A good number of young couples demonstrated Saturday by staging a kiss-in, on the streets of Rabat, Morocco, to protest the arrest of a couple who was thrown in jail for posting a picture on Facebook of themselves while kissing.
Others joined the protest by posting pictures on Facebook also as they kissed.
The young couples tried to reassert their right to openly display affection in Morocco, which is a majority Muslim country.
What the young people are protesting however, is not just the enforcement of what they see as outdated mores, but what they feel is a return to a stricter, more orthodox past. Morocco is one of more lenient and liberal of the Muslim countries in Africa.
Although a few thousand people pledged to join the demonstration, only a few dozens did, showing that what is said online, might not always translate to reality.
But counter protest is already being staged. Some, more conservative minded citizens, see the protest as an affront to Islamic law, which prohibits any public display of affection. As they see it, this is beginning of a process which is aimed at destroying their beliefs. The protesters are seen as atheists who are trying to undermine Islam.
The arrested couple, both minors, were released thanks to a loud internet campaign against their arrest. The judge in the case, under pressure from the backlash, has ordered the teens released on bail, but the trial will go on and the charges stand. November 22nd is the date of the trial, which, among other things, will scrutinize the 'social circumstances' of the accused. In other words, the parents of the children will be blamed for allowing their children to behave in such a way, thereby negating both the act and the motive for protest.
Partial Source ; France 24/ 10.13.13
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