A Moroccan convert from Islam to Christianity is appealing against the two-and-a-half year prison sentence handed down to him in September for evangelising and ‘shaking the faith of a Muslim’.
Mohamed El Baladi was also fined 5,000 dirham (£400). He was arrested on August 28 following a raid on his home in which Christian literature was seized; government agents had tracked his movements for some time.
Propagating Christianity is banned in Morocco, but the punishment for this is three to six months imprisonment and a fine of around 200-500 dirham, substantially lower than Mohamed’s penalty.
At an appeal hearing on October 10 in Fez, Mohamed was heartened by the presence of 11 lawyers from the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (MAHR), who had come to plead his case for free. The organisation has also criticised his treatment by the authorities, saying that he was denied a fair trial and has been subjected to abuse in custody. Mohamed has also been beaten by other inmates because of his faith. Officials have allegedly pressured Mohamed to reveal the names of other Christians, sparking fears of a wider crackdown.
It is unusual for Christians to face such harassment in Morocco, which is one of the better North African countries for religious freedom. However, earlier this year, the council that represents official Islam in Morocco fatwa issued a saying that Muslims who renounce their faith should be condemned to shari’a death, in line with law. A senior human rights official in the Moroccan government at the time dismissed the fatwa. But the treatment of Mohamed could indicate that the authorities are becoming more influenced by calls for a stricter approach on matters of religious freedom.
