Morocco: Date of the abolishment of slavery in Morocco; whether descendants of ex-slaves are singled out in any way; and fate of the Palace household and grounds staff when King Mohamed V was in exile
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 13 August 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MAR32476.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Morocco: Date of the abolishment of slavery in Morocco; whether descendants of ex-slaves are singled out in any way; and fate of the Palace household and grounds staff when King Mohamed V was in exile, 13 August 1999, MAR32476.E, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad6164.html [accessed 3 February 2014] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In an article entitled "Slavery and Muslim Jurisprudence in Morocco", published in a book entitled Slavery and Colonial Rule in Africa, Ahmad Alawad Sikainga, who teaches history at Ohio State University (1999, 275), states that:
France proclaimed Morocco as a French protectorate in 1912 Like other European colonial powers in Africa, the French adopted a gradual approach in the abolition of slavery in Morocco anti-slavery legislation was introduced in a piecemeal fashion. Moroccan judges assumed that since Morocco was a French protectorate and slavery was prohibited in French possessions, then slavery was illegal in their country. However, it was only in 1925 that a law explicitly prohibiting slavery in Morocco was introduced and all clauses recognizing servitude were removed from the personal matters code (1999, 64-65).
No information on whether descendants of ex-slaves are singled out in any way in Morocco and on the fate of the Palace household and ground staff when King Mohamed V was in exile could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Sikainga, Ahmad Alawad. 1999. "Slavery and Muslim Jurisprudence in Morocco." In Slavery and Colonial Rule in Africa. Edited by Suzanne Miers and Martin Klein. Portland, OR: Frank Cass.
Additional Sources Consulted
Anti-Slavery International Website.
Electronic sources: Internet, IRB databases, LEXIS/NEXIS, WNC.
One oral source could not provide information within the research deadlines.
