Morocco: Treatment of persons who convert from Islam to Christianity by society in general, and Islamists fundamentalists, especially members of the Justice and Development Party (formerly the Popular Constitutional and Democratic Movement); state protection available

The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom states the following concerning conversion to another faith in Morocco: "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" (5 Sept. 2000). For further information on the situation of religion minorities in Morocco, please see the 2000 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

The organization The Voice of the Martyrs, an "evangelical, non denominational faith mission, committed to serving the Persecuted Church worldwide", makes the following assessment of religious pratices in Morocco:

Islam entered Morocco in the 7th century through invading Arab armies. Last year King Hassan II died and the throne passed to his son, King Mohammed VI. Hassan was committed to the preservation of Islam as the religion of all Moroccans, and even claimed to be a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed. The new king has shown no signs of lessening attacks on Christians. Morocco is a hostile environment for the Christians who form 0.16 percent of the nation, as anyone who comes to Christ can face charges of treachery and illegal contact with foreign missions. Many have endured ostracism from their families, loss of employment, and imprisonment for their faith. Missionary work is not permitted, but many foreign Christians are working in secular roles, hoping to quietly win souls to Christ (29 Nov. 2000).

According to the International Christian Concern, the practice of Christianity is tolerated in Morocco (August 2000). However, "law and tradition call for severe punishments for anyone who converts from Islam." (ibid.). The organization states as well that: "There is no evidence that prisoners are continuing to be held for their Christian beliefs at this time." (ibid.).

No specific information about the treatment of those who convert from Islam to Christianity by members of the Justice and Development Party (formerly the Popular Constitutional and Democratic Movement) could be found among the sources consulted.

In 1997 the Jubilee Campaign, a group based in the U.K. which advocates the rights of Christians and children around the world, published a report on the Christian community in Morocco. The following are some testimonies from this report which were made by Muslims who converted to Christianity. They address the treatment by Moroccan society, the police and, in some cases, Muslims fundamentalists:

A Christian mother said she was baptised in 1971. Her family still does not accept her conversion although her husband's family has been more open-minded. Her husband was imprisoned for about a week during the crackdown in 1984 to 1985. The situation was worsened by the fact they had children and her family took advantage of the incident to criticise the fact he was a Christian.

She said it is difficult for a Christian family encircled by Muslims. There are Muslim feasts and as Christians they are left out of them. The children are obliged to study the Koran at school even though they are not Muslims. She has a 7 year old boy who was in his second year at school. Every day he had to memorise some portion of the Koran. It was not a religious school but Islam and the Koran had to be studied. If her son did not memorise the Koranic verses he would be punished.

She found the pressure from neighbours and family more significant than that from the police. She said it was really bad if the police came to her house then all the neighbourhood would know what was happening. She was kicked out of her family's house from 1973 to 1974 because of her Christian faith. She had been called to the police station because of her conversion and this caused her much shame and a big commotion resulted with her family. She had to spend a year living with a Christian family in another city. She was only about 19 at the time. After about a year, her brother came to find her and brought her back to the family.

[ ...]

– The head of a Christian family said that many of his neighbours and wider family did not want him or his family to be Christians. This upset him and he did not sleep very well as a result. He worries about his family a lot. The people in his area have called the children, "Jews" and thrown stones at them.

In 1992, his youngest daughter was expelled from school because she was sharing her faith with others. She was 16 at the time. The students complained to the headmaster and he told her to go because he did not want any problems for the administration. She never completed her education and did not look for any other schools.

His oldest daughter was thrown out of her house by her Muslim parents-in-law who also took her two children because they wanted to raise them as Muslims. The boys were aged 5 and 6 at the time.Her parents-in-law are quite religious Muslims. They said they wanted her when she was a Muslim and but not when she became a Christian, which is why they threw her out. She is living at home now and has not seen her husband for about 4 years.

[ ...]

The head of the Christian family said that he stayed at home more. He did not see many of his friends now, who'd be upset because of his conversion. He found peace and rest when with other believers.

