The Importance of Online Media is Denied in Morocco

In this piece, Hind defends the interests of bloggers in Morocco, arguing their importance as part of the media landscape and advocating for their freedom to blog as they wish.

By Hind Soubaï Idrissi

Writer, blogger and journalist • 5 comments

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Translated by Hisham from الإعلام الالكتروني ورفض الواقع في المغرب

Experts seem to agree that online media, including blogging (or citizen media), has become an important component in the body of the global media. This almost makes the traditional printed press look like a thing of the past. This has been made evident by the major losses suffered by international newspapers and their subsequent transformation, relying more and more on the Internet. One example among many others is that of the century old The Christian Science Monitor, which took the bold step back in 2008 to focus its attention primarily on its online edition. An then of course there are media organizations present exclusively online like major technology magazines PC World and Info World whose editor Patrick McGovern once declared: “paper editions have become yesterday’s news. Now people want to learn about the news as soon as they happen.”

My everyday experience [as a journalist], in accordance with the findings of the most recent studies, points to the increasing importance of online media: journalism, blogging, podcasts, social networking. It is a new media populated by a new breed of reporters, or so called citizen journalists or bloggers who deliver the kind of news the traditional channels of information tend to ignore. In several occasions those bloggers played a crucial role in the coverage of major world events during which videos were taken by personal cell phone cameras and then viewed by thousands of spectators on television channels and distributed by news agencies across the world. Even at the political level, now demonstrations and protests are initiated mainly on social forums instead of the streets. Even election campaigns are now waged largely online, as we have seen with President Barack Obama adopting Internet and blogging as a major part of his presidential campaign. That’s why developed countries today pay a lot of attention to the Internet and allocate resources to educate bloggers, online journalists and online media professionals. There is also an increasing number of global blogging contests and more professionals who follow this field very closely and promote the Internet for the freedom it offers bloggers especially in developing countries.

But unfortunately we find that all this is absent in Morocco. The majority of the official parties involved deny that those realities are even taking place, and some still consider that blogging and online reporting are the work of reckless teenagers. There are also those who are convinced that printed media will survive as long as life continues on Earth and that blogging and online journalism are passing phenomena that will burst like a bubble. This is depressing especially when you hear those comments from people supposed to promote Internet in this country. This shows primarily a lack of culture and knowledge from officials who are having trouble keeping up with all that is happening in the world of technology. This ignorance should ring an alarm bell about the future of online media in this country and should accelerate the fight against electronic illiteracy. Otherwise this will constitute a major problem in the near future. Training programs should be proposed as a matter of urgency. Officials on the highest level of government do not have e-mail accounts and some do not know how to use a computer or when they know they are mostly incapable of dealing with the online world. By contrast, we find in other countries that the political elite has blogs and uses Twitter and social networking websites like Facebook to get its messages across and try to influence the public opinion. But here, we only see officials during election time to give redundant speeches.

Bloggers were jailed recently in Morocco. Those issuing the arrest warrants most probably do not know the importance of the Internet or the blogosphere and can not distinguish a journalist who has a regional or even a national audience from a blogger who writes for the rest of the world and who might have thousands, perhaps millions of followers and readers. Conversely, there are some bloggers who do not realize the importance or potential impact of the words they use or the topics they chose to deal with. I think they also need training and education to be able to make the difference between slander or libel and constructive criticism. The huge gap existing today between bloggers and citizen journalists in general on the one hand, and the officials on the other, generates fear and mistrust, but both have to work together to keep up with the pace of progress. This is especially true in the case of Morocco who wants to use its position as a privileged partner of the European Union. It’s a disgrace to see bloggers dragged to tribunals in Morocco only because they have expressed their opinions. Officials must understand that the time of censorship and harassment should be gone for good. We live in an era awash with new technology and we represent a new generation with different ideas and lifestyles.

It is in the country’s interest that officials (especially at the Ministry of Communication) draw more attention to the importance of the community of bloggers and work to ensure that everybody can express their views freely. Citizen journalists ought to be considered a fundamental part of the media of today. They are becoming the voices of the country abroad, acting more and more like ambassadors, whether we like it or not.

Ups and Downs of the Moroccan Family Code

In this interesting essay, Hind reviews the achievements and analyses the failures of the Moroccan family code, six years after its implementation.

