A king used to having everyone at his service, with dire consequences for women

Juliane couldn't understand why young Maghrebi males ditch school and throw rubbish around where they loiter in the square below her apartment. At my request, she invited her Moroccan female lawyer neighbour. Yasmina explained: “School and cleaning are hard work. The young Maghrebi man plays truant because he is raised like an only boy, spoiled, a king used to everybody being at his service. Starting with his father, and even his mother, who prefer him to his sisters. The father empowered him to watch over his sisters and mom. His sisters feel obligated to serve him and clean up after him, repeating their mother's attitude towards their father. It is an extremely self-indulgent life for the Muslim man in general."

On another meeting a year later, and when I told Yasmina that life under continuous pressure and abuse must affect wives physically and mentally as the years run on, she commented:

"They are literally worn down. Wives often develop various medical conditions. Depressions. Unusual stupors and long staring spells. Continuous headaches. Convulsions. Epilepsy. Nothing is volitional or enjoyable in their lives. They are under control—mentally and physically 24/7—resulting in unbelievable levels of stress and causing enormous behavioural dysfunctions, including violence against themselves and others. I have seen women banging their heads against the wall. Pulling their hair out. Some fall into trances. This leads to premature aging and to the gaining of excessive weight, which they hide under their loose abayas, a coping mechanism which is considered a stigma here in France."