Morocco’s Christian converts emerge from the shadows

Rachid (L) and Mustapha (2nd-L), Christian converts who did not wish to give their full name, leads prayers at a house in Ait Melloul near Agadir on April 22, 2017. (AFP)
Updated 30 April 2017
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Morocco’s Christian converts emerge from the shadows

MOROCCO: Moroccans who secretly converted to Christianity are demanding the right to practice their faith openly in a country where Islam is the state religion and “apostasy” is condemned.
At an apartment in a working-class part of the southern town of Agadir, Mustapha listened to hymns emanating from a hi-fi under a silver crucifix hung on the wall.
The 46-year-old civil servant, son of an expert on Islamic law from nearby Taroudant, was once an active member of the banned but tolerated Islamist Charity and Justice movement.
He said he converted in 1994 to “fill a spiritual void.”
“I was tired of the contradictions in Islam,” said Mustapha.
“I became interested in Christianity through a long correspondence with a religious center in Spain in the late 1980s.”
He went on to qualify as a Protestant pastor and received a certificate from the United States after taking a correspondence course.
Mustapha kept his faith secret for two decades, but a year and a half ago he published a video online in which he spoke openly about his conversion. The reaction was immediate.
“Family and close friends turned their backs on me, I was shunned at work. My children were bullied at school,” he said.
Converts to Christianity form a tiny minority of Moroccans. While no official statistics exist, the American State Department estimates their numbers at between 2,000 and 6,000.
Over the Easter weekend, Mustapha and a dozen fellow converts met for an “afternoon of prayers” in the living room of Rachid, who like Mustapha did not wish to give his full name.
Rachid, who hails from a family of Sufis — a mystical trend of Islam — embraced Christianity in 2004 and eventually became a Protestant pastor.
A father of two, Rachid said he became interested in Christianity when he was a teenager after listening to a program broadcast by a Paris-based radio station.
He researched Christianity at a cyber-cafe, contacted a specialized website and they sent him a copy of the Bible.
“I read the entire thing, studied the word of God, took courses,” he said. “At the age of 24, I was baptised in a Casablanca apartment.”
In April, Mustapha, Rachid and other Moroccan converts submitted a request to the official National Council of Human Rights (CNDH) calling for “an end to persecution” against them.
“We demand the right to give our children Christian names, to pray in churches, to be buried in Christian cemeteries and to marry according to our religion,” Mustapha said.
Islam is the state faith of Morocco but the country’s 2011 constitution, drafted after it was rocked by Arab Spring-inspired demonstrations, guarantees freedom of religion.
Foreign Christians and the country’s tiny Jewish community — of about 2,500 people — practice their faiths openly.
Moroccan authorities boast of promoting religious tolerance and a “moderate” form of Islam, and the country’s penal code does not explicitly prohibit apostasy — the act of rejecting Islam or any of its main tenets.
But in Morocco proselytising is punishable by law and anyone found guilty of “attempting to undermine the faith of a Muslim or convert him to another religion” can be jailed for up to three years.
“The subject is ultra-sensitive because it relates to the history of colonization and to the idea that Christianity constitutes a danger to the unity of Morocco,” a sociologist of religion told AFP.
But Rachid said the lines are shifting.
“The arrests have almost stopped, which is a big step,” he said. “Harassment has become scarce.”
Rachid, who says “I am Moroccan before being Christian, practices his faith openly and lives a normal life in a working-class district of Agadir alongside his Muslim neighbors.
Most Moroccans who have converted to Christianity live in Agadir and the central city of Marrakesh, and the majority have said they are Protestants.
With the exception of local Jews, Moroccans are automatically considered Muslims and King Mohamed VI holds the official title of Commander of the Faithful.
Mustapha said the 2011 constitution and actions by the king “in favor of tolerance and coexistence” have helped bolster human rights in Morocco.
But “the penal code, political parties and society have not followed suit,” he said.


Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli airstrike on Gaza hospital

Palestinians stand near damaged vehicle as they inspect the damage after two Israeli missiles hit Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital
Updated 54 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli airstrike on Gaza hospital

  • Kingdom categorically rejected Sunday’s attack on the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital and said it constituted a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned Israel after two Israeli missiles hit a major Gaza hospital on Sunday, knocking out the emergency department.

The Kingdom categorically rejected Sunday’s attack on the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital and said it constituted a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Kingdom called on the international community to assume its responsibility to halt repeated violations against civilians, warning of the collapse of Gaza’s health system as a result of continued Israeli violations of all international laws and norms.

Later on Sunday, the head of the World Health Organization said that a child died because of the air strike on the hospital.

“A child died due to disruption of care,” WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X. “The emergency room, laboratory, emergency room X-ray machines and the pharmacy were destroyed,” he added, quoting information from the director of the hospital.

“The hospital was forced to move 50 patients to other hospitals. 40 critical patients couldn’t be moved,” he said. “Hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law. Attacks on health care must stop.”

Al-Ahli Hospital is run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which condemned the attack, saying in a statement it occurred on “Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week, the most sacred week of the Christian year.”


Pakistan’s army chief discusses bilateral defense ties with visiting US Congressional delegation

Updated 37 min 52 sec ago
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Pakistan’s army chief discusses bilateral defense ties with visiting US Congressional delegation

  • ISPR says both sides emphasized the importance of sustained engagement ‘based on mutual respect’
  • They also signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize training cooperation in the field of IT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir on Sunday discussed regional security and defense cooperation with a visiting US Congressional delegation, with both sides signing a memorandum of understanding for training collaboration in the field of information technology.
The two countries share a long history of defense cooperation dating back to the Cold War, when Pakistan was a key US ally in the region. However, their relationship was subsequently marked by phases of cooperation as well as tension, including US sanctions on Pakistan at various points.
The two countries reaffirmed their partnership in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, when the US-led forces invaded Afghanistan, but diverging strategic interests led several American analysts to describe Pakistan as a “frenemy.”
According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two sides emphasized the importance of sustained engagement “based on mutual respect, shared values, and converging strategic interests” during the meeting.
“Discussions during the meeting encompassed a range of issues of mutual interest, with particular emphasis on regional security and defense cooperation,” the ISPR said.
“The visiting US lawmakers commended the Pakistan Armed Forces for their pivotal role in combating terrorism and acknowledged Pakistan’s enduring contributions to regional peace and stability,” it added.
The US delegation, led by Representative Jack Bergman along with Representatives Thomas Souzzi and Jonathan Jackson, conveyed its commitment to advancing broad-based cooperation with Pakistan, particularly in the fields of security, trade, investment and economic development, while underscoring respect for Pakistan’s sovereignty.
The army chief thanked its members for their visit and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to further deepen and diversify its longstanding partnership with the US in a way that serves both countries’ national interests.
During the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was also signed to formalize training cooperation in information technology.
Earlier in the day, the US delegation also met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and held discussions on counterterrorism cooperation and bilateral investment.
Pakistan and the US are expected to hold a counterterrorism dialogue in June.
The cooperation gains particular significance amid a recent surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan.


Harvey Barnes brace routs Manchester United as Newcastle rise to fourth place

Updated 42 min 29 sec ago
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Harvey Barnes brace routs Manchester United as Newcastle rise to fourth place

