Moroccan Jews encouraged by king's reforms to family law

Albert Sasson, a leading Jewish figure and member of the Moroccan human rights advisory council (CCDH), said reforms to the family law announced last Friday by King Mohammed VI are a stimulus for Moroccan Jews to amend the Hebraic family laws.

Sasson told MAP the amendments brought to the law regulating marriage, divorce, children guardianship and other family relations for Muslim Moroccans are opening the way for change in Moroccan Jews' family laws.

After he welcomed the reforms announced by the sovereign as a source of satisfaction for Moroccan Jews and an opportunity for them to carry on improving, developing and reforming the law in total respect of Jewish foundations and peculiarities, Sasson said they also give them satisfaction as to their status as Moroccan nationals and as to their specificity as regards the personal statute.

While announcing the reforms at the opening of the parliament's fall session, the sovereign stressed "As the King of all Moroccans, I do not make legislation for a given segment of the population or a specific party. Rather, I seek to reflect the general will of the Nation, which I consider to be my extended family."

Speaking of Moroccan Jews, the sovereign said "As I am determined to preserve the rights of my faithful subjects of Jewish faith, I have seen to it that the new Family Law contains a provision which reaffirms that they shall continue to be governed by the Hebraic Moroccan Family Law."

The CCDH member further explained that like the Muslim family law, the Moroccan Hebraic family law is inspired from religious sources and texts, noting that the sovereign had insisted in his speech on equality between Moroccan Jews and Moroccan Muslims.

Sasson, who chairs the Council of Israelite communities in Morocco, announced that rabbis are being trained and special chambers for Jews are available at Moroccan courts.

The Council is presently preparing a memo on the Moroccan Hebraic personal status to survey the development of this law throughout history since Morocco's independence in order to inform Muslim co-citizens on the provisions of the Hebraic law, he went on.