KENITRA, Morocco — Nearly five years into the prison sentence of the only Christian in Morocco serving time for his faith, Moroccan Christians and –– advocates question the harsh measures toward a man who dared to speak openly about Jesus. Jamaa Ait Bakrim, 46, is in Morocco’s largest prison, Prison Centrale in Kenitra.
An outspoken Christian convert, Bakrim was sentenced to 15 years in prison for “proselytizing” and destroying “the goods of others” in 2005 after burning two defunct utility poles located in front of his private business in a small town in south Morocco. Advocates and Moroccan Christians said the severity of his sentence in relation to his misdemeanor shows that authorities were determined to put him behind bars because he persistently spoke about his faith. “He became a Christian and didn’t keep it to himself,” said Rachid, a Moroccan Christian and host for Al Hayat Television. Authorities in Agadir tried Bakrim for “destruction of the goods of others,” which is punishable with up to 20 years in prison, and for proselytism under Article 220, which is punishable with six months to three years in prison. During his defense at the Agadir court in southern Morocco, Bakrim did not deny his Christian faith and refuted accusations that he had approached his neighbors in an attempt to “undermine their Muslim faith.” Though there have been other cases of Christians imprisoned for their faith, none of their sentences has been as long as Bakrim’s. “They will just leave him in the prison so he dies spiritually and psychologically,” Rachid said.
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