Morocco is a beautiful and diverse country in North Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and the Sahara Desert. With a population of over 37 million, Morocco is a kingdom with deep Islamic roots-nearly all citizens are Muslim, and Islam is tightly woven into national identity.
Location of Morocco in Africa
Daily life in Rabat, Morocco, is full of references to the nation’s Muslim majority. For instance, in Arabic, we greet each other with as-salaamu alaykum, which functions as a way to say hello but literally means “peace be upon you.” Notably, it’s a religious phrase used among Muslims. Moroccans, mainly Muslim Moroccans as far as I can tell, also say inshallah, which translates to “if God wills it.” The phrase can be used either in a genuine way when wishing for a friend to have a safe journey, or in a sarcastic way, for example, when expressing a goal of waking up early to go for a run.
The call to prayer, too, is another example of how religion plays a role in daily life here. Five times a day, all of the mosques recite the call to prayer, part of which translates to “God is the greatest,” over a loudspeaker. Usually, the mosques start the call at slightly different times, maybe a minute apart from each other, so if you’re out and about when the call is played, you’ll hear a beautiful, slightly messy version of it. The first few times I heard it, it definitely caught me off guard, but now it’s a familiar, almost comforting sound. Also, businesses sometimes will have signs indicating their regular business hours as well as their business hours during Ramadan, which is probably very helpful information. While I have not experienced life in this country during that time, I’ve heard that Ramadan completely changes Moroccan society’s schedule.
Sometimes Morocco’s religious homogeneity seems like it can be a helpful way for Moroccans to find common ground. For instance, in my mythology class at the Mohammed V University, my professor is able to liken myths to Quranic stories, which presumably the entire class understands. Also, my host mom is a Quran teacher for children. From our conversations, I know that this experience helps her find purpose and feel connected to the community. I also imagine that it is a job that resonates with people. When she explains what she does, I feel as though people probably connect with and respect her profession, because of the religious identity of the country.
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I’d be curious to learn more about the experiences of religious minorities here. An American friend of mine went to a synagogue in Rabat for a research paper she was working on, and she mentioned that there were only about 15 men at the service she attended. Based on the conversations my friend had, it seems like the Jewish community of Rabat is small but close-knit. I also attended a Catholic Mass here, and the Catholic community seems much larger than the Jewish community. The day I went, there were about 400 people, many of whom were sub-Saharan immigrants. I imagine that these communities become close in part out of a need to connect with people from the same religious backgrounds. Perhaps they represent tastes of home and familiarity in a new environment, too. In any case, it appears that Morocco is a country that embraces religion-Islam, of course, but also Judaism and Christianity, and potentially other religions too, although I can’t speak to them specifically.
Christianity is viewed with suspicion, and converting from Islam is socially dangerous and legally restricted. Evangelical believers are few, and most Moroccan Christians must follow Jesus in secret. But God is working. Though the church is hidden and the risks are real, God is planting seeds of hope across this land.
Omar* opens the door to his apartment. He wears a black t-shirt with "Jesus" written in big white letters across his chest. On his back: "Jesus is my only true love". Inside his apartment, he doesn't make it a secret he is a Christian now. We see a cross, a shield with "We love because He first loved us" and several Bibles. This 30-year-old man is a believer for 14 years now.
"When I first became a believer, I thought I was the only one," he says. Later he discovered that there are more converts like him in the country. "The first time when I met with a group of believers, I saw it as a great opportunity to grow. After that period he went to another place and found a warm welcome in the house of a pastor of a house church. "There, it was as if I was adopted." In that house he found a new family.
The Journey of Faith
Raised as a Muslim, he went to the mosque daily with his father. He memorized many Quran verses. "At a certain moment I asked my father why God doesn't like Christians and Jews. Muslims?" The answer he got from his father was short and didn't satisfy this young boy. "Don't ask, just believe," was the answer his father gave him. It motivated him wanting to know more.
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Omar started his search on the internet where he was triggered by the phrase "God loves you" on one of the pages he visited. "That made me curious. He was 16 years old when he made the decision to follow Jesus, to give himself to God who loves all the world. He kept his faith a secret for about one year.
