“Jokes: How Moroccans laugh at religion, sex and politics”

Posted on January 3rd, 2007 by .
Categories: Morocco.

Jokes are a serious matter and it can become awkward when some people don’t laugh at your jokes. The Moroccan Arab magazine Nichane ran a cover story about the role of jokes while sharing a few with readers. The jokes that were deemed particularly offensive were the ones dealing with religion. Jokes you can actually here everywhere and therefore nothing new. The article was written by Sanaa al Aji. A lawsuit has been filed against her and the magazine’s director for “insult to the Islamic faith” and “publication and distribution of writings that are contrary to the morals and mores” of the country. The cover story brings harm [to] the fundamental values of the Moroccan society, all the more reason that these values constitute the basis of cohesion between the various components of the Moroccan people. The trial is set for January 8th (thanks to Aisha for translating the Arab sites).

Meanwhile several Moroccan bloggers have set up a solidarity action such as Refusenik, Eatbees, Larbi, other blogs like View From Fez and Maroc-Blogs (1,2,3) also pay attention to it and also in some of the mainstream there seems to be some attention (but not much) like for example this interesting op-ed in Dar al Hayat by Mohamed Ashab, who raises some interesting questions:

One shouldn’t be surprised when drastic actions, whether expected or not, are taken during the time of transformations. Throughout the exciting journey of openness in Morocco, the press has been in the foreground. This status, regardless of the different interpretations attached to it, would have never been achieved hadn’t there been a dire need for the role the press plays in the process of political and intellectual change to develop. This role should lay the foundations for a new culture.

There remains a huge difference, however, between major or minor conflicts that stem from ideological and political convictions, and conflicts that only aim at suspense, and try to destroy rock-solid and widely accepted values. The noble role of the press entails a higher degree of balance in order to help the ship of moral values make its way without jeopardizing the lives of its passengers.

The controversy over such issue may be for pure Moroccan reasons, taking into consideration its scope and consequences on the reality of a nascent media.

The relation of this controversy, however, with the political experience of a country that seeks to establish post-transitional harmonies under conditions embraced by the most hard-line of opposition factions, and which further, succeeded in including the Islamic movements, who have emerged to command a qualitative and a quantitative impact on the political scene, strongly suggests that such controversy has become a part of this political experience.

Perhaps the more significant aspect of the issue is related to more serious implications on the image of Islam as it really is, and as it is seen by the Other, since the Moroccan authorities’ reaction cannot be separated from the controversy over the offensive cartoons that depicted the Prophet of Islam and the statements by Pope Benedict XVI that prompted Morocco to recall its ambassador from the Vatican.

The Rabat government, which has always been steadfast in its resistance to attempts to demean Islam, was not expected to adopt a different stance. The attempts to demean Islam were basically based on a deceptive ideology that tries to confirm the selective nature of describing the putative terrorist enemy.

However, the banning of a newspaper could have serious impacts on the country’s records regarding human rights, and freedom of expression. This raises serious problematic issues about the freedom of the press: where it starts and where it ends?

UPDATE:

See the comments about the question which jokes were used. I said I couldn’t find them anymore, but that is not entirely true. I knew I read them somewhere in French but Eatbees has them in English and provides a link to the original Arab texts as well.

Ow and by the way you know that anthropologists research everything, right? So of course there are people who research jokes. Consider the following articles about the life and work of the late anthropologist Alan Dundes. Might be useful to understand a little bit more about this whole thing:

Cracking jokes: studies of sick humor cycles and stereotypes. – book reviews 

Joke and Folklore Scholar Alan Dundes Dies:

jokes with a sexual or racial edge are “effective as socially sanctioned outlets for expressing taboo ideas and subjects.”

12 comments.

eatbees

Comment on January 4th, 2007.

