Morocco
(2000)
Islam is the official religion and, although the
Constitution provides for freedom of religion, in practice only Islam,
Christianity, and Judaism are tolerated officially. Baha'is face
restrictions on the practice of their faith. The Government monitors the
activities of mosques and places some restrictions on Christian religious
materials.
There was no change in the status of respect for
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
Relations between majority and minority religions are
amicable. Since July 23, 1999, when King Mohammed VI succeeded his father,
the late King Hassan II, who ruled for 38 years, the new King has continued
to uphold a tradition of respect for interfaith dialog. Converts to
Christianity sometimes face social ostracism.
The U. S. Government discusses religious freedom issues
with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of
promoting human rights.
Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides that Islam is the official
religion, and designates the King as "Commander of the Faithful"
with the responsibility of ensuring "respect for Islam." Although
the Constitution provides for freedom of religion, only Islam,
Christianity, and Judaism are tolerated in practice; however, in 1996 a
small foreign Hindu community received the right to perform cremations and
to hold services. Other foreign communities enjoy similar religious
privileges. However, Baha'is face restrictions on the practice of their
faith. The Government monitors the activities of mosques.
The Government does not license or approve religions or
religious organizations. The Government provides tax benefits, land and
building grants, subsidies, and customs exemptions for imports necessary
for the observance of the major religions.
Religious Demography
Ninety-nine percent of citizens are Sunni Muslims. The
Jewish community numbers approximately 5,000 persons and predominantly
resides in the Casablanca and Rabat urban areas, as well as some smaller
cities throughout the country. The foreign Christian community (Roman
Catholic and Protestant) consists of a little more than 5,000 members. Most
reside in the Casablanca and Rabat urban areas. Also located in Rabat and
Casablanca, the Baha'i community numbers 350 to 400 persons. There are few
practicing atheists in the country; most atheists reportedly are university
students.
The teaching of Islam in public schools benefits from
discretionary funding in the Government's annual education budget, as do
other curriculum subjects. The annual budget also provides funds for
religious instruction to the parallel system of Jewish public schools. The
Government has funded several efforts to study the cultural, artistic,
literary, and scientific heritage of Moroccan Jews. In 1998 the Government
created a chair for the study of comparative religions at the University of
Rabat.
The Government regularly organizes events to encourage
tolerance and respect among religions. In April and May 2000, the
Government hosted the first meeting of the "Traveling Faculty of the
Religions of the Book" at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. Royal
counselor Andre Azoulay, a leading Jewish citizen, spoke of the importance
of interfaith respect and dialog in front of major Islamic, Jewish, and
Christian figures from around the world.
The Government annually organizes in May the "Fez
Festival of Sacred Music," which includes musicians from many
religions. The Government has organized in the past numerous symposiums
among local and international clergy, priests, rabbis, imams and other
spiritual leaders to examine ways to reduce religious intolerance and to
promote interfaith dialog. Each year during the Islamic holy month of
Ramadan, the King hosts colloquiums of Islamic religious scholars to
examine ways to promote tolerance and mutual respect within Islam and
between Islam and other religions.
Governmental Restrictions on Religious Freedom
The small Baha'i community has been forbidden to meet or
participate in communal activities since 1983. However, during the period
covered by this report, no members of the Baha'i community were summoned to
the Ministry of the Interior for questioning concerning their faith and
meetings, as had occurred in past years. For the second year in a row,
there were no reports of Baha'is being denied passports because of their
religion.
Islamic law and tradition call for strict punishment of
any Muslim who converts to another faith. Citizens who convert to
Christianity and other religions sometimes face social ostracism, and in
the past a small number have faced short periods of questioning or
detention by the authorities. Voluntary conversion is not a crime under the
Criminal or Civil Codes; however, the authorities have jailed some converts
on the basis of references to Koranic law.
Any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert is illegal.
(According to Article 220 of the Penal Code, any attempt to stop one or
more persons from the exercise of their religious beliefs, or attendance at
religious services, is unlawful and may be punished by 3 to 6 months of
imprisonment and a fine of $10 (103 dirhams) to $50 (515 dirhams). The
Article applies the same penalty to "anyone who employs incitements in
order to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another
religion.") Foreign missionaries either limit their proselytizing to
non-Muslims or conduct their work quietly. The Government cited the
prohibition in the Penal Code on conversion in most cases in which courts
expelled foreign missionaries.
During the period covered by this report, there were no
known cases of foreigners being denied entry into the country because they
were carrying Christian materials, as had occurred in 1998 and the first
half of 1999.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs monitors Friday mosque
sermons and the Koranic schools to ensure the teaching of approved
doctrine. The authorities sometimes suppress the activities of Islamists
but generally tolerate activities limited to the propagation of Islam,
education, and charity. Security forces commonly close mosques to the
public shortly after Friday services to prevent use of the premises for
unauthorized political activity. The Government strictly controls
authorization to construct new mosques. Most mosques are constructed using
private funds.
Since the time of the French Protectorate (1912-1956), a
small foreign Christian community has opened churches, orphanages,
hospitals, and schools without any restriction or licensing requirement
being imposed. Missionaries who conduct themselves in accordance with
societal expectations largely are left unhindered. Those whose activities
become public face expulsion.
The Government permits the display and sale of Bibles in
French, English, and Spanish, but confiscates Arabic language Bibles and
refuses licenses for their importation and sale, despite the absence of any
law banning such books. Nevertheless, Arabic Bibles reportedly have been
sold in local bookstores.
