COLUMN: Viewpoint – Ramadan in Morocco

We are eating lunch in an outdoor restaurant in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Stray cats repeatedly try jumping up on our table. My husband, knowing I’m allergic to felines, manages to chase most of them away. But keeping the cats at bay is an ongoing battle throughout our meal. At one point we look over at the couple sitting just across from us and see three cats on their table sniffing various dishes of food.

There are multitudes of stray cats everywhere in Morocco. There is a religious reason for that. It is believed the Prophet Muhammad had a deep affection for cats. According to the Hadith, a secondary holy text to the Quran, it is forbidden to hurt or kill cats. Mistreating them can lead to eternal punishment. Cats are considered children of Allah, a source of protection and blessing.

The cats of Morocco are just one example of how religious beliefs deeply influence daily life here. Whether we are staying in a guesthouse in a tiny village high in the Atlas Mountains or in a nice hotel in a big city like Fes, we are awakened each morning at 5:30 a.m. by the loud calls to prayer emanating from the speakers in the towers of the closest mosque. People are called to prayer five times a day and take that religious duty very seriously whether they are at home or out in public.

Our extended stay in Morocco coincides with the month of Ramadan. That means there is no alcohol for sale anywhere and many shops and restaurants have been closed for the holy holiday which extends from February 18th to March 20th. Government offices and banks have reduced their opening hours. When we toured a massive new mosque in Casablanca we were told that during Ramadan they would welcome some 80,000 worshippers each day.

Most people fast from sunup to sundown during Ramadan. On a 15-day tour we took of the country, our Muslim guide struggled to maintain her fast as she led us on excursions that left her weak and shaking since she’d had nothing to eat. She would watch all of us eat, but she did not. She truly felt her fasting drew her closer to God.

Although deciding to wear a head and face covering is a family matter for women in Morocco, during Ramadan dress tends to be more conservative and modest. Visitors are respectfully encouraged to follow suit.

Charitable giving is at its height during Ramadan. King Mohammed VI annually heads a nationwide campaign to distribute tens of thousands of tons of basic food items like flour, sugar and oil and rice to his needy subjects and his royal guards hand out free meals to people at sunset when they are breaking their fast.

One of our tour guides explained in detail how Islam impacts the education, health care, political and legal systems in Morocco.

In Canada, there is an ongoing discussion about the relationship between religion and other areas of society. We are debating whether to remove exemptions for ‘good faith’ religious speech from federal hate crime legislation. In Quebec there is continuing controversy about a bill that prohibits civil servants from wearing any religious symbols. Some religious groups oppose the right to MAID, abortion or gay marriage and others are calling for the removal of charitable tax exemptions for churches.

It is interesting to reflect on those tensions in my own country as I spend five weeks in a nation where religion is the foundation for almost everything, and has a profound impact on the legal system, on culture, politics and daily life.