Moroccan Christians ‘Hope for a Future Civil Code That Includes All Moroccans’

Doha – King Mohammed VI’s announcement of his intention to reform Morocco’s Family Code, known as the Moudawana, has reignited the perennial debate between traditionalists and modernizers in the country.

The proposed changes have been met with both praise and criticism from various quarters of society. However, amid the heated discussions, one group finds itself largely excluded from the conversation: Morocco’s burgeoning Christian minority.

According to the U.S. State Department, various sources estimate the number of Christian citizens in Morocco differently, ranging from 1,500 to over 30,000. To be sure, the lack of official statistics and the fact that some Christians practice their faith privately make it difficult to determine an accurate figure.

According to Reuters, the number of Moroccans who have converted to Christianity, most of whom worship in secret, is estimated at 50,000. This represents a significant increase since 1960, as a growing number of Moroccan Muslims are embracing the Christian faith.

Despite Article 3 of the Moroccan constitution guaranteeing “to all the free exercise of beliefs,” the country’s penal code imposes strict limitations on religious freedom. In particular, Article 220 states that “anyone who employs incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another religion” can face imprisonment of three to six months and a fine of 200 to 500 dirhams.

Any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert is considered illegal, forcing foreign missionaries to either limit their proselytizing to non-Muslims or conduct their work discreetly. Despite these restrictions, a 2015 study estimated that there are approximately 3,000 Moroccan believers in Christ from a Muslim background.

In 2023, Morocco was ranked as one of the 30 countries in the world where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.

Christians seek inclusion in Moudawana reform

In an exclusive interview with Morocco World News, Adam Rabati, the pastor of the Moroccan Glory Church in Temara and the president of the Union of Moroccan Christians, shed light on the Christian community’s perspective on the Moudawana reform and their aspirations for greater inclusion and legal recognition.

“As you know, King Mohammed VI opened a dialogue about amending the Family Code. We had a share in it and submitted a special memorandum for Christians in Morocco. This memorandum unified the demands of Christians across the entire kingdom,” Rabati explained. “In fact, there are transformations in this code. This code will remove some things that we as Christians will benefit from, including the removal of ta’asib (agnatic heir) and the implementation of wills.”

Rabati emphasized that the Christian memorandum was a civic document based on principles of equality, fairness, and justice. The community drew inspiration from various sources, including memoranda from women’s rights organizations in Morocco, such as the Free Feminist Union led by Khadija Tahri, he explained.

“We relied on a civic memorandum, and we also relied on universal rights and international rights regarding women, family organization, children’s rights, and inheritance division. We relied on all these issues to make our memorandum civic,” Rabati stated.

“We have been calling for a code that includes the requirements of all religious components in Morocco, but unfortunately, you know the conservatives came out strongly with criticism. So, we settled for this change, as it is a great change and a great effort for human rights associations and the modernist current in Morocco. We encouraged and supported them, and they even took from our memorandum because it was of a civic nature.”

Rabati noted that the Christian community’s memorandum was well-received by human rights groups in Morocco, who appreciated its focus on supporting women and promoting progressive thought.

“Whenever we were in some meetings or seminars presenting proposals, our proposals were welcomed by all human rights parties in Morocco, and this is a beautiful thing. We put weight in our code to support women in Morocco and support modernist thought in Morocco, and this is what made our memorandum distinctive.”

The Christian leader also highlighted the media coverage their efforts received, with the Moroccan press acknowledging and valuing their contributions. However, he stressed that the struggle for a more inclusive family code is far from over.

“The struggle is still ongoing, the struggle is still in its beginning. The code, we still aspire to make changes in it, we hope that there will be many changes. This is the first step in this change,” Rabati said.

“We hope in the future to have a civil code that includes all Moroccans of different religious components. As you know, there are Christians, Baha’is, Ibadis, non-believers, and Moroccan Shiites, while the majority of Moroccans are Sunni. Why not have a code that unites us all under a civic framework to completely solve our problems?”

