By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:Flotillas have become a hot item in the guerrilla theater of international politics.
Women on Waves is an abortion advocacy program. They sail into places where abortion is illegal, counsel women and deliver day after pills that result in the abortion of fetuses. They engage in abortion education.
The group had been visiting Catholic countries including Spain, Portugal and Ireland. Now they have set their sights on the Arab country of Morocco where performing an abortion is punishable by 20 years in prison.
Morocco blockaded the port with warships to prevent Women on Waves from entering on their large ships.
But Women on Waves persisted and they slipped in by way of the port of Smir. They tricked the Moroccan navy and sent a small yacht instead of their much large vessel to entire the port. The activists never left the ship and did not attempt to step foot in Morocco.
Obviously there are many clandestine and illegal abortions performed in Morocco. Like most Arab countries, Morocco is very conservative when it comes to these issues. They do not want it spoken about in public and family matters like this fall under the purview of Islamic law and tradition.
This flotilla will certainly alienate Moroccans on the street - even if the people themselves have participated in illegal abortions.
Private is private and what is done in private is neither done nor spoken about in public. In public, Moroccans toe the Muslim line.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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