The Sahara desert is home to a mysterious tribe that is more progressive than even the liberal western world. In the Tuareg tribe, women do not wear veils over their faces, as the men “want to see their beautiful faces.” Women are also allowed to have as many sexual partners as they wish before marriage and keep most, if not all, possessions after a divorce. In the Tuareg tribe, men cover their faces with blue scarves starting at puberty and only show their full faces to their mother, wife, or lover. Families respect the female as the head of the home and trace lineage through the women’s line out of respect. Interestingly, though the Tuareg tribe seems exceptionally progressive, most of the members subscribe to the Islamic faith. Though they have taken on Islam as their religion of choice, the tribe has yet to give up their traditionally progressive ideals of women.
The Daily Mail reports that, by all accounts, the Tuareg tribe is extremely progressive when it comes to women’s rights in the Islamic community. Women do not wear veils over their faces and instead, the men cover their face out of respect for the women, starting in puberty. It is women who own most of the property, including the tribe’s lifeline animal stock, and are the ones who have the final say in a divorce. Women are allowed to have as many sexual partners as they please before marriage, so long as they keep the relationships “private.” Privacy in sexual relationships mean that the man must enter a woman’s tent after sunset and leave before sunrise. Meanwhile, the rest of the family in the tent will “turn a blind eye” to the encounter as if it never happened.
In addition to sexual freedoms, women also hold the power in the household. It is the woman who owns the family’s tent and livestock, with the man typically owning just the camel. Most marriages in the Tuareg tribe come with a prenuptial agreement that the woman keeps all the property she brought to the marriage, including any children. Should a couple decide to divorce, the divorce is celebrated by the woman’s family with a large party. The party is designed to inform other men that the woman is now free to re-marry and take on new lovers.
According to Al Jazeera, things may be changing for the progressive Tuareg tribe due to their conversion to the Islamic faith. Many in the community consider their traditions “backward” and “irrelevant.” Some in the Tuareg tribe are attempting to get their people to adopt Arabic, the language of the Quran and of the wider Muslim community, and discard their ancient Tamasheq language and alphabet. Some in the tribe believe that the community should get rid of “ungodly” aspects of the community, such as music and dance, which are considered to be “licentious and ungodly.” They also object to the relative freedom and social power that Tuareg women enjoy, and hope to convert the community to a more traditional form of Islam.
What do you think of the Tuareg culture where women are given such high priority in the community? What’s the effect of the Islamic faith on the dynamics of the Tuaregs’ way of life?
