(July 25, 2006) WIDE ANGLE cameras are on location in Morocco as history is made. In May 2006, an imam academy in the city of Rabat holds a graduation ceremony. But the class of 2006 includes 50 women pioneers, among the first contemporary group of women to be officially trained as religious leaders in the Arab world.

An imam academy in Morocco graduates 50 women, some of the first women to be officially trained as religious leaders in the Arab world.

Following the death of the Prophet Muhammad, his third wife, Aisha bint Abu Bakar becomes one of four people to transmit the "hadiths," or the words and deeds of Muhammad considered by many Muslims to be important tools for discerning the Qur'an.

Moroccan women, in particular, have achieved some important victories, playing an increasingly active role in politics, and successfully lobbying for a new family law which now grants them equal rights in marriage, divorce and the ownership of property.

Ambassador Dennis Ross discusses the role of women in Muslim societies, Moroccan politics, and democracy and U.S. foreign policy in the Arab world.

During my honeymoon in Tangier in the summer of 2004, the Moroccan press was abuzz with news of King Mohammed VI's progressive new family law. Granting women equal rights in marriage, divorce, and the ownership of property, it was hailed as a revolutionary step toward women's empowerment in the Arab world.