scholars came to learn from them. They were tailors,
warriors, doctors, pharmacists, so I had a great image
of women in the Islamic world. |
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00:42:09 00:42:17 00:42:21 00:42:30 00:42:38 00:42:44 |
I’m really happy my
wife is doing a job society really needs. The first Morchidat
graduated 5 years ago. I don’t think there
are enough yet to support all the women who need them. And with the qualities
women have, their skills should
not just be used to help women but to help men as
well, why not? |
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00:43:00 00:43:07 00:43:12 |
I don’t really know
what mum does for work but I think it’s good
because she comes home happy, and that makes me
happy too. |
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0:43:19 00:43:24 |
For me
the best part of the job is working with young people in schools. They
really listen and love to discuss things. |
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00:43:32 00:43:41 00:43:44 00:43:48 00:43:52 00:43:55 00:44:00 00:44:08 00:44:12 00:44:18 00:44:23 00:44:28 00:44:36 00:44:43
00:44:48 00:44:50 00:44:56 00:44:58 00:45:02 00:45:07 00:45:13
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-What kind of
influence do you think parents have on a young person? -The most important
thing in a family is communication. In some families
there’s no communication. They have no interest in what
we’re doing. -Do you think you
could help to change things at home? Maybe you could help
your parents to learn and change things in
your family? -Parents in the West
sit and read to their children. They give their
children toys to help them develop their intelligence. I’ve seen a Western
child who is really mature and can express themself. But a Moroccan child
who is much older is less developed than the Western one. -But you’re generalising.
It’s true of some people, but not all. They have good things
in Western culture, but we have good things as well. What does our religion
call for? -Communication. -It says so in the
Koran. -He engaged with
Muslims and non-Muslims. It’s good to look at
developed cultures and learn from them, but we’ve forgotten to
look at our own roots. And the reason we
don’t communicate is because we don’t follow our religion. |
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00:45:24 00:45:31 00:45:39 |
Many young people want
to migrate to the West where they think that
all their dreams will come true. That’s not reality. |
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00:45:43 00:45:49 |
If a young person
migrates they leave an empty space, and our society needs
energy, especially from young people. |
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00:45:58 00:46:07 00:46:11 00:46:14 |
We try to encourage
young people to love and be proud of their country. And we explain that
there’s some truth in their idea of the West, but a lot of it is
fantasy. Even in the West, life
can be a struggle. |
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00:47:01 |
At the end of the school
year, Karima and Hannane are taking students on a trip to the holy city of
Fez. |
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00:47:07 00:47:11 00:47:15 00:47:18 |
We welcome you, dear
students. We must trust that God
is with us on this trip and that our trip is a
success. Let’s give a big
welcome to the Morchidat Karima Zouhair. |
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00:47:32 00:47:36 00:47:39
00:47:44 00:47:49 00:47:53 00:47:58 00:48:03 00:48:09
00:48:17 00:48:22 00:48:28 00:48:32 00:48:36 00:48:40 00:48:45 00:48:54 00:49:02 00:49:07 00:49:10 00:49:14 00:49:16 |
I’ve got a question
for you. Who are your heroes? Give us examples. Is there someone you
find inspirational? Who you look up to as
a role model? When I was young I
used to admire Einstein. I loved his passion or knowledge, how he made his
discoveries known and changed our views. -This philosopher is
the father of humankind and sacrificed himself to philosophy. Socrates. Who else will come up?
