Mariane Pearl, the wife of American Journalist Daniel Pearl who's been murdered by radical Islamists, traveled to Morocco on behalf of Glamour Magazine to do a special report on the plight of unwed Moroccan women.
Please read her fascinating account and the story behind Lady Aicha "the Mother Theresa of Morocco".
In Morocco, women are harassed, abused and threatened with death for having children out of wedlock—even if they became pregnant from rape. Mariane Pearl meets an activist risking her life for mothers and children without hope. See more Global Diary | See the slideshow
By Mariane Pearl
Aicha has faced great dangers in her work. In 2000, an extremist imam issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, calling for her to be stoned to death. “I’m not afraid,” she says, “because I’ve done nothing wrong.” Soon after, she gave an unprecedented interview to Al Jazeera denouncing the stigma on unwed motherhood. She hit a nerve. “People called me from all over the country agreeing, saying I couldn’t let the Islamists win,” she says. More astonishing, the king summoned her to his palace and awarded her the Medal of Honor. “Please don’t give up,” he told her.