about morocco
official name: Kingdom of Morocco
capital: Rabat
head of state: King Mohamed VI
head of government: Prime Minister Driss Jettou (2002)
state: constitutional monarcy
population: 32,725,847
independence: from France in 1956
languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French
religion: Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)
media: NA
legal wise
status of homosexuality: illegal
age of consent: 15
laws covering homosexual activity: Homosexuality is criminalized under Section 489 of the Penal Code [of 26 November 1962] which provides a penalty of between 6 months and 3 years' imprisonment and additional fines from 120 to 1000 Dirhams for "lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex".
background information and government attitudes: Morocco has long been known for its liberal attitudes and was a holiday haven for European gays in the early 20th Century. However as a principally Muslim country and with fundamentalism on the rise this is no longer the case. In January 1997 the Washingon Blade reported that a 28-year-old Moroccan man was granted asylum by the United States, having fled violent beatings at the hands of his own father and the threat of imprisonment by the Moroccan government because he was gay.
communication
mainline telephones: 1,4 million
cellular telephones: 117, 000
internet country code: .ma
internet service providers: 8 (2000)
internet users: 400, 000 (2000)
links and contacts
Kelma: Paris based, French language site on/for Arab gays from Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. http://www.kelma.org
Gay Morocco: English language site with news wire and discussions on homosexuality. http://gaymorocco.tripod.com
Articles:
 peines de prison pour production de films pornographiques homosexuels au maroc
by Mask Admin 6/3/2006
Mars 6, 2006: Onze marocains et deux fran�ais accus�s d'appartenir � un r�seau de production de films pornographiques homosexuels ont �t� condamn�s � des peines allant de six mois � six ans de prison, a-t-on appris samedi 4 mars de source judiciaire � Marrakech.
rsf calls for immediate release of editor who has completed one-year jail term
by Mask Admin 3/11/2005
November 3, 2005: Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of Anas Tadili, editor of the weekly "Akhbar al-Ousboua�", who should have been let out of jail on 29 September 2005 after completing a one-year sentence for libelling a government minister.
ty-ing it all together: remembering saadia
by Mask Admin 26/10/2005
October 26, 2005: I first met Saadia a few months after I arrived in Morocco. One of the maids in my in-laws' house had left suddenly and they had gone to their farm outside of Casablanca to ask the caretakers there if anyone knew of a reliable girl who could fill in for a while. Someone knew someone who knew someone who had a strong, hard-working daughter who wasn't getting married anytime soon.
le maroc vainqueur
by Mask Admin 7/7/2005
Juillet 2005: Gr�ce au charme de son candidat Taoufik Abdennabi, le Maroc a �t� class� 2�me au concours " Mister Mediterraneo 2005 ". Une premi�re candidature et un premier sacre pour notre pays.
des homosexuels sont actuellement les victimes de l'arbitraire policier au maroc
by Mask Admin 2/7/2005
July, 2005: A Tetouan, au nord du Maroc, 43 personnes qui s'�taient r�unies pour f�ter un simple anniversaire, ont �t� d�nonc�es t�l�phoniquement par un anonyme.
 le maire de marrakech contre les homos by Mask Admin 2/6/2005
large campagne homophobe au maroc by Mask Admin 1/6/2005
moroccans jail briton for gay sex by Mask Admin 4/10/2004
prison for gay outing editor by Mask Admin 3/6/2004
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Title by Thando Nhlapho