NEWCASTLE: Harvey Barnes struck twice as Newcastle thrashed troubled Manchester United 4-1 to climb into fourth place in the Premier League on Sunday.
Newcastle were without manager Eddie Howe, who was admitted to hospital on Friday after feeling unwell for several days.
But Barnes provided a welcome tonic for Howe as his second-half brace at St. James’ Park boosted Newcastle’s bid to qualify for the Champions League.
With Howe’s assistants Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones in charge of the League Cup winners, Sandro Tonali put Newcastle ahead before Alejandro Garnacho equalized late in the first half.
Barnes stole the spotlight after the interval, becoming the first Newcastle player to score twice in one league game against United since Alan Shearer in 2000.
Bruno Guimaraes punished a blunder from United keeper Altay Bayindir, who started in place of the dropped Andre Onana, to seal Newcastle’s first four-goal haul against United since 2001.
In the race to reach the Champions League via a top five finish, Newcastle are just one point behind third-placed Nottingham Forest.
They have a game in hand on Forest, as well as fifth-placed Manchester City and sixth-placed Chelsea, who are two points adrift of the Magpies.
United have now gone four games without a win in all competitions, leaving them languishing in 14th place with just six games left to avoid their lowest finish since 1973-74, when they came 21st and were relegated.
They are already certain to suffer their worst points total in the Premier League era, with the previous low 58 in 2021-22.
Ruben Amorim made five changes with an eye on Lyon’s visit to Old Trafford for the Europa League quarter-final, second leg next Thursday, but United were blown away with embarrassing ease.
Bayindir had replaced Onana after the Cameroon keeper’s latest error-strewn display in United’s 2-2 draw at Lyon last Thursday.
But the 26-year-old, signed from Fenerbahce in 2023, endured a woeful first Premier League start.
Newcastle’s opening goal arrived at the climax of a flowing move after United midfielder Manuel Ugarte gave the ball way in the 24th minute.
Kieran Trippier surged forward and found Alexander Isak, who astutely lifted his pass over the defense for Tonali to drive a clinical finish into the far corner from an acute angle 10 yards out.
It was the 19th time United had conceded the opening goal in a league game this season — their joint-most in a single campaign in the competition.
With United out of sync once again, Tonali almost doubled the lead as the Italy midfielder curled just wide from distance.
Bayindir looked nervous when he punched Tino Livramento’s cross straight to Isak, but he redeemed himself with a good save from the Swede’s volley.
United equalized completely against the run of play in the 37th minute.
Diogo Dalot was the catalyst with a buccaneering burst that carried him to the edge of the Newcastle area, where he slipped a precise pass to Garnacho and the Argentine winger fired past Nick Pope.
Having scored for just the second time in 2025, Garnacho went close to another when Pope palmed away his blast on the stroke of half-time.
But Newcastle regained the lead four minutes after half-time as United’s leaky defense was breached again.
Livramento’s low cross was alertly kept in by Murphy beyond the far post and his pass into the six-yard box found Barnes unmarked for a clinical finish.
Zirkzee limped off to add to United’s woes after crumpling to the turf with an apparent hamstring injury.
United were in disarray and Barnes delivered the knockout blow in the 64th minute, dispossessing Noussair Mazraoui and racing clear to drill a fierce strike past Bayindir.
In the 77th minute, Bayindir’s wayward pass went straight to Joelinton, who nodded the ball onto Guimaraes for a composed finish that rubbed salt into United’s gaping wounds.

MWL chief, French officials discuss religious matters

Updated 45 min 21 sec ago
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MWL chief, French officials discuss religious matters

  • The MWL chief discussed contemporary issues related to the league’s mission and responsibilities in promoting moderate Islam

RIYADH: The secretary-general of the Muslim World League met with a number of officials in Paris to discuss religious matters in France.

Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, who also serves as the chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, met with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, and Minister for Equality Aurore Berge.

The MWL chief discussed contemporary issues related to the league’s mission and responsibilities in promoting moderate Islam and strengthening unity among Muslims worldwide.

Al-Issa also addressed widely debated intellectual and religious concepts and spoke about the ethics of artificial intelligence.


Bangladesh reintroduces ‘except Israel’ phrase on passports

Protesters condemn Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, at a rally in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, April 12.
Updated 44 min 14 sec ago
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Bangladesh reintroduces ‘except Israel’ phrase on passports

  • Israel is a flashpoint issue in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, which does not recognize it
  • In 2021, the words “except Israel” were removed from passports

DHAKA: Bangladesh has restored an “except Israel” inscription on passports, local media reported Sunday, effectively barring its citizens from traveling to that country.
Israel is a flashpoint issue in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, which does not recognize it.
The phrase “valid for all countries except Israel,” which was printed on Bangladeshi passports for decades, was removed during the later years of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
Nilima Afroze, a deputy secretary at the home ministry, told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency on Sunday that authorities had “issued a directive last week” to restore the inscription.
“The director general of the department of immigration and passport was asked to take necessary measures to implement this change,” local newspaper The Daily Star quoted Afroze as saying Sunday.
In 2021, the words “except Israel” were removed from passports, although the then government under Hasina clarified that the country’s stance on Israel had not changed.
The country’s support for an independent Palestinian state was visible on Saturday when around 100,000 people gathered in Dhaka in solidarity with Gaza.
The Gaza war broke out after Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
A fragile ceasefire between the warring parties fell apart last month and Gaza’s health ministry said Sunday that at least 1,574 Palestinians had been killed since then, taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,944.