A Moroccan state television channel has broadcast a tutorial showing women how to conceal the evidence of domestic violence with make-up.
Morocco is 99% Muslim, according to a 2016 demographics profile. Little wonder that a TV show would be brazen enough to broadcast a show teaching women how to cover up abuse, as opposed to how to teach women to get help out of an abusive relationship. As reported by the UK Independent: “Moroccan police, prosecutors, judges, and other authorities often fail to prevent domestic abuse, punish the abusers, or assist survivors.” The Qur’an says:
“Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them (Quran 4:34)
“And take in your hand a green branch and beat her with it, and do not break your oath…” (Quran 38:44)
Unfortunately, such verses are considered the word of Allah and are preached by imams on Western soil as well as in Muslim countries. Little wonder that Morocco would opt for a means to keep women looking all pretty for men even after a beating. Fortunately, social media allows for opposing discourse, and the program has elicited an outcry:
A petition signed by hundreds of women said the “standardisation of violence against women” must be denounced, and demanded an apology and sanctions against the station.
Despite how modernized Morocco tries to publicly appear (and yes, the state-run TV station did follow up with an apology), it is a Sharia-compliant country. It has been a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation since 1969, and it is a signatory to the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights — a Sharia version of “human rights” that is really a sham.
“Moroccan state TV shows women how to conceal evidence of domestic violence with make-up”, by Charlotte England, Independent, November 27, 2016:
A Moroccan state television channel has broadcast a tutorial showing women how to conceal the evidence of domestic violence with make-up, sparking fury within the country.
The segment, in a daily programme on Channel 2M, showed a smiling makeup artist demonstrate how to mask injuries inflicted by a beating, on a woman whose face had been made up to appear swollen and bruised.
“We hope these beauty tips will help you carry on with your daily life”, the host said at the end of the segment, which critics quickly pointed out coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
“Make sure to use loose powder to fix the makeup, so if you have to work throughout the day, the bruises don’t show,” the host said, cheerfully, before recommending the best beauty brands for heavy coverage foundations and concealers.
People who watched the segment said on social media that it was “brainwashing” women to believe that violence was a normal and acceptable part of a relationship, and that the right thing to do was to conceal it rather than report it.
A petition signed by hundreds of women said the “standardisation of violence against women” must be denounced, and demanded an apology and sanctions against the station.
“As Moroccan women and as feminist activists in Morocco, and in the name of all Moroccan people, we denounce the message of normalisation with violence against women,” the petition read. “We demand severe sanctions against this show, ‘Sabahiyat’, and the channel 2M.”
It added: “The violence should not be covered by makeup and the aggressors have to be condemned.”
In response to complaints, the channel has now removed the clip from its website and placed a “clarification” on its Facebook page, saying that the section was “completely inappropriate and has an editorial error of judgement in view of the sensitivity and the gravity of the subject of violence against women”.
But women activists said the apology was inadequate. In addition to questioning its sincerity, they said many of those who watched the segment and might be affected by domestic violence could be illiterate and unable to read the statement.
The clip also continued to be circulated on social media.
The channel later broadcast an apology.
At the start of 2016, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the Moroccan government expressing concern about the way women who experienced domestic violence were treated.
“Moroccan police, prosecutors, judges, and other authorities often fail to prevent domestic abuse, punish the abusers, or assist survivors,” the organisation said. “In part, that is because Moroccan laws don’t provide officials with guidance on responding effectively……