Rabati emphasized that Morocco’s Christian community does not seek a separate legal status akin to that of the country’s Jewish minority. “We believe in national integration. We do not want to be like the Jews (meaning having our own special code). On the contrary, I prefer to have a civil marriage, but this will motivate me more because I will have a church wedding.”

The pastor shared his personal experience of being one of the first Moroccans to advocate for and participate in a church wedding ceremony. “I am one of those who have had a church wedding here in Morocco. I was one of the first to demand it in the Moroccan Human Rights Association, and I still attract a number of Moroccans, those for whom I have performed a church wedding,” Rabati said.

“We provide them with spiritual preparation according to the requirements of the Bible and give them a church contract, but we encourage them to make an Islamic contract because it is necessary to obtain a civil status and papers for the children. So, we are forced to make an Islamic contract,” he explained, highlighting the legal challenges faced by Christian couples in Morocco.

Rabati reiterated the community’s call for a civil code that would allow them to have a civil wedding followed by a church ceremony. They also seek official recognition to perform baptisms and provide non-extremist Christian education in line with Moroccan culture and traditions.

Growing Christian population and challenges

Rabati shed light on the growth of Christianity in Morocco, stating that the number of Moroccan Christians is increasing every day, with new converts joining the faith in cities and villages across the country.

“There is not a single city in Morocco that does not have a presence of Moroccan Christians, even in the villages,” he said. “And this is something I assure you of because, in the Union of Moroccan Christians, we have a number of house churches in a number of regions in Morocco.”

However, the pastor noted that Moroccan Christians must still practice their faith with caution due to the largely conservative Muslim society. “As you know, there is an Islamic current that rejects Christianity in Morocco, and this poses an obstacle for us, so we must be cautious,” he explained.

Rabati highlighted the legal restrictions that continue to limit the religious freedom of Christians in Morocco, including Article 220 of the penal code, which prohibits “shaking the faith of a Muslim,” and Article 222, which bans public eating during Ramadan. “All these restrictions still limit us as Moroccan Christians,” he said, adding that the government deports any foreigners caught distributing Bibles or proselytizing.

A turbulent history and a turning point

Moroccan Christians have faced numerous challenges over the decades, from the early days of independence and the struggle for religious freedom to the repressive “Years of Lead” in the 1970s-90s.

In 2010, authorities cracked down on the Christian community, raiding house churches and making arrests. In 2013, the Supreme Ulema Council, in response to a government inquiry, issued a fatwa declaring that apostasy is punishable by death in Morocco. This ruling remained in effect until 2017, when King Mohammed VI intervened.

However, the situation for Moroccan Christians took a dramatic turn for the better following Pope Francis’ visit to Morocco in 2019 and his meeting with King Mohammed VI. “After that, there was a very big transformation for us as Christians in Morocco. The restrictions we used to live under no longer remained,” Rabati said.

Moroccan Christians are now able to gather in house churches, hold conferences in many Moroccan cities, and speak out publicly. The community met with the National Human Rights Council to discuss their key demands, including a cemetery for burying Christians, Christian marriage, the right to give their children Christian names, and Christian education for their children in schools.

“We recently lived through an excellent period in which we express our positions as Christians in Morocco, our patriotism, and many things,” Rabati noted.

Patriotism and devotion to the monarchy

Throughout the interview, Rabati emphasized the Moroccan Christian community’s patriotism and devotion to the monarchy. “We adhere to the monarchy and adhere to the homeland and territorial integrity. These are our positions that we express on all occasions,” he said.

The pastor reflected on the historic significance of King Mohammed VI’s recent use of the phrase “Moroccan Christians” at a conference in Marrakech, describing the unprecedented royal move as “very beautiful.” Rabati also highlighted Morocco’s burgeoning Christian community’s commitment to promoting a non-extremist Christian education that aligns with Moroccan culture and traditions and “Tamghrabit”.

“We are Moroccans who want to be interwoven with all our brothers and sisters. We want to spread the culture of diversity and build a platform of coexistence in Morocco,” he said, noting this requires long-term work and education to nurture a generation that accepts differences. “This work is very long and requires a high cost, because we are against any ideology that rejects us and does not want to deal with us.”