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October 31, 2006

Morocco: Islamists Taking Refuge In Spain

On Tuesday, AKI reported that Moroccan militants from the banned group al-Adl al-Ihsan (also spelled Al Adl wa Al Ihsan, Al-Adl Wal-Ihsanne, Al-Adl was al-Ihsane, Jama'atu al-'Adl wal-Ihssan) or "Justice and Welfare" have been fleeing to Spain, where they are mingling with the Muslim community already in the south of the country. The news was reported in the Ababic newsaper "Al-Quds" on Monday. They are predominantly taking refuge in Murcia, where there is already a community of 50,000 Moroccans.

The group is said to be "moderate", in as much as it does not espouse violence. However, it wishes to see the monarchy toppled, and an Islamist state established in Morocco. The group is currently the subject of an ongoing crackdown by the authorities.

Some notes about the group. The spiritual leader of the group is Sheik Abdessalam Yacine (Sheik Abdessalam Yassine, pictured), who was born in Marrakesh in 1928. He was formerly a schools inspector, he has been seen as a threat to the system in Morocco. He has been placed in prison on numerous occasions. In the 1970s and 1980s he was imprisoned, and in 1990, he was placed under house arrest, and was only allowed some measure of freedom in 2000. This came as the new king, Mohammed VI, came to power following the death of his father on July 23, 1999. The new king released political prisoners as a gesture of goodwill.

As he himself gets older, he now has little part in the day-to-day running of the banned party. His daughter Nadia Yassine is active in promoting the Sheikh's views, and in 2000 she set up a website, http://www.yassine.net in Arabic, French and English. The English section of the site is innocuous, comprising mainly Koranic texts and spiritual advice.

Nadia Yassine was charged last year for "damaging the monarchy" after comments she made in an interview which was published in Al Usbuiyya Al Jadida, a Moroccan weekly, on June 2, 2005.

The active head of the party is now Mohamed Abdelli. This year, the group has been subjected to numerous arrests of its members. On Thursday May 25, Abdelli was arrested with 181 supporters in Oujda, a city 340 miles east of Rabat. 148 members of the group were arrested in Rabat, the capital. All of those detained were subsequently released.

The activity followed reports that the group was ready to mount an intifada of 'Qawma" later this year. Abdelli said the reports were biased.

Al-Adl wal al-Ihsane has 250,000 members, and has been using the power of the internet to recruit. It is very popular amongst youth in poor areas in the cities, and its appeal to youth is viewed as a threat by the Moroccan authorities.

In August, there were 44 arrests of another Islamist group, which appeared to be mounting a "Qawma" of its own. The previously unknown group, Jammaat Ansar El Mehdi, was planning to "commit criminal acts on national territory," stated the interior ministry.

The initial tolerance of the king towards Islamist opponents has hardened since the Casablanca bombings of May 16, 2003, which were carried out by 12 suicide bombers of the Sirrat al-Mustaqim Islamist group. 44 people died in those blasts, which hit at the heart of Morocco's financial capital.

The Al-Adl wal al-Ihsane is traditionalist, and in May objected to the notion of women Islamic guides, called morchidat. 50 women had then graduated from a centre attached to the Islamic Affairs Ministry. The introduction of women into the role of Muslim counseling was sneered at by the Al-Adl wal al-Ihsane. A spokesman said: "The power behind this initiative is the same as the one that commits acts contrary to Islam, notably degrading moral values. This initiative, then, will only have a limited impact on the population."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at October 31, 2006 10:16 PM

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