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The town of Kaariat Arekmane, in north-western Morocco near the Algerian border, is famous for its beautiful beach. Along the beach there is an abandoned house, in which two young men (16 and 19 years old) are making love. The mother of one of them, catch them in the midst of the act. The woman reports them to the authorities, who arrest them, and charge them with violation of the article 489 of the penal code: “Whoever commits an indecent act against nature with an individual of the same sex” should be fined and incarcerated for a period of 6 months to 3 years. Moreover, the activity took place during Ramadan, which just complicates the situation.

The incident was reported to the public via Facebook by the association Akaliyat (Minorities), which helps all minority groups in Morocco, including LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual). Last December the association Aswat (Voices), another human rights group, published the below video illustrating the two young men’s story.

https://youtu.be/U0KxoEt0Xco

Law and politics instigate homophobia

In the meantime, openly gay Muslim writer Abdellah Taïa declared to Le Monde: “By dictating that a homosexual citizen is a criminal, the Moroccan law is authorizing the other citizens to mistreat homosexuals. Lynching is the continuation of imposed silence: aggressions are encouraged by the lack of punishment toward the culprits. The social reaction is tied to power. It is important to change the law to change the mentality.” Then he adds: “People use religion to justify homophobia, however this kind of evil is political.”

The press confirmed how much politics influences anti-gay behavior through the testimony of an anonymous source regarding the arrest of Rif (the Moroccan northern region fighting for social justice and economic development) insurgency leader. It was reported – but not verified – that Nasser Zefzafi was transferred to a private cell, reserved to homosexuals, where men can even dress up as women [Bladi.net]. This, purposely vague account, speculates Zefzafi’s homosexuality in order to strike him with what is considered the utmost defamation.

 

Pier
©2017 Il Grande Colibrì

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