Race, Ethnicity, Culture, or Religion: The Prevalence of Religion in Morocco

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     A common road trip game in my family is to count the number of churches we pass on the to our destination. There are 2 on my street back home, and many more just around the bend. In Morocco, however, I've noticed that religion does more than just exist on the side of the road; it infiltrates every aspect of life. The largest religious practice in country is Sunni Muslim, a subsect of Islam, with 99% percent of the population identifying as such (US Dept of State, 2022). Islam is similar to Christianity in many ways, such as the aspect of monotheism, or the belief in a singular God. In conversations with the ENA students, I also learned that Islam recognizes many of the same prophetic figures as Christianity, with examples including Adam (the first man) and Jesus. In the case of Jesus, the Islamic community views him as a man who spoke the word of God, rather than a son of. Another difference between Christianity and Islam is the strict adherence to practices and rituals as stated in the Koran. Back home in the states, going to Church once a week on the holy day can be enough to satisfy a person as feeling like a "good Christian." While there are more rituals and practices common for Christians to fulfill, some of which overlap with Islam, many of those I am friends with at home largely do not follow them. For followers of the Islamic religion, the are Five Pillars of faith to heed by: Profession of Faith, Prayer, Tiths, Fasting, and Pilgrimage (Mahdi, et al., 2024). 

    The prayer aspect specifically is interesting because it calls to the followers of Islam to pray a total a five times a day, in the morning, midday, afternoon, evening, and night. Throughout our trip we've heard the call to pray from a mosque in every city we've visited, from the capital of the Kingdom to smaller rural villages. A place of prayer can be found almost anywhere, as most of the citizens will need to access it throughout their day. We've seen mosques in restaurants, hotels, and places of work. While it's not impossible in the US to find a place of employment that provides worship spaces, for example hospitals, it is far less common and more likely to be just that: a non-specific place of worship, meant for all the be able to access and feel welcome. Given the separation of Church and State in the US, I think the prevalence of mosques in Morocco has been one of the most surprising aspects to me so far. 


References 

Mahdi, M. S., Rahman, Fazlur and Schimmel, Annemarie (2024, June 5). Islam. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islam  

Morocco - United States Department of State. (n.d.). State Department. Retrieved June 1, 2024, from https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/morocco/



Comments

  1. Ally WayneJune 12, 2024 at 8:24 PM

    Hi Rose, I was also surprised by central focus of Islam throughout the Country and how so many not only identified as Muslim but were practicing within their everyday schedule. I was very surprised by the amount of similarities between Islam (which I knew not much of) and Christianity (the faith I practice and am most familiar with). It was very captivating to be a part of such a sacred practice such as call to prayer.

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