Survey Reveals Moroccan Youth More Religious Than Older Generations

According to Mustafa Benhamza, president of the local council of ulemas of Oujda, youth are influenced by new information technologies and foreign cultural traditions. Indeed, the phenomenon of globalization and social networks have transformed young people who have moved away, for example, from wearing traditional clothes in favor of European ones, appearing in "public demonstrations where they allow themselves to drink alcohol."

Despite these excesses, the observance of religious practices and obligations is real among young people, according to Mustafa Benhamza. Thus, they respect the five daily prayers or the Friday prayer, as well as the practice of the holy month of Ramadan, and participate in religious festivals. Proof that "the Islamic religion adapts to modern times and remains a reference for our young people," he notes.

In this regard, the CESE report emphasizes that "there is a constant in the school or the youth house: references to the Prophet, his history, his own life can serve as a model for young people and prevent them from falling into crime or other forms of violence." For Saïd, a 29-year-old graduate, "not everyone feels the same commitment to religion," and Morocco also attracts by its "cultural diversity," although "a majority identifies under the label of Muslims."

In a country where "young people represent 65% of the unemployed," the mosque seems to become "an escape route for children without horizons," observes El Periodico, which recalls the speech of King Mohammed VI to correct the evil. Indeed, the sovereign recently called on the government to take "new measures in the dynamic of promoting vocational training and manual work," a guarantee of "the integration of young people," concludes the same source.