80% of Moroccan respondents consider “virginity” as proof of chastity, religiosity, and good upbringing, according to Menassat for Research and Social Studies, a sociological research institution based in Casablanca.
Menassat issued recently an analysis of the state of individual freedoms in Morocco titled, “Individual Liberties: Representations and Practices,” in which 1,311 Moroccans participated.
Menassat’s study was conducted between June and July 2021 through a questionnaire composed of 103 questions divided into three essential axes: body representations, freedom of awareness, and sexuality. 1,311 Moroccan citizens answered the questionnaire.
While there are 80% of respondents who relate virginity to good morals, there are those who oppose the idea and that virginity is of little significance when it comes to marriage, “insisting that good values cannot in any case relate the honor of a woman and the virility of a man to virginity,” the report states.
In the second part of the questionnaire, 76.3% of respondents said that Moroccan society is quite open to consenting sexual relationships. However, 77.6% of Moroccan respondents oppose such relations based on religious grounds, according to the report.
Apart from the religious perspective, article 490 of the Moroccan penal code criminalizes extramarital relations. Menassat’s research reveals that just 27.2% of respondents are in opposition of article 490.
Additionally, 60% of the study’s respondents were unwilling to hear homosexuals express their gender identity, as homosexuality is still regarded as a taboo in Moroccan society.
“30% of them [those who oppose homosexuals coming out] have acknowledged having a direct relationship with homosexuals, which designates in our mind that the topic generates some kind of tolerance in spite of interviewees’ different attitudes,” stated the report.
60% of Moroccan citizens have agreed on the implementation of a sexual education program within schools, while 20% were opposed to the idea. The remaining respondents to the survey exhibited no specific position on the issue.
The citizenship sense of identity comes after the religiosity one. The study has revealed that half of the interviewees identify themselves as being Muslims before anything else.
According to the study, 46.8% of respondents believe the application of the Islamic religion is the solution to all problems in Muslim countries. Sharia law is considered to be the savior of Muslim countries by the majority of those who have only a primary school education or less, the study finds.
According to the report, 28% of respondents voiced their opposition against article 222 of the Moroccan penal code, which penalizes people for not publicly fasting during Ramadan, while the rest of respondents hesitated to express their opinions.
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