Who likes Beckham, Christiano? Ronaldo? Justin Bieber? -I like the Powergirls
because they’re powerful and I want to be like them. Ah, Powergirls! From
the cartoon? And which one is your
favourite? -Bubbles. -And why Bubbles? Is it because she’s
clever? -I like a singer
called Tangoui because he sings about things going on in our society. -Can you sing us
something? (sings) Emigration ... will make somebody who has never cried, cry. I’m living in a world
that is foreign to me. I’ve emigrated because
my country hasn’t given me much. But my heart longs to
go home where my mother’s
waiting for me. |
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00:50:01 00:50:09 00:50:15 00:50:21 00:50:26 00:50:32 00:50:36 00:50:39 00:50:45 00:50:54 00:50:58 |
-This is the
Kairouaine mosque, built by a woman called Fatima Fehriaya. -In what year? -879, about 12
centuries ago. As well as being a
mosque for prayer, it was a university. People came from all
over the world to seek knowledge here. They were studying
lots of subjects, science, astronomy, maths. Our civilisation
reached great heights thanks to the work of these people who fulfilled their
task as seekers of knowledge in the Islamic world. We have to look very
hard inside ourselves and our ambitions, so we can do our best
and contribute to our society, women and men together. As women, we are very
proud that this was built by a woman. So let’s have a round
of applause for women. |
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00:51:13 00:51:19 00:51:26 00:51:33 00:51:38 00:51:42 |
The Morchidat try to
help people, based on religious teachings. Since they started
coming to our school it’s made a difference. They’ve had training
and they really understand the true Islam. They use religion to
give advice about modern life, and it’s a really good
way to deal with things, because many of us
don’t have people to show us the right path. |
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00:52:09 00:52:14 00:52:20 00:52:28 00:46:06 |
When you work with
people you really feel the greatness of God like when I talk to
the students, each of them is so individual each of them thinks in
a different way. God is called the
creator, the maker, the image maker. You can see the beauty
of God in how perfectly everything works in the world He created. |
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00:46:14 00:52:53 00:52:59 00:53:06 00:53:13 |
I have a special
relationship with the sea. Whenever I sit and
watch the sea, it makes me cry because I see the
wonder of God in the water. As a Muslim, I believe
that in the movement of every wave is a prayer. The whole of nature
works in beautiful harmony. |
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00:54:13 00:54:21 00:54:27 00:54:31 |
Most girls who come
from the countryside have very limited ambition. I explain that even
though they are from rural villages and their parents
didn’t go to school this door is open for
them and they must aim for the sky. |
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00:47:25 |
In the weeks after the
suicide, Bouchra continues to support girls in the dormitory as their exams
approach. |
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00:55:17 00:55:23 00:55:27 |
-We agreed to write
and express our feelings. What’s this? -A heart ... |
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00:55:31 00:55:35 00:55:37 00:55:43 00:55:47 |
Then it says ‘Eternal
friendship is based on mutual respect’. That’s nice. What’s this? ‘Silence
is a sign of consent.’ Does someone want to get married? Maybe she is trying to
tell her dad she wants to get married, but he doesn’t get it,
so she’s written on the wall, ‘Understand me, understand me’. |
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00:55:54 00:56:00 00:56:04 00:56:10 00:56:13 00:56:17 00:56:21 00:56:25
00:56:28 00:56:31 00:56:35 |
-Anyway, I’m just
popping in. I know you are busy with your exams. What did we say? -You need to wake up
early and get an early night. You need to eat well. It’s good to have
bananas, also walnuts and raisins and fresh
juice, and lots of water. You must be organised. During exams, try to
put everything else out of your minds. The first time we
spoke, I said that you are fighters. I really mean it, it’s
not easy to keep your faith and stay focused on
your studies when you are living in a dormitory. |
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00:57:35 00:57:40
00:57:48 00:57:51 00:57:59 00:58:07 00:58:14 00:58:20 00:58:26 00:58:32 00:58:36 00:58:41
00:58:46 00:58:52 00:58:58 00:59:02
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You’re still having
problems with your dad? -Yes. Can we meet your
father to talk to him? No? Why, are you scared? Yes, I’m scared and it
could have repercussions. Ok, there is something
we can try, we have tried it before. You can write him a
letter and tell him how you feel. Can he read? -Yes. You must tell him
everything you feel. If we could bring him here we would talk to him, but I respect your
decision because we don’t want repercussions for you. Promise me then,
you’ll write a letter and explain everything, and give it to him? Maybe you will open
something that is hidden in his heart. -It could be that he
is worried about me and finds it difficult to say. So tell him that, and
tell him that if he is not happy with something you’re doing you will be happy to
change it. Do you want to rectify things? We all do things that
upset our parents without realising but if we know we are
in the right, then we must not give in. So you must ask him
why he behaves this way with you? Then let’s talk about
how to move forwards. |
