RABAT, Morocco — In another wave of deportations from Morocco, officials of the majority-Muslim country expelled 26 foreign Christians in 10 days without due process in May.
The deportations were apparently the result of Muslim hardliners pressuring the nation’s royalty to show Islamic solidarity. The latest deportations bring the number of Christians who have had to leave Morocco to about 105 since early March.
Christians and expert observers are calling this a calculated effort to purge the historically moderate country, known for its progressive policies, of all Christian elements — both foreign and national.
At least two Moroccan Christians were beaten during the same 10 days, sources said, and police have taken other Moroccan Christians to police stations daily for psychologically “heavy” interrogations. Authorities are inquiring about the activities of foreign and local Christians.
“I don’t see the end,” said Salim Sefiane, a Moroccan living abroad. “I see this as a ‘cleansing’ of Christians out of Morocco, and then I see this turning against the Moroccan church, which is already underground, and then persecution of Moroccan Christians, which is already taking place in recent days.”
Share with others: