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| The Educated Prostitute |
| SARAH ZAAIMI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 01/30/10 (Morocco Board News Service)-- On that morning, I was heading to the newspaper with no new stories or article projects in mind when my editor-in-chief called me to ask whether I’ll be interested in interviewing a very special person, and to publish her memories on a daily basis in the newspaper. This very special person was a young student who became a professional prostitute. The editor-in-chief of course was only interested in raising the sales, because the golden rule in journalism is that “When there is no news, you should create the news”. And what’s better than dealing with one of the society’s prime taboos to make the news. I only had one answer to give: I’ll do it!Morocco has the reputation of having a significant number of young prostitutes. Maybe this stereotype other Middle Eastern countries have about us is a bit exaggerated, but still, Morocco has very well structured prostitution webs, which transform innocent girls to mighty night creatures, and even export them to work outside the country. What most people ignore is that prostitution was a very prosperous activity in pre-Islamic Morocco. Native Berber tribes used to set tents on the roads after the harvest season to offer “entertainment” to peasants after a year of hard work. Prostitution then, was a social service which allowed money circulation among all the tribe’s members. Islam couldn’t change much in the anthropological habits of local people. In my opinion, the high prostitution rates among young Moroccan girls can be explained by the extreme openness to the west and the cultural predisposition to this kind of activities. For me it was very difficult to write about the subject. Should I feel pity or contempt, compassion or disgust towards this young girl with a university degree who decided to sell her body to make a living? I’ve just decided to play the role of the objective pen, which describes what it hears and sees without the interference of any subjective feelings. Though, it was hard not to make a comparison between me and her. We were both Moroccan girls, born in the same year, listening to the same music, and with university degrees. Yet, each of us chose a different path, or maybe that path chose her. Her name was Aïcha. She was very blond, very tall, and very beautiful, the kind of the 1960s American films’ beauty. Aïcha had to move after high school from her small town called Lhajeb to study English Literature in Meknes’ college. “My parents didn’t prepare me to live alone in the city. I come from a poor background where talking about sex is a taboo”, she told me while gazing at the horizon. In the girls’ dorms, Aïcha learned how to dress, to put on make-up, and to talk like a woman. It is also in the university dorms that she was tempted to make some pocket money to pay for the pretty clothes which can make her look like city girls. The first step to the abyss was going out incognito with older men who invited her to good restaurants, and make her discover her charms and feminity. The deadly stab was when she discovered that she had to pay with her body for the few bills to realize her late adolescence fantasies. Once Aïcha graduated, it was difficult to leave her well-paid night life for miserable desk work or to abandon the lights of the big city for a small house in Lhajeb. She told me with a bitter voice “When I was studying it was just to make pocket money. I didn’t realize that I am a prostitute until it became my full-time job after graduating”. Aïcha is still now living in the city and working as a prostitute to send money to her family and pay for her charges. Her education and beauty make very rich and well-known men from over the world pay for her services. After filling four, 120-minute tapes and finishing the interview, the young girl looked straight into my eyes and said “I fast every Ramadan and pray five times a day for Allah to forgive me, but when the night comes I realize that I have to go work for the money.” Today, whenever I drive across the girls’ dorms of the university, I wonder how many Aïchas are there waiting to be tempted by the big city’s illusive and misleading lights? How many would resist and how many would fall?
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Comments (13)
saima
said:
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hile MoroccoBoard.com encourages discussion on all subjects, including sensitive ones, the comments posted are solely the views of those submitting them. MoroccoBoard.com does not necessarily endorse or agree with the ideas, views, or opinions voiced in these comments. This is a moderated forum. Comments deemed abusive, offensive, or those containing profanity may not be published.
