Moroccan Shiites Mark Ashura Quietly in Major Cities, Avoiding Public Attention

Moroccan Shiites discreetly celebrated Ashura on Monday, September 9, in the homes and villas of Tangier, Meknes and Casablanca, without any intervention by the authorities to prohibit the rites of "mourning and counseling where the virtues of Ahlul Bayt are praised", reports Assabah.

This is indeed a festival that lasts the first ten days of Muharram. It was marked by a ritual dominated by grief over "the murder of Al Hussein Ibn Ali" in the Battle of Karbala.

A ceremonial that does not differ from Shiite festivals in Iran and Iraq, except that in Morocco, they take place in absolute secrecy where "Husseini invocations are recited by organizing a condolence ceremony, listening and religious chants", indicates the same source.

The daily Assabah reports that the authorities have, in recent years, respected the beliefs of Moroccan Shiites but on the sole condition that they are not practiced in public.

Indeed, Moroccan Shiites had previously been denied access to the mausoleum, in the Meknes region, of Moulay Driss Zerhoun, whom they considered their "spiritual father". There are also other restrictions related to their religious practices.

Although the authorities display flexibility and a certain tolerance, they nonetheless closely monitor the activities of Moroccan Shiites, particularly the circulation of books related to Shiite ideology or having connections with Iran and Hezbollah.