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HUNDREDS OF LAWYERS have registered to defend two women who went on trial in Morocco yesterday accused of “gross indecency” for wearing dresses considered provocative, an activist said.
The women were arrested in the southern city of Agadir in mid-June after walking through a marketplace in the dresses, sparking anger among passers-by in the conservative Muslim kingdom.
The verdict is to be delivered on July 13, said Fouzia Assouli, head of women’s rights organisation LDDF.
Petition
An online petition has gathered over 25,000 signatures from people who support the women and want action taken against the court case.
The two women, hairdressers aged 23 and 19, were charged with “indecent exposure” for which they could face up to two years in prison.
They have been backed by hundreds of lawyers, many of whom appeared in court on Monday, said Assouli.
“Five hundred lawyers registered to defend the two women, but because of restricted space in the courtroom, only 200 were able to attend” the hearing, she told AFP.
The lawyers took turns to put forward arguments in the case, she said.
One of them, Sibai Bakar, said the trial was a:
chance for our country to amend its laws to conform with its commitments to human rights and especially individual freedoms.
Rights organisations have denounced the trial and protests are to be held later this week in Agadir and in Morocco’s commercial capital Casablanca in support of the two women.
In the police report, the women were said to have been wearing clothes that were “too tight”.
Article 483 of Morocco’s penal code states that anyone found guilty of committing an act of “public obscenity” such as “gross indecency” can be jailed for between a month and two years.
The case comes amid growing calls for “morality” to be respected in Morocco, which has been frequently criticised by international groups for rights abuses.
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Ah Islam is great craic
All religions are a joke.
Think Islam is winning the comedy war
It depends on how long you consider the war to be. If the timeline stretches a few thousand years then the other Abrahamics have it beat.
Don’t know. John Smith and his lucky pants is a winner for me…
For me Scientology wins the war, but that’s only because they gots Tom Cruise.
Don’t all religions come from in and around the same regions… Kind of weird.
Christianity Judaism and Islam along with all their offshoots are all from Abraham. They’re basically different ways to worship the same guy
They should be locked up if the dress isn’t tight enough.. Now that’s a good law! Haha
Yes Gary. Especially Materialism.
Islam is reforming but it is a return to its original form.
The Islamic world is getting more hard line. The Islamic State are a symptom of that and its has been building for 70 years.
The street is more hardline than it was 20 years. The children are more hardline than the parents.
15 years ago, Amsterdam’s muslim community mostly tolerated the gay community and Jews, they didn’t mostly approve but they got on with it. Amsterdam is today the gay bashing capital of Europe.
What will it be like in another 20 years?
It beggars belief why anyone would want to visit a Muslim country, especially women given Muslims attitude to them.
Is Islam incompatible with democracy?
If the majority of people of a country wish to live that way, then who are we to say they are wrong…
We should bear this in mind when visiting.
But if there is a difference between what the law says and what the majority want, we then see injustice.
Such a pity these amazing countries are ruined by this disgraceful intertwine of church and state. When Islam is practiced and enforced this way it is not compatible with any reasonable semblance of human rights. It was the same in this country when church and state were fist and glove but thankfully we have but those days behind us. I really lament the plight of any free thinking woman born into these cultures.
The problem with the “majority rule” argument is that it doesn’t work when half the population is under-educated and under-represented. The ratio of boys to girls in schools in Morocco is 87 to 9. (Wiki-fact – pinch of salt required).
Democracy.. in many Islamic states the punishment for apostasy is death. A true democracy allows debate and discussion. Disagree with any tenant of the faith in these countries face lashes or death (Granted Morocco not as bad as others). Who’s idea of democracy is 1000 lashes or death for voicing disagrement with those in power? certainly not most mine.
Robert is looking to find a way to say they are wrong.
What he is actually doing is justifying cultural imperialism. Perhaps we should leave them to find their own way forward and provide an example of better society for them to follow rather than actively interfere in how they are governed.
Excellent point Paul. They should live the way we want them to. Let’s not look at how we can improve our own society.
True the article doesn’t say it’s locals or tourist. If tourists they will be let off lightly on account of the money the country will loose if they jail them. If local they will get the full 2 year’s, hypocrisy at it’s best.
It says two women hairdressers in their early 20′s. It’s only a guess but I don’t think there are many young local Islamic women hairdressers in that part of the world. I reckon they were tourists and judging by how most young women hipster hairdressers go about , they peobally hadn’t a clue of their surroundings or dress code in that country. They probally choose their destination based on a nice picture of a pool in the broucher. Bunch of numpties.
My first thought was that it may be Moroccan women attempted to draw attention to the situation. I visited Agadir and was shocked by attitudes there. It appears that female tourists stay in the hotels/resorts, which have private beaches. When we (two young Irish women, not dressed ‘provocatively’) ventured into town for dinner after dark, we were shouted at constantly where ever we went. It was relentless and lascivious. We were the only women on the streets and it seemed we needed to be informed, consistently and loudly, what our place was there. We went back to our hotel and left first thing the next morning. It was the only place I visited in Morocco where it felt there was such control over the spaces that women occupy.
In Marrakesh we saw young Moroccan women wearing t-shirts and camisoles and although we got a lot of rude and unwanted attention from men, we rarely felt unsafe. If these women were trying to bring attention to something, they picked the right place.
I was in Agadir about 15 years ago with a girl friend of mine and we went out and wore dresses day and night and had a great time! How things have changed!
