Friday, June 4, 2010

I Live In A Partly Free Country

According to Freedom House, Morocco is a "Partly Free" country. It joins a handful of countries such as Lebanon, Kuwait, and Yemen (!?) as the only Arab countries not classified as "Not Free".

The report covers a large number of topics. Here is the paragraph on religious liberty:
Nearly all Moroccans are Muslims, but the small Jewish community is permitted to practice its faith without government interference. However, Moroccan authorities are growing increasingly intolerant of social and religious diversity as reflected in arrest campaigns against Shiites and Muslim converts to Christianity. Authorities have also detained several members of the Moroccan Alternative Movement for Individual Freedoms for planning a public “picnic” during the month of Ramadan to protest against the law that forbids eating during fasting hours. While university campuses generally provide a space for open discussion, professors practice self-censorship when dealing with sensitive topics like Western Sahara, the monarchy, and Islam.

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