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Doha – Morocco’s Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, has once again ignited debate with his recent statements suggesting that working wives should pay alimony to their husbands if their income is higher.
During an appearance on the YouTube program broadcast by Morocco’s channel 2M on Monday evening, Ouahbi addressed questions about the Family Code and his stance on alimony after divorce.
“For a woman to be given all her rights, we must know what the man owns and doesn’t own, and what the woman owns and doesn’t own, because financial responsibility is shared,” he said.
The Minister clarified that “if the woman’s income exceeds the man’s income, she will be required to pay alimony because she contributes to the financial process.”
He indicated this issue is currently under discussion and there should be “a kind of balance and justice” in alimony matters.
But Ouahbi’s comments are not entirely unprecedented, as Morocco’s existing Family Code of 2004 already contains provisions related to alimony for spouses and relatives.
Article 194 states that “The wife’s alimony is incumbent on her husband as soon as the marriage is consummated, and also if she invites him to consummate the marriage after the contract has been concluded.”
Furthermore, Article 197 specifies that “Alimony for relatives is incumbent on children for their parents and on parents for their children in accordance with the provisions of this Moudawana.”
Article 198 then details the father’s responsibilities towards his children, which also apply to the mother as per Article 199 if the father is unable to provide.
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The latter specifies: “If the father is totally or partially unable to provide alimony for his children, and the mother is well-off, she must provide for them to the extent that the father is unable to.”
This is not the first time Ouahbi’s statements have sparked outrage. He recently drew ire for suggesting hotels should not require marriage certificates from guests, claiming there is no legal basis for it.
The Minister also caused an uproar with his comments on consensual relationships, denying the content of a prophetic hadith by stating that the devil does not exist when a man and woman are alone together.
These repeated controversial remarks have subjected Ouahbi to widespread criticism from the Moroccan public, with many expressing their discontent on social media.
The Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), Abdelilah Benkirane, also lashed out at Ouahbi, calling him the “Minister of Corruption” rather than Justice. Benkirane said it is “not reasonable for him to remain in the government of the Commander of the Faithful.”
The PJD previously expressed surprise that Ouahbi is still minister despite his long history of controversial and offensive statements that mock Morocco’s fundamentals and disregard Moroccans’ feelings.
The party noted that previous ministers who did not commit a tenth of what Ouahbi has done in terms of provocative statements, irresponsible positions and ill-considered decisions were dismissed.
