Rabat – Police have opened a preliminary investigation into the criminal acts attributed to the Moroccan actor, Rafik Boubker, after placing him in custody this evening. The procedure follows the decision of the public prosecutor of Casablanca’s Court of First Instance.
The General Directorate for National Security (DGSN) said in a statement that it had “monitored digital content published on social media, in which the suspect appears in an abnormal condition, insulting the Islamic religion and violating the reverence for acts of worship.”
The DGSN added that it has received several complaints from citizens on the matter which prompted them to open a judicial investigation. Security services aim to uncover the full circumstances of the criminal act and identify those involved in recording and sharing the video.
Boubker appeared in a live video on Instagram on Monday insulting the Islamic religion, violating reverence for acts of worship, and offending imams.
“We are at the mosque since bars are closed because of the lockdown. The bar of the mosque,” said Boubker in the video.
He then mockingly told people “to make their ablution with wine and perform prayers with whiskey.”
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The video, in which he is clearly drunk and accompanied by several friends, went viral on social media and stirred backlash among internet users.
Displeased by the content, internet users, who lashed out at the actor, called to arrest him and bring him before prosecutors for justice.
Boubker rapidly responded to the criticism he provoked by posting another video in which he apologizes for his self-declared wrongful statements.
In the video, Boubker extended his apologies to the public while admitting that he was not aware of the gravity of his remarks nor the controversy it would create, explaining his actions by saying he was under the influence of alcohol.
The actor emphasized that he did not renounce his religion and will always be a Muslim.
