Friday Prayers in the Street... A Strong and Objective Response to the Moroccan Journalist's Comments!

The Moroccan journalist’s recent remarks regarding Friday prayers in the streets and around mosques constituted a clear media blunder, as they reduced a unifying weekly ritual to nothing more than an isolated traffic hazard.

The argument for banning prayer outside overcrowded mosques or directing worshippers to find other locations reflects a complete disregard for the reality on the ground, and an illogical disregard for the nature of this religious gathering—which lasts only a few minutes—during which Moroccans express their commitment to spiritual values and rituals.

Addressing the issues of overcrowding and limited space in certain neighborhoods does not involve attacking religious practices or calling for their restriction, but rather through the adoption of organizational and logistical solutions that integrate the efforts of local authorities and civil society.

Civilized conduct requires providing safe passageways while safeguarding citizens’ right to perform their religious duties with dignity, far from the logic of sensationalism and fear-mongering, which neither serves social peace nor solves urban traffic problems.