Katy Rosenbaum: Moroccan love story | Raleigh News & Observer

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to serve in the U.S. Peace Corps in Morocco (an Islamic constitutional monarchy; 99 percent Muslim) from 2007 to 2009.

I was the first foreigner to live in my small, conservative, rural village, the only woman who didn’t wear a headscarf and the only non-Muslim. The community welcomed me with open arms and accepted me as one of their own.

I moved to the capital of Morocco after my service was over and fell in love with a man. He came to the United States in 2011, and we married that year. Since then, we have lived in the Triangle together, me as a Christian, native North Carolinian, him as a Muslim, Arab Moroccan.

I have learned more from my husband than I thought possible. He treats me with respect, we talk about religion and politics often and learn from each other, and we laugh often. He has taught me to care more for others than before, to be a more patient person, and how to manage heated moments with respect and love.

The Islam I have experienced is that of communities in Morocco who showered me with hospitality and the best life partner I could imagine.