From May 18-28, 2018, I was blessed to have been able to travel to the beautiful country of Morocco with some friends from HELM’s Leadership Fellows program. I went into the country with what felt like was inadequate knowledge of its culture, history, language and laws. Nonetheless, it was an incredible experience. I particularly found it interesting to learn about how Christians live out their faith in a country where the vast majority of the population are Muslim. To put this into context, about 98 or 99 percent of Moroccans are considered Muslim. Most of the Christians that we met came from other countries in Africa: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, etc. While I regretfully don’t remember all their names, I do remember their stories.
When I first moved to the United States with my family in 2006, I remember going to different churches every week trying to find the right one that would best fit our beliefs and values. I also remember the fact that I didn’t like that experience. My struggles pale in comparison to those of Christians living in Morocco. I heard stories of Christians having difficulty even finding a church or a place where they could worship and express their faith. They don’t have the same options that I do. As a Christian living in the United States, I realized that I take freedom of religion and expression for granted. It is evident that Christians living in Morocco are not afforded the same rights that I possess in the United States. It is difficult for them to express their faith sometimes due to the fact that proselytism is illegal. Not unlike the majority of Christians’ view on Christianity, Moroccans believe that Islam is the “best religion.” It is, after all, the country’s official religion and its monarch claims to have descended from Muhammad. While the proselytism law has been debated, no change has been made. What makes matters complex, however, is that the word proselytism isn’t precisely defined. What actions would be considered proselytism? Wearing a cross? Talking about your faith in public? Handing a Muslim a Bible? Where is the line drawn? The law’s ambiguity also creates ambiguity in the rights of Christians. A person once told me that they’d rather be safe than sorry, but if asked about her faith, she would gladly share. On a side note, I also recently found out that possession of a Bible in the Arabic language was illegal, and yet a friend was able to acquire one quite easily. It is hard to tell which laws are taken seriously.
During our time in Morocco, we were able to participate in church, see baptisms take place, and see God’s work being done. I can say that my experience was absolutely amazing. Despite their differences, I saw a worship in which all members had mutual respect and love for one another. I saw Christians joyfully accept God into their life. I saw Christians working to help migrants and refugees without discrimination despite their limited resources. I was able to experience a great deal in such a short amount of time.