Morocco Revives Bill to Protect and Promote Arabic Language in Public Life

The bill aims to establish a general framework for the protection and promotion of the Arabic language. This same framework could be extended to the Amazigh language, if it manages to pass through all the filters, reports the newspaper Al Akhbar.

The PJD bases its proposal on the fact that the Arabic language is the language of public life, administration, domestic commerce and all public services. The party hopes to see the Arabic language on all documents, in correspondence, and during meetings of the administration and public companies. The bill requires that advertisements and billboards displayed on public roads or on any means of public transport and aimed at informing the general public be in Arabic.

The proposal gives the State the role of preserving the linguistic security of Arabic in writing as well as orally and of keeping it safe from external influences. PJD deputies have even planned the implementation of sanctions ranging from 2,000 to 50,000 dirhams for any breach.