Becoming An Outlaw

Welcome to the underground society.

Although my status is Legal, I’m an Outlaw. I’ve chosen this path because of ideals I couldn’t give up. I’ve joined the underground, like Rosa Parks and Katniss Everdeen did. Becoming an Outlaw is the ultimate act of resistance.

What happened?

A year ago, the Moroccan journalist Hajar Raissouni was under arrest for a double crime. She had had consensual intercourse before marriage and put her pregnancy to an end.

The court released a verdict, guilty! She has been sentenced to one year in jail. It seemed harsh, yet totally legit according to article 490 of the Moroccan criminal code.

That what gave birth to The Moroccan Outlaws movement. Not only has it advocated for Raissouni’s unfair sentence, but it has also opened the debate about individual freedom in a Muslim kingdom, which labels itself as ‘’progressist’’.

Thanks to the attention the movement has brought, they rebuked the verdict by presenting a petition with over 10000 signatures. That being said, 10000 people have declared to be outlaws themselves since they don’t live by these oppressive laws. Laws that ironically had been established by the French ex-colonizer during the protectorate.

The journalist was immediately acquitted by a Royal Decree, not to mention the ice it broke regarding the taboo in Moroccan society.

Why abortion is a huge problem?

Moroccan society is conservative, and Islamic texts are blended into the kingdom constitution. Accordingly, whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice, abortion is off-limit.

Yet, the kingdom registers around 700 abortions per day. Women go to Ob-Gyn, carrying out illegally the procedure, for a considerable sum. Unfortunately, women often have recourse to unsafe artisanal methods, which sometimes could be life-threatening.

But why such a high number off the books?

1- From a cultural perspective, every pregnant single woman turns into a scarlet letter. That’s why women insist on getting an abortion without even giving a second thought to such a significant decision. It’s their life on the line.

2- No text compels the father to sustain in any way his biological child. Even with a DNA paternity test, this kid will never have the same status as the other ‘’legitimate’’ children. For instance, he would never receive anything from his father’s side unless there is a will.

3- The love child never acquires a respectful status in society. He or she is always regarded as a child conceived in a sinful relationship. The law doesn’t entirely protect their rights, and society doesn’t show them kindness.

In such a context, abortion doesn’t quite feel like a choice in the end!

The Moroccan Outlaws Manifesto

The Moroccan Outlaws came up with a Manifesto starting with 490 people, in which they asserted that such oppressive laws are unfit for the 21st century. The state has no right to interfere with the private sphere of its citizens. The statement didn’t quite please the Islamic party in the government. Plus, it triggered a blazing debate between conservatives and the progressists minority all over the social media.

The movement received the Simone de Beauvoir Prize in early 2020.

Love is not a crime

Since 2019, the Moroccan Outlaws have been striving for individual freedom. They’ve been sharing anonymous stories of those who struggle with their love life in society.

They launched a campaign called Love is not a crime, as a reply to couple shaming in public spaces, not to mention the several arrests which have followed. How many couples got under arrest for holding hands or exchanging a quick goodbye kiss? How many curious eyes scorned couples or even friends for walking side by side?

For this reason, the movement is taking the case to parliament. They’re currently gathering signatures as so to revise the articles 489, 490, and 491 in the criminal code, harming individual freedom. The timing has never been better, since some articles are due to be updated in November 2020.

LGBTQ+ lash out

Last month, the Moroccan LGBTQ+ community went through an unprecedented cyber-attack. Their personal data have been leaked from an LGBT app, and shared all over Facebook as so to expose, shame, and persecute them.

It has been unbearable for this community; they never had it easy in the first place. The LGBTQ+ is not recognized as a minority, it is not considered, period.

If you’re gay or show rainbowy flag behaviors, you’re likely to end up in jail unless you keep it quiet. This is why the LGBTQ+ couldn’t even take the cyber attack to court.

Although the majority chose to stay in the closet, they found themselves facing an unsought coming out. Their clueless families and entourage found out about them from social media. Teenagers were kicked out of their homes; neighbors were pointing fingers as the slurs flooded in. Some of the victims couldn’t take it and committed suicide.

The Moroccan Outlaws has been supporting them since. As influencers, the Outlaws gave the LGBTQ+ access to their platforms to interact with a larger audience. Further, the movement arranged lives with psychologists, politicians, celebrities, and sociologists to endorse their case.

To sum up, the LGBTQ+ is not seeking to legalize gay marriage or adoption. They’re asking for an elemental right, which is To Be.

Reaction?

Unfortunately, the Moroccan Outlaws lost a few supporters after backing up the LGBTQ+ (even by those who claimed to be progressive). Nevertheless, this is what being an Outlaw stands for. To Strive for individual freedom means individual freedom for all.

On the other hand, the partisan press launches a counterattack to discredit the movement. For instance, one of the surveys asserts that 88% of Moroccans are opposed to sex before marriage. However, progressist politicians, activists, and sociologists believed that the sample was too small, wooly about its randomness, not including people over 24 years old, and led by a partial party. The politician Omar Balafrej and the sociologist Abessamad Dialmy concluded: The survey is biased. They asserted that interviewing people about such a sensitive topic on the phone with no guarantee of anonymity, wasn’t the best way to get an honest answer. In the end, no one wants to admit to a felony and leave proof of it.

Back in the past, people used to get married by the age of 18 or 20. So, waiting to become sexually active after marriage wasn’t such a big deal. However, the age of marriage today has climbed to 29 for women and over 30 from men. Forbidding people from becoming sexually active is challenging human biology itself. The article 490 of the Moroccan criminal code has to go. We are not forcing people to become sexually active, we’re requesting not to convict those who choose to as long as it’s not prostitution, of course. Omar Balafrej.

It’s going to be a nasty battle against a government that honestly couldn’t care less. However, the real fight will take place in the field against conservatives. You know it’s a long shot when the public gives priority to customs, beliefs, and appearances over human values. The majority of Moroccans identity themselves based on one religion, one tradition, and one nation. Therefore, the word Democracy becomes contestable more than ever. Democracy is not about the majority, it’s about representing a society with all its components.

Being in a minority, even a minority one, doesn’t not make you mad. There is truth and there is untruth, and if you cling to the truth even against the whole world, you are not mad. George Orwell

To conclude,

Being a Moroccan Outlaw is not about religion, it’s not about tradition, it’s not about transcending heritage, nor tackling taboos to make the other feel uncomfortable. To be an Outlaw is to preserve the essence of our being, our humanity itself, and its tolerant, loving, respecting values.