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00:59:49 00:59:55 01:00:00 01:00:06 01:00:13 01:00:17 |
I came to the dormitory
five years ago when I was 13. We have family near
here but I wasn’t allowed to live with them because my dad doesn’t
trust anyone. Before I started
meeting with Bouchra, I didn’t have anyone to talk to. But when Bouchra came
I started talking to her. She’s given me a lot
of advice and I’ve followed it. |
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01:00:22 01:00:26 01:00:30 01:00:34 01:00:38 |
I told my dad how I
was feeling and that I was sorry
if I’d done something to make him angry, that I hadn’t meant to
do anything wrong, but that I still felt
he didn’t trust me. Then he said sorry as
well, and now things are a bit better. |
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01:00:56 01:00:58 01:01:01 01:01:04 01:01:08
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If one girl from a
village gets into trouble with a boy all the girls in the
village will be in trouble. Every father will keep
his daughter at home, and even parents who
planned to send their daughters to school will change their
mind. |
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01:01:27 01:01:31
01:01:34 |
We were at the same
primary school. Then we both went to
the dormitory. We went there
together, lived there together and we are still together. |
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01:01:49 01:01:53 |
Most girls in our primary
school weren’t allowed to go to the dormitory and now they are
married. |
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01:02:02 01:02:05 01:02:07 01:02:10 01:02:16 01:02:21 01:02:27 01:02:32 |
-If a girl reaches 20,
she’s on the shelf. -Like you! -You won’t get a look in? -No, we aren’t talking
about ourselves. We mean the others. We won’t marry until
after we become doctors. There are 3 of us and
we have a plan to have surgeries next to each other. Our friend Khadija
will be a dentist, Youssra a pediatrician and me a
gynaecologist. Three women doctors, God willing. |
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01:03:01 01:03:08 01:03:12 01:03:16 |
Islam is a religion
that compels people to learn. The prophet told us
that learning is a duty. The first word of the
Koran is ‘Read’. It’s something every
Muslim should do. |
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01:03:22 |
Alfalah Mosque, Rabat Old Town |
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01:03:41 01:03:45 01:03:50 01:03:55 |
Now we are able to
read and write, we can read bus
numbers and phone numbers. When we’re walking in
the street, we now know where we’re going. Like we say ‘Knowledge
is light’. |
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01:04:00 01:04:05 01:04:09 01:04:16 |
Things are so much
better now. We were just in our houses before, living in darkness,
just gossiping all the time. With these classes,
we’ve started to think about how we act. Before we do something
bad, we stop and consider what our teacher has said. |
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01:04:24 01:04:33 01:04:36 01:04:40 01:04:45 01:04:49 |
By spreading love we
get rid of hatred and malice in the heart. You build bridges
through good conduct. You can build bridges
with your children, so that you don’t lose them. How many mothers push
their children away without meaning to? Even though they
really care about them, they never show them that love. We would love it if when people
had conflicts they came to the mosque to resolve them. |
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01:04:55 01:04:58 01:05:03 01:05:06 01:05:11
01:05:17
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I wanted to avoid conflict and that’s why I divorced my
daughter from her husband who is my cousin. The problem wasn’t her husband, it
was his mother, my aunt. -Was your daughter living with
your aunt? -Just for a month. They were only married for one
month but this woman created every problem possible. |
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01:05:23 01:05:28 01:05:35 01:05:42 01:05:45 01:05:48 |
Many women suffer under their
mothers-in-law, so when their sons get married,
they do the same. They think it’s their turn now. So what is the solution? We need
to open our hearts to each other ... -What we need is to get together
like this and talk to each other. If we are here and others are not,
we will never understand each other. |
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01:06:08 01:06:11 01:06:17 01:06:22 01:06:26 01:06:30 01:06:34 |
Any new idea we try to
put in place about changing life
for the better, takes time. Our goal is to plant
the seeds. It may not be us who
will see the fruits. Maybe it will be our
children. Maybe the next
generation of Morchidat. They will see the
rewards, God willing. |
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01:06:46 01:06:53 01:06:57 01:07:03 01:07:12 |
My hope is that women
will reach really high positions in Moroccan society. If we reach those
positions then we can make decisions that give rights to
every woman and to every man and child. For me as a woman, I
just feel that women understand what women need and we are the ones
who know what to do to make sure we get our rights. |
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01:07:52 01:07:54 01:07:58 01:08:02 01:08:06
01:08:11 01:08:15 01:08:19
01:08:24 |
Should the people truly
desire to live ... destiny must surely
answer their call ... and night will become
day ... and the chains will
break and fall. You must fight
discrimination, strive for freedom, for a place to live, for dignity. People, we must
struggle. |
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01:08:47 |
CREDITS |