Wehbe’s tongue brings the conflict between “modernists and conservatives” back to the forefront in Morocco

After a short truce, a new confrontation loomed on the horizon between the modernist and conservative movements in Morocco against the backdrop of issues of identity and values, as the statements of the Minister of Justice, Abdel Latif Wehbe, regarding the illegality of hotel owners requesting marriage contracts from citizens, represented an opportunity to revive the dispute again.

Wehbe’s exciting statements were not missed by his opponent, Abdelilah Benkirane, Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party, who renewed his sharp attack on him, accusing him of working to spread “indecency and adultery among Moroccans and turning hotels into dens of prostitution.”

Benkirane’s sharp attack on Wehbe heralds a battle between the two opposing camps in the country, especially with the prevailing anticipation of the opinion of the royal institution and its directives regarding the recommendations presented by the committee appointed by King Mohammed VI to review the Family Code.

Living community

In his comment on the issue, Mohamed El-Omrani Boukhbaza, a university professor and political analyst, considered that “Morocco, like other societies, has human groups with different and divergent convictions, and each conviction is based on a specific reference, and this means that society is alive, thinking, and engaged in public debate.”

Boukhbaza explained, in a statement to the electronic newspaper Hespress, that the involvement of actors in the political field in a discussion of this kind is “natural. Rather, they must engage in this discussion and direct it, and in most cases it is determined between two modernist and conservative trends.”

The spokesman pointed out that the prevailing debate between the two trends “is not necessarily linked to the Family Code and the discussion about amending it, as much as it is a permanent debate and will remain because the matter is linked to the conviction of components in Moroccan society,” adding that “fortunately for Moroccans, there is an institution that we consider to be an arbiter between these various positions.” , referring to the royal institution.

Wehbe’s slips

At the level of the political dimension of the explosive debate due to the statements of the Minister of Justice, he recorded with experience that “there are mistakes committed by Wehbe, and they are successive mistakes that create a lot of discussion, and in many cases take the discussion out of context,” considering that Wehbe’s history “may be linked to slips of the tongue that are supposed to be.” A politician who belongs to the first echelon of the party elite should not fall into it and should be more careful with the terminology and statements he makes.”

The same political analyst added that the history of the Minister of Justice “is full of…[البوز] We will always remember [التقاشر] And[باه عندو الفلوس] And[دينمو]And many terms that will continue to characterize the man’s history,” considering that this matter “gives the other movement an opportunity to revive, catch its breath, and return.”

Benkirane’s chance to return

Boukhbaza explained that “the matter is related to some issues related to the field that Moroccans consider to be one of the fields that have a special nature, which is the religious field,” pointing out that Benkirane’s struggle to return to the forefront “always finds its way out through the mistakes of his political opponents, among whom were Elias Lamari and Idriss.” Thank you.”

The declarant spoke to Hespress about “Benkirane pounces on his opponents whenever the opportunity arises,” citing that “Benkirane as a person thrives on the mistakes of his opponents, and Wahbi is more likely to commit mistakes that are considered free gifts for Benkirane, on issues that are specific to society, and this is the area in which Benkirane is more creative in applying pressure.” In the direction of belittling his political opponents,” he recalled what happened with Lashkar during his demand for equality in inheritance, saying: “We followed how Benkirane attacked him forcefully, and now Wehbe’s unaccounted actions gave a lot of margin for Benkirane to return to the forefront, and he is the one who is very proficient in playing this type.” Of spaces.”

Choosing a state or a party’s ijtihad?

For his part, Abdelhafid Elyounsi, professor of political science at Hassan I University in Settat, considered that the recent catastrophe clearly demonstrates that societal issues that are disputed at the level of the elites “if a certain point of view on them is imposed on society by the state’s executive or legislative mechanisms, it opens the door to strife within society.” “, stressing that the origin is that these issues have a reference that determines them, which is “the state’s reference, which is the subject of consensus until the opposite of this consensus is proven and it turns towards a new reference or references.”

Al-Younesi pointed out, in a statement to Hespress, that the discussion about requesting a marriage contract in hotels “is correct and not regulated by an explicit text, but the criminal law regulates practices that may result from not requesting the contract before entering the hotel,” highlighting that “rushing to implement these ideological trends gives the impression That this is the choice of a state, and not the effort of a party that arrived to contribute to the exercise of power; He contributes but does not exercise authority, and there is a difference between practicing and contributing,” he said.

Al-Younesi stressed that this matter “must be addressed from the angle of legality, not from the angle of policy,” highlighting that the angle of legality means “explicitly stipulating not to demand the contract, which means the state has decided its position regarding the approach to individual freedoms outside the Islamic reference for the benefit of another reference, which is A choice that will have a subsequent constitutional, political and social impact on the legitimacy of the political system in Morocco,” according to his opinion.