By Hind Soubaï Idrissi

Writer, blogger and journalist • 19 comments

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Translated by Hisham from غياب وثغرات قانونية بمدونة الأسرة المغربية

The most important changes brought by the Moroccan new Family Code or Moudawana, are the protection of women’s rights, its support for gender equality and children’s rights. However, although it has been implemented for several years now, the Family Code in Morocco is still being violated and contravened. The existence of legal loopholes still allows some practices to persist, such as the marriages under the legal age of 18. This particular practice has several social and cultural roots, the most important of which is the Al-Fatiha Marriage (or the traditional religious marriage, attended only by the male members of both families and witnesses, without the provision of a formal contract, and where the recitation of the first chapter of the Quran, the Al-Fatiha, suffices for the union to be considered legitimate) which is spread in the rural areas of Morocco.

The need for an alimony fund for the protection of the family:

The new Code allows, among other things, for an acceleration of the maintenance procedure or alimony in case of divorce. This is a positive and important point, for it guaranties the divorced wife and her children the right for a decent living. But for some reason, and 6 years after the implementation of the Moudawana, the law has not yet been backed by an alimony fund that is much needed. -a body that would have helped solve many of the social problems that aroused from the real-life implementation of the new law. Morocco can learn a lot from the experiences of other Arab countries such as Egypt,Tunisia and Palestine who have already put in place a fund-based alimony system.

There’s a flip side to this reform however. The divorce rates have been soaring recently, especially among the most empoverished and vulnerable communities in the society, most probably for economic reasons. Also, in case of divorce, the law states clearly that it is the husband’s responsability to provide for the maintenance of his former wife and children, and to do so whithin 30 days or face imprisonement. After two years of divorce, and even if the husband has been spending for the household whatever money he could afford, the former wife, especially when there is a child, would still be able to sue her former husband and force him into paying nearly 30 thousand dirhams, (3000 Euros, 4000 USD). There are plenty of intricate cases like these before the courts today. Although these amounts might sound fair and reasonable, they are unaffordable in most cases given the current unstable work environment and the high rates of unemployement in this country. Even the average civil servant wouldn’t dream of affording to pay such amounts. Even the ordinary, stable and happy family wouldn’t spend that amount of money in such a short time, as is the case of most of the Moroccan population. According to Anaruz [Ar, Fr], a Moroccan national center for listening and orientation for women victims of violence, the percentage of men who fail to willingly pay their maintenance duty is as high as 57.9%.

One story has attracted my attention recently. It was aired on national radio. It’s a story of a young man suffering from diabetes, with an amputated leg, so poor that he can’t afford the price of food, let alone to pay for his Insulin, who lived on charity and yet who has been sentenced by a court to pay thousands of Dirhams to his former wife or face imprisonment. Cases like these are becoming very common unfortunately.

The Moudawana has thus created new social problems and has led to the dispersion of the Moroccan family. For this reason it has become necessary to establish an alimony fund to put an end to the problems faced by so many families, especially the most impoverished, and to ensure the rights of divorced women and their children. The Moroccan society and family are not benefiting from the perpetuation of the current system whereby men who can’t pay the maintenance duties arel led to jail. It’s a system that generates hatred, violence and domestic crimes, not to mention delinquency and its devastating effects on children’s mental health.

The absence of a law to protect women from violence:

The phenomenon of violence against women has unfortunately increased in the Moroccan society in recent years. Frightening figures show that dozens of women commit suicide every year. Out of wedlock pregnancy forces women to undergo clandestine abortions from fear of retribution, while others live with permanent disabilities due to domestic violence. The Family Code did not touch on these problems and there are plenty of legal voids in this field. Domestic violence against women doesn’t come necessarily from the husband. It can be perpetrated by the father, the brother, the relative, the employer. Also, violence is not only physical or verbal or psychological or economic, it can be sexual. Because of the ravaging effects sexual violence has on women’s psychology, it is considered rape when carried out by the husband, as recognized by the laws in many developed democracies around the world. Any sexual relationship not based on mutual consent, that is against the wishes of the wife or forced under any form of threat is rape indeed. Something Moroccan women know little about. New laws must be introduced to halt such widespread practices. Most women don’t denounce their violent husbands however or report on sexual violence either for social reasons or because they consider those practices to be their partner’s right. There are, therefore, very few reliable statistics on that matter.

