Officially Islamic, Morocco can also be culturally Western in areas such as Casablanca. Its young people are highly educated and underemployed. Freedom of speech and expression is generally respected in practice, as long as Islam, the monarchy and territorial integrity are not criticised. King Mohammed VI has ruled over some attempts at modernisation of Morocco’s laws, which have created more space for women in commercial and civic life. The Islamist party, PJD, remains in power after winning the 2016 elections, and an increasingly visible Islamist influence is worrying to many of Morocco’s Christians, who are a mix of converts from Islam, members of the small historical Catholic Church, and expatriates.

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Religious minorities’ struggles the focus of Morocco conference

Square next to the Hassan II Mosque in the city of Casablanca in 2010. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

A conference taking place in Rabat, Morocco, tomorrow (18 November) will focus on the problems religious minorities are facing in the Muslim-majority country. Muslims account for 99 per cent of the population, according to US Department of State figures, and the remaining 1 per cent experience “marginalisation and exclusion”, according […]

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Court hearing for Moroccan delayed

A court hearing for Mohamed el Baldi, a Moroccan Christian accused of ‘shaking the faith of a Muslim’, has been postponed to Dec. 31. Arrested Aug. 28, Mohamed was sentenced shortly thereafter to 30 months. He was conditionally released following a Sept. 26 court appearance, and an appeal hearing initially […]

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