Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Benny Martinez - Talk Radio News Service

The Moroccan Constitution protects the freedom of opinion and expression, yet members of the Village of Hope, a Christian organization devoted to providing a caring community for orphaned children, pleaded with Congress Thursday to pursue action against religious discrimination in Morocco.

Herman Boonstra, founder of the Village of Hope, told the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission that he, along with many American foster couples, were deported from their Moroccan homes under the charge of proselytism, the act of attempting to convert others’ opinions or religions.

“We tried to negotiate, but to no avail,” Boonstra said. “[The governor of Ifrane] stated that we had violated the laws concerning proselytism, but who did we proselytize? That was not clearly stated.”

According to a statement released by Moroccan Ambassador to the United States Aziz Mekouar, “the repatriation measures which concerned a number of American citizens, solely and exclusively targeted proselytism activities which are clearly and categorically forbidden by the laws of Morocco and the precepts of Islam.”

The ambassador said that, given these concerns, there can be no mistake about the position of the Moroccan authorities in this case.