Day 30. Moroccan Arabs in Morocco (moh-RAH-kuhn)

The Moroccan Arabs are descendants of the Middle Eastern Muslim Arabs who invaded in the 7th century. Many intermarried with the native Berber tribes of Morocco who became devout Muslims and remain 30-50% of the population of Morocco, retaining their own languages. However, the Arabs dominate Moroccan politics and industry, and farming in the lowlands, growing fruit, vegetables, olives and grains, leaving the mountainous regions to the Berbers.  The Moroccan Royal Family is Arab, and one of the oldest Muslim Universities in the world is in Fes, Morocco.

Socially, there are two contrasting groups of Moroccan Arabs: those living in the cities and those in the rural areas, most are rural peasants. Among the rural Arabs, several classes have formed, which include nobles (claiming descendance from Mohammed), large landowners, peasants, and tenant farmers. Morocco is more liberal than most Muslim countries and has a large tourist industry. The current king since 1999, Mohammed IV, proposed a reformed constitution, which was accepted in a landslide vote in 2011.

Moroccan Arabs are Sunni Muslims, with anti-conversion laws. Other peoples are allowed to practice their religions openly but not distribute literature. Moroccan Arabic (Darija) is the official spoken language; it is significantly different from modern Arabic which is used predominantly in reading and writing. There is a New Testament in Darija (MSTD, 2012), but people are not used to reading in their own dialect.

Prayers for the families of the Moroccan Arabs:

Lord, thank you for putting Your love for the Moroccan Arabs into many families who have come to Morocco over the centuries to tell them about Jesus. Help all those seeds of faith to grow. Lead Moroccan families who want to know You and hear Your voice meet You in Your Word and in Jesus.

Lord, give the leaders of Morocco and the royal family wisdom to govern the country well. Help them to seek You for guidance and to allow freedom of faith for their people. Show them that those who love Jesus are a great blessing to the country, and their families and communities.

Lord, give Moroccan families who follow Jesus boldness to share Your Word and cultivate love of Jesus with their friends and families. Help Jesus families bring your blessing to their whole community and multiply strong local Jesus fellowships among the Moroccan Arabs and the Berbers.

Pray Scripture blessing on Moroccan Arabs to hear God’s call: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness. (Jer. 31:3)