Moroccan Security Forces Disperse Protest Demanding Ramadan Mosque Reopenings

The demonstration of a group of young people who on Tuesday in M’diq demanded the opening of mosques in order to hold the Tarawih prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, was dispersed by the security forces, reports the daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia.

Carrying placards with extremist messages, these young people, mostly teenagers and minors, stormed the street to denounce "corruption and dependence on foreigners" and a number of ills that they accuse the authorities of. According to them, "the officials have taken advantage of the health crisis to close the mosques in order to harm Islam and Muslims and not to preserve the health security of citizens."

Some participants and organizers of this demonstration were arrested by the police. From a well-informed source, extremist movements would be the instigators of this demonstration, of which they planned to take advantage to disrupt public order and undermine the symbols of the State. After viewing videos of the march, the police services managed to identify and then arrest some of the leaders.

Last week, the security services arrested an individual who, in a video posted on social media, described the government as an "enemy of Islam," accused it of "apostasy" and called on the population to demonstrate against the decision to ban Tarawih prayers.