Religious Conscience or Religious Freedom? The Difference between Official Constitutional Norms and Actual Legal Restrictions in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia

This paper will consider the extent to which two competing norms—freedom of religion, on the one hand, and Islam as the religion of the state, on the other—are in tension with each other as seen through the lens of three Muslim-majority countries in the Maghreb. I examine this potential tension in four steps: first, the transformation of meaning of the Arabic word “hurriyya” (freedom) during and after the 19th century; second, the articulation of Islam as the religion of the state in the constitutions of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; third, the articulation of freedom of religion (whether freedom of worship or conscience) in the constitutional texts of these three countries, and finally, the question whether the laws and practices that implement these two constitutional norms are compatible or whether they in fact give priority to Islam as the state religion over the norm of freedom of religion. In Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, Islam plays an important role in the legal system, especially in family codes: the Moroccan Family Code (2004), the Algerian Family Code (2016), and the Tunisian Personal Status Code (1957). These are the remaining citadels most implicated with references to Islamic law, the interpretation of which has placed women in an unequal position.

Detection of a new deleterious SGCE gene variant in Moroccan family with inherited Myoclonic-dystonia

Myoclonus-Dystonia is a neuropsychiatric disorder with autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with variable severity and incomplete penetrance. Pathogenic variants in SGCE are the most frequent genetic cause of M-D with maternal imprinting. Herein we report a new deleterious variant based on protein modeling analysis (c.662G> T) inherited in moroccan family.

Cultural Specificities of Succession’ Failure and Success in the Context of Unlisted Moroccan Family-Owned Businesses

The purpose of this research aims to study the relationship between the cultural specificities of the Moroccan context and the success or failure of succession strategies (in terms of planning and process) in the case of Moroccan unlisted family businesses. Our study covered a sample of 20 unlisted Moroccan family businesses, 8 of which are SMEs, 6 are large firms, and 6 are VSEs, through a qualitative research based on semi-structured interviews with the managers of family businesses. Our results explain the influence of Moroccan cultural specificities on the success or failure of the transfer of family businesses. Indeed, these influences essentially manifest themselves in three antecedents: the succession planning that already reflects the intention to pass on the family business to the next generations, either by having a well-prepared plan, or an absence of a succession plan that leaves things to chance; the succession process that is influenced in part by specificities of Moroccan culture by granting privilege to the eldest male in the succession, and in another part this process becomes more rational by giving