Mauritania
Mballaji, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, 2000
Mauritanian Scholars
Excitement and enthusiasm shine in the eyes of these Mauritanian girls. Unfortunately, most of them will never finish school because of early marriage, poverty, long distances to school, lack of materials, and a low value placed on education for females. Still, it was always a pleasure to work with girls and women as they embarked on their journey.
So often I am asked, “What was it like being a woman in an Islamic country?” My answer is that I don’t know. I am always American wherever I go and this fact makes my experience different. What I observed in the women I came to know was strength and confidence, respect and love for family and community, and a desire to learn. So many strong, beautiful women shared friendship, their families, and their country with me.
Everyone knows where they were on September 11th. I was in my village in Mauritania, surrounded by my friends who were Muslim. We didn’t fully understand what was happening because the news coverage was limited, as was all access to information. But we knew that the terrorists who had done this may have prayed five times a day to the same God, celebrated the same holidays, named their children after the same prophet and his wives, and read the same scripture. But they were not the same.
In the weeks that followed the attack I felt the support of my community as they asked about my family, friends, and my country. Their concern was sincere, as was the strength of the relationships that I had built. I feel lucky to have known them and to understand that it is not Islam that has wronged the United States but people full of hatred that act in the name of Islam contradicting the true beauty of the religion.
Claire Harlan, Peace Corps/ Mauritania, 1999-2001, agroforestry volunteer. Now photography student at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA.