What are the Moroccan taboos, red lines and blunders to avoid if you want to interact with Moroccans without hurting their feelings or getting into trouble?
Moroccan taboos
At the time of Hassan II, Morocco was a police state, with no freedom of expression. It was difficult – impossible – to speak freely with Moroccans on any subject relating to politics or religion.
There was no criticism of the king, his ministers, his policies or his civil servants. It was commonly said that there were two policemen behind every Moroccan. Since the advent of Mohamed VI, the situation has become much freer, and the press has multiplied.
However, there are still two taboos, two red lines that all Moroccans know must not be crossed: the royal family and religion.
All the major trials, censorship of newspapers and even imprisonment for expressing an opinion revolve around these two issues. And no Moroccan will follow you into the realm of criticism of the king or religion, unless they know you very well, and are in a circle of intimates.
But you can always talk about the politics surrounding the King, for example….
Sensitive subjects
These are not taboo subjects, we can talk about them, we even talk about them a lot, between Moroccans, or between Moroccans and tourists. But these are subjects where it’s easy not to understand each other, unless you have a good knowledge of the other’s culture, subjects where everyone often has a lot of prejudices.
Here are a few examples: the status of women in Islam, this part of the Sahara which was once Spanish, democracy… To be approached with humility and an open mind.
Modesty
Everything to do with relations between men and women is charged with a great deal of modesty in Morocco, at least as long as both sexes are present (I’m not familiar with conversations between men, but I can assure you that those between women are crude and straightforward).
Outside the privacy of your bedroom, you should avoid any kissing, any touching, any allusion that is too direct, especially in the presence of your elders. Many things are done without being said in Morocco, and although the new generation is more open than their elders, they often keep silent out of respect.
Legal prohibitions
In terms of individual behaviour, it is forbidden to:
- dressing indecently
- disrespecting Islam, the Koran or the Prophet,
- proselytising for any religion other than Islam,
- getting drunk in public,
- living together without being married,
- homosexual relations,
- prostitution or the use of prostitutes
- buying, using or dealing drugs
and these prohibitions are often much more severely punished than in Europe. Today there is a tendency not to exonerate tourists from their responsibilities, to prove to Moroccans that there are no double standards.
Other prohibitions, on the other hand, are – unfortunately – superbly ignored, such as the law banning smoking in public places, which is only respected in a few places, such as Marrakesh airport.
Prohibition of sexual relations between unmarried couples: Moroccan law
Article 490 of the Criminal Code:
Any person of a different sex who, not being bound by marriage, has sexual intercourse with another person shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of one month to one year.
Article 503 :
Anyone who tolerates the habitual and clandestine practice of debauchery by persons engaged in prostitution in premises or locations not used by the public, which they have at their disposal in any capacity whatsoever, shall be punished by imprisonment of between one month and two years and a fine of between twenty thousand and two hundred thousand dirhams, unless the act does not constitute a more serious offence.
Change within continuity
While modesty is less of a necessity in the big cities, while cohabitation between unmarried couples is no longer really a problem (at least not as long as no one complains), while personal use of cannabis is widespread, in reality little has changed.
The red lines are still the same.
You can still get into serious trouble if you try to take pot or a cannabis stick with you when you leave Morocco, etc.
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