Media Control controversy in Morocco

Communications Minister Mustapha El  Khalfi  of the PJD moderate Islamist party issued the new guidelines for public broadcasters in early April that include measures such as banning lottery advertisements which are a key source of revenue for 2M and other TV stations as they support sporting activities and including the broadcast of the call to prayer five times a day. 

This is not  especially surprising for an islamic country nor is the requirement for youth and social programmes to include the participation of an imam."These channels are performing a public service and so they must it
submit to certain minimum requirements," the Minister said to L'Economiste daily  newspaper.

The  guidelines also call for a reduction in the use of French language programmes and limiting the French language news broadcasts to one at the end of the day. In an interview on  Friday, the news director for Channel 2M said the guidelines represent "a will to kill the programming on Channel Two."

"This is not a license agreement. It is a programing list, and logic and our profession says  that politics should not dictate TV programing," Samira Sitail told the daily Al-Ahdath Al-Maghrebiya.

There have also been reports of  disagreements between the PJD and thise concerned with sports promotion and cultural events such as the Mazawane Music festival. Ministers of the governing cooalition have also voiced fears of  increased islamification in the media."Khalfi is the minister of communications and a government official, not an imam or a mufti to say  what is licit or illicit," Mohammed Ouzzine, the minister of sports from the Popular Movement said in an interview earlier this month.Nabil Benabdellah, the minister of housing and former communications minister from the left-wing Party  of Progress and Socialism, even threatened to quit the government over the guidelines although he backed down later.

Commentators have said that the public TV stations have always been controlled and  characterise the dispute
as a battle for control over the stations between palace officials and the PJD as well as those that fear the further islamification of Moroccan society  which has traditionally tolerant. Western influence in some sections of society is strong.

There is no surprise that in Morocco as in the rest of North Africa long suppressed islamic parties should be   seeking to reform society according to their beliefs. There is a struggle between secular and islamic religious beliefs but hopefully a suitable arrangement can be made between so that both sides can continue to live side by side  as they have always done.Morocco World News reports that King Mohammed VI met with Abdelilah Benkirane, Prime Minister, Abdallah Baha, Minister of State, and Mustafa El Khalfi, Minister of Communications and government spokesman to discuss the report on control of the media. The newspaper Assabah said that
Moroccan monarch called on the government to “respect the linguistic, intellectual and cultural diversity that characterizes Moroccan society,” while urging the head of government to “avoid using religion in public or political debate.”

Exactly the same terminology was used in Egypt last week. The confrontation between islamists and Tunisian State TV  which has gone on for 50 days is no different. The  islamic and secular  elements of society need to be able to respect each others viewpoint and not seek to offend the other. This does mean that moderate islamic parties that are the majority in government  will need to preserve the rights and liberties of all its people,which may not always be an easy task.The clash of cultures between islamic social norms and customs prevelant in the west, which many Moroccans especially the young are attracted to is a reality.

An article by MAP reports that  the Communications Minister, government spokesman Mustapha El Khalfi, said on Tuesday that the government is currently developing a draft law regulating the right of access to information.

Mr. El Khalfi, responding to an oral question to the group Authenticity and Modernity (PAM) in the House of Councillors, said a ministerial committee was set up, expected to adopt the first draft of a bill on access to information is a crucial lever for the moralization of  public life.