By Osire Glacier, Professor, Department of History, Athabasca University
In an article, professor and researcher Fatima Sadiqi recalls working with female colleagues to establish Morocco’s first Center for Studies and Research on Women in 1996. Their success in launching the Center led Sadiqi and her co-founders to create the country’s first Gender Studies Graduate Unit in 2000. At the time, Sadiqi was teaching at the University of Fès where, like most female professors, she confronted the glass ceiling hindering the advancement of women’s academic careers. Sadiqi remembers a doctoral student who was looking for a thesis advisor. After opening the door to Sadiqi’s office, the student discovered that “Dr. Sadiqi” was, in fact, a woman; the student excused himself immediately and left. This doctoral candidate missed an opportunity given that Sadiqi’s partner, Moha Ennaji, whose professional background mirrors her own, has claimed that Sadiqi works more than he does.
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By Osire Glacier, Professor, Department of History, Athabasca University
In October 2018, a trial led the Moroccan public to call into question the integrity of Taoufik Bouachrine, who was then the editor-in-chief of the renowned Arabic-language daily newspaper Akhbar al-Yaoum. The Casablanca Court of Appeal sentenced Bouachrine to fifteen years in prison and a fine of €255,000 (Euros) for human trafficking, abuse of power for sexual purposes, rape, and attempted rape. The accusation that he used his professional status to obtain sexual favors, especially from junior journalists, seemed credible. After all, patriarchal structures, with their logic of male sexual predation and victimization of women, are deeply anchored in Moroccan society. The consequences of patriarchal constructs include the feminization of unemployment, discrimination against women in the job market, and the normalization of violence against women, including sexual violence. As a result, Bouachrine’s trial threw part of the Moroccan population into a moral conflict, namely, whether to support the freedom of expression of a daring journalist or denounce the violence he allegedly perpetrated against women.
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