It’s no secret that Morocco is one of my favorite countries. I have fallen totally, completely, madly in love with the souks and medinas, the seaside resort towns and beaches, luxury desert camps in The Sahara, and of course, the people.

And then, there are the men. Oh, how the men can be so charming and romantic and sweet and absolutely maddening. Like all men everywhere, I suppose.

But I’m not the only one who finds the magnetic, hypnotic, irresistible qualities of Moroccan men so appealing. Addictive, some might even say.

(To find out why so many women find Moroccan men so completely captivating, check out this article- with plenty of photos- here.)

They sometimes drive us crazy with their different language and laughter and culture and religion and their absolute assistance that Moroccan tagine (which taste like a bland, boring beef stew to me, without the beef) is the best food in the world (even if they have never even tried other ethnic or foreign dishes in their lives).

As my friends and I love to jokingly say, Moroccan men are…”special”.

Because they are. But because of the cultural and religious and language differences, it can be a lifesaver to have a friend who gets it. Someone who has been there before, and knows what to expect during Ramadan, what type of clothing may be more appropriate, whether a man is sincere in his declarations of love, and tips and tricks that can help you navigate through the K1 fiance or the spousal visa application process.

For these and other reasons, the incredibly popular Facebook Group, Women Who Love Moroccans was created as a lifeline and support group for women involved with Moroccan men.

Since the one year anniversary of Women Who Love Moroccans is in a few days, I wanted to interview the founder, Helen, and share with you a few details about this (mostly) private group where members are vetted, but once they’re accepted, they can join this somewhat secret place for women to share, ask for advice, vent, and even post anonymously to get some guidance and support from sisters with similar relationship issues.

Please tell a bit about yourself and your love for Moroccans.

My name is Helen and I am 46. I am a lifelong resident of New York State. I have traveled to Morocco several times and hope to one day call it my home.

When I was in my early twenties I met a Moroccan man while out with a friend. He invited me to go to dinner the next night being it was my birthday.

I met him in the city and he brought me a bottle of Guerlain perfume, a red wallet, and a pair of dangle earrings. I thought this was very generous being that we just met and thought it was so thoughtful that he got me all those gifts.

Next, we ventured off to Ches Es Saada. It was one of those word of mouth places with no sign out front only a big beautiful Moroccan lantern that made a delicate cascade of specked light against the brick nondescriptive building. He told me that it was a Moroccan restaurant.

I was intrigued because I never had Moroccan food let alone knew where the country was. There were rose petals all over that led us down to a lower level candlelit romantic restaurant. He ordered me a drink in French; who doesn’t love a man who speaks French? I was fast falling in love. He got me a blood orange martini while we waited for our table. It was delicious. We snacked on olives and he started telling me all about Morocco.

Soon an alluring belly dancer came out dancing to the sounds of a darbuka. It was amazing. Then a man came around selling roses and he bought one for me and spoke to the man in Darija.

I felt like I was with James Bond!

Helen

So cultivated, intelligent, sophisticated, and charming. We sat down and the food came; a big beautiful Tagine with chicken and preserved lemon. The taste of Moroccan spices was transcendental.

So that was my introduction to Morocco. I guess you could say I have been hooked ever since and it was the beginning of being one of the Women Who Love Moroccans.

What inspired you to create the Women Who Love Moroccans (WWLM) group?

Women Who Love Moroccans are the women around me who also wanted a place that was positive and supportive where we can open up to one another in a safe space. I find that the internet gives many people free rein to bully, judge, and shame people while hiding behind their computer screens.

I was determined to create a group that discouraged the negativity and encouraged the positivity. I had met so many women like myself and wanted to continue those relationships in a place where I knew we would not be threatened by bad vibes, jealousy, and pettiness.

We have a lot of fun and laughs. It is my little escape from everyday stresses. Women Who Love Moroccans are intelligent, strong, adventurous, driven, dedicated, and have big hearts. The women in the group are excellent company and I don’t go a day without sitting a spell with them. We all have a love for Morocco/Moroccans and that is what bonds us.

What made you choose the name Women Who Love Moroccans?

There are a few groups with slightly similar names but it seems we have the most members. We are just coming up to our 1 year anniversary and by far have been more successful in a shorter time than any of the other groups with the commonality of love for Moroccans.

Even though we are still very new you could actually say we are the trendsetter in a lot of ways. We have created many fun competitions, monthly birthday celebrations, and positivity awards given to members who have added something a little special to our group experience. We play games and have polls on occasion. It is the internet and there is that anonymity but our members’ personalities shine through. As a whole, we stand out as a group.

What have some of the challenges been being the admin of WWLM?

When I set off to start this group I had to reiterate that we are here to support one another and treat each other with kindness. This can be a challenge because as you know the world is not always rainbows and sunshine. I feel there has been jealousy because of how successful our group has been from people in other groups.

Once in a while, we have dealt with some backlash and negativity but when they go low we go high just like Michelle Obama says.

I want to point out that I like to call it our group because all the members make it what it is. It is a wonderful place to connect, share, and learn from one another. We have women all over the world connecting, different religions, nationalities, and cultures.

It is not easy sometimes. Things can get lost in translation. What some find acceptable others may not. We try to encourage tolerance toward one another. We encourage giving the benefit of the doubt. For the most part, we power through our struggles. We use our diversity to overcome difficult situations.


What are some of the ways members of WWLM have supported each other?

Where do I begin? Recently due to the pandemic, many have been stranded in Morocco, many of our members are residents of Morocco so have navigated living in Morocco together whether as native Moroccans or ex-pats.

Many of the girls are in the visa process to be with their loved one, lots of long-distance relationships and that can be hard being apart from your significant other, and we are here to listen, support, and give advice when asked for.

We help each other through sickness, and deaths in the family as well as births and new beginnings like buying or renting a home.

Having a very good man in one’s life is great; but having a good healthy group of lovely ladies to share the joy, pain, love and all the other emotions is even more wonderful. Here’s to our first year as a group and to getting to know more wonderful ladies on this journey of Loving Moroccans. 

Lina

There have been lots of engagements and weddings. Then, we have helped each other to be able to navigate relationships and marriage which can be even more challenging for us since many of us do come from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

On the opposite side of the coin, some of us have endured break-ups and divorces, and we have been supportive in ways our families and other friends sometimes are just not able to.

We also share recipes, make-up, and fashion. We even have a mentorship program that we recently started to connect people with similar interests.

If you need the support but want to remain anonymous for whatever reason we have a way to receive your post anonymously where it can be shared with the group to receive feedback.

One of the ways we have helped our members the most is through our resources section. We created many files for the reoccurring questions that pop up, particularly around questions regarding fiance and spousal visas, living in Morocco, etcetera.

I guess what makes this group fun is that no matter how different we are from each other, we can always find something to agree upon. I feel like this group is a one big sorrority.

Sarah

To read about Sarah’s journey to find love, click here.

Most importantly, many women have met up and started wonderful friendships. We have had many informal, as well as planned meetups in various cities. This summer we will have our first WWLM getaway in Miami, inshallah (a Moroccan saying that means God willing).


What are some of the success stories you have heard as a result of women joining WWLM?

There have been so many successes and hard to pinpoint one!

I love to learn and in this group, you can learn so much about Morocco. We all have a passion for it so it is always a captive audience. Getting through a difficult time or something as simple as finding the best dress for an occasion are just a few things we help each other with.

Our administrators have been steadfast since the beginning. Each one of our administrators adds their own unique magical touches to this assembly of women from all walks of life. They deserve accolades as well. We are a dynamic team.

We have many members that have been there since day one so you could say we have staying power which is not common in this world of swipe left and scroll past. Currently, we have over 1.1K members, 27.9K comments, posts, and reactions. In the last 28 days alone we have had over 550 posts and close to 1000 active members.


What are your hopes/ goals for WWLM in the future?

I think that the opportunities are endless.

We currently are having a Women Who Love Moroccans fundraiser for a sanctuary in Morocco that helps animals. Together as a group, we are raising money to show our support of all the ways they have made Morocco better. I hope we can continue to keep having fun, build our current relationships, and form new relationships; both personally and professionally. We also recently had some collaborations with another group. I think it is good we can support each other to build our communities.

If you want to join the group, please send a request here.

Are you in a long-distance relationship? What type of support do you have? Comment below, please!


For the best accommodations, and more tips & tricks when traveling to Morocco, check out these popular articles below:

For more travel tips and tricks, and to learn about the world’s most romantic destinations, check out Love Lust or Bust!

This article was written by April Hope.

To learn more about her and her travels throughout Morocco and around the world, click here.



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