S ome Muslims are fond of condemning western morality — alcoholism, nudity, premarital sex and homosexuality often being cited as examples. But Muslims do not have a monopoly on morality. In the west, child marriages and sex with children are illegal. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Muslim countries. I recently saw the documentary on the Dancing Boys of Afghanistan. It exposed an ancient custom called "bacha bazi" boy for play , where rich men buy boys as young as 11 from impoverished families for sexual slavery.

Rusul woke to find herself alone. Her new husband had gone. The marriage had lasted just three hours. It wasn't the teenager's first marriage. It wasn't even her second, third or fourth.

The roles of women in the Arab world have changed throughout history, as the culture and society in which they live has undergone important transformations. Historically, as well as presently, the situation of women differs greatly between Arabic speaking regions, their urban or rural population and age groups. Among other factors, these differences can be attributed to local traditions , culture and religion , women's social or legal status, their level of education , health or self-awareness. They were sold into marriage by their guardians for a certain amount of money, the husband could terminate the union at will, and women had little or no rights to property or inheritance. Using evidence from the ancient Arabian kingdom of Nabataea , she finds that Arab women in Nabataea had independent legal figures.

I left Morocco more than 15 years ago. With the years and the distance, I have surely forgotten quite how difficult it is to live without the freedoms that have become so natural to me. I am Moroccan and, in Morocco, Muslim laws apply to me, whatever my personal relationship with the religion.