There are two sets of laws and courts--one for Jews and
one for Muslims--pertaining to marriage, inheritance, and family matters.
The family law courts are run, depending on the law that applies, by
rabbinical and Islamic authorities who are court officials. Parliament
authorizes any changes to those laws. Non-Koranic sections of Muslim law on
personal status are applied to non-Muslim and non-Jewish persons.
Alternatively, non-Muslim and non-Jewish foreigners in Morocco may refer to
their embassies or consulates for marriage, divorce, inheritance, and other
personal issues if they choose not to adhere to Moroccan law.
Governmental Abuses of Religious Freedom
After 11 years of house arrest for refusing to
acknowledge the religious authority of King Hassan II, Islamist dissident
Sheikh Abdessalam Yassine was allowed to leave his Sale home on May 16,
2000. Yassine's release came after a May 10 statement by the Minister of
Interior before Parliament that the Sheikh "leaves and returns to his
residence as he likes. He receives visitors and holds meetings." The
Minister also said that Sheikh Yassine was free to take his case to court
if he believed that his rights were being abused. Subsequent to the lifting
of his house arrest, Sheikh Yassine received at his home leading council
members of his Justice and Charity Organization (JCO) on May 17, attended a
Sale mosque prayer service on May 19, and gave a May 20 press conference
widely attended by domestic and foreign media representatives.
During the period covered by this report, books,
articles, and audio cassettes published and produced by Yassine were sold
at some bookstores. Editorials calling for the Sheikh's release prior to
his liberation were published without impediment. The JCO maintains an
active presence on university campuses and occasionally organized, prior to
Yassine's release, protests of his lengthy house arrest. However, prominent
members of the JCO are subject to constant surveillance and sometimes
encounter problems obtaining passports and other necessary documents. In
addition, after Yassine's release, the Government banned the JCO's popular
summer camps, which were used to garner and increase support for the
organization.
During the period covered by this report, officials of
the Gendarmerie Royale summoned several members of the foreign Christian
community for questioning concerning the practice of their faith. After 8
years of residence in the country, one U.S. citizen in the community failed
to receive annual renewal of his resident's visa after Gendarmerie Royale
officials began an investigation into his religious activities. The
investigation reportedly is still underway. Currently the U.S. citizen
faces no problem residing in, or exiting and returning to, the country.
Fewer than 50 Islamists are serving sentences for
offenses that range from arms smuggling to participating in a bomb attack
on a hotel in Marrakech. However, a small number of these prisoners remain
in prison for having called for an Islamic state in 1983.
There was no change in the status of respect for
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
Forced Religious Conversion of Minor U.S. Citizens
There were no reports of the forced religious conversion
of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the
United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be
returned to the United States.
Section II. Societal Attitudes
Tolerance is widespread, and relations between majority
and minority religions are amicable. Foreigners attend religious services
without any restrictions or fear of reprisals, and Jews live throughout the
Kingdom in safety. While free expression of Islamic faith and even the free
academic and theological discussion of non-Islamic religions are accepted
on television and radio, public efforts to proselytize are frowned upon by
society. Most citizens view such public acts as provocative threats to law
and order in an overwhelmingly observant Muslim country. In addition,
society expects public respect for the institutions and mores of Islam,
although private behavior and beliefs are unregulated and unmonitored.
Because many Muslims view the Baha'i Faith as a heretical offshoot of
Islam, most members of the tiny Baha'i community maintain a low religious
profile. However, Baha'is live freely and without fear for their persons or
property, and some even hold government jobs, albeit discreetly.
Because the populace is overwhelmingly Muslim, because
Islam is the religion of the State, and because the King enjoys temporal
and spiritual authority through his role as "Commander of the
Faithful," there is widespread consensus among Muslims about religious
practices and interpretation. Other sources of popular consensus are the
councils of ulemas, unofficial religious scholars who serve as monitors of
the monarchy and the actions of the Government. Because the ulemas
traditionally hold the power to legitimize or delegitimize kings through
their moral authority, government policies closely adhere to popular and
religious expectations. While dissenters such as Yassine and his followers
challenge the religious authority of the King and call for the
establishment of a government more deeply rooted in their vision of Islam,
the majority of citizens do not appear to share their views.
Section III. U.S. Government Policy
During the period covered by this report, embassy
officers continued to raise religious freedom issues in an effort to help
resolve the few outstanding cases of restrictions on religious freedom.
Prior to the release of Sheikh Yassine, the Embassy discussed his house
arrest with government interlocutors, Sheikh Yassine's lawyer, his family,
and some of his associates. Similarly, embassy officers sought openly to
meet directly with Sheikh Yassine prior to his release and were informed by
credible sources that "as a matter of principle" he would not
meet with either journalists or diplomats. Prior to and after Yassine's
release, embassy officers who sought to meet with Sheikh Yassine, members
of his family, and his close associates encountered no interference from
the Government in seeking these contacts.
The U.S. Consulate in Casablanca investigated the case
of the U.S. citizen who has not yet had his residence permit renewed. The
Consulate ascertained from the police that no formal charges exist against
the U.S. citizen. The Embassy currently remains in contact with the
citizen.
The Ambassador and embassy officials also meet regularly
with religious officials, including the Minister of Islamic Affairs,
Islamic religious scholars, the leader of the Jewish community, and local
Christian leaders and missionaries. The Embassy maintains contacts with the
small Baha'i community as well.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |