Moroccan Bride Faces Online Backlash: Mixed Marriages Spark Controversy and Racism Debate

In Morocco, society is not ready to accept mixed marriages. These marriages are criticized on a daily basis. The trend is towards a great intolerance of these unions. The latest union to suffer the consequences is that of a man in his forties from the Gulf and a 23-year-old Moroccan woman. On the web, the couple has been subjected to insults and mockery. "She is a greedy girl. If it had been a Moroccan, she would have found the age as a pretext!" comments a Moroccan internet user. "How much did you buy her for?" adds another. "The day you divorce, don’t come crying to us," completes an internet user. Annoyed, the young bride threatens to take legal action against the authors of these defamatory attacks.

The case of this young Moroccan woman is not isolated. There are many such cases. Experts are dismayed by this. "We observe a tacit acceptance, even a celebration, of mixed marriages when they involve a European partner. Yet, as soon as the spouse is from Africa or the Middle East, these women undergo a real lynching. It’s as if the supposed superiority of the European white man is deeply rooted in our minds," notes sociologist Sanaa El Aji Hanafi with Matin. For his part, philosopher Driss Jaydane denounces "a touch of racism and a total lack of understanding of what it means for human beings to meet and love each other beyond nationality."

According to him, this is proof of a strong regression on the issue of encounter and miscegenation. The situation was different in the 1960s-70s, he notes. For Sanaa El Aji, these reactions are racist, but also misogynistic. "Society considers that the woman belongs to it and it is up to it to decide for her," she explains. Driss Jaydane denounces the return of tribal repression and clanism. "Society believes that a Moroccan woman marrying a foreigner betrays the tribe or leaves the clan, while men do not have this problem. [...] It is regressive and dangerous, because it implies that our women belong to us," the philosopher indignantly.

Driss Jaydane also denounces "the hypocrisy of a society that is not outraged when 60-year-old men marry 16-year-old girls, or pay for underage girls in cabarets." For the two experts, it is imperative to respect individual choices. "We need to have the maturity to respect the choices of individuals as long as these people are adults and of legal age to marry and there is no exploitation," El Aji insists. For the two experts, it is time to legislate so that people who attack the private lives of mixed couples on social networks are prosecuted and severely punished.

"Women are often insulted and defamed in a way that would not apply to men," notes Driss Jaydane.