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July 24, 2012 Special Dispatch No. 4848

Moroccan Cleric And Ramadan Guest Speaker At Massachusetts-Based American Muslim Center, Who Has Attacked U.S. In The Past, Sanctions Killing Of Liberal Moroccan Journalist

July 24, 2012
Morocco | Special Dispatch No. 4848

Moroccan cleric 'Abdallah Al-Nhari, a guest speaker at the American Muslim Center in Massachusetts, recently sanctioned the killing of a Moroccan journalist who supported the right to engage in sex out of wedlock. In a June 22, 2012 interview with Mayadeen TV, Mokhtar Laghzioui, editor-in-chief of the Al-Ahdath newspaper, had said that: "the freedom of every being on the face of this Earth should be respected," adding: " I accept that my sister, my mother, or my daughter may exercise their liberties as they see fit."

A few days later, in a video-clip posted on the Internet on June 28, Al-Nhari mocked the interview, saying: "Whoever has no zeal – kill him. A dayouth [one who is not jealous for his womenfolk] is denied entrance to Paradise." On July 1, Al-Nhari was investigated by the Moroccan authorities for these statements and was forbidden to travel out of Morocco.

This is not the first time that Al-Nhari has made radical statements. On September 2, 2005, Al-Nhari issued a scathing attack on the U.S., calling upon Allah to "defeat the tyrannical and oppressive soldiers of America and its allies... [and] drown them in the Land of the Two Rivers [Iraq]..." He prayed to Allah to "sink them further into the quagmire of Iraq" and to "turn Iraq into a nail in the coffin of American tyranny."

Al-Nhari was invited to spend the month of Ramadan in Everett, Massachusetts, where he is guest speaker at the American Muslim Center.


Announcement posted on the American Muslim Center announcing Al-Nhari as Ramadan guest speaker
[1]

To view the MEMRI TV video-clip of the TV interview with Laghzioui and Al-Nhari's Internet response, visit: http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/3503.

To view the MEMRI TV video-clip of the September 2005 Internet post, visit: http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/3502.

Moroccan Journalist Mokhtar Laghzioui: Hypocrisy In Attitude Towards The "Crime Of Love"

Following are excerpts from the June 22 Mayadeen TV interview with journalist Mokhtar Laghzioui:

Interviewer: "When NGOs and activists demand the legalization of sexual relations between unmarried men and women who have reached the age of consent, in an Arab Muslim country – doesn't this violate all taboos and prohibitions?"

Mokhtar Laghzioui: "Hello to you and to all Mayadeen TV viewers. I believe that this involves a proper, reasonable, and normal understanding regarding the practice of one's individual liberties.

"We, in Moroccan society, have reached a certain level of maturity, which requires that we let people decide what to do in their intimate moments. This has become essential.

"The open atmosphere familiar to Moroccan society in all aspects requires that we find a solution to this hypocrisy. All Moroccans know that sexual relations out of wedlock exist, but when it reaches the point that the police or state officials identify venues in which the 'crime of love' is practiced – for it seems to me that love has become a crime in Arab and Muslim countries..."

Interviewer: "But as you know, not everything is done out of love. So perhaps we should consider brothels to be part of individual liberties as well..."

Mokhtar Laghzioui: "No, no. There is a big difference."

Interviewer: "Why not, if everything is done with the consent of all parties?"

Mokhtar Laghzioui: "No, there is a big difference between brothels and between arresting two consenting adults engaging in personal intimate acts.

"In Morocco, there is a ridiculous and pitiful contradiction between the severity of the law towards anyone caught committing this so-called 'crime of love,' and between the leniency towards a rapist, who is allowed by law to marry the woman he raped."

[...]

Laghzioui: "My Sister, My Mother, Or My Daughter May Exercise Their Liberties As They See Fit"

Mokhtar Laghzioui: "I respect the freedom of anyone who chooses the institution of marriage, but the freedom of someone who wishes to engage in sexual relations out of wedlock must also be respected..."

Interviewer: "Does this apply to everyone – your sister, your daughter, your mother?"

Mokhtar Laghzioui: "It applies to the whole world. Even if I did not accept this, it exists..."

Interviewer: "We want to know whether you accept it or not?"

Mokhtar Laghzioui: "I accept that the freedom of every being on the face of this Earth should be respected."

Interviewer: "And your sister enjoys that freedom as well?"

Mokhtar Laghzioui: "I accept that my sister, my mother, or my daughter may exercise their liberties as they see fit. We should have that courage."

[...]

Moroccan Cleric 'Abdallah Al-Nhari: "Whoever Has No Zeal – Kill Him"

Following are excerpts from 'Abdallah Al-Nhari's response to Mokhtar Laghzioui's TV interview. The response was posted on the Internet on June 28, 2012:

'Abdallah Al-Nhari: "She said to him: 'If you demand that young people of both sexes be allowed to commit the crime of fornication, what are you doing in a Muslim country?' He answered: 'These are hypocritical countries. This phenomenon exists, and they conceal it. Why not leave it up to the boy and the girl? If they are consenting – this is not rape... This has to do with private intimacy, so why do society, religion, or the law interfere, and deny them the pleasure of enjoying their bodies in these intimate moments?'

"Allah be praised! She asked him: 'What if your sister or your daughter wanted to do it?' He said: 'I respect their freedom.' In other words, he respects the freedom of his sister, his wife, and his daughter.

[...]

"Someone who accepts such a thing for his wife or sister – what is he called? A dayouth [one who is not jealous for his womenfolk]. What is the punishment for a dayouth in Islamic law? Whoever has no zeal – kill him. A dayouth is denied entrance to Paradise."

[...]

Al-Nhari: May Allah "Turn Iraq Into A Nail In The Coffin Of American Tyranny"

Following are excerpts from the September 2, 2005 Internet address by cleric Al-Nhari:

'Abdallah Al-Nhari: "Oh Allah, support Islam and the Muslims. Oh Allah, support the mujahideen in Palestine. Oh Allah, support them in Palestine, in Iraq, in Chechnya, in Afghanistan, in Kashmir, in the Philippines, and everywhere.

"Oh Allah, disperse the accursed Zionists, defeat the tyrannical and oppressive soldiers of America and its allies. Demonstrate upon them the wonders of Your strength, for they cannot withstand You.

"Oh Allah, drown them in the Land of the Two Rivers [Iraq], until they cry for Your help, but will not get it. Oh Allah, make them cry for Your help, but do not grant it to them.

"Oh Allah, make them look for a way out [of Iraq], but not find one. Oh Allah, we pray that You sink them further into the quagmire of Iraq. Oh Allah, we pray that You turn Iraq into a nail in the coffin of American tyranny.

"Oh Allah, please turn Iraq into a launching pad for the revival of awareness in the Islamic nation."


Endnote:
[1] http://www.americanmuslimcenter.net/, retrieved July 23, 2012.

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