– Another convert commented that the above-mentioned man's family's experiences could be an example of what is happening for Christians in the whole of Morocco. His own family and others objected when he became a Christian, and would not speak to him.

He was always arguing with his family and for a time they would not let him go to church on Sunday. They called him a blasphemer and a Jew and said he would go to hell when he died. They also said they would not pray for him when he died, because he was a blasphemer. In Islam it's obligatory for parents to pray for the children who die.

– A convert pointed out that if you said you were a Christian, you were accused of not being a Moroccan. Under the law, Moroccans can't distribute materials, political or religious, without permission from the police.

His belief was that the government's goal was to keep the church from growing. There was a case of a father who would not eat with his wife and son for years because they were Christian. A colleague at work would not eat with him because he was a Christian and therefore considered "unclean."

[ ...]

– A girl was made to sleep in a storage room on the roof because she was a Christian. The father said he did not want to see her when he was in the house.

[ ...]

– One girl was divorced by her husband because she was a Christian and did not want to return to Islam.

– A believer had his mail from a Bible Correspondence course intercepted by the police who called him in for questioning, then asked him to tear up the mail in front of them.

– Just outside one major city were some families living in houses whose rent was paid for by the government because they worked for the government. Their jobs became non-governmental but the families continued to be exempted from paying rents, except the Christian family. For them the rent was back-dated and they could not deal with it, so their electricity and water supply were cut off. As a concession, the electricity was later restored. They have no piped water and use a water pump linked to a well. This was sabotaged by the neighbours.

[ ...]

– There's no recognition of a national church in Morocco comprised of local believers. For political reasons there are laws prohibiting gatherings of over a certain number of people without police permission. Such laws can be used against Christian gatherings as a pretext for religious persecution. Due to the official disapproval of conversion from Islam to Christianity, it is not possible for local converts to seek permission from the police for Christian gatherings.

[ ...]

– Some converts have lost their jobs because of their Christian beliefs. For instance, one convert's brother-in-law told his employer that he was doing Bible Study. The convert was the driver for a family company and he was dismissed as a result.

– A convert said that when he was simply investigating Christianity, he was fired from his job as a truck driver as a result.

– A convert in his twenties was thrown out of his house by his family and even beaten up. This took place in 1995 and he has been forced to stay with a friend and he has insufficient funds to live on his own.

– A female convert pointed out that there are two sources of pressure, from the police and from friends and family. Friends and family use two types of approach. One approach is to threaten the convert and the other is the use of argument.

She said a friend of her sister knew she was a Christian. Together they brought out the prayer rug, came to her and demanded she pray on the rug before she left. There is a form of escalation in the pressure put on converts, involving arguments, threats, and provocation. People were also asked to watch her carefully.

– A convert told how an envelope delivered to him by a postman had a phrase, stating, "Christianity is useless or vain and the true son is Islam." His sister was married to a religious Muslim man who had found out about his conversion and he was probably behind this. Many books concerning Islam were sent to him in an effort to bring him back to that religion.

– One Christian stated that many believers like himself were embarassed about their faith. If you are a Christian in front of Muslims, you feel as if you are an irreligious heathen with no worth, due to the pressure placed on converts from Islam to Christianity.

– A teenage Christian girl was speaking with her friend in school about Christianity and sharing her faith with her and the school expelled her as a result.

[ ...]

– A convert said he believed the government did not have a real strategy of dealing with Christian converts from Islam. There's no freedom of religion for such people. Local converts have no right to enter church buildings (which are reserved for foreign Christians and not meant to be used by converts from Islam to Christianity).

He stated that there were at least 3 government branches involved in dealing with Christians:

1) The Division of Territorial Security (DST) – A national investigations agency, similar to the FBI in the United States and which carries out undercover police operations.

2) The 2nd Bureau – An intelligence gathering agency

3) The Police. The DST and 2nd Bureau are both involved in investigating drugs offences, political and religious affairs.