According to a report [Fr] by the National Network for Listening and Legal Assistance to WomenVictims of Violence (Anaruz), published on March this year, economic and physical violence are the most prevalent (37.6% and 32.7% respectively). Sexual violence comes in third place with 10.7%, followed by judicial (sic) and psychological violence with 10.1% and 8.8% respectively. This violence occurs mainly in a marital context (87%) and at home (83.9%). The remaining forms of violence against women cataloged by the report are social (5.5%), familial (4.1%) and violence outside of wedlock (3, 4%). Violence is often chronic (84.1%) and repeated (85.9%).

The new family code was meant to ensure the stability of the Moroccan family, while guarantying equality before the law so that both genders can enjoy full citizenship. But legal loopholes, aspects of the cultural heritage and the complexity of the legal procedures have pulled back the aspirations of Moroccan society for an advanced and democratic social system. That’s why the civil society and the government, should work together and figure out new laws to help accompany the changes occurring in the society and, more importantly, to raise awareness and educate citizens. This education should start at school. It can also be implemented through the creation of training courses for workers, employees, farmers and others, and though the use of different media outlets, so that every citizen knows her/his rights and duties. Laws alone won’t change the society. We need to spread knowledge and awareness and reach those living in the countryside and the rural areas and who are unaware of the existence of a new family code, which is afflicting. Also it is important to simplify laws and make them accessible to all people. This is the role of the legislators who must examine the social impacts of laws before they enact them. And, for the sake of democracy, why not take advantage of the Web to conduct informal polls and get feedback from the people who after all should have a say on laws that concern them.

Wikileaks or the New Frontline

Translated by Hisham from ويكيليكس..حروب جديدة من نوع أخر

By Hind Soubaï Idrissi

Writer, blogger and journalist 

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

Information and communications technology and the publishing tools associated with it, are changing the face of the world. Arab regimes go on censoring and arresting people who were expressing an opinion or disseminating an information on the Internet. They still don’t get it. They think they live in some medieval ivory tower. But, as it turned out, this is not business as usual anymore.

The sheer ignorance among officials, in this part of the world, about the new media, beggars belief. That shadowy, overlaping zone where real and virtual meet is little known about. What they ignore is that we, the people, no more live in their “real” world anymore. We live in that grey area where virtual and real intertwine. No one epitomizes that better than Julian Assange and Wikileaks. The logo itself, ironically, is an esoteric document that needs to be decoded. It says it all: an hourglass and a transition from a dark and secretive world into a brighter one.

For me, the leaked documents have transformed the notions of sovereignty and borders. They have proved one new and undeniable reality: information is queen. How to master this information and turn it into one’s favor remains to be seen. I think we live in an exciting new era. One that calls for a re-arrangement of the old ideas and concepts taken for granted. Especially in those countries where information technology is still associated only with entairtainement and trivialities.

I was struck by a question in an article raised by a fellow blogger where he wondered: what if we had our own Moroccoleaks website where we would publish all the secrets and scandals? Of course such a project is a fantasy given the current state of affairs. Maybe in a hundred years from now. But for the time being, it seems impossible. There are at least two reasons for that. First, where on earth could one find confidential documents to prove corruption or any similar mischief when we know what we know about the way our administration is run? Most public ans semi-public administrations still work with pen and paper. The bulk of transactions and correspondence between banks and administrations are sent via traditional mail and public transport. One would have to go up and down the country to collect the documents before publishing them. That’s just an impossible task, provided of course you access them in the first place.

Second, let’s suppose you are indeed in possession of such compromising documents and want to publish them. How do you think you go about doing that and who the hell will support you? Is there any Law in Morocco to protect investigative journalists for example? The answer is no. The nature of the Moroccan society itself will not help you keep any secret no matter how hard you try to preserve it. At some point someone will report you to the authorities. Will they try to wait until they can fabricate a case against you as they did with Julian Assange? I’m not sure, because there is no need for such precautions here.

Another important issue raised lately was the fact most Arab bloggers didn’t seem to pay that much attention to the whole Wikileaks matter. The main reason in my view is that people already suspected these matters to be true and therefore were not surprised nor shocked. These are things we know but we don’t speak publicly about given the lack of freedom of expression.

Fear from government retribution has led both the press and citizen journalists to adopt a rather stupid modus operandi: each country published cables about rival countries, for obvious political reasons. Some countries have gone as far as inventing fake cables and attributed them to Wikileaks. To sweep one’s own scandals under the carpet and engage in actively damaging other’s reputation, is the height of hypocrisy! I disaprove of this method but the more I think about it the more I realize this is maybe the safest way of getting everything published and the conversation going.

