Does Moroccan society truly value Islamic principles?

By Oudra Abdellatif

Casablanca - What I am about to say may sound nonsensical for some. Yet, I can help it no more, for my broken heart urges me to speak out.

Today, some have chosen self-immolation as a way to show their dissatisfaction. I could never do this for two key reasons; first, it is against my religion, Islam, to end your life by any means; second, the ashes of those who burnt themselves went with the wind and brought no change. I am living today to fight for tomorrow, when sincerity replaces hypocrisy, and justice comes instead of falsehood and inequality.

I am fully burnt inside, and it is time to let the ashes come out. This will allow the phoenix to rise from the scattered ashes and tell me the truth, as I am skeptic whether my country Morocco really embodies the principles of Islam.

There is no denying that the Moroccan constitution declares Islam as the major and official religion of the state. Too bad something else occurs in reality and some individuals are even ashamed to act like as Muslim. More to the point, others say that such religion should be adjusted to fit their needs under the motto of “keep your Muslim roots, but act modern and open-minded.” However, being modern and open-minded means, for these people, means to do that you wish even if it is against Islamic ethics.

Let’s start first with recent statistics on alcohol production and import. Morocco's import of liquor rose to 8% and close to 15 thousand tons. The Reuters news agency revealed that Morocco tops Arab countries in liquor imports. Did not the prophet (peace be upon him) state in his sayings “if it intoxicates in a large amount, it is forbidden even in a small amount”? Is not this completely paradoxical in a state whose official religion is against intoxication?  I naturally wonder why those in charge allow importing liquor as if it were bread.

People have become afraid and ashamed to act as Muslims due to the vicious media that accuse Islam of being reactionary and backward. As a case in point, bearded men and veiled women suffer and are often mocked.  While the prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) ordered his male followers to grow a beard, innocent men might go to jail just because of having a beard; besides, it is compulsory to shave your beard as a news reporter or a journalist working for Moroccan visual channels.

Now I will discuss some individuals and events that mirror the hypocrisy described above.

Ibtissam Ennajri "Sina" is a controversial character in the Moroccan scene; this girl just graduated from the streets and bars of Morocco, with a high degree in immorality. She is purely made in Morocco, and her video drew millions of visitors in about two weeks. When she posted her dissolute video, she dared every Moroccan to criticize her and ruin her reputation. On the other side, too many Moroccan young adults have become atheist and deserted Islam, while actually Islam deserted them. Surely, they were allured either by wealth or affected by those who tend to seek freedom, because Islam for them is a prison of one’s rights. Were they well educated and brought up, their belief would not be shaken at all. Unfortunately this took place in a country that prides itself on its Muslim population, society, and culture.

The “Nador kiss” sounds like a romantic tale when in fact it is a real story of two teenagers, who took a photo kissing one another. They took a huge risk when they posted it on Facebook, and it went viral. Such childish conduct turned their life upside down, when the police arrested them. I guess it was not fair for the police to arrest them; I am personally not against people kissing in public. However, there were scandals provoked by adults, and they were set free. Both teenagers were easy prey to 2M TV  and its romantic movies. They were easy prey to their parents greed to make a living, while they neglect their children’s upbringing, and they were easy prey to useless school curricula that destruct one’s behavior.

I guess, we should not punish those innocent students. We should rather punish their parents and ban audio and visual media from broadcasting immorality. Moroccan schools, universities as well, are full of daily unethical scenes, but they are either not exposed or those who complain are silenced.

Under the caption of “Kiss in solidarity”, a couple of young people assembled near the parliament to kiss each other in a show of solidarity with the two teenagers, which indeed added insult to injury. It is illogical that policemen, who beat jobless protesters and citizens seeking justice, were out of sight at that time. Is it a kind of encouragement for Ibtissam Lachgar, co-founder of the Alternative Movement for Individual Freedoms knows by its French acronym as MALI and other members who organized the kiss gathering?

It is too awful that the cases of immorality outnumber those of moral behavior. Too many people thought of leaving the country for this very reason. However brave men and women never run away; brave men and women are always there till the end. I am sure that there will come a time when Morocco turns into an enchanted land to live in, when the phoenix rises from scattered ashes to prove to us that our beloved country Morocco is undoubtedly and purely Muslim.

Edited by Anna Jacobs

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy