Morocco: Justice and Development Party demands Arabisation of official documents

The Moroccan Justice and Development Party has demanded the Arabisation of administrative documents and data on the websites of ministries and public institutions.

This was mentioned in a statement by the parliamentary bloc of the party (opposition) in the House of Representatives on Friday.

The party inquired about: “Improvement and promotion of Arabic language in the Moroccan media, and the decline in using the Arabic language in public facilities and aspects of life in the country.”

The party also directed a request to hold a meeting of the Education, Culture and Communication Committee in the House of Representatives, in the presence of the Minister of National Education Chakib Benmoussa and the Minister of Culture and Youth Mehdi Bensaid, to discuss the status of the Arabic language in educational, cultural and public information programmes.

Jurists and lawyers have previously criticised the adoption of the French language in administrations and documents. The former Bar Association in Rabat Mohamed Barkou had previously demanded to “reject” any document written in French.

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In August 2019, a law to reform education in Morocco entered into force, one of its provisions allowing the teaching of subjects in the French language.

In statements, political parties and civil associations criticised the adoption of French (the language of the former occupier 1912-1956) in teaching educational subjects.

The Moroccan Constitution stipulates in its fifth chapter: “Arabic remains the official language of the state, the state shall work to protect, improve and develop its use. The Tamazight is also an official language of the state, as it is a common asset for all Moroccans without exception.”

World Arabic Language Day falls on 18 December each year. It is the day on which the United Nations General Assembly issued Resolution No. 3190, approving the inclusion of Arabic among the official and working languages ​​of the United Nations.