Resisting Sharia in Morocco

Morocco is one of the most liberalized Muslim countries in the world. Despite its many Islam-related problems — and despite the fact that it exports a wealth of radicals to places like the Netherlands and Belgium — Morocco still has a vibrant secular culture.

However, Moroccans have not entirely escaped the pressures of the “Arab Spring”. After the most recent elections, a semi-Salafist government took office. The institution of the monarchy helps keep further deterioration in check, but how long the dam will hold is anybody’s guess.

The Moroccan television commentator in the video below is an example of that rare species, the truly “moderate” Muslim. He is speaking out against a recent fatwa by a Salafist sheikh recommending the death penalty for apostates. The commentator calls him out on his selective application of sharia law, and demands that he be honest and advocate for all Koran-based punishments — or none.

I don’t hold out much hope for this fellow’s chances in the long term. In ten years he’ll probably be dead or living in exile in the West. However, for the moment, he provides a refreshing alternative to the usual drumbeat of Salafism heard on Islamic TV channels all over the world.

Many thanks to Russkiy for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Transcript:

00:00   The response to the fatwa regarding killing of apostates issued by the union of ulema in Morocco
00:05   The union of ulema in Morocco have generated
00:10   a lot of noise by issuing a fatwa stipulating the killing of apostates
00:15   basing it on number of hadith such as ‘who changes his religion kill him’,
00:20   and there were supporters for this fatwa and those opposed to it.
00:25   Of course those who rushed to support the fatwa have been known for a long time to be
00:30   bloodthirsty, wanting to kill and spill blood. Even if outwardly they had showed repentance
00:35   for their previous bloodthirsty statements… Speaks in Moroccan
00:40   Sheikh Fizazi is one of them.
00:45   He stated, and I quote: ‘I have examined the fatwa, and I can’t deny that it had greatly
00:50   heartened and uplifted me because it is the greatest
00:55   and the most profound fatwa which was issued by the Moroccan union of ulema
01:00   in very clear and transparent manner’ end of quote
01:05   It appears that everything that in any way
01:10   relates to killing gladdens Sheikh Fizazi – because he is sick with hatred for non-Muslims.
01:15   We never heard Sheikh Fizazi having been ‘heartened’ for example by
01:20   new scientific discoveries or new medicines for diseases
01:25   that kill people every day or a novel or innovation in thought.
01:30   What ‘heartens’ him is the fatwa that orders killing of apostates.
01:35   What a detestable heart he has.
01:40   Sheikh Fizazi continues: ‘I agree completely with this fatwa,
01:45   which is based on correct and clear sharia evidence
01:50   this the fatwa that we have always espoused
01:55   in our discussions with secularists etc. And we have always been accused of instigating killing
02:00   and being against human rights.’ end of quote
02:05   Sheikh al Fizazi in reality is not the only one who salivated for this fatwa,
02:10   but also the sheikh Omar al Khadushi
02:15   who is a Salafi-Jihadi sheikh who had always admired the murderous terrorist Osama bin Laden
02:20   in his discussions circulating on the web. Omar al Khadushi
02:25   said that he supports this fatwa because all Muslims
02:30   agree upon it. I will mention here the cowardice of these sheikhs with respect to
02:35   The full adoption of Islam
02:40   because the union of ulema… Speaks in Moroccan
02:45   have issued a fatwa to kill apostates but will not be able to issue a fatwa
02:50   to kill a woman who committed fornication outside marriage for example
02:55   for one of the hadith that was used as bases for this fatwa states this:
03:00   ‘The blood of a Muslim cannot be shed except in three cases: 1. Life for life (in cases of intentional murders without right; 2. A married person
03:03   who commits illegal sexual intercourse; and 3. The one who turns renegade from Islam (apostate) and leaves the group of Muslims’
03:06   The married person committing illegal sexual intercourse is above the apostate in the order of priority.
03:10   They dropped of the list.
03:14   OK… if you want to move in this direction, issue a fatwa to kill sexual transgressors by stoning.
03:18   Everyone will pick up a stone and smash it against the transgressor.
03:21   Do it. Why implement the punishment of apostasy and leave out punishment for sexual misdemeanour?
03:25   Why doesn’t Sheikh Fizazi demand stoning for sexual misdemeanour? He is afraid of the society.
03:30   They only dare act against those whom they consider apostates.
03:35   and this is hypocrisy at its worst.
03:40   Doesn’t the Quran tell you: ‘So do you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? Then what is
03:45   the recompense for those who do that among you, accept disgrace in worldly life and on the Day of Resurrection they
03:50   will be sent back to the severest of punishments. And Allah is not unaware of what you do’ This is your Quran.
03:55   The punishment for theft is the cutting off of a hand, why didn’t the Union of Ulema
