Deportation of Christian Workers in Morocco

March 13, 2010 – 2:26 pm

Dozens of foreign Christians ministering in Morocco have been given expulsion notices within the past week from the Moroccan government, on grounds that they were in violation of Morocco’s law against proselytizing. The reported number of expelled workers ranges from just over 20 to more than 70.

According to Compass Direct News, “the [Moroccan] government gave the U.S. Embassy in Rabat a list of 40 citizens to be deported. Citing Western diplomats and aid groups, Reuters reported that as many as 70 foreign aid workers had been deported since the beginning of the month, including U.S., Dutch, British and New Zealand citizens.”

The most concentrated act of expulsions was directed at the foreign workers who run Village of Hope, a “home [in the mid Atlas region of Ain Leuh that] operates for those children whose families are unable or unwilling to care for them. Some are orphans but many have been abandoned.” (from VoH website)

According to a statement released by the foster parents on  the VoH site

on Monday 8th March, all 16 overseas workers, including 10 parents, and 13 natural-born dependents, were told they were to be evicted from the site and country.  The reason given was that the parents had been proselytizing, with no explanation of who, when, where or how this was alleged to have occurred.  No charges concerning the welfare and care of the children have ever been raised as a concern by the Moroccan authorities in the 10 year history of VOH.

A man who spent a summer at VoH describes his experience with the organization:

I was lucky to be a part of the Village of Hope in the summer of 2005. The charming hillside community rises up from the vast valley that separates the Middle Atlas Mountains from the Low Atlas Mountains in the central part of the country.  I recall my first weeks being surrounded by happy children, who would play in the newly built playground after their lessons, only to be called off to supper by their parents.

The Village was a home to three core families then, each composed of about 10 kids and their parents. Throughout the summer I watched as these kids interacted with the only parents they had ever known. I recall now how the distinction between natural and real parents was nonexistent to those kids. I also recall the joy of being a part of their summer camp, shuttling local kids in a broken down Chevy Astro van, up and down windy roads with the overcrowded occupants singing loud songs in their native Arabic.

While the authorities notified the VoH on Monday, March 8, most of the notifications and arrests of other foreign workers came last Saturday, March 6. A first hand witness stated that “it doesn’t appear that there were meetings or events that initiated this course of action on Saturday.”

Going back even further, “on February 4th, authorities raided a Christian meeting in Amzmiz near Marrakech, arresting 18 and deporting a foreign missionary. Since then five other foreign Christian missionaries have been expelled.” (from MoroccoBoard.com)

The Moroccan government expelled people of various nationalities who reside all around the country from North to South. These include: a Brazilian from the West coast, a British man from the North coast, a family from the West coast, a Korean from the Northwest coast, a man from the North-central region, and three Americans from the Northeast coast.

Scott (pseudonym), a close friend of mine and Missions Mandate that lives in Morocco, stated that the foreigners who have been exported “have been professors at the public university, business owners, school teachers, NGO workers, and others.” It seems that this wave of purging wasn’t necessarily dependent on people’s identity or role.

A foreign worker stated on Thursday, the 11th: “I don’t think it is over yet.  We had hoped that yesterday but it has kept on today.”

Scott told me yesterday, 3.12, that they [Moroccan officials] are trying to cut the “head of the monster” of the growing church. They think that if they can separate the expats from the Moroccan believers that the church will die or stop growing.

Much is being said in the worldwide media regarding this incident. It will, no doubt, be a matter of time before all of the details regarding this situation surface.

In light of the shockwave of worldwide protests, the Moroccan government hosted an event with national religious leaders (carefully selected Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders) to defend their recent expulsion of Christian workers. According to the BBC’s account “Communications Minister Khalid Naciri warned that the government would be ’severe with all those who play with religious values.’”

Naciri stated that VoH foreigners “took advantage of the poverty of some families and targeted their young children, whom they took in hand, in violation of the kafala (adoption) procedures for abandoned or orphaned children”. He added that Morocco had “always been and remains a land of openness and tolerance.”

To learn more about the Islamic, Sharia-based concept of kafala, consult the following legal documents:

The foster parents at VoH disagree with Naciri’s summary:

VOH understands the action of the authorities in relation to any “missionaries” if there is real evidence against them of preaching the gospel.  However, they feel the action against them was without foundation and completely unjust.  VOH is not a missionary organisation and only exists to offer love, care and education to Moroccan children.  There is a sense that VOH has been included in a nationwide action, but there is absolutely no legal merit to the action taken against VOH.

The Dutch Foreign Minister, Maxime Verhagen, agrees with their statement:

We are not talking about people who were in Morocco a few weeks to hand out bibles. It involves persons who have been taking care of children peacefully for 10 years. (source: Reuters)

These parents asked Christians worldwide to act responsibly in expressing their opinion of the situation on the internet:

We also appeal to our supporters around the World to not react to this situation and use the internet or any other means to say anything that might be viewed as detrimental about the Moroccan authorities. We the parents are the only people who carry the authority to speak into this situation on behalf of our children and we are raising up a team of people whom we trust with our message to speak on our behalves. 

If you have posted “unauthorised” comments or started campaigns, we would plead with you to stop and remove information you have put into the public domain. [from the VoH website; just above the contact info]

This serves as a helpful reminder for all of us to do what is in the best interest of all parties involved, in this situation and similar instances. We can pray and educate people about the situation, but we should keep all comments within the bounds of biblical principles. Not only does it have a direct reflection on our faith in Christ, but it also bodes well for the families directly involved in this situation.

I received an email update this morning, 3.13, from Scott. He forwarded a message that he received from the US Ambassador, Samuel L. Kaplan, regarding the recent deportation numerous Americans and other foreign workers.

Kaplan stated that, while he and his colleagues “have not disputed or questioned the laws of Morocco” they “have expressed, in the strongest possible terms, [their] distress over the manner in which the expulsions were carried out.”  He cited the Moroccan government’s refusal to allow a hearing and their refusal to give appropriate time “to put their affairs in order” as “neither fair nor excusable.” He added that “the potential harm to those left behind is obvious and real.”

This is the position in which Scott, and so many other foreign Christian workers in Morocco, finds himself. The temptation to shrink back from their normal routines and ministries must be ever present in their minds.

We read in the Bible that we should expect to have our faith tried, to be persecuted for our position in Christ. Well, this is what it looks like in 21st century ministry in a restricted access nation. While it is not outright beating and killing (at least not yet), it is deliberate opposition to gospel ministry.

I trust that this information opens our eyes to see the opposition of Satan and his evil forces against the power of the gospel. On the other hand, it provides us an opportunity to uphold our brothers and sisters before God’s throne as they endure this trial, praying that God would use these circumstances to further the cause of the gospel in this region of the world.

Prayer points

Believers worldwide ought to pray that God’s will would be accomplished in this situation; that Christian workers in Morocco, like Scott, would act wisely and lovingly no matter what occurs; that God would protect believers, Moroccan and foreign, in light of recent pressure from the government; and that Moroccan churches would be strengthened and increase for the sake of Jesus’ Name.

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