Arab bloggers didn’t show enthusiasm about the cablegate because they are in a state of frustration. They already know that even if they do speak and address the issues raised by the leaked documents, nothing realy will happen. For my part, the leaks won’t have immediate effect on politicians and decision makers. Maybe the consequences will appear in the future. Many documents are still to be released. We’re told there are some very sensitive diplomatic cables in the pipeline. Let’s wait and see.

Media should get Islam right

by Hind Al-Subai Al-Idrisi 27 April 2010 Rabat - Given the amount of violence and instability in countries with Muslim majorities, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, some people mistakenly assume the violence stems from Islamic teachings, when in fact Islam does not condone such actions. The media does not help the matter, often focusing on the activities of terrorists who claim to be Muslims, instead of identifying these individuals as criminals and shedding light on the true essence of Islam. The media shows Muslim terrorists with guns performing prayers but rarely associates terms like terrorist, fanatic and fundamentalist with any other religious group. For instance, the phrase “Hindu fanatics” or “Jewish terrorists” are seldom used even though in each faith there are people that do not represent the larger group. The vast majority of Muslims are peace loving and coexist harmoniously with those around them; they would say that the core of Islam is tolerance, co-existence and respect for all religions. In fact, Prophet Muhammad was known for his superior manners, merciful demeanor and tolerance toward all people, regardless of their race or religion. Islam is a universal religion, for all times and places. It encourages tolerance and respect for differences. As our world becomes a global village, with technology bringing cultures together and increasing interaction among civilisations, we must embrace religious tolerance as one of the basic principles behind flourishing democratic societies. There are many verses in the Qur’an that support this message of peaceful coexistence and harmony. Among the basic features of Islam is freedom of religion and non-compulsion: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (2:256) and “If it had been the Lord’s will, they would all have believed – all who are on earth. Wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will to believe?” (10:99). When the Prophet Muhammad established the first Muslim community in Mecca, he guaranteed freedom of religion, the sanctity of the human soul, and the right to security for non-Muslims, including Christians and Jews – the “People of the Book”, as they’re referred to in the Qur’an. They were privy to the same rights and subject to the same duties as Muslims, and were granted protection from outside threats. In addition to recognising the right of freedom of religion for non-Muslims, Islam calls for respecting Jews and Christians and their faiths, noting that faith is a personal matter between the individual and his or her Lord. Most Muslims respect the idea of religious freedom established in the Qur’an. I see this idea lived out in my own country, Morocco, a Muslim-majority country where Jews have lived for centuries and practiced their faith freely. The Moroccan Jewish community has its own judges for family law, covering things such as inheritance, marriage and divorce, and demonstrating one way that religious tolerance can be lived out. The Prophet was keen on establishing relations based on respect, equality and justice with non-Muslims, and recommended that they be treated well. He said: “He who hurts [non-Muslims] is my enemy until Judgment Day” and “He who killed a person under a treaty shall never go to heaven.” This respect is also reinforced in the hadith (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) by the Prophet’s companion Jaber Ibn Abdellah: “A funeral passed by, and the Prophet stood up in respect. We said to him, ‘It is a Jewish man’s funeral.’ He said: ‘If you see a funeral, you shall stand up. Is it not a soul?’” The teachings of Islam encourage acquaintance and communication among all people, as well as the blending among societies: “O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another” (49:13). It is important today for everyone – and especially the media – to move away from discussing Islam only in association with terrorism, and toward spreading an understanding of Islam in all its diversity. ### * Hind Al-Subai Al-Idrisi is a Moroccan blogger (hindapress.canalblog.com) who participated in a Rabat-based workshop for bloggers organised by the international conflict transformation organisation Search for Common Ground. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 27 April 2010, www.commongroundnews.org Copyright permission is granted for publication.

