In Tunisia, a Sufi shrine with an exuberant feminist vibe

Faster and faster, the drums beat, the cymbals clang, the women chant.

Feverishly, the visitors to this Islamic shrine wave their arms, gyrate their hips, whip their heads, and tap their feet – letting loose, letting free, as if no one in the world is watching.

This is no dance festival. At Sayyida Manoubia, a Tunisian shrine commemorating a 13th-century scholar and saint of that name who was praised for her charity, visitors are encouraged to unpack their stresses, leave behind their worries, and wish their deepest wishes.

“Here we can share our secrets and be ourselves,” says longtime regular visitor Salwa Sayeda.

While other Sufi shrines across North Africa are frequented by