– A convert said that many older male believers have broken fellowship with other Christians as a result of persecution. One believer was asked by police to inform on the other converts in his group and he refused, preferring to break fellowship instead. Sometimes the Christians become too security-conscious and turn away new believers that they do not know. He believed that local believers should reach out to others instead, as that was where the future of the Moroccan church lay.

– One believer has problems with the fundamentalists at work because of his faith. They won't greet him, have called him names and are reluctant to co-operate with him. They also talk to others about him behind his back and put him down.

– A Christian's family was not doing much to help him find a job, because of his conversion. (NB: In Morocco, especially at a time of widespread unemployment as is currently experienced, the family often plays a significant role in assisting one of its members in finding a job.)

– A convert was thrown out of his home but later allowed back. His family would not help him find a job but he managed to set up a business for himself. He wanted to marry a Christian girl and was told by his family that they did not want to have anything to do with him if he married that girl.

[ ...]

– One convert was asked by the police if he knew what he had done. They said he was an apostate and that there was a punishment for this. He said he still believed in God and they kept silent.

[ ...]

– One convert stated that so far he has had no problems with the authorities because he thinks he has acted wisely and discreetly. His family wanted to understand what it meant to be a Christian. His mother said he could do what he wanted at home but had to watch out about what other people thought and try not to upset them. His Muslim friends treat him with respect, at least in front of him. He is aware he does not have the right to preach openly so he shares his faith discreetly.

– A Christian said he had already left home when he converted. So at the time he was not closely involved with his family. They were not very happy when they found out about his conversion. His family were afraid that his conversion could cause them problems so he offered to keep away from them but they said it was alright.

He had problems with his correspondence. Letters for him usually did not arrive or had been tampered or interfered with. He lives with his cousin, who has said he does not want his address used for correspondence or for any Christian activities to be organised there. Despite that fact, his cousin really trusts him and has great confidence in him.

The colleagues at work are constantly needling him about his faith, especially during the period of Ramadan. There's a Muslim fundamentalist at his place of work who has been very aggresive and violent at times. He's shouted at him and hit him. His boss has recognised that he is a faithful worker and stated that if the fundamentalist caused him further trouble he would be out of work.

[ ...]

– A Christian convert was working for the government. The Islamic fundamentalists told his employers about his conversion and they threatened the loss of his job. As a result he stopped going to church. There were 4 or 5 other believers who did not go to church because they were afraid of losing their job.

[ ...]

– A convert's family members often scolded him and called him a blasphemer. Members of an Islamic fundamentalist group also came to try and persuade him to convert back to Islam.

– In 1995, two Christian sisters were being beaten by their brothers for their conversion. As a result, they fled to another city. One girl got a job as a maid. She was hired by a woman who worked for the government. Someone told her her maid was a Christian and the Christian girl was fired as a result. It was regarded as shameful for someone in a high position to hire a Christian to work for her.

[ ...]

– A male believer faced pressure at work in addition to threats over the phone because of his conversion. His daughter at school also faced pressure because her father was a Christian.

For the complete report, please consult the Website of Jubilee Campaign.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Jubilee Campaign. January 1997. The Christian Community in Morocco. Guildford, U.K.: Jubilee Campaign. [Accessed 29 Nov. 2000]

International Christian Concern (ICC), Washington, DC. August 2000. "Africa: Morocco." [Accessed: 29 Nov. 2000]

Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. 29 November 2000. "Country Summaries: Morocco." [Accessed 29 Nov. 2000]

2000 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. 5 September 2000. U. S. Department of State. Washington, DC. [Accessed: 29 Nov. 2000]

Additional Sources Consulted

LEXIS/NEXIS

IRB Databases

One oral source could not provide information.

Internet sites including:

Le Maghreb des droits de l'homme

Organisation marocaine des droits de l'homme

Fédération internationale des droits de l'homme

Human Rights Watch

Amnesty International

Home Office

Open Doors

Search engines including:

Google

Metacrawler