Morocco World News
Morocco World News
Rabat, August 10, 2012
This story is creating a buzz in social media. According to several news outlets, Yassine Bachiri, a thirty-year old Moroccan, is reported to have married officially Mario Scolas, a Belgian Jewish musician. Their union came about after the two partners maintained a homosexual relationship for more than two years.
The Moroccan young man shares his passion for music with the Belgian Mario Scolas, much older than himself, whom he met at a conservatory.
After two years of homosexual relationship, the couple decided to formally bond their relation by a marriage contract approved by the Belgian authorities. It is worth mentioning that the Belgian legislation allows same-sex marriage.
Bachiri earned his degree in economics from the faculty of law in Fez. After he completed his undergraduate studies he went to Belgium to pursue a Master in in Management. The young Moroccan abandoned his family name to adopt that of his “husband” Scolas.
Like in Christianity and Judaism, homosexuality is considered as a sin in Islam, and homosexuals are regarded as “mentally disturbed.”
Intense Debate
The issue of homosexuality in Morocco is the subject of a very intense debate, especially in light of the country’s Islamic traditions which frown upon homosexuality as a major sin.
Moroccan novelist, Abdellah Taïa, known for his homosexual orientation, stirred controversy in early June when he announced his intention to produce a movie based on one of his novels.
The novelist had reached a deal with a French production company to turn his autobiographical book l’armée du Salut (The Salvation Army) into a film about Taïa’s life. In the planned film, a Moroccan child would depict him as a child and as a teenager.
