en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en ru en en en en en en en fr es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en fr en en en en en nl en en en en en en en en en en en en en de en sv en en de en en en en en de en en it en en en en en en en en en en en en
The North African country's penal code punishes those who break the fast without a valid reason with a maximum of six months in prison
By Rémy Pigaglio | Morocco
A group of young Muslims were arrested and briefly detained in Morocco this week for refusing to observe the obligatory dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast.
Moroccan media posted images online that showed a group of young men and women being escorted by police from a café on one of the main streets in Casablanca, Morocco's economic capital.
The youths were then shown being loaded into a police van.
Media outlets said they were accused of breaking the Ramadan fast in the middle of the day. The month-long observance of prayer and fasting does not end until Sunday evening.
Article 222 of the penal code
The police operation took place on Wednesday afternoon and soon it was being reported on online and social media.
All those arrested were reportedly released later in the evening, according to Collective 490, a Moroccan women's movement that defends individual freedoms.
"They have not yet been notified of any charges. But from what they understand, they will be summoned later," said Narjis Benazzou, the movement's president.
Islam is the state religion in Morocco.
Article 222 of the country's penal code punishes with a maximum of six months of imprisonment anyone "who, known for belonging to the Muslim religion, ostensibly breaks the fast in a public place during the time of Ramadan, without motive permitted by this religion".
While this provision of the penal code is sometimes attributed to French colonization, the jurist Michèle Zirari, quoted in 2019 on the website of the Moroccan monthly Zamane, dates its adoption to shortly after the independence of Morocco in 1956.
Almost every year during the holy month of Ramadan, the public debate on whether to retain or repeal this criminal provision is ignited following arrests or actions of individual freedom activists.
"On Wednesday morning, I was just thinking that it was surprising that no major arrests have yet been made during this month of Ramadan," said Betty Lachgar, co-founder of MALI, the Alternative Movement for Individual Liberties in Morocco.
"To my knowledge, only one Saudi had been arrested so far, in Mohammedia," she said.
Morocco's Constitution does not recognize freedom of conscience, only freedom of worship.
"I noticed during the month of Ramadan that many cafés continued to serve people in the middle of the day. Maybe the authorities thought they had to make an important arrest to put an end to the complacency?" Lachgar mused.
The five pillars of Islam
The Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, which calls on the faithful not to drink, eat or have sexual relations from dawn until sunset.
Travelers, sick people and menstruating women are exempt from fasting.
"According to the testimonies of several of those arrested, policewomen examined the girls to determine whether or not they were menstruating," said Benazzou of Collective 490.
"Women are generally spared such arrests under section 222. And to our knowledge, there have been no body searches. This would be tantamount to gender-based violence," said MALI's Lachgar.
La Croix was unable to confirm the course of the operation with the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, which did not respond to requests for an interview.
Get the latest from La Croix International. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter.
You may also like
Sexual abuse: breaking the culture of silence
Nuns to take over Trappist abbey where Charles de Foucauld was novice
Saint Paul: the first to evangelize at the peripheries
Witnesses of the resurrection
A unique opportunity for more communio
SUPPORT LA CROIX INTERNATIONAL’S COMMUNITY OF READERS
Support La Croix International's unique blend of international Catholic journalism by making it available to people in Asia and Africa who can't afford a subscription and often don't have credit cards to pay for it either.
Vatican "foreign minister" calls for a world without nuclear weapons
Indian Christians cower under anti-religious conversion laws
Catholic bishops in Peru address refugee issue
Water-borne diseases add to Pakistan’s flood woes
"Vote according to your conscience", bishops tell Brazilians
Why Pope Francis did not attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
Celebrating gay relationships in church is actually quite Catholic
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Elizabeth II, the “last Christian monarch”, has died
A challenge for Europe
Shaking up the economy
Peace, our common good
For 70 years she “was” the United Kingdom
Cooperation rather than competition
The elderly pope's patience is put to the test
Francis continues his push for a humbler, more open Church
The pope and the praying menace
What was the August meeting of cardinals really about?
Is Christian hospitality enough?
"What fraternity does assisted suicide build?"
Live, learn, forget, repeat
When timing is paramount
The pandemic, Christian faith and the perils of kids living in the digital world
"It’s been powerful to watch people enunciate a theology of care for creation"
Laudato si’ guides Indian archdiocese to help fisherfolk
Brazilian bishops stand up for the Yanomami people
The Gaia Man, James Lovelock
Pope calls for a new relationship with God, others and Creation
| Catholic Digest | UCAN | Living in faith | La Croix Africa | La Croix español
About Us | Contact Us| Newsletter Sign-up| Donate| Terms and Conditions| FAQ| La Croix| Confidentiality Policy| Sitemap