Posted on 06/30/2009 8:40:12 AM PDT by La Lydia
RABAT -- If you want an antidote to the photographs of police officers beating demonstrators and girls dying on the streets of the Iranian capital, take a drive through the streets of the Moroccan capital. You might see demonstrators, but not under attack: On the day I visited, a group of people politely waving signs stood outside the parliament. You might see girls, but they will not be sniper targets...
Welcome to the kingdom of Morocco, a place which, in the light of the past two week's events in Iran, merits a few minutes of reflection. Unlike Turkey, Morocco is not a secular state...But unlike most of its Arab neighbors, the country has over the past decade undergone a slow but profound transformation from traditional monarchy to constitutional monarchy, acquiring along the way real political parties, a relatively free press,,,and laws that strive to be compatible both with sharia and international conventions on human rights.
The result is not what anyone would call a liberal democratic paradise... Yet in at least one sense, Morocco truly stands out: Alone in the region, the Moroccan government has admitted to carrying out political crimes, and it has set up a "Truth Commission" along South African and South American lines. Beginning in 2004, the commission investigated crimes, held televised hearings and paid compensation to some 23,000 victims and their families...The Truth Commission is the creation of...King Mohammed VI. But although this acknowledgement of wrongdoing was made possible by a generational change, it did not require a regime change. There was no revolution, no violence. The king is still the king, and he still has his collection of antique cars...
Just because much of the Arab world lacks the political will to change doesn't mean that change is always and forever impossible.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I know something about Morocco because my husband and I have gotten close to a young woman who recently immigrated from there and she has told us a lot about it. Like most of her fellow Morrocans, she is Muslim, but she’s moderate. We got tickled a few years ago. We took her to an event where you could pet pigs. We thought she’d be disgusted, but she was determined to pet a pig because she’s never seen one. Their king hunts them and has said that people can touch them, just not eat them. He has relaxed a lot of restrictions on women. Our friend speaks very highly of her king. Through some internet research, we also learned that there is an opposition group to the monarchy. It is not a violent group, but they do want to see the monarchy dismantled.
All the Moroccans I’ve met have been as proud and fond of their King as the Thais. I have visited there twice, and pretty much liked it. The people were nice, I didn’t feel threatened, and the food was excellent.
Years ago when flying out of Morocco on British Airways I was asked by the BA employee for a “tip” after I purchased my ticket.
I gave him $50.00 and got through customs without a question.
The couple behind me did not tip and spend about 30 minutes going through their exit customs inspection.
There were lots of items you cannot take out of the country, money for one and he had a few extra bills from change and they took it.
I’ve been there, too, but it was a long time ago. We didn’t know where to eat and were a bit afraid of the food after seeing it for sale in the medina. Our friend makes us wonderful food, however. I’d love to go back.
I didn’t have any trouble with their customs. The things I bought I had shipped home, and no one asked me for money. I was flying Iberia.
My flight was in 1985. Spend the weekend in the Cas-bar then drove to Casablanca and back to fly out. Flew over from the Rock of Gibraltar and back.
Fun week. Weird, I got there on a holiday weekend they were celebrating - they cut sheep’s heads off put them on drums and set them on fire, they were all over the place and blood was running through the streets.
One boy hooked up with us at the hotel and gave us a tour that ended at his parents carpet shop and they really tried to grid the sale but we left and had to find out way out of the place.
I had an enjoyable trip to Morocco just over 2 years ago and saw some of what is discussed in the article first hand. I would highly recommend the country for all visitors (our trip was a bit of a whirlwind, starting in Casablanca and going clockwise to Tangier, Chaouen, Tetouan, Fez and Marracesh).
The monetary exchange rate is great, parts of Northern Morocco feel very much European, and let’s not forget Morocco was one of the first countries to recognize the Independence of the United States.
The woman, who wants to remain anonymous and whom we’ll call Lina, has converted to Christianity.
But like hundreds of her sisters and brothers in faith, she has to practise her religion secretly in Muslim Morocco.
At the moment, Moroccan Christians are preparing to celebrate Christmas clandestinely at home, possibly in the presence of a pastor who also has to hide his faith.
“We have to live as if we were criminals,” says a young Christian woman from Casablanca. People who reveal their conversion risk being banished by their families and marginalized by their communities.
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Moroccan_Christians_celebrate_Chris_12132006.html
The Moroccan authorities are aware of the Christians' activities, and appear to have become more tolerant of them.
"Earlier, police used to call us for questioning and watch us closely, almost harassing us," Lina explains. "Now it feels as if they wanted to protect us from aggressions by (Muslim) fanatics."
Lina does not, however, know of any Christian who have been attacked or threatened.
Interesting. Maybe some place to run to when things get intolerable here. I would open a nightclub and call it “Ricks”. Though, by now I suppose that’s been done.
“so, Rick, what brings you to Casablanca?”
“I came here for the waters.”
“But Casablanca is in the desert!”
“I was misinformed.”
Hah! They're rounding up *twice* the usual number of suspects! :-)
Misinformed twice, because it is on the sea coast.
They obviously would not be keeping their activities on the down low if there was no problem. “Moderate” Islam is not coming to the rescue, and what happens in Islamic countries really does not matter if Islam is not being addressed in the West. In the end it will be us or them.
April 1, 2009
Morocco: Officials Deport Five Foreign Christians
The following news is from our friends at Compass Direct.
Female visitors said to be merely attending Bible study with fellow believers.
ISTANBUL, March 31 (Compass Direct News) – The Moroccan government announced on Sunday (March 29) it had expelled five female Christians for attempting to “proselytize” in the Islamic country, although sources said they were foreign visitors merely attending a Bible study with fellow Christians.
http://www.persecutionblog.com/2009/04/morocco-officials-deport-five-foreign-christians.html
Overview:
Christians, making up approximately one percent of the population of Morocco, are severely outnumbered. Muslims make up nearly ninety-nine percent of the population.
The Government places certain restrictions on Christian religious materials and proselytizing.
Any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert is illegal.
Three to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of $10 to $50 (115 to 575 dirhams) is the punishment of anyone who employs incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another religion.
Many individuals having converted to Christianity from Islam have been harassed, interrogated, imprisoned, and have had their passports taken away.
Foreign Christian missionaries if caught proselytizing face consequences such as expulsion from the country. In May 2004, authorities detained for several hours and expelled seven foreign missionaries for distributing Christian materials in Marrakech’s main square.
http://www.christianfreedom.org/faq/74-where-are-christians-persecuted/333-morocco.html
Christian persecution in Morocco is increasing fastly.
At the end of the last month, a Moroccan court in Agadir jailed a German tourist named Sadek Noshi Yassa of 64 years of old for six months for attempting to convert Muslims on Wednesday, the 29th of November. He is a German of Egyptian origin. He was arrested for distributing books and CDs about the Christian faith to young Muslim Moroccans in the street. The court also fined him 500 dirhams ($60) in its verdict issue.
http://journalchretien.net/spip.php?article5369
Two of my Arabic teachers have been from Morocco. One was the nicest person I’ve ever met, the other was the nastiest person I’ve ever met. The former spent 8 years in the Army as an Arabic linguist. As for the latter, everyone took reeaally long bathroom breaks in her class to get away from her because she was a nasty little kalbah (excuse my Arabic) who couldn’t teach.
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