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Rabat – Khalid Hajjoubi, the President of the Marinids District Council in Fez, has ignited widespread dissatisfaction among residents and the community after reports emerged of his decision to rename “Youssef ben Tachfine” street after his father.
The local branch of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) has strongly condemned the move, saying it not only violates the law but also “falsifies history and undermines the symbols of the nation by replacing them with unknown names that have no significance.”
The local PJD branch called on administrative authorities to urgently intervene to halt what they described as a “farce that represents a dangerous precedent in undermining the historical and cultural symbolism of Fez.”
They stressed that the District Council should focus on serving the public interest rather than personal or partisan agendas.
Amid the uproar, converging reports quoted sources within the Fez Municipal Council as saying that the renaming proposal did not originate from them but from the Regional Delegation of Resistance and Liberation Army Members in Fez.
The sources noted that the new name, Ahmed Hajjoubi Al-Yaacoubi, the father of District President Khalid Hajjoubi, is not widely recognized but is registered with the High Commission of Resistance Members as a freedom fighter.
Critics of the move argued that replacing the name of Youssef ben Tachfine, founder of the Almoravid dynasty which significantly shaped Moroccan history, with that of an unknown figure constitutes an attack on national symbols and cultural heritage.
Additional reports indicated that Khalid Hajjoubi didn’t attend the council session during which the renaming was approved by an overwhelming majority, suggesting an attempt to deflect attention.
Some speculate that Khadija Hajjoubi, a parliamentarian from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) and the district president’s sister, may have influenced the proposal.
In response to the controversy, the Amazigh organization Akraw criticized the renaming as provocative and unacceptable, asserting it does not reflect PAM’s principles or values.
They emphasized that the act was a personal decision, not representative of the party, which they argued is dedicated to preserving Moroccan identity and heritage.
Akraw urged the implicated parliamentarian to correct the mistake and issue a formal apology to the Moroccan public.
Also known as Yusuf ibn Tashfin, Youssef ben Tachfine, was a significant historical figure and the founder of the Almoravid dynasty in North Africa and Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain and Portugal).
He was born around 1009 and died in 1106. As an Amazigh from the Sahara, he played a crucial role in the expansion of the Almoravid state and the spread of Islam in the Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula.