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hi nothing merits corruption! as far as prostitution is concerned it remains unreligous, unethical, unfair and simply rediculous! |
Khan
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I dont even give benefit of doubt to this woman There is no excuse for being a prostitute. Yes I understand its an easy way to earn good money where she have to do nothing but to lay down. but had she ever thought of her brothers sisters and their fathers. may be she do not respect these relations but this dont give her the right to make the environment filthy with the ugly examples. |
Taha
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All problems lie whithin us nothing justifies prostitution, if all the poor women became prostitutes then we'd have more than 80% of prostitute women in the world. Unfortunately, Morocco and Moroccans have a bad reputation, I was shocked when my friend tell me that he heard a prostitute talking to her friend that high school girls took all her clients :S anyways, may Allah swt guide us all to the right path and protect us and our country from all evils, Ameen |
Someone
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Morocco and human rights Morocco is an excellent example to muslim world, Govt has done major work for human rights in morocco and morocian women are worst example to muslim women in muslim world, living western way of life does not mean wearing valgur cloths or becoming a prostitue or having sexual relationships ... it means right to have education and work and have respect as human which Islam gave women. Islam was 1st to give right to vote and live in respect to answer Vanessa "From a western point of view, it seems that muslim people are quick to blame the woman for any inappropriate sexual behaviour and the man is never condemned. Double standards. " With who these men sleeping with ? woman who knowingly get involved with these kind of activities ?? both are to be blamed check out Youtube: child prosititue and prositution in morocco, you will be shocked morocco should stop Maher paid to bride upfront, this give excuse to man to use this as payment for sex ?? most muslim countries have maher paid only and if divorce happens . Muslim women should follow Islam and ask for thier rights while keeping self-respect Hijab is not on a head but in heart Hadith: Hiya is half of your Eman |
Hadad
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Dr (Ph.D) hmmm-interesting how easy it is to judge. perhaps she did succumb to the ease financially compared to her poverty before. question though....how many of the comentators made a thorough study of prostitution-especially in morocco? until you have the facts refrain from judging this girl-until you have lived her life refrain from judging!! many professional women today have had no choice but to work as prostitutes. some have stopped; others have incorporated it into their lives. until you have lived as a woman and provided for your family as a woman-keep quiet and go find something else to judge. easy for men to comment but they have no idea of the emotional and mental anguish women go through in their daily lives to provide-for themselves and family. there are too many aspects to make a quick judgment. by the way-i am a woman as well-one that has seen countless struggles in a male controlled society |
soneone
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demand and supply Morocco is in 5 top countries who supply prostitutes to middle east and world Yahoo news feb 2010, some time cutting the supply will make demand go away teaching basic morals are important. open marriage offices like most muslim countries to help people in this matter |
Vanessa
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It takes two If there were no men willing to pay for the services of a prostitute then prostitution would not exist. Why are people quick to blame the woman, and only the woman, for the profession of prostitution? It takes two to make the transaction. A man and a woman. So, who are the men who are paying for her services? Are they muslim? Do they have wives? Aren't they just as sinful as this woman? From a western point of view, it seems that muslim people are quick to blame the woman for any inappropriate sexual behaviour and the man is never condemned. Double standards. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. No takers? Put down your stones and walk away. She has to live with the consequences of her choice to be a prostitute - not you. It's not something that I would do, but it is also not my place to judge her. |
Eye witness
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Kaaada L’fakro ann yakouna kofrann. Your reference to "openness to the west" in this context is ridiculous! When faced with extreme hardship, you are not far from despair – that is the test! In other words, will you stop to believe that your condition is only temporary? Loss of hope is a knife edge or has a cliff effect. Once in it, you open yourself up to a whole new possibilities – prostitution is but one of many potential results. There are many out there in worse situation who kept at it and over time, their situation changed extremes. Live is a test. |
malek
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... prostitution is prostitution , nothing will change its ugly face , and it s shame when i hear that she cant stand the hard s**t poor paid desk job , peaple with honour would do anything to save that priceles virtue , but she can have decent job decent family and honour , but she just doenst want to live honourably. |
RushRach
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Aicha is responsible It's true that Aicha had hard circumstances that pushed her to be in that situation. Whether a girl or even a boy, when he/she arrives to the city for the first time in his life after he/she never left his/her small town somewhere in deep country living in dire poverty. As he/she discovers this new world all at once, he/she feels some inferiority to people living in the city. Then, he/she tries to profit as much as possible of life and tries to bring back some balance, at least is his mind. This quick change leads to the catastrophe especially if the boy/ the girl doesn’t meet some friends that could have some positive affects on his/her life. There are some who succeed to control their selves facing this sudden change, but others fail. And this also has something to do with the social situation he/she is raised. However, the person has some responsibility over his actions and has a hand in what he’s become. For the case of Aicha, I think she had the same conditions and she failed to control her desires and that was the results. But, unfortunately, in the end she is the victim of herself and of poverty, injustice… |
Dreamer
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poverty is not an excuse Openness to the West is partly to blame for prostitution in Morocco!This is primary school argument there is poverty on a massive scale in Morocco.Yes ,it is a major embarrassment for the present government and all the ones before.But the bottom line is that most Moroccans,regardless of their social standings,do not try hard enough and want easy money. This El Hajeb girl is the epitome of the way some Moroccan girls think.Had she had a shrink of self-respect and worked harder,she could have been in a much higher position.No one is accountable,why bother,this is how it seems.No wonder abuse and corruption are still ravaging the country. Most worrying of all,Some of Moroccans' laziness is legendary.I have seen some people bums stuck to cafe seats all day and have no shame asking for a cigarette or some money to buy some expensive mobile or trainers . |
Morocelli
said:
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The west is not problem, poverty is The statement below is naive. Blame everything on the west. The west is doing Morocco a favor and we should at least be grateful, Morocco is surviving on donations and loans from the west while all our natural and human resources are held hostage to the well connected. We live in the west, does it mean that we are more prone to be prostitutes? The root cause of prostitution is poverty and injustice. Injustice because they are always those who have abuse the have not. Poverty is the root of all evil, I have seen fathers selling their daughters, I have seen brothers pimping their sisters, I have seen girls fell to money temptation. All the one i have seen has one thing in common: They are poor. "In my opinion, the high prostitution rates among young Moroccan girls can be explained by the extreme openness to the west and the cultural predisposition to this kind of activities." |
nabilino
said:
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No empathy She gets no empathy in my book...countless women have gone to university and dealt with same issues but refused to sell their flesh, and worked hard in honorable jobs to make a living. |
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