Morocco’s Mosques Preach Social Media Caution Amid Youth Unrest

Officially, the sermon focused on the theme "Avoiding Perdition". The imams called on the faithful to steer clear of the "seven deadly sins" and anything that could harm society. But it is the second part of the sermon that particularly resonated with current events. The preachers dwelled on the "most serious forms of addiction" of the time, targeting drug addiction "that corrupts the mind" and, above all, addiction to social media.

The latter have been described as a source of "waste of time", "distraction" and "spread of lies and falsehood", a barely veiled criticism of the platforms that are the main driver of the organization of the current demonstrations.

This national religious message comes as the "GenZ" demonstrations continue for the seventh consecutive day. By calling on the youth to adorn themselves with good conduct and not to succumb to "what leads to perdition", the religious authorities seem to be addressing a moral and indirect response to the social and economic demands expressed on the streets.