International Outlets Put Spotlight on Morocco’s Premarital Sex Ban

Rabat – As the tourism sector slowly recovers from the COVID-19 recession, international outlets are decrying Morocco’s laws against premarital sex. The requirement to produce a marriage license is a major impediment to Moroccan tourism, according to The Economist and Dmarge, citing Moroccan hotel-owners and international travellers.

While Morocco is commonly seen as a country with a moderate interpretation of Islamic teachings, the country’s continued use of a French colonial law banning premarital relations is hampering tourism, the magazines lament.

Last year, the United Arab Emirates abolished its morality laws banning premarital relations and cohabitation in order to boost tourism and foreign investment. India struck down its own colonial law against extramarital relations as unconstitutional, and even Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering lifting its ban.

Morality laws banning premarital, extramarital or same-sex relations are often remnants of colonial regimes from the early 1900s, yet the taboo nature of sex has made politicians reluctant to bring up the topic and revoke the often century-old laws.

In June 2020, Botswana overturned colonial-era laws banning homosexuality, describing the laws as a “British import” that was implemented “without the consultation of local peoples.” These morality laws often stem from a “Christian puritanical concept of sex,” Professor Enze Han explained to the BBC.

Australian lifestyle magazine Dmarge cited several international travellers expressing their shock and disappointment on Twitter that Morocco’s legendary hospitality does not extend to people that might be in violation of the law that predates Moroccan independence.

The Economist meanwhile quoted a local hotelier as saying: “I get more calls from unmarried couples wanting to stay than anyone else. I could fill my hotel 100% if only they’d lift the law.”

Calls to revoke Morocco’s morality law come amid international trends, human rights considerations, and economic and tourism-related factors. Within Morocco, the #Stop490 campaign has tried to push politicians to revoke the law.

Local activists describe the law as a fundamental impediment to citizens’ freedoms, while supporters of the French colonial law see it as a way for the state to enforce Islamic values. Moroccan scholar and Islamic feminist Asmae Lamrabet disagrees with this assessment, describing the law itself as “in contradiction with Muslim ethics and with ethics in general.”

The current pushback against the law comes amid the recent crushing electoral defeat of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) and the election of a self-described progressive government coalition.

Many young Moroccans are now hoping for the new government to inspire – and govern with – a new sense of political bravery amid domestic and international astonishment over Morocco’s morality laws.

With economic factors and tourism in mind, perhaps 2022 will bring new opportunities to broaden human rights and expand on Morocco’s reputation as a modern and welcoming country.