Ni Putes Ni Soumises, a French women’s group working to combat violence against France’s large Muslim women immigrant population plans to open its first formal chapter in Morocco.
The Moroccan government is not welcoming the group’s plans due to its feminist work and name, Ni Putes Ni Soumises, which translates to Neither Whores nor Submissive, according to VOA News. Morocco’s Interior Ministry has said, “The trend of that association, which is engaged in respectable work in France, does not conform with the approach adopted in Morocco for dealing with issues related to the situation of women,” according to Magharebia.
Ni Putes Ni Soumises, founded in 2003, has previously partnered with women’s right groups in Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan to curtail violence and forced marriage in the Arab and Muslim cultures. The association’s president, Sihem Habchi, hopes to continue to strengthen partnerships between European women’s groups and the Muslim world.