In a new series of YouTube podcasts, Moroccan Christians are stepping
out of the shadows, showing their faces, and telling their stories.
Speaking to their countrymen, they proclaim themselves “Moroccan and
Christian.”
The public testimonies counter the common view that to be Moroccan is
to be Muslim and that all Christians living in Morocco are foreigners,
not natives. The small religious minority faces community and government
persecution.
In one video, a woman named Iman says her husband’s relatives assumed
she was foreign-born because they knew she was a Christian, according to
Moroccan World News (MWN).
“My name is Iman. I am Moroccan and Christian. Yes, I am Christian, but
I am not a foreigner. My father is Sahraoui, and my mom is Amazigh. I
was born and grew up in Morocco,” she says, according to a translation
by MWN. The website noted she spoke in “perfect Darija,” the colloquial
form of Arabic spoken in Morocco.
Another video featuring a woman named Atika caused controversy because she implied Muslims live in darkness, according to MWN.
“We grew up and learned to make the difference between both faiths,”
she says. “We were able to bring down that wall surrounding us, and our
lives became filled with light rather than darkness.”
Although it is legal to change religion in Morocco, proselytizing
remains illegal and persecution and harassment of Christians persists.
“Shaking the faith” of Muslims or attempting to convert them can result
in a three-year prison sentence and a hefty fine, according to US News
& World Report.
Atika spoke of families rejecting members who left Islam and of Christians being harassed and followed.
The U.S. State Department’s 2013 report on religious freedom supports
her claims. It notes most Moroccan Christians worship secretly due to
fears of government surveillance and other restrictions.
“Local Christians stated the authorities made phone or house calls
several times a year, asserting that the authorities did so to
demonstrate that they had lists of members of Christian networks and
monitored Christian activities,” the report said.
In January 2015, police approached a former Muslim in a train station,
searched, and detained him for 11 hours on suspicion of proselytizing,
Open Doors reported. He had a Bible and other Christian materials with
him.
Despite the persecution, Moroccan Christians are growing bolder. In
December 2015, a group called Eglise Marocaine (The Moroccan Church)
asked King Mohammed VI for permission to freely celebrate Christian
holidays like Christmas, MWN reported. And some evangelize regardless of
the potential punishment.
“We don’t know what might happen, some people want to keep it hidden,
and we respect that,” one 24-year-old man told US News. “But at the same
time we encourage people to do what God commands us to do, that’s
preaching and telling people.”
Brother Rachid lived as a secret Moroccan convert to Christianity for
many years. Now he hosts a satellite television program challenging
Muslims to ask questions about Islam and Christianity.
He told CBN News the rise of Islamic State (ISIS) is driving many out of Islam.
“Many Muslims are saying, ‘If ISIS is Islam, I’m leaving.’ Some are
becoming atheists,” Rachid said. “There is a huge wave of atheism in the
Arab world right now and many are turning to Jesus Christ. Islam was
never faced with this crisis before.”
Courtesy: WORLD News Service
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