The National Judicial Police Brigade in Casablanca on Monday questioned “Y.A.,” the director of the Israeli “Sharakah” association in Morocco, in connection with accusations of insulting the Prophet Muhammad by calling him a “Zionist.”
The questioning followed a complaint filed by anti-normalization activists against a group of young Moroccans who visited Israel in July where they met with several Israeli officials, including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
A source told Hespress that the questioning was focused on the alleged insult to the Prophet, with no additional charges from the original complaint being addressed.
The complaint was filed by the Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization, in coordination with the National Action Group for Palestine and several prominent lawyers, including Nabila Mounib, a member of parliament from the Unified Socialist Party.
It was submitted in mid-September to the Attorney General at the Court of Appeals in Rabat.
The complaint accused the young Moroccans of supporting Israeli military actions and massacres during the Gaza conflict. The activists argued that the visit, which was backed by the Israeli government and the “Sharakah” Foundation, violated Morocco’s popular pro-Palestinian stance. The complaint stated that the visit was part of an effort to normalize relations with Israel and promote Zionist ideology.
Mohamed Fenidi, a Rabat-based lawyer, told Hespress that the complaint was filed to protect Moroccan society from “Israeli infiltration,” particularly because the young visitors were reportedly hosted by Israeli intelligence officials. He called the visit a “serious attack” on Morocco’s national identity and its citizens’ support for Palestine.
The visit, organized by the “Morocco Coexistence” association in collaboration with the “Sharakah” Foundation, a Tel Aviv-based organization not recognized in Morocco, sparked significant controversy. Anti-normalization groups denounced the trip as a betrayal of Morocco’s official stance on Palestine. However, organizers defended the visit, stating it was part of efforts to strengthen Moroccan-Israeli ties and did not reflect the official or public positions of the Moroccan government.
In a related development, Hespress has learned that civil society groups supporting normalization with Israel are preparing to file complaints against the Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization and its leadership for defamation, privacy violations, and incitement to extremism.
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