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OO RUEHTRO
DE RUEHCL #0189/01 2691355
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O 261355Z SEP 09
FM AMCONSUL CASABLANCA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8529
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CASABLANCA 000189 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEAR/MAG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2019 
TAGS: MO PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: MOROCCO CRACKS DOWN ON ISLAMIST DISSIDENTS 
 
Classified By: Acting Consul General Ordonez for reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During the first half of September 
Moroccan security forces launched a campaign of 
arrests across the country against the banned 
Islamist group Al-Adl wal-Ihsan (AWI).  The raids 
forcibly broke up AWI meetings at private residences 
in three cities and resulted in brief detentions for 
some members.  A spokesman for AWI believes these 
attacks are little more than the Government of 
Morocco (GOM) flexing its muscles and denies the 
renewed repression is linked to recent pro- 
Palestinian rally organizing efforts with leftist 
groups or any other AWI activities.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) In a rash of recent activity during Ramadan, 
Moroccan security forces cracked down on meetings of 
the banned Islamic group Al-Adl wal-Ihsan (AWI - The 
Justice and Charity Organization) led by the 
charismatic Sufi Sheikh Abdelsallam Yassine.  Hassan 
Bennajeh, the director of the AWI's Office of Public 
Relations and a member of the Political Committee, 
told poloff that throughout the summer there has 
been a concerted campaign by Morocco's internal 
intelligence agency, the Directorate for Territorial 
Surveillance (DGST), of harassment, threats and 
intimidation against AWI members.  He said the 
government has arrested or called in scores of AWI 
members, accused them of involvement in terrorist 
activities, and even demanded they spy on AWI on 
behalf of the government. 
 
¶3.  (C) According to Bennajeh, on September 3 the 
police launched simultaneous evening raids on the 
AWI meetings held bi-monthly in private residences 
in the cities of Fes and Berkane.  These meetings, 
known as Majlis Nassiha (advice-giving councils), 
meet to discuss the Quran and morality, he alleged. 
Shortly after the last evening prayer, the police 
forcibly entered the house where 37 people were 
already present though more were en route from the 
mosque.  The police arrested seven people who were 
taken to the police station, questioned, and 
released without charge in the early hours of the 
morning.  In the city of Fes it was the same 
sequence of events.  The police arrested 17 of the 
approximately 70 members at the meeting, questioned 
and registered their information, and then released 
them.  Notably, among those detained in Fes was 
Mounir Ragragui, a member of AWI's Political 
Committee. 
 
¶4. (C) The following week there were two similar 
incidents in Casablanca.  On September 13 in Sbata, 
a low-income neighborhood, the police arrested 18 
people, questioned and detained them at the local 
police station, and later released them.  One the 
same day, police raided a hotel iftar (Ramadan 
breakfast) banquet hosted by the NGO Mubadara (the 
Initiative) which included prominent members of 
civil society, journalists, leftist activists and 
members of AWI.  The police shut down the 
celebration on the basis of presence of AWI though 
no one was detained, Bennajeh alleged. 
 
¶5. (C) Bennajeh dismissed the idea that the GOM is 
trying to send a message or is reacting to specific 
activities of AWI.  This repression, he claimed, is 
simply part of the same campaign the GOM has 
actively pursued since May of 2006.  He also denied 
that there is any on-going direct communication 
between AWI and the government. 
 
¶6. (C) COMMENT: It is difficult to know with any 
certainty the reason for the renewed hostilities 
from the government.  Some media sources have 
speculated that it reflects GOM nervousness 
regarding AWI's recent partnering with leftist 
groups to organiz pro-Palestinian rallies.  On 
September 9, AWI along with a number of leftist Arab 
nationalist associations held a sit-in at a public 
square in Rabat which took place with no GOM 
interference.  The AWI has the ability to mobilize 
its considerable membership to the streets as it 
demonstrated during last year's Israeli offensive 
into Gaza.  While plausible that the GOM wants to 
discourage any other group from cooperating with 
AWI, it is also just as likely that the GOM is 
exerting pressure to simply keep AWI in check. 
 
 
CASABLANCA 00000189  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ORDONEZ