A festival of coexistence and peace in Fez

by Hind Al Subai Al Idrissi 29 June 2010 Rabat - Fez, the intellectual capital of Morocco, hosted a significant spiritual music festival from 4 to 12 June, based on a message of coexistence, peace and purity of soul. According to its website, the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music “represents the spiritual heart of Islam – peaceful, pluralistic, generous and cheerful. It honours all the world’s spiritual traditions and it dissolves musical boundaries.” The festival provides people with a place to meet and discuss music, poetry and Sufism at well-known historic locations throughout the city — as well as listen to amazing music. Some of today’s most popular spiritual and religious music groups from around the world came together in Fez for the festival’s 16th annual celebration. Performances by musicians of different religions and nationalities accentuated the potential for openness and dialogue between people. The Fez Festival was begun by the Moroccan anthropologist Faouzi Skali in the aftermath of the first Gulf War to help people from different spiritual traditions learn from each other without prejudice. Today, it is considered one of the most significant festivals aimed at instilling peace, security and dialogue between civilisations, according to the United Nations. It is organised primarily by the Message of Fez, an organisation which provides the festival with financial and material support. This year’s theme was “Perfection in Purging the Soul”, coined by Ibn Arabi, a 13th century Arab philosopher. According to organisers, Ibn Arabi’s work represents the will to rid oneself from rigid, exclusive dogmatic beliefs and instead instil the principles of tolerance and mutual respect among civilisations, which the festival aims to do through music. This spirit of coexistence is evident, with the musical traditions of different religious communities and nationalities highlighted throughout. This year, the festival celebrated Jerusalem as the city of three faiths. The audience listened to a live music performance, "Jerusalem, the City of Two Peaces: Heavenly Peace and Peace on Earth", which presented the history of this diverse city through music played by Spanish, Iraqi, Armenian, Moroccan and Greek musicians, highlighting different musical genres to showcase different eras of the city’s history. The audience enjoyed a mixture of musical rhythms and compositions inspired by religion, the poetry of wisdom, African religious songs and religious folk music from Anatolia, Cambodia, Asia and America, as well as spiritual performances by major musicians, such as Jordi Savall, a Spanish Catalan viol player, composer and conductor, who presented the audience with a musical composition particular to the former Jewish community in Baghdad. Festival-goers were also treated to Persian classical music by icon Shahram Nazeri, a contemporary Iranian Kurdish tenor. In addition, the festival featured Sufi music from Zanzibar and Christian gospel music by US African Americans, as well as a classical acrobatic troupe of boys, the “Young Gotipuas Dancers”, from the Hindu temples of Orissa in eastern India. Several Moroccan Sufi musical groups also performed at the festival, including Gnawa Click, a very popular Gnawa band from Essaouira in southern Morocco. Gnawa is a musical genre from North Africa, particularly Morocco, and is a unique mix of sub-Saharan African, Berber and Arabic religious songs and rhythms, played with various drums and flutes. There were also other Sufi musical groups that performed, inspired by Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, a Sufi imam in 12th century Baghdad who taught his followers to lead spiritual lives and promote goodness in their communities. The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music has become part of the core identity for Fez, always considered by intellectuals, poets, writers and musicians as a major cultural capital of the world. And the festival has helped shape Morocco’s image as a country that not only supports but actively encourages friendship and coexistence between people of all backgrounds and spiritual beliefs. ### * Hind Al-Subai Al-Idrisi is a Moroccan blogger (http://hindapress.wordpress.com) and journalist who participated in a Rabat-based workshop for bloggers organised by the international conflict transformation organisation Search for Common Ground. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 29 June 2010, www.commongroundnews.org Copyright permission is granted for publication.

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Does Freedom of Religion Exist in Morocco?

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to practice his or her religion freely and in public.


According to the Constitution, Morocco is a Muslim state. Islam is an important component of the Moroccan identity indeed. Thanks to the teachings of Islam, the various cultural and religious elements of the Moroccan society managed to successfully and harmoniously coexist. History shows that Morocco is a model in the way it has brought civilizations and various faiths together on its soil and for hundreds of years.

The fact Moroccan Jews still live side by side today with Moroccan Muslims, share the same culture and customs since millennia is best proof for that. The Moroccan judiciary for example, permits the Jewish community to have special offices within Moroccan courts where Jewish judges deal with issues such as marriage, divorce, inheritance. Moroccan Jews, and according to their own admission, are probably amongst the few ones in the world still allowed to rule by their holy book, the Torah, in matters such as those mentioned above.

This, of course, couldn’t have been possible without the Islamic Shariah, which urges for the respect of the beliefs of the People of the Book. Furthermore, the Islamic religion teaches us to respect the freedoms of others and not to coerce people into one’s own belief:

“There shall be no coercion in matters of faith.” Surah Al-Baqara – verse 256.