04:00   issue a fatwa in that regard? Why didn’t Sheikhs Khadushi and Fizazi demand
04:05   The implementation of punishment for theft or robbery?
04:10   Or punishment of lashing for those who commit infidelity with a non-Muslim woman?
04:15   Or punishment of lashing for wrong accusation of infidelity? Or else you are not following the Quran.
04:20   The man thief and the woman thief, cut off the hands of both as a punishment, for that they have erred.
04:25   Listen to this, Sheikh Fizazi: The whore and the whoremonger.
04:30   Scourge each of them with a hundred stripes, and do not let pity for them take hold of you
04:35   in God’s religion, if ye believe in God and the last day. And let a party of the believers witness their torment
04:40   Speaks in Moroccan about the fact there was no prisons in Islam.
04:45   The prison system was introduced by the French colonisation.
04:50   So if they want to start being serious about Islam let them abandon prison system
04:55   and just have capital punishments and limb amputations.
05:00  
05:15   You either take Islam as it is, or shut up.
05:20   You have taken hadith and ignored what’s in the Quran. There is no ‘killing of Apostates’ in the Quran
05:25   You forgot amputation of limbs for stealing, which is in the Quran.
05:30   You forgot about flogging punishment which is clear in the Quran
05:35   but decide to implement ‘killing of Apostates’ even though there is no quranic aya imposing it.
05:40  
05:45   I will provide another example. The issue is very known. The punishment for those who don’t pray
05:50   or leave prayer early. The person who doesn’t pray or leaves prayer early is considered an apostate
05:55   and therefore should be killed. This is especially the case according to Mazhab al Maliki here in Morocco.
06:00   What is the proof of this? Sheikh Fizazi relied on correct hadith and I in turn will rely on a correct hadith
06:05   on the issue of killing those who leave prayer.
06:10   ‘The covenant which is between us is the prayer and those who leave are to be killed.
06:15   And therefore all those who left prayer disbelieved.’
06:20   According to Mazhab al Maliki, if one tries to leave early, not completing the prayer, he is told
06:25   to complete the prayer; if he refrains, he is killed.
06:30   I dare the union of ulema to issue a fatwa to kill those stop prayer early.
06:35   I dare Sheikh Fizazi to say that those who leave prayer early are to be killed in accordance with sharia.
06:40   I dare Sheikh Khadushi to demand the authorities to implement this punishment.
06:45   They cannot because they know very well that there is a huge component of Moroccan society
06:50   That will rebel against them.
06:55   They know that sharia punishment for stealing will not be accepted by Moroccans.
07:00   They know that stoning of those who committed adultery in the middle of Casablanca Square will be barbaric,
07:05   and will not be accepted by Moroccans. That’s why they don’t dare to demand implementation of all Sharia punishments.
07:10   As prescribed by the Quran and as was implemented in the early Islamic period.
07:15   All that they do is take a single hadith about apostates and
07:20   ignore the rest. Be brave and demand
07:25   All sharia punishments. Otherwise leave them all.
07:30   As for the union of ulema I would say the following to them:
07:35   Instead of issuing a fatwa for killing apostates, why don’t you issue a fatwa to eliminate illiteracy ?
07:40   Encourage people to learn and stop being ignorant ,
07:45   encourage people to do good deeds. To help one another regardless of views, colour or gender.
07:50   Encourage people to donate to build schools and purchase necessary equipment.
07:55   Building roads and supplying essential services for people living in rural areas,
08:00   to supply electricity, call to provide medical services to the poor.
08:05  
08:10   Religious freedom is the mother of all freedoms, and no nation advanced if the foundations
08:15   of that nation was against that freedom…. Peace be upon you.
 

4 thoughts on “Resisting Sharia in Morocco

  1. I should have provided more commentary to start with. This is Brother Rashid. He is a former Muslim, now a christian Evangelist dedicated to converting Arab Muslims to Christianity.

    There was a previous video which I translated about German Convert. I believe I provided a brief intro for Brother Rashid there.

  2. I expect better things from Morocco than from the cold, dark heart of the hottest, most Hellish center of this psycho-cult. And I can still hope.
    Round up the usual suspects.

  3. While I completely agree with this man; if you want to start killing apostates how about you start with chopping off hands and feet and stoning, I have to wish him a lot of good luck because his opinion will be as popular as a turd in a punchbowl… Interesting that he pointed out that the penal system didn’t come into effect until French colonization. I didn’t know that.

    Thanks Russkiy for the background info because I thought his message was a bit too Christian about helping the poor, etc. That struck me. I guess I now know why.

  4. Look for a car bomb to end this career rather abruptly.

    Psychotic religious fanatics don’t like to be challenged.

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