Ramadan Thefts Spark Outrage on Moroccan Social Media

These widely shared videos report on the theft of a man’s phone in front of a store, or the theft of a product from the stalls of a grocer. Moroccan internet users have been numerous in condemning these acts that take place during this month of Ramadan, which they consider contrary to Moroccan morals and values. But these isolated cases are not enough to talk about a "transformation of Moroccan values or society," nuances a researcher in social sciences.

In a statement to Hespress, he explains that this "delicate subject on the cognitive level requires in-depth scientific studies and field research to assess a possible change through several analysis criteria." This debate "resurfaces with each appearance of events or incidents that may be isolated and cannot be described as social phenomena," he affirms, insisting that "these events have always existed and will continue to exist."

The expert adds that snatching is not a new phenomenon in Morocco, but the wide dissemination of videos of these theft scenes on social networks "has made it a daily topic of discussion within society." It is "a normal situation; when a deviant behavior appears, it reflects a moral or ethical dysfunction, but this does not mean that it is a new phenomenon. Relating it to Ramadan or to festivals is a form of exaggeration."

Snatching or armed robbery "has always existed, both in Morocco and elsewhere, and cannot be attributed to a decline in values or a similar phenomenon," declares a sociologist, stressing that "in the past, thefts took place in the street without causing a stir, whereas today, the recording of images exerts pressure and constraint on those who engage in such criminal acts."