Posted on 10/05/2004 8:54:27 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Moroccan women undergo surgery for 'virginity'
Reuters Rabat, October 4
Waiting for her turn at a private gynaecologist's clinic in the Moroccan capital, Nawal wanted to fix one last thing to ensure a perfect marriage of convenience.With the 2,500 dirhams she borrowed, she will undergo a surgical procedure that she hopes, will convince her new husband she is a virgin."My cousin asked to marry me believing I'm a virgin. I accepted because I need a husband. So we'll both get what we want," said the 26-year-old textile worker.The minor operation consists of hooking biodegradable suture clips on the hymen to provoke bleeding during the first sexual intercourse on the wedding night.Seeing blood on the wedding night is crucial and can be a matter of life or death for the bride in an Arab country.
Nawal's family wants the big event to include the traditional Sabah ceremony, when relatives parade in the streets with the bride's blood-stained undergarment as proof of her chastity before marriage."They'll get the blood they want," Nawal said. She confessed the "virginity restoration".Although widespread in Morocco, such operations to restore virginity is considered unorthodox. But Nawal believes it is fair game for women to do so. "I've lost it just like all women do, to a man!" she said.Nawal's case is typical of the fate of young women in the North African Muslim country, pointing to the deeply rooted social and religious customs that can thwart desire for modernisation in Arab societies.A reform of family laws last year gave Moroccan women more rights than most of their Arab peers but virginity remains an important requirement for a woman before marriage, especially in the country's city slums and rural areas.
These social norms have slackened only among Morocco's Western-oriented elite and a burgeoning middle class."Virginity is still a sensitive issue in the minds of a lot of Moroccans. You can't change in 20 years what has been inculcated for 14 centuries," said scriptwriter and journalist Fatema Loukili.Television, now seen in remote rural areas, has started to make inroads into Morocco's sexual taboos."Moroccan girls know exactly what they miss these days, thanks to the satellite dish," weekly news magazine TelQuel wrote in a rare report on Moroccans' sexual habits.Sociologist Soumaya Naamane Guessous said the majority of girls never speak openly with their parents about sex but understand they can get away with most things except losing their virginity.Guessous's book Beyond All Decency, published a decade ago created a stir as she became the first female writer to openly discuss the sexuality of Moroccan women.
In Morocco, the Islamic-inspired penal code bans sexual intercourse outside marriage. But Morocco favours a tolerant brand of Islam and young urban couples can be seen engaging in public displays of affection.In rural areas and small cities, however, sex outside marriage is generally not tolerated or at best, kept secret.The lack of laws protecting single mothers and children born out of wedlock often brings dramatic consequences."Prostitution wins large number of recruits from girls who lose their virginity and cannot return home," Guessous said."It's all about education. State television, radio and the media have to play a much more effective role in lifting the taboo on sex in general," she added.TelQuel accused Moroccan men of double standards, by seeking a full sexual relationship with their girlfriends, while wishing to marry a virgin for the sake of being "the first"."It's a little bit schizophrenic," the magazine said.
Sick.
With the exception of Israel, that whole part of the world is sick beyond hope of redemption. Mohammedanism is a cancerous sore on mankind that should be eliminated!
What's really sick, is men believing they have to marry a virgin...
To be perfectly fair, this is almost the exact same attitude towards virginity for the bride that was held in America less than 100 years ago.
A woman who lost her virginity before marriage was "ruined," and great many wound up in prostitution because they were no longer considered eligible for marriage to a man of their class. Meanwhile, the man who seduced her was not shunned and might even brag about his conquests.
Although an American man didn't usually kill his wife if she turned out to not be a virgin.
Attitudes on this subject very gradully began to change following WWI.
Bizarre. Yes, lets ensure the woman's blood and pain be part of the sexual process for their very caring husbands. For the record, no woman I have talked about virginity with ever bled at first intercourse. Yes, there is sometimes pain, and something tells me the type of guy who would shoot a gal for not bleeding is not the most gentle lover either. I pity them.
I don't deserve the country I was born in any more than these women deserve theirs, but I lucked out. Any fight for freedom in these countries is worth supporting. I don't know why more liberals don't agree.
...womens issue?
Wouldn't it be easier to just schedule the wedding to coincide with a certain time of the month? Results guaranteed.
I believe that, until women in Arab nations have equal rights with men, the Arab world will remain a stinking cesspool.
This practice is barbaric and stupid.
> You can't change in 20 years what has been inculcated for 14 centuries
They seem to have done a good job in the US.
Don't throw stones.
This is being done right here in the US for very devout Catholic girls.
Am I the only one who finds humor in this? the fact that these women are actually going to the doctor to be "fixed" is a good sign in my opinion, they are making changes under their control, yes it is pathetic that they have to go through this extreme measure however 20 years ago i would say no way would they even attempt this. i believe that this is the start to female liberation in a bizaare way. the men are losing their complete control over "their" women.
Penal code? Talk about double meanings.
.
And when you venture before an Islamic court that is adjudicating this issue you are required to give truthful TESTIMONY!
Brought to you by Islam, the "religion of peace". BARF!
Does this qualify as proof that one must be mentally ill to adopt Islam?
"...when relatives parade in the streets with the bride's blood-stained undergarment as proof of her chastity before marriage."They'll get the blood they want,".
Disgusting. I am at a loss for words.
Where?
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