Deborah, I have a friend who has been visiting Agadir for over 20 years and stays with a Moroccan family. He says he can’t believe how much the place has changed. It is the only place in Morocco I wouldn’t go back to.
It’s about 5 years since I was there and attitudes to us on the street varied in different places but mostly we found the Moroccans that we engaged with to be lovely warm people.
Naw just naive young people who’ve paid their hard earned money for a Holiday in the sun.Don’t hear of hordes of tourists rushing to get into North Korea or Saudi Arabia?-no ambiguity about dress codes or social behaviour in these two earthly paradises I’d wager.Whereas countries like Morroco give mixed messages in their glossy inducements that creates complacency particularly in care free young people.(Respect Ramadan ,No Bikinis.:-This was a banner on Agadir beach that was removed by the authorities last month.Read.morrocoworldnews.com But the bad guys are going to win and destroy the badly needed tourist industry in these countries with their strict enforcement of their religious laws.But aren’t empty beaches infinitely better than those strewn with the bodies of blameless tourists who were butchered because they had offended the religious sensitivities of the natives!!
Can’t we can start arrested women for being completely covered up ?
Of course not for fear we would offend someone’s imagine friend.
were they locals or tourists? I would imagine laws are more relaxed towards tourists, seeing as Agadir is a popular destination and how inappropriate we’re the dresses? more facts please Journal
500 Lawyers? Who are they? Mr Burns…
Obviously it was a short skirt
Not to many Lawyers around these parts That are so neighbourly.
It was a mini skirt which went just above the ankles. If a man gets a horn looking at it the woman gets 100 lashes.
Absolute evil psychopaths…!!!!!
At least nobody can say they’re soft on crime.
As always, sexism is Islam strikes again. The positive element of this story is the attitude of the 500 lawyers (presumably Muslims) defending the women. That’s great to see.
The issues around sexism, murder, rape, hatred, and homophobia that riddle Islam can only be dealt with by Muslims tackling them head on themselves.
But the burka is all about choice and feminism
Its sounds crass, and a little bigotted there may be some outliers, but on the whole, Western culture is best culture.
Could this be classified as a crime against fashion?
when in Rome.
When in Rome!! Yea sur I was nearly arrested in the Vatican for having me baps out in the catacombs!!! ;)
I’ve seen men and women queueing for the Vatican being told to cover themselves by security. No visible shoulders or knees in the pope’s gaff. No knees for Jesus!!
Some muslim women wear the hijab in rome ….paris…London…Berlin…etc…etc…
“Immodest clothing”… The Bikini..is not banned in Dubai…Morroco ….Tunisia …..So ” when in Rome”yeah
Any photos of the women in the provocative dresses?
Was there a couple of years ago … What a sh hole .. The people there are a nasty shower .. Great if they came here for a holiday and I’d give um a taste of there own medicine
Maybe in Europe it sounds ridiculous to be arrested for wearing a short dress in the city centre but for god’s sake if you going on holiday to the muslim country with their own rules why would u disrespect them and behave like and idiot? This rule applies to muslim traveling to Europe too… If someone decides to travel abroad they at least should be respectful to their surroundings and a proper dress code is a must…
@Kasia, About ten years ago my uncle brought his family on holiday to Morocco and while at a market a man approached him and asked him to trade his blonde haired 12 year old daughter for a whole load of camels.
I know it sounds daft and my uncle laughed it off at first but the man was serious and became quite offended that my uncle wasn’t taking his offer seriously – to the point that they fled but to their hotel and stayed there the rest of the holiday.
I can only imagine what would have happened to my cousin or what does happen to children in that part of the world.
Kasia by your logic my uncle is the one in the wrong, he wasn’t sensitive to local traditions at all. Traveling abroad doesn’t mean we replace our good values and attitudes with bad ones.
No your uncle isn’t wrong, because there is a difference between a child and a pice of fabric. Even in Italy if u wanna go to some of the churches u need to wear a proper clothing. My point is if u are in a different country u should use your common sense and stop behaving like you are in your back garden back at home – you are not. Why put yourself in a bad situation? It is like flying to Dubai and start drinking in the middle of the city centre on the street… U either love challenges or just an idiot…(not u):)
The Italian example doesn’t hold up because it’s inside a church and not in a public street and secondly because the outcome will likely be a disapproving look or you might be asked to leave. You won’t be arrested or even stoned to death.
I realise you are talking about using common sense and all women should cover themselves up in Muslim countries. However, what you are actually re-enforcing is the idea that women are inferior to men, women don’t have equal rights to men, women who don’t cover up their skin are prostitutes and deserve to be beaten or raped.
“And stop behaving as if you are in your own backyard at home”-for pity sake have you not read some of the comments above by ladies about their experiences in Morocco.The unfortunate victims of the TUNISIAN Massacre were;(with the absolute blessing of the authorities-, lying on the beach as if they were in their own backyard!!..Is there nothing that the apologists for muslim hypocrisy and intolerance.will not excuse ever.Hopeless..
They are Moroccan women.
When will the penny drop that these countries DO NOT WELCOME Western visitors!
How many more Westerners will be slaughtered before we realise WE ARE NOT WANTED!in these Islamic countries! Stay away and visit where the law is universal and fair and not bigoted and repressed!
Why is the picture if Marrakech, hundreds of miles away?
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And they want sharia law in Europe, these people are off there heads.
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