Safety in Morocco for women

I haven't been to Tangier but I spent 16 days in Morocco and never felt threatened. Just follow the general rules for travel. Watch your
surroundings and keep your belongings close.

May I ask, were you with a guy?

At the risk of appearing PC, neither "veiled women" nor "burka style outfits" have a correlation with safety, which is the poster's original question...those are personal choices and they shouldn't be devalued. And it's not unreasonable to potentially have a different experience/reaction from locals as solo females vs. a female with children, especially in a very child-centered/family friendly society.

I tend to agree with Jo in that veiled women or women wearing burkas indicate a society less tolerant of uncovered women. More and more women choose to cover up in some countries, not always because they want to, but because they feel pressured to do so. Meanwhile, others choose to dress in veils and burkas as a political/religious statement. That would impact a tourist's level of comfort traveling in western dress. Jo's observation is important in this respect.

I can only report my experiences in Tangier. I was there with my husband, but we did go our own ways for a brief time, so I was a woman alone for a while in the afternoon. No one treated me rudely in any way and I did not feel unsafe. My biggest problem was people trying very vigorously to sell me something. I always dress modestly and try to conduct myself with propriety no matter where I go, but I did think about that more in Morocco. Anyway, I can report no problems in that regard. You may want to consider hiring a guide, because we were swamped with people wanting show us around until it was clear that we had a guide.

Thanks to all for your replies. I was not referring to the Muslim faith when I asked the question. I lived in Turkey and have regard for them. There are unsafe places in the US, you know. This is not suppose to be a political or religious site. Read Rick's rules.
Happy travelling!

I think when posters inquire about safety, they should qualify exactly what they mean...otherwise it's too broad. Safety from what...being uncomfortable, misunderstandings or faux pas, eager vendors, harrasment, bodily harm/death? There is a very wide continuum here, and no one can guess what a poster's underlying assumptions are that prompt the question. I did object to simplifying the answer to the presence or absence of veiled women as a proxy for "safety" - it is not veiled women per se that pose risks and putting them at the center does make for a political statement that seems divisive to me (it's men after all who pose more risk). I think the tourist's own behavior, understanding, and accommodation to cultural norms will dictate her safety experience (in whatever form, depending how one defines it) - i.e. it is sufficient to say "modest dress is recommended" vs pointing out that there are no veiled women, so as to give the impression of "more safe". After seeing this question posed constantly about Naples, I'm beginning to think that posters are trying to gauge whether they'll feel comfortable or in their comfort zone and they conflate this with safety risk (in the sense of bodily harm). The two are not the same - at least when you look at actual crime statistics.

I agree completely that one should be specific about the nature of the security concern in question, but I really hate seeing these sweeping, generalized statements about women in burqas. Let's assume that a woman wants to wear a burqa and is under no pressure whatsoever from anyone to do so. Is that okay? Further, what if it's not in a Muslim country with Sharia Law but in a large North American city? And what if there are many women in that city who wish to dress this way (not a hypothetical...this is actually the case)? Does that change your feelings about women in burqas? BTW, I'm not referring to the headscarf and robe combo one sees everywhere, including in Iowa. I'm referring to the burqa that you really don't see in most places with only a veiled slit for the eyes. Shouldn't women be able to wear whatever they wish? What's wrong with the burqa if that's what a woman wants to wear? I suppose this is more of a rhetorical question, because I'm sure someone is about to suggest that they really don't want to wear the burqa...it's being forced on them, even in North America. BTW, India cannot be considered a Muslim country when only 13% of the population is Muslim. Why is India thrown in with comments about Muslim countries, Muslims, and Sharia Law? Apparently not a very tolerant bunch here.

I'm not sure what where I live has to do with it, especially since I was very clearly referring to another city, one of the most diverse cities in the world, in fact. You assumed Carroll's fear was something it was not and then went on an anti-Muslim rant. So, you see women every day wearing burqas in Frankfurt, and? I mean, what's the point? You're not in France, so isn't it okay if that's what they wish to wear? What's your problem with it in Germany? The first sentence of your first reply was fine...it answered Carroll's question directly. After that, it seems you exposed yourself as an anti-Muslim person. You've since added extra information, trying to justify your earlier points, but I think it is what it is. And you're right...we should stop now, as this has nothing to do with travel at this point.

Since my posts and opinions are so offensive, I have deleted them.
I wish you all a good evening.

What does sexism, women wearing/ nor wearing veils or burkas in Europe or Iowa or elsewhere, perceived oppression of women, Sharia Law, or other countries in Asia (a different continent altogether) have to do with whether it is "safe" (whatever that means)for 3 women to be in Tangier? I thought the point of travel was to be "open" to different ways of living without passing judgement

Agnes, I think the issue is two-folded. One is the discussion about safety for solo Western women in Morocco. Another is the whole discussion brought up by the reality of women oppression on these places. I think Morocco is far less safer than Europe, I myself (healthy young male) wouldn't go there (I don't feel attracted to, I dislike aggressive sales etc). I think it is all about assessing safety in terms of probability of risks instead of black-or-white situations. So Morocco is less safe than Switzerland, but statistically safer than DR Congo. There will still be some people who traveled to Morocco (not only Tangier) several times, nothing ever happened, and then when they went to the Norwegian fjords... there goes a smashed car window and stolen bags.

Michael, I have just a quick comment. While I agree every all fashion choices should be free to the individual to pick from (different than having a law mandating them), burkhas (specifically that dress that covers the whole face) should be disallowed on grounds of public safety. I have a very simple analogy. Suppose I want to dress a skier, helmet, balaclava and reflective goggles included, and went for a stroll in a city that as flat as Amsterdam. Now I'm a non-violent, respectful young male. I bet you most stores will have someone from security coming to me, and banks or jewelry stores would probably ask me to leave in a tense exchange. If I can't wear a ski mask and enter a bank, a subway/tram (let alone an airport), a store because they assume concealed faces are a risk of public safety, why should women doing the same (covering their faces altogether) be tolerated on the same places? After all, I could call myself I believer of the religion of Holy Downhill Diamond Course and demand that safety policies and public security norms that preclude such identity concealment be not applied to me as long as my ski mask and reflective goggles are religious indumentary That is really a tricky and slippery slope.

I missed Jo's subsequent posts but what I do know is that the until recently the burka was nowhere to be seen in North Africa and Europe. Lo and behold, militantism arrives as does the burka. It's easy to be an armchair PC in North America. When Jo says there aren't any veils or burkas, she's making a statement about how women traveling alone may be perceived in that particular country. I have a lot of students from the Middle East in my department at the university, some veiled. Don't waste your time calling me racist. It has nothing to do with immigrant women in a North American city, or students wearing their native dress while studying here.