Morocco # English board

RABAT, June 13 -- Moroccan authorities have launched a wave of repression to stem the growing influence of an illegal Islamist movement, which many observers are already describing as the country's biggest de-facto political party.

Al Adl Wal Ihsane (Justice and Spirituality) is now so popular it would probably win elections if it was legalised and decided to enter politics, analysts said.

The regime of King Mohammed VI wants to curb the growing influence of Islamists, but knows it risks doing just the opposite if it appears too heavy handed.

Fifteen Al Adl Wal Ihsane members were on Monday each sentenced to four months in prison for organising an unauthorised demonstration in 2001.

They will not, however, have to serve the sentences, because they have already been jailed for much longer than four months.

Press commentators criticised the sentences as too lenient, but in private even some anti-Islamist Moroccans have sympathies towards the peaceful movement, which is in judicial limbo.

Technically illegal, Al Adl Wal Ihsane was tolerated until recent months, when the apparent politicisation of its activities prompted a police crackdown.

The movement's founder, French-educated teacher Sheikh Abdessalam Yassine, first became widely known with a 1974 open letter to then King Hassan II, in which he dared to question the monarch's knowledge of Islam.

Morocco's king is the official leader of the country's Muslims, and Yassine spent about 15 years in psychiatric hospitals and under house arrest before his release in 2000.

The only political force in Morocco to question the monarchy, Al Adl Wal Ihsane has become the mouthpiece of discontent in a country where masses of young people have fled rural unemployment to urban slums and where about 15% of the population is estimated to live in poverty.

Advocating an Islamic state with Sharia law, Al Adl Wal Ihsane adheres to the mystical Sufi strand of Islam and rejects violence.

Its leaders include Sheikh Yassine's daughter, Nadia, whose particular brand of Islamist feminism has given the conservative movement a modern touch.

Al Adl Wal Ihsane has traditionally focused on social work, but observers say it now appears to have become increasingly political in a development that frightens the regime.

Over the past few months, the movement has opened premises around the country, staging "open door" days, including exhibitions and videos to promulgate its ideas.

Police moved promptly to close the venues, evacuating a total of 500 people and detaining more than 150 others, who were released immediately afterwards.

A trial against Nadia Yassine for advocating a republic has been suspended, apparently to avoid provoking critics at home and in the United States, which she has visited.

The regime does not want to see Morocco go the same way as neighbouring Algeria, where the Islamic Salvation Army was outlawed to prevent it from seizing power through the polls.

Hundreds of suspected violent Islamists have been detained in Morocco since suicide bombers killed 45 people in Casablanca in 2003, but it is more difficult for the authorities to move against the popular Al Adl Wal Ihsane.

So far, the movement has declined to enter politics or to give its backing to the parliamentary Islamist party Justice and Development, which gained ground in 2002 elections to become the third political force in the country.

"The security forces have nothing to fear," Nadia Yassine said.

"We are not planning anything that would go against our principles of non-violence." - dpa

IT'S WEIRD THAT YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE ISLAMISTS AND NOT THE PROSTUTION OR PIDOPHILY IN MORROCCO.

Hint! --> May be because extremism leads to killing innocent and neither prostitution or pedophilie does ??

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jihane81

IT'S WEIRD THAT YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE ISLAMISTS AND NOT THE PROSTUTION OR PIDOPHILY IN MORROCCO.

