Morocco: weekly banned for joking about Islam
Posted by Jean Yves Chainon on December 21, 2006 at 5:20 PM
The Moroccan government took serious action by banning the weekly Nichane, due to “offense against Islam.” A highly unusual procedure in an Islamic State that’s usually on the moderate side of religious governments.
Nichane had published a story on Dec. 9th called ‘How religion, sex and politics make Moroccans laugh’. The featured jokes involved Mohammed, King Hassan II, as well as Moroccans in quest of good sex.
The State filed a legal suit against Driss Ksikès, Nichane’s editor-in-chief, and journalist Sanaa Al Aji, for “offense against the Islamic religion” and “publication and distribution of written material opposed to moral values.”
Ksikès claimed the jokes were traditional Moroccan street jokes, and thus the suit was one of the “State against society.”
The magazine was launched in Sep. 2006 and sold about 14 000 copies a week.
While the unilateral ban of the magazine is unusual, several other newspapers were fined and tried this year for similar offenses.
In a communiqué, Nichane’s staff offered apologies to those who were offended, but insisted that it wasn’t their intent, as they are Muslims too.
From the local point of view in Morocco, it seems Nichane’s offense is accepted as such, with little criticism of the government’s decision.
Source: AFP through Yahoo News
The State filed a legal suit against Driss Ksikès, Nichane’s editor-in-chief, and journalist Sanaa Al Aji, for “offense against the Islamic religion” and “publication and distribution of written material opposed to moral values.”
Ksikès claimed the jokes were traditional Moroccan street jokes, and thus the suit was one of the “State against society.”
The magazine was launched in Sep. 2006 and sold about 14 000 copies a week.
While the unilateral ban of the magazine is unusual, several other newspapers were fined and tried this year for similar offenses.
In a communiqué, Nichane’s staff offered apologies to those who were offended, but insisted that it wasn’t their intent, as they are Muslims too.
From the local point of view in Morocco, it seems Nichane’s offense is accepted as such, with little criticism of the government’s decision.
Source: AFP through Yahoo News
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