The Harem Within By Fatima Mernissi

Women in Morocco under the French Protectorate

The French presence in Morocco thoroughly shook the Islamic state’s traditional foundations that had remained unchanged since its inception. French society and culture brought many changes to traditional Moroccan society, especially for women. The harem left women in bondage and French ideals fueled the women’s aspirations for life beyond the frontiers of the harem gate. In her book Dreams of Trespass , Fatima Mernissi details the story of her childhood which she spent in a Harem when Morocco was a French Protectorate. Mernissi and other members of her household dreamt of trespassing the frontiers set by Harem life, and ventured in to freedom and opportunities made available by the French presence in Morocco.

Mernissi’s mother represented all women when she challenged Moroccan traditions. She challenged the traditional way of life and the Harem frontiers firstly because they suppressed women in and outside the home. The Mernissi women were basically in prison. They could not leave the front gate without permission, and even if they were permitted, which was rare, they had to be escorted and monitored constantly by a male guardian. They had to keep to their salons and stay away from the men’s quarters, follow strict routines for luncheons, dinners and functions and even stay away from the radio. With the exception of Lalla Mani, who exercised power under the patriarchal system, the women were not free even in their domestic realm. Mernissi’s mother fought against traditional harem life secondly because women could not have their privacy and meet their personal desires. Mernissi’s mother “hated the harem’s lack of privacy and the constant interference of his mother” (Mernissi 232). The Mernissi women dreamed and desired of having romantic evenings like French women to express themselves and fulfill their needs. Mernissi mentioned Scheherazade, Asmahan the princess and other modern women to show that the women definitely needed and would greatly enjoy personal space, romantic relationships and domestic power. Challengers like Mernissi’s mother wanted to get rid of tradition thirdly because they knew it was archaic and based on false reasoning. According to the men and traditional women like Lalla Mani, if women were free, the world would be without law and order and the men would become lazy. According to them, women had to be imprisoned in Harems to keep order and control. Challengers of tradition argued this kind of faulty reasoning kept women in bondage. Mernissi’s mother argued by saying French women were free and the French were powerful to conquer Morocco with ease. Women cited the lifestyles of their European counterparts to show that tradition was based on foolish and outmoded notions and there was no real reason why women should be imprisoned. Mernissi’s mother challenged traditions lastly in an Islamic context. She said there shouldn’t be discrimination, patriarchy and excess segregation of the sexes because Allah created men and women equally. She wanted more unity and harmony instead of separation and polygamy. This internal evolution and self searching doubtlessly occurred because of a foreign impetus. The French presence in Morocco definitely made the Moroccan women question the reason for their bondage.

The harem within

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The Forgotten Queens of Islam

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