Thanks to God, the relationship with his family was restored some 8 years after his conversion. It happened when his father was sent out of the family house all of a sudden because of a family issue. "He called me, he asked forgiveness for all he had done. For Omar, knowing Jesus fully changed him. "I was confused before that; I didn't know the truth. I was also a shy and fearful boy.
Now God has given me big courage, for example to talk about Jesus. God gave me the talents that I use in ministry. But the most important is knowing that I am loved by God. For that, he uses the skills he learned during his audiovisual training. "I have my own channel on social media where I talk about Christian faith. Muslims have lots of questions. Like wearing the name of Jesus on his t-shirt, Omar doesn't want to hide his faith.
Also on social media, Omar openly speaks about Jesus. On the other hand, he does carefully prevent certain things in his channel. "I don't talk about politics. This channel is about Jesus. Converting from Islam to Christianity in Morocco often leads to a form of persecution, but not always. "It depends a lot on your family, how strict are they in Islam, how open to other religions.
As he was hiding his faith for about a year, he knows many other converts in Morocco do the same. "It is no problem to first hide your faith for your family. It is more important that you work on your faith and your relationship with God. This Moroccan Christian has some tips for Christians to continue to grow in their faith and relationship with Jesus. Growth, according to Omar, in the first place comes through the Bible.
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Second, you need a church. You grow in contact with the others; you need a space to live your faith, hear testimonies of other believers. The third thing needed, I believe, is obedience to His commandments. Another thing that helped him and many other converts in Morocco and the rest of North Africa, are "conferences and training". There he learned a lot but also came in touch with other Christians from other parts of the country. Omar is now in his fourth year of online theology studies at a seminary abroad.
Besides being active online, Omar frequently travels to different isolated Christians all over the country. Jesus. "I give Bible study to new believers; I prepare them for baptism, for that reason I visit them. Especially with persons who he doesn't know yet, he is very cautious. "First we chat on the socials, I try to find out if they are really interested. And for security reasons, I don't go alone, I always go with someone.
Also during those visits, he won't talk negatively about his old religion. "No, I don't do that, I also don't compare Islam and Christianity. I always say to those I meet: don't ask me about Islam, ask me about Jesus. the Bible, about the living word of God, God will speak in the hearts of the people. Not all persons he visits and invests time in become Christians. "A nice side effect is that I make a lot of friends. They all want to know more about Jesus, they feel safe to ask me.
Frequently people do take the decision to follow Jesus. He discovered that what in general brings people to Jesus, "is when they see that the teaching of Jesus is true, that it is about love, love for the other, love even for the enemy. It was that love that changed his own life. "I often share my testimony, how God did that. and for the person(s) he is going to meet or just met. "Most of the time I meet them in coffee shops, a public place.
Recently he was surprised by what one of those searchers said. "When we were talking in a coffeeshop the young man mentioned that this mother and sister also wanted to become followers of Jesus. Jesus'. When possible he connects the persons he visits to a house church nearby. That also happened to the three of that one family who converted. those believers.
His theological studies have helped him to, for example, plan better how he best can serve in ministry. "That is a real blessing for me. Before I started studying, I was afraid that it would be too academic, without attention for the spiritual side. The church in Morocco cannot be compared with a church in any of the Western countries. All Moroccan believers come together in house churches, not in church buildings.
When we really live that, God will do miracles in our midst. He sees the current situation in Morocco as "open." "We need to use this opportunity as Christians. In some places the church is going "through challenging times," Omar says. searching for truth and want to know more about Jesus.
Historical Context and Biblical Connections
Psalm 83 lists a group of peoples-a confederacy-whose main enemy is Israel. Today, there exists a worldwide jihad against the West, particularly aimed at the "Great Satan," the United States, and the despised Jews, the State of Israel. The physical descendants of ancient Israel-the English-speaking peoples, the democracies of Northwest Europe, and the Jewish Diaspora-are the standard-bearers of Western civilization.
