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The Campaign logo Image Credit: Social media

Dubai: The Moroccan version of the #MeToo and #WhyIDidntReport movement is picking up momentum among Moroccans under #Masaktash, which means “I won’t be silent”.

The hashtag idea came from a number of activists, after the horrific rape case of Khadija went viral in August. Khadija is a minor who was kidnapped, raped and tortured for more than two months by a group of men from her village. The police arrested the gang and they went on trial, but a section of the society showed no sympathy towards the victim and some even went on to blame and to discredit her.

The activist group launched the campaign on September 19, the same day the famous Moroccan pop star Saad Lamjarred was detained in France for his third rape accusation. The hashtag #Masaktash went viral calling for the boycott of the singer's songs, and the suspension of his songs from Moroccan radio stations.

The movement's representative tweeted: “Our coalition is not only about Saad Lamjarred rape case, but to defend all Moroccan women victims. Follow us and help us expose the violence and fight the rape culture that is increasing in our society.”

 

More than 40 per cent of women said they had been "victims of an act of violence at least once". Abuse came in the form of physical, psychological, sexual or economic, they said in a survey carried out by Morocco's High Commission for Planning which surveyed those living in towns and aged between 18 and 64.

Morocco introduces law to combat violence against women

This is not the first time women have acted against sexual harassment and rape in Morocco.

Earlier this year the Free Feminist Union launched an anti-harassment application for women to report abuse and to get help. The application called “Manchoufouch”, meaning "can we see you."

While the #MeToo movement exposed sexual violence and forced some people out of the Hollywood industry, the #masaktach movement is still fighting to remove Saad Lamjarred's songs from radio stations, music channels, and platforms like YouTube.

One tweeted saying “Really outrageous. This is how rape stays so present in our culture. Even our music is sang by rapists! #Masaktach (sic)”

 

"The case of Saad Lamjarred is a symbol that brings together everything connected to rape culture and impunity," Laila Slassi, one of the campaign's initiators told AFP.

Despite the string of allegations against him, the singer's tunes have still been played on radio stations and Moroccan media have enthused over the release of his latest singles.

Lamjarred's fans remain convinced the singer is innocent, as he comes from a well-off family of artists, and that he himself is very well-educated in the best of schools.

Najib Chaouki, a Moroccan active on twitter tried to explain to them that rape has nothing to do with social status in a tweet saying “Just so we are all on the same wave, harassment and sexual violence has no relation with social class or age. Children and elderly are subjected to harassment and sexual violence in Morocco. It is seen daily in Moroccan courts. The latest is the rape of a four-year-old girl, in Sidi Kassem, and rape of a 70-year old man in a southern city.”

Anger can be sensed from the tweets of women; one user tweeted expressing her disgust: “It’s 2018, and somehow some people still focus on defending an alleged rapist’s “right” to unscathed fame & notoriety instead of focusing on the many victims’ accounts of sexual assault.”

"He's famous, good looking, so we support him... it's an emblematic case of sympathy for the aggressor in a society where we always find excuses for men," psychologist Sanaa El Aji, a specialist in gender issues, told AFP.

Under pressure

Zineb Slassi, one of the initiators of the campaign, speaking to AFP said media was "promoting a man accused of sexual violence" instead of real role models.

However, Radio Arabic Mood took a stand in respect for Moroccan women. They said “Out of respect for all women, Saad Lamjarred songs have been removed from the Arabic Mood radio program. #Masaktach”

Under pressure, Morocco's Radio 2M has also pulled Lamjarred from its airwaves, saying it "no longer promotes (the singer) since the case is in the hands of the judiciary".

But Hit Radio, the kingdom's most popular station, was less clear about its stance.

The station's head, Younes Boumehdi, initially said he would not broadcast the superstar's hits, but quickly added that the measure would only last until "things calm down".

An on-air poll showed 68 per cent of Hit Radio's audience wanted to continue listening to the star, regardless of the charges.

Ultra-famous in the Arab world, Lamjarred "is still among the most popular on YouTube, and for many of his fans he will remain an icon, even if he is sentenced", Boumehdi told AFP.

The case has sparked "a lot of emotion because Saad Lamjarred has the image of a modern man with a new message," he said.

Radio Chada FM, which claims to be a leader in Morocco's arts and music scenes, said it would not take Lamjarred off the air "until he has been tried, in the name of the presumption of innocence".

But not everyone agrees.

"His song lyrics glorify male domination among couples... and the submission of the woman," business leader Mehdi Alami wrote in a post shared widely on social media.

- With inputs from AFP