We're worried about both but like zaki7 told you, I'm a little bit more worried about a guy whose logic leads him to kill his own fellow citizens. Funny how those psychos don't seem to have the urge to jump in front of a merkava ?...
Must be that .50 caliber turret...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2006 06:56 by chelhman.

chelhman and zaki7, i think you hit right on target here guys, but may i just comment on the following: you have so far focused only on that fringe of extremists who use violence as a way to enforce their opinions, which is fine, but beware that those guys only represent a tiny minority of islamists, who are far from all being extremists.... hope i'm making some sense here, but just to clarify what i'm saying: not all islamists are extremists, far from it, and that may be why they are proving so popular, especially among the most deprived classes of moroccan society. now, what i'd like to say is: regarless of their tendencies and main school of thought (whether or not they advocate the use of violence), i think that they're all equally dangerous in that they are almost all in favour of the establishment of an islamic republic centered on and ruled by sharia law..... at this stage, i think i don't need to explain why this would be disastrous to all of us. just take a look at what's going on in countries such as iran, arabia saudi or pakistan to understand what i'm talking about.

khadija, I agree, there is nothing such as a light extremism and a hard extremism, there is extremism and there is the true Islam. Everything in between is a deviation and will eventually lead to violence.

the way I see it is that if an islamist government gains power in Morocco, it will be dicted by the political openess and democracy building in Morocco, which in one hand is positive. If the people want islamists, thinking that they have a magic wand, then let it be. Not getting in the way will let us avoid a FIS scenario and will strenghten the democracy.

I believe that on the economic side, this will set Morocco back 5-10 years. What I am really wondering is: will the country bear an economic setback to push for a democratic opening?

Other than that, I think Islamists in the government will be a disappointment for a lot of people who are putting all their hopes on them. having the king upthere will save the country of leaning to an Iranian scenario or an Algerian one.

Now if the islamists surprise everybody and adopt free market, separation of religion/state, etc... then we are heading for a Turkey like system, with all the moroccan specifics.

Until then, who knows what might happen?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2006 09:41 by zaki7.

You have a point khadijaox81. Take the movement of Al Adl wa l'i7ssan, Nadia Yassine publicly advocates the idea of an islamic republic. That would mean overthrowing the monarchy and since the overwhelming majority of Moroccans are attached to it, it is inevitable that they would clash with the authorities. Nadia Yassine hides behind a non-violent speech but never condemns the extremists speeches in her own rank or worldwide for that matter.
But given the illiteracy of her base movement, she knows perfectly well what her silence means to her father followers.

The situation is socially far from perfect but it is certainly not helping to have the islamists breathing down the monarchy's neck "bean-counting" every tiny little flaw in the system and twisting it to fit into their propaganda.

However, Al Adl is more or less manageable, I'm more worried about the ideas slowly insinuating themselves into our society. It is said that the PJD is a tamed bunch of islamists, maybe so, but it is not the fact that they might have a majority in parliament, it's an empty shell anyway, nothing happens in our legislative branch, the executive and the monarchy hold all the cards, what worries me is the fact that since the PJD won't be able to do anything, all they'll be left with is the rethoric to give the illusion of governing to their constituency, and that rethoric will have to be incendiary, just to give substance to their speech. Either way, the islamists agenda would have sipped into people's minds.

I already said it before on this forum, the monarchy should really put some money on education first, it is an investment in the future stability of the country, it's not healthy to have more than half the population not being able to understand what an election is about or what is a legislative or executive branch...etc. In not doing so, we have a flank constantly open to attacks, you can warn people all you want about the dangers of an islamic republic but remember, the operative word is "islam", anything cloaked in religion is swallowed without question.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2006 03:46 by chelhman.

Please note the difference between ISLAMIC and ISLAMIST. The latter being a very dangerous concept indeed. But are these you're talking about really Islamists?

And oh, prostitution doesn't kill?

*cough*
AIDS..

*cough*

Yes prostitution doesn't kill in the sense that it is a willingful act between 2 adults that decide to have a sexual relationship. Now if they don't take their precautions, then they're looking for Aids and that's their problem on a personal level. Being in the area of a kamikaze because it happens you were walking by and ending up dead because of that cannot be the same thing. There is absolutely no moral equivalency here.

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Arabelle
Please note the difference between ISLAMIC and ISLAMIST. The latter being a very dangerous concept indeed. But are these you're talking about really Islamists?

And oh, prostitution doesn't kill?

*cough*
AIDS..

*cough*