Since the independence of Morocco in 1956, the military (in its broad sense, i.e. including the Mokhazni “Auxiliary Forces” and gendarmerie) have significantly contributed to the education and empowerment of generations of Moroccan women with a rural background. Often Berber, illiterate, and of rural origin, these men were/are somehow less conservative in matters of educating their daughters than many educated “urbans.” This role of the military has neither been recognized in the Moroccan feminist literature nor in the broader (social) history of modern Morocco. In an attempt to fill this gap, this paper addresses the following issues: 1. How can the military’s contribution to women’s emancipation be positioned within the larger socio-historical context of Morocco and to what extent does the movement from rural to urban areas lead to “openness” in matters of gender? 2. Why is this contribution ignored and/or marginalized and how does it help us understand some dark zones in the modern history of Morocco? 3. What does the category “feminist military fathers” mean in today’s Moroccan feminist and gender discourses? 4. How does this topic resonate with today’s young men’s growing sensitivity to gender equality? This paper is based on 15 interviews with successful Moroccan women with military fathers, as well as on my own observations, readings, and experience as an educated feminist with a military father and a rural background.