“Had thy Sustainer so willed, all those who live on earth would surely have attained to faith, all of them: dost thou, then, think that thou couldst compel people to believe.” Surah Yunus – Verse 99.

Instances of tolerance, coexistence and respect for others’ beliefs are countless and varied in Islam and there is an estimated one hundred verses dealing with this very matter, present in more than thirty-six chapters, not to mention the Prophet’s (peace be upon Him) biography and tradition.

As for the expulsion from Morocco of Christian evangelists it was a matter of Law and ethics since those who were targeted by the missionaries were helpless children and orphans who, by virtue of being born in Morocco and under its Constitution, were to be considered Muslims. They were still at an age that does not yet allow them to choose.

The incident was not the first on record in Morocco: In the 17th century, and according to historical documents, [King Mohammed bin Abdullah Alaoui, founder of the city of Essaouira, sent an urgent missive to the city's governor]: “the Jewish dhimmi community of the city of Essaouira enjoyed privileges provided to it by Islamic Law, which also protected it from attempts of conversion by Christian missionaries. The issue was brought to Our attention by prominent Jewish traders who operate in the port of Essaouira. They say the missionaries who newly arrived into the city conspired to infiltrate their community and corrupt their poor children who were urged to abandon their religion, and were offered money. They pursued their proselytizing entreprise untill they brought about two hundred of them, boys and girls, and started teaching them their readings and offered to protect them and asked them to leave their homes. I want you to speak with their Bashador and do whatever you need to do to keep them away from Our blessed lands.” (1)

Everyone knows that there are a lot of Christian missionaries operating in Morocco. They have succeded in converting many citizens of this country. Morocco does not work to expel them all or even to block their websites because those who are over the age of majority are free to embrace the religion they want. Some of those who converted say they are reluctant to disclose their Christianity in public. But that is only a matter of customs and traditions because Moroccans accept Christian foreigners and Jewish Moroccans, but are not yet used to Moroccan Christians. In comparison, Arab and Islamic countries in the Middle East, for example, are more keen to accept the Christian Arabs, but I do not think they will accept a Jewish Egyptian or Lebanese or Syrian or Jordanian. Again, it is a matter of cultural and political sensitivities.

The fact that some Moroccans broke the fast in public last Ramadan didn’t bring any legal action against them, contrary to what the neighboring country [Algeria] did when it imprisonned Christians on charges of breaking the fast in public before dusk during the holy month. It is a historic fact that fasting during Ramadan was never enforced on any Christian.

In 2008, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor (U.S. Department of State) reported that Morocco continues to encourage tolerance and to enhance dialogue between religious groups. The report also noted that Jewish and Christian communities were able to practice their beliefs openly, pointing out that the Moroccan authorities granted fiscal privileges, allocated plots of land and offered tax credits for imported materials necessary for the activities of large religious groups especially Jews and Christians.

Moroccan Law also protects places of worship from [external] violence and guaranties the possibility to worship openly and/or privately, as it is clearly provided by the Constitution and the Penal Code, both drafted shortly after the country’s independence in 1956. In any case, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified by Morocco, states that everyone has the right to exercise his or her religion openly.

According to a report issued in 2010 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a U.S. organization monitoring religions and minorities’ rights in the world, Morocco has 33 places of worship [for non Muslims], which is far more than any other Arab country, and which denotes the freedom to practice religious rites enjoyed by religious minorities. The report also noted that non-Muslims lived amongst Muslim populations and that they were able to practice their religion in public.

In Morocco as in other countries across the globe religion is often used to conceal the real motives behind many political conflicts. Politics are behind many of the seemingly cultural, ethnic and ideological conflicts we see around us. It’s time to work together wisely and respect each other. Any person, whether religious or non religious, before pleading for respect should ask her or himself whether he or she respects others; whether he or she respects the country where he or she lives; whether he or she respects the rights of the majority before asking for the rights of the minority. Morocco can not be Germany or Turkey or America, because each country has its own cultural and historical singularities. Everything can not change overnight, but everything changes with time and anyone who wants to drag Morocco into a conflict of religions and civilizations, I will beg him or her to read the history of Morocco and the traditions of Moroccans in order to discover that we are an open society that accepts others, but that knows how to face every problem. We have so far always emerged victorious.

1: ”Mohammed bin Abdullah and the Building of the City of Essaouira” by Dr. Abdul Karim Karim, Faculty of Literature, Rabat

by Hind Al Subai Al Idrissi
Translated by Hisham from