religious minorities face persecution in morocco us state
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Religious Minorities Face Persecution in Morocco: US State

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Religious Minorities Face Persecution in Morocco: US State

Moroccan Christians
Rabat - Al Maghrib Today

Where does Morocco stand in terms of religious freedom? According to a report published by the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DLR), the Kingdom is not faring well.

More than 99% of Moroccans are Sunni

Sunni Muslims are the majority in Morocco. The US government estimates that 99 percent of the Moroccan population follows the Sunni doctrine, while the rest of the beliefs represent less than 1 percent. This minority includes Christians, Jews, Shia, and Baha’i Muslims, the latter being a messianic sub-current of Shi’ism.

According to the Jewish community leaders cited by the study, there are about 3,000 to 4,000 Jews in Morocco, about 2,500 of whom live in Casablanca. Moroccan Christian leaders estimate that there are between 2,000 and 6,000 Moroccan Christians spread throughout the country, although some say it could be up to 50,000.

Shia Muslim leaders estimate that there are tens of thousands of faithful in Morocco, the majority of whom are settled in northern Morocco. Shia foreign nationals come mainly from Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. Finally, the Baha’i community is thought to have between 350 and 600 members across the country.

Repressions of Religious Minorities

“Some local Christians reported authorities pressured Moroccan Christian converts to renounce their faith.” This is one of the serious accusations contained in the US State Department’s report on the situation of religious freedoms in the world in 2016.

The report speaks mainly of Moroccans who have a different religion from the state: Christians, Jews, Shiite Muslims, Baha’is, and other religious groups.

While the 2011 Constitution guarantees freedom of worship, several religious minorities remain persecuted by society but also by the penal code in Morocco, a contradiction that the US State Department refers to on numerous occasion in its latest report.  

“Fear of government harassment and reported societal, familial, and cultural pressure led some local Christians, Bahais, and Shia to refrain from public worship and instead meet discreetly in members’ homes,” stresses the report published August 15.

“According to human rights organizations and local Christian leaders, the government occasionally detained and questioned Moroccan Christians about their beliefs and contacts with other Christian,” notes the DRL, which states that some Moroccan Christians have been “forced to abandon their faith.”

During the arrest of a Moroccan Christian living in Salé, the police accused him of “apostasy” and wanted to “reconvert him to Islam,” says the report quoting the National Federation of Amazigh Associations (FNAA). The complaint lodged with the Ministry of Justice by the applicant in March 2016 was not followed by the initiation of an investigation, states the report.

Christians are not the only religious minority persecuted in Morocco, the report adds, as “several non-Muslims were arrested and imprisoned for eating or smoking in public during Ramadan.”

A Moroccan Shia leader, Abdou El Chakrani, is also cited in the report. Arrested in 2016 for “alleged financial improprieties,” El Chakrani “was targeted for his religious beliefs and his attempt to register an association affiliated with known Shia leaders,” according to Shiite officials quoted by the DRL.

A confusing legal framework

The US State Department point out several laws that undermine freedom of belief. Among them, “the fact that Sunni Islam and Judaism are the only religions recognized by the State for native Moroccans,” “the prohibition of criticizing Islam on public platforms,” “the criminalization of the rupture of the fasting during Ramadan for the people known to be Muslim,” or the specifications of the HACA which obliges Moroccan televisions and radios to dedicate 5 percent of their programming to Islamic content.

Although the Moroccan Constitution guarantees freedom of thought, expression and assembly, Morocco is a sovereign Muslim state and Islam is the official religion. Thus, according to the report, the Constitution states that “the king holds the Islamic title of commander of the faithful, is the protector of Islam and is the guarantor of freedom of worship in the country.”

The Constitution cites international conventions and insists on respect for universal principles of human rights. It stipulates, however, that this respect for international conventions must be “in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the constants and the laws of the Kingdom.”

Criminal law prohibits any attempt by non-Muslims to “shake the faith” of Sunni Muslims and punishes any Muslim who has converted to another religion with six months to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of MAD 200 to 500.

Moreover, according to the Moroccan legislation in force, freedom of conscience can only be combined in one sense: the conversion of Christians or Jews to Islam. The opposite is rejected legally and condemned socially.

Intolerant society

The outlook for societal acceptance of religious minorities is not getting any brighter, according to the State Department. The US report recalls the collective attacks in June 2016 against a man in Marrakech and another in Rabat for having smoked cigarettes during Ramadan. Moroccan Christians have also denounced pressure from their relatives and friends to convert to Islam or renounce their Christian faith.

Finally, members of unrecognized religious minorities, including Shias, confessed that they practiced their faith in secrecy for fear of social harassment, professional discrimination, or potential violence by “extremists.”

Source: BNA

 

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

religious minorities face persecution in morocco us state religious minorities face persecution in morocco us state

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

religious minorities face persecution in morocco us state religious minorities face persecution in morocco us state

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 07:43 2017 Monday ,16 October

'Final phase' of battle for Raqa

GMT 07:58 2011 Monday ,17 October

Chinese stocks close 0.37 pct higher Monday

GMT 13:38 2011 Friday ,11 November

Tips to great skin and hair

GMT 16:57 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

Bahrain condemns attack on market

GMT 19:36 2017 Thursday ,13 April

Despite warning, Assad regime uses barrel bombs

GMT 18:42 2017 Tuesday ,11 April

Muscat Securities Market Loses 29 Points

GMT 11:44 2014 Saturday ,01 November

Arab League council to hold emergency meeting Sunday

GMT 09:21 2011 Monday ,17 October

Tulisa showed on X Factor

GMT 18:08 2017 Tuesday ,17 January

Jordanian Royal Decree Approves Cabinet Reshuffle

GMT 09:07 2011 Sunday ,12 June

Israel to allow limited goods into Gaza

GMT 12:16 2011 Saturday ,18 June

Marilyn Monroe dress stars in Hollywood sale

GMT 13:42 2011 Sunday ,30 October

Watermelon helps reduce atherosclerosis

GMT 21:45 2017 Thursday ,27 April

US dollar exchange rate stable at major banks

GMT 13:20 2018 Monday ,01 January

Lewis Hamilton Instagram account emptied

GMT 22:09 2017 Monday ,24 July

'Dunkirk' captures N. American box office

GMT 02:55 2017 Sunday ,30 April

EU tightens Brexit demands on residence, banks

GMT 10:46 2015 Sunday ,11 January

DWTC to welcome over 130,000 visitors

GMT 06:35 2017 Friday ,15 December

Mennat-Allah underlines importance of landscapes

GMT 15:10 2011 Monday ,20 June

American woman locks horns with \'employer\'
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday