Moroccan Christian Converts Face Discrimination Despite Constitutional Protections

In a country where the Constitution guarantees freedom of worship and equal opportunities, the 8,000 Christians in the kingdom, the majority of whom are Protestants, feel they are rather victims of repression and persecution. "We renew the expression of our aspirations to the basic freedoms of which we, Moroccan Christians, are still often deprived," the Coordination of Moroccan Christians had said.

Representing Moroccan Muslim converts, the body, which advocates interfaith dialogue, had called on the "Moroccan authorities to no longer put pressure on the official churches of the country, [...] in order to dissuade them from welcoming" new arrivals.

In an interview, the president Adam Al-Ribati drew attention to the "delicate" situation of converted Moroccans, who are persecuted in their country. This Christian minority lives in hiding, far from the disapproving gaze of society. The official mentioned, among other things, the case of a Christian woman from Casablanca who was repudiated by her husband.

Two young students, recently converted to Christianity, were victims of harassment, before being expelled from the family home in Beni Mellal. A Moroccan family had also been asked to leave a home, for religious reasons. Also, adds Adam Al-Ribati, harassment is not limited to the family and society. In Casablanca again, a man, rejected by his office colleagues, was unfairly dismissed, despite the mediation of the labor inspector.