Morocco

By Daly
History












Morocco is a culture all of its own, there are many different kinds of people and religions.
Morocco borders Mauritania, Algeria and sits across the waterway from Spain. The Moroccan
Capital is the town Rabat. The estimated population is 32,209,101. The government is
constitutional monarchy. The ethnic makeup is Arab-Berber 99.1%, Jewish 0.2%, and other is
0.7%. The religions of Morocco are Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, and Jewish 0.2%. The
common languages in Morocco are Arabic, French, and Spanish
(http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/morocco-country-profile.html).
Moroccan Society & Culture
Islam
Islam is practised by the majority of Moroccans and governs their personal, political,
economic and legal lives. Islam emanated from what is today Saudi Arabia. The
Prophet Muhammad is seen as the last of God's emissaries (following in the footsteps
of Jesus, Moses, Abraham, etc) to bring revelation to mankind. He was distinguished
with bringing a message for the whole of mankind, rather than just to a certain peoples.
As Moses brought the Torah and Jesus the Bible, Muhammad brought the last book,
the Quran. The Quran and the actions of the Prophet (the Sunnah) are used as the
basis for all guidance in the religion.
Among certain obligations for Muslims are to pray five times a day - at dawn, noon,
afternoon, sunset, and evening. The exact time is listed in the local newspaper each
day. Friday is the Muslim holy day. Everything is closed. Many companies also close on
Thursday, making the weekend Thursday and Friday.
During the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk and are
only permitted to work six hours per day. Fasting includes no eating, drinking, cigarette
smoking, or gum chewing. Expatriates are not required to fast; however, they must not
eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum in public. Each night at sunset, families and friends
gather together to celebrate the breaking of the fast (iftar). The festivities often continue
well into the night. In general, things happen more slowly during Ramadan. Many
businesses operate on a reduced schedule. Shops may be open and closed at unusual
times.- http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/morocco-country-profile.html.
Etiquette and Customs in Morocco:
In Morocco there are some basic rules of courtesy and etiquette when you are invited to a fellow
Moroccans home, they start with if you are going to come for dinner then you should bring deserts,
snacks, or other things to eat. Another polite thing to do if you are invited to a house in Morocco is to
bring gifts to the children of the family to as a way to show affection. Then there are the donts of going
to visit. You should NEVER bring alcohol unless you know that the hosting family drinks. Another thing
you should not do is open presents when received if they are given. The first thing you should do when
invited to dinner when you get there is remove your shoes and hat. You should also dress nice or
smartly because it is a sign of respect to the hosts. If an invitation is sent to you make sure is says you
and your spouse, sometimes Moroccans that are conservative do not have mixed-sex groups. When at
the eating table there is a wash bin passed over the table to wash your hands in. The guest of honor
usually sits by the dinner host.