The same players are still in the game! For the most part, Islamist or fundamentalist Arabs have been the aggressors. The terrorists have mainly come from Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, North Africa, Iraq, etc.-that is, Arab nations. Terror organizations have targeted Western people, planes, helicopters, ships, homes, shops, hotels, and embassies-anything Western seems to be fair game to them.
The State of Israel, of course, has endured a heavy share of the militant Islamic violence since its founding in 1948. More recently, Britain, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other predominantly Israelite nations have also suffered terrorist atrocities. This in no way discounts the terrorism that has also struck non-Israelite but Western nations like Spain and Italy.
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The Story of Noah and Environmental Responsibility
The story of Noah is not a new narrative at the time it is written and consigned in the Book of Genesis in the form that has been passed down to us through the centuries. The intention of the writer(s) appears to be to introduce a pre-existing Babylonian myth but giving it a totally new theological intention. Indeed, several narratives of the Flood exist in earlier Mesopotamian literature (Akkadian, Sumerian - 2nd millennium BC). Although it is not possible to prove a direct link between these earlier narratives and the account in Genesis, there are so many similarities that it is possible to say that the author of Genesis was familiar with them.
In the 2nd Chapter of Genesis, Adam (as human) was given the task of naming every living creature. What this implies is that human beings share the responsibility of other creatures’ existence. We were given intelligence, senses, and imagination in order to look after God’s creation, make it prosperous, and generate wealth for all.
In Chapter 6:5-6, we read, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. 6And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart”. The wickedness referred to here concerns all humankind, not only those born to women from the sons of God.
Noah's Ark
There is another essential angle to this covenant. After centuries of Judaism, when Christians read the Old Testament, they often focus on the covenant with Abraham, and on the place of Israel as the chosen people. Noah reminds us that God’s plan includes all nations. Faith in God doesn’t set Israel aside from other nations. On the contrary, Israel as a people is at the center of the covenant. Noah was not one of the Hebrew people - which didn’t yet exist as such- yet he is later seen as a major figure of justice by Israel.
Western civilization has often considered humankind as the master of God’s creation in a very technical sense. Was that God’s original intention? Considering the New Testament, and the example of Jesus Christ as Master, we see Him in a position of service to others. Being the master is holding responsibility, but more essentially being available for, being in charge of, looking after. In this sense, as human beings we are in charge of looking after God’s creation, first and foremost the planet we live on.
The COP 22 (Conference of Parties) will be held here in Marrakesh later this year, opening on Nov. 7. In Morocco, we live in the context of a rapidly changing developing country - with strong traditions still very much alive. Focusing on environmental issues only, one thing seems obvious however: the entire population of this planet cannot afford to align itself and live by standards seen as ‘minimal comfort’ in the West. Some climate sceptics may disagree, but it is generally acknowledged today that if a population of seven billion lived the ‘American way of life’, the consequences would be dramatic in terms of climate change and the environment.
Reading the narrative of Noah reminds us that harmony between humankind, all living creatures and our Lord is essential, and was the goal in the Covenant given to Noah. Unlike other covenants in the Bible, the covenant that God entered in with Noah is a one way alliance - God alone commits himself to ‘never destroying every living creature’ as God had done. For a Christian living in Morocco, another interesting feature of the character of Noah-as with some others from the Hebrew Scriptures-is that he is also a prophet in the Koran.
What Noah tells us today is that we are responsible for what is happening to our environment, to the state of the planet we are leaving to our children and grand-children, to animals and all living creatures around us. That men and women together can resist and combat violence and idolatry. What could we be doing about this together as a Christian community?
Key Biblical Passages Related to Noah's Ark
| Reference | Description |
|---|---|
| Genesis 6:5-6 | God sees the wickedness of humankind and is grieved. |
| Genesis 6:11-13 | God decides to destroy the earth due to corruption and violence. |
| Genesis 6:14-22 | God instructs Noah to build an ark and bring in his family and animals. |
| Genesis 7 | The flood occurs, covering the earth and destroying all life outside the ark. |
| Genesis 8 | The waters recede, and the ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat. |
| Genesis 9:1-17 | God establishes a covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never to destroy the earth by flood again. |
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