Thanks for your summary of the Nichane controversy, and especially for providing a link to the Dar al-Hayat editorial. One thing I wonder, in response to its author — doesn’t censorship in the name of Islam “demean Islam” even more than a few jokes? In other words, if a religion is so sensitive or weak that its image is shaken by a few jokes, what does that say? Personally, I don’t believe that Islam needs the protection of state censorship, and I would like to see more Islamist politicians saying so.

Another question to ask is whether it was *really* the religious jokes that caused the State’s reaction, or whether perhaps 1) the State was also sensitive to jokes about the former king and 2) the State wanted to protect itself from the possibility of attack from the right, by being “more Islamist than the Taliban” in this case.

martijn

Comment on January 5th, 2007.

Thanks. These are interesting questions and probably question no.1 should be, why the controversy now since most of the jokes (at least as I understand) were well known and often made? About the role and the ‘islamists’ you might also want to consider a report of Reporters without Frontiers about the Moroccan case of Hebdomadaire during the cartoon controversy. See here:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16461

eatbees

Comment on January 6th, 2007.

I was in Morocco at the time of the incident you refer to (Le Journal supposedly publishing the Danish cartoons), and as I understand it, this was a totally fabricated scandal. But fabricated by whom? Apparently some “Islamist” militants work hand in hand with the state security apparatus. This has been alleged in the Nichane case, too. In both cases, the magazines in question are trouble for the state because they criticize abuses of power, and go right up to the red lines of freedom of expression in Morocco. The situation is volatile as elections are coming up this year. For the first time, the Islamist PJD looks set to win, despite the usual vote-rigging the state does to keep any single group from getting a majority. Everything about this scandal has to be read in that context. The Palace is nervous. So while many Moroccans were sincerely offended (not everyone tells these jokes!) I think the real story here is about the state taking an opportunity to get back at its enemies.

eatbees

Comment on January 6th, 2007.

Of course, the jokes themselves are a fascinating subject for you! They are an art form, a repository of culture and all the rest. It is a ritual to sit with friends and trade jokes. If you don’t bring at least one or two to the table, you are something of a non-person. The jokes Nichane published are representative, but there are hundreds more like them and Nichane didn’t necessarily get the best ones! 😉

Paul

Comment on January 8th, 2007.

Martijn,
Would you like to talk about the situation in Morocco tonight, 8th Jan, on the BBC World Service?
Give us a ring on 442075570635 if you are interested.

We go on air at 6pm for one hour.

Paul

A Ben Dawood

Comment on January 8th, 2007.

I visit morocco about three time a year,and on every occasion I hear new jokes about religion,sex and politics this is not a new thing ,i heard jokes about the same since my childhood 50 years ago.Moroccans humour is one of the best in the world. The Nichane controversy will not only affect Morocco’s standing before the civilised world but will also reinforce the hipocricy of everyone involve because all of these people (religious ,the judiciary and the judge)have had a good laught before ,and still hear many similar jokes.And according to our religion God had condemed hipocrits to hell, and I do not thing that God will bother with good and humourous jokes teller who makes poeple laught.As you know the best jokes are about sex,politics,religions and misfortunes.And I suspect the magazine did not go far enought in publishing the best jokes which will reflect what the majority of Moroccan if not the entire population share every day to keep them sane.

marameo

Comment on January 9th, 2007.

I have been searching for those jokes in internet for hours and
have found nothing!!!
Can you send me some just to have an idea of it?
lmascherella@yahoo.it
thanks

martijn

Comment on January 9th, 2007.

Sorry I don’t have them either anymore. I suggest you have a look at one of the moroccan blogs mentioned in the article here; there should be some copy it.

sofia

Comment on February 16th, 2007.

some of jokes in english are still on eatbees…
Last time I looked, humour not haraam…being offensive is subjective…

Kazeldtb

Comment on July 16th, 2008.

Hi webmaster!

stephanazs

Comment on September 20th, 2008.

Interesting facts.I have bookmarked this site. stephanazs

bernie

Comment on April 3rd, 2009.

Just FYI, I linked to your article from Why I make fun of Islam; you will find my Muslim jokes are much ore offensive than those of Nichane magazine.

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