THE MELHFA AS A CULTURAL SYMBOL AND RESISTANCE

The representative of the UNMS in the Basque country, Fatma Issa, participated last year in a meeting organized by the Ministry of equality in the Basque Government with the participation of different Muslim and feminist women's associations.
The meeting try to the subject of the use of the veil and its cultural connotations of religious, social and political.
It should be noted that the Sahrawi women do not use a veil but a melhfa, a piece of fabric 5 metres which envelops the entire body and is of different colors.
Many people can see it as a religious symbol, specifically Muslim. But El-melhfa, above all, cultural and unique for the Sahrawi people, which is used by all ethnic and religious groups within the Sahrawi population.


This special and unique display of culture has done of Sahrawi women so much a source of beauty and admiration, as well as symbol of resistance, but also with an aim of oppression. Today, many Saharans living under the repressive regime of Morocco in the occupied territories of our country suffer repression and discrimination by maintaining their traditional dress. And since women are more visible with its colorful, peaceful especially during demonstrations are arrested. Systematic to be proud of their identity advocates discrimination they experience daily. Not only Saharawi women living in the occupied territories are those using the melhfa as a method of resistance. Sahrawi living abroad also are proud to share that symbol. A good example of such use overseas is one of our famous women activists of human rights, Aminatou Haidar, which sometimes is called by means of communication 'Sahrawi Gandhi'. She always wears his melhfa efforts to convey the struggle of its people in the world even if this results in a risk against the occupying forces.