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 Morocco
Participants at a local Bahá’í conference held in Morocco, 2023.
Location of Morocco
National AssemblyMorocco
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[2] 37,076,584
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source 400[1] 
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 37,662
History:
Firsts
 -  Local Assembly 1954, Tangier 
 -  National Assembly c. 1967, as North West Africa 
Related media
Categories: Morocco • People

The Kingdom of Morocco is a North African nation. Its official and predominant religion is Islam and Arabic and Berber are its official languages, with Arabic and French being widely spoken.

The region has been inhabited since prehistory. Islam was brough to the region by Arabian dynasties shortly after the religion was established and became the predominant religion. European colonial interests in the area lead to France and Spain establishing the colonies of French and Spanish Morocco and in 1925 the Tangier International Zone was established which was under joint administration by France and Spain. In 1956 Morocco achieved independence, unifying the colonial protectorates and the International Zone, with the 'Alawi dynasty establishing a constitutional monarchy.

The Bahá’í Faith was first present in the International Zone in the early 1950s and a community was quickly firmly established. In the early 1960s several Bahá’ís were arrested and sentenced to death due to their religious beliefs however an international campaign secured their release. The community steadily developed until 1983 when the Bahá’í Faith was banned from holding meetings, but conditions have relaxed in recent years allowing for the Bahá’í community to be active.

History[edit]

Establishment of the Community[edit]

In 1947 Ecuadorean Bahá’í Marie Claudet planned to move to French Morocco where her parents lived however it is unclear what the result was.[3]

The Local Spiritual Assembly of Tangier, 1955.

In 1953 Shoghi Effendi launched the Ten Year Crusade, an expansive international teaching plan, which included the goal of establishing a Bahá’í community specifically in the Tangier International Zone of Morocco. Several Bahá’ís moved to the zone after the goal was announced with the first to arrive being Manúchihr Hizárí and his nephew Hurmuz Zindih who pioneered from Iran and arrived in Tangier in September, 1953. They were forced to leave immediately as the French authorities objected to their visas which had been approved by the Spanish authorities.[4]

In October, 1953, American Bahá’í Elsie Austin and Persian Bahá’í Muhammad ‘Alí Jalálí arrived in Tangier,[5] however neither knew of the others location until November when 'Alí Akbar Rafí'í Rafsanjání, his wife Sháyistih, his son ‘Abbás Rafí‘í, his daughter Nusrat Ardikání and son-in-law Husayn Ardikání arrived in Tangier. Jalálí was able to establish contact with Austin, but they were unable to communicate until ‘Abbás and Husayn were able to meet with them both, since they were fluent in Persian and English and could translate.[6] Also in November, 1954, Hizárí and Zindih were able to return to Tangier having secured permission to live in the area.[7]

In late 1953 Alyce Janssen, Luella McKay, and Earleta and John Fleming pioneered to Ceuta, then part of Spanish Morocco but now an autonomous city under the jurisdiction of Spain,[8][9] and in October 1953 Bahía and Fawzí Zaynu'l-`Ábidín pioneered to Tetuan in Spanish Morocco opening the region to the Faith.[10]

First Moroccan Summer School in Rabat, 1957.

As of the beginning of 1954 two residents of Tangier had declared and American Bahá’ís Richard and Mary Suhm arrived allowing for the Local Spiritual Assembly of Tangier to be established at Ridvan as the first in Morocco. Around this time Hizárí's wife, child, and parents also moved to Tangier further increasing the size of the community.[11] With the Tangier community well established the Ardikání’s pioneered to Casablanca and were soon joined by American pioneers Evelyn and Richard Walters leading to the establishment of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Casablanca in late 1954, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Tetuan was formed in 1955,[12] and 'Alí and Sháyistih Rafí‘í pioneered to Larache successfully forming an Assembly there in 1956.[13] In addition to the local Bahá'í administrative development regionally the National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa was established in 1956 which Husayn Ardikání of Morocco was elected to.[14]

As of 1957 an Assembly had been formed in Tetuan,[15] and the first Bahá’í Summer School of Morocco was held in Rabat.[16] An additional Local Spiritual Assembly forming in Meknes 1959.[17] The first Moroccan Local Assembly made up entirely of local Bahá'í’s and no pioneers was established in Zaouiat Cheikh in 1960.[18]

Persecution[edit]

The rapid growth of the Bahá'í Faith in Morocco resulted in some opposition to the community by members of the Islamic and Christian clergies in the country, and on April 12, 1962, four Bahá'ís were arrested in Nador. Four Bahá'ís from Tetuan traveled to Nador after hearing of the arrests and were also arrested and an additional six Bahá'ís were arrested shortly afterwards. The National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa informed the Custodians in the Holy Land who decided that it would be best for the Bahá'ís to seek legal defense locally and to avoid international intervention.[19] The Bahá'í community of Morocco established a legal committee to defend the Bahá'ís however they were unable to secure their release or an early hearing. In August, 1962, an Egyptian Bahá'í lawyer arrived in the country to assist the defense team, however the authorities did not respond to any applications submitted, however the lawyer was able to meet with the imprisoned Bahá'ís.[20]

In August, 1962, the imprisonment of the Bahá'ís began to be reported in the press and the Custodians requested that the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States contact the Moroccan diplomatic mission in Washington and at the United Nations to communicate the non-political nature of the Bahá'í Faith. On October 31, 1962, the Bahá'ís were formally charged with rebellion and disorder, attacking public security, being an illegal association of criminals, and attacking religious faith. The extended imprisonment resulted in a favorable attitude towards the accused by the general public of Morocco however the Islamic clergy pressured local lawyers to refuse to represent them.[20] Due to the lack of communication from Moroccan authorities with the legal defense the Custodians advised more National Spiritual Assemblies to contact Moroccan diplomatic officials and also informed other organizations, including the International League for the Rights of Man, of the situation.[21]

Moroccan Bahá'ís being released from prison, December 13, 1963.

On December 10, 1962, the case of the Bahá'ís was heard in court however rather than being tried on what they had been charged with they were instead accused by the judge of not conforming with Islam and began to be questioned on theological grounds prompting their legal defense to withdraw from the court in protest. As a result of the accused three of the Bahá'ís were given the death penalty, five were sentenced to life imprisonment, and one was sentenced to fifteen years. The sentencing sparked condemnation from the Moroccan media and the Bahá'í community established an office in New York devoted to securing the prisoners release and the Custodians authorized all National Spiritual Assemblies launching publicity campaigns to raise awareness of the situation.[21]

On January 1, 1963, the Custodians requested that all Local and National Assemblies cable the Sultan of Morocco to appeal for justice,[22] and a U.S. Senator spoke about the case on February 18.[23] In March the Sultan of Morocco visited the United States and during a television interview he was questioned about the case and stated that he did not believe the Faith was religion and that it was against good order and morals, however on April 2 he stated that he would grant a royal pardon if the Moroccan court upheld the death sentences.[24]

When the Universal House of Justice was established in April, 1963, it assumed full responsibility for resolving the Moroccan crisis,[25] and at the First Bahá’í World Congress held in London in late April Aziz Navidi read a message from the imprisoned Moroccan Bahá'ís to the attendees and the young son of one of those sentenced to death read a prayer.[26] Hand of the Cause John Robarts visited Morocco and was able to meet with the prisoners while returning to Zimbabwe from the Congress.[27] When the case was tried in the Moroccan Supreme Court in November the decision was overturned with the Bahá’ís being released in December.[28][29]

Community Development[edit]

In 1963 the Regional Teaching Committee for Morocco was established and 1964 it organized a Bahá'í Summer School of Morocco in Meknes with Muhammad Kebdani, who had been acquitted of the death penalty the previous year, serving as the schools director. Approximately twenty participants attended.[30]

In 1965 Hand of the Cause Ṭaráẓu’lláh Samandarí spent three months traveling across Morocco to stimulate the community,[31] and that year Morocco hosted the Regional Bahá'í Convention for North West Africa in Rabat at which the North West Africa National Assembly was elected.[32] The 1965 Meknes Summer School was attended by around one hundred people with a greater number of women than the previous year,[33] and at the 1966 Meknes Summer School a study session was held specifically for youth to study a message from the Universal House of Justice to Bahá'í youth.[34]

In 1967 the seat of the National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa was moved to Rabat from Tunis, Tunisia, when an independent National Spiritual Assembly for Algeria and Tunisia was formed and the name of the body was eventually changed to the National Spiritual Assembly of Morocco.[35][36] Later in the year the Hands of the Cause William Sears and Shu‘á‘u’lláh ‘Alá’í consulted with the National Assembly in Casablanca over a one week period.[37]

Allal Rouhani, a Moroccan Bahá'í, was arrested and sentenced to three years in early 1968,[38] but the community was able to hold a National Convention in Rabat in April without incident.[39] In 1970 the community had to cancel the National Convention instead conducting the election of the National Spiritual Assembly via mail.[40] In 1971 Bahá'í ‘Abbas Ihsan Baghdadi of Iraq was invited to serve on the faculty of the University of Rabat by the Moroccan government but was encouraged to remain at his post in Iraq by the Universal House of Justice.[41] Allal Rouhani was released in 1972 and the National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa hosted a celebration which was attended by Local Spiritual Assembly representatives and a representative of the Universal House of Justice.[42]

Further Persecution[edit]

In April 1983 the Government of Morocco prohibited Bahá'ís from holding meetings and the National Spiritual Assembly disbanded. In December several Bahá'ís were arrested in Mohammadieh and Casablanca and sentenced to two years imprisonment, but released after a short time with the verdict being appealed. In June 1984 another Bahá'í was arrested in Tetuan and sentenced to three years with an appeal to the Supreme Court being unsuccessful.[43]

Throughout the 1980’s the Bahá'í International Community met with ambassadors of Morocco in efforts to seek an alleviation of the circumstances in the country,[44] which were largely unsuccessful with Bahá'í’s being denied passports in the country during the 1990’s.[45]

Recent Years[edit]

Restrictions on the Bahá'í Faith in Morocco have relaxed over time and in 2012 the Bahá'í Faith was able to send a representative to the International Symposium on Religion, Spirituality, and Education for Human Flourishing held in Marrakech.[46]

In 2022 local Bahá'í conferences were able to be held in Morocco as part of a wave of Bahá'í conferences held globally,[47] and as of 2023 the National Spiritual Assembly of Morocco had been re-established with its delegates attending the Thirteenth International Convention.[48]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ U.S. State Department (October 26, 2009). "2009 Report on International Religious Freedom - Morocco". The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affair. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  2. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. ↑ Baha'i News (1947). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 198, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  4. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 15
  5. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, pp 17-18
  6. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 18
  7. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 15
  8. ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. p 38
  9. ↑ Angelina Diliberto Allen, John David Bosch: In the Vanguard of Heroes, Martyrs, and Saints, Baha'i Publishing Trust: Wilette, 2019, p 238
  10. ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. p 35
  11. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 16
  12. ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. p 35
  13. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 20
  14. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 20
  15. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 29
  16. ↑ Baha'i News (1958). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 323, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 20
  18. ↑ Baha'i News (1960). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 354, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ Baha'i News (1963). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 384, Pg(s) 1. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Baha'i News (1963). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 384, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Baha'i News (1963). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 384, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ Baha'i News (1963). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 384, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  23. ↑ Ruhiyyih Rabbani, (Ed.) ‘’The Ministry of the Custodians’’, Baha’i World Centre, ‘’’1992’’’, p 414-19
  24. ↑ Nathan Rutstein, ‘’From a Gnat to an Eagle’’, US Baha’i Publishing Trust, ‘’’2008’’’, p 119
  25. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 86. View as PDF.
  26. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 70. View as PDF.
  27. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 806. View as PDF.
  28. ↑ Baha'i News (1964). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 398, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  29. ↑ Baha'i News (1964). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 397, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  30. ↑ Baha'i News (1964). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 405, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  31. ↑ Baha'i News (1965). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 411, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  32. ↑ Baha'i News (1965). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 413, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  33. ↑ Baha'i News (1965). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 416, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  34. ↑ Baha'i News (1966). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 429, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  35. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 188. View as PDF.
  36. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 58. View as PDF.
  37. ↑ Baha'i News (1967). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 439, Pg(s) 5. View as PDF.
  38. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 86. View as PDF.
  39. ↑ Baha'i News (August 1968). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 449, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
  40. ↑ Baha'i News (1970). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 475, Pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  41. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 544. View as PDF.
  42. ↑ Baha'i News (1972). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 494, Pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
  43. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 49. View as PDF.
  44. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 40. View as PDF.
  45. ↑ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (1994-04-03). "Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination : Morocco". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 2007-03-03. see paragraphs 215 and 220.
  46. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/894/
  47. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/1587/slideshow/33/
  48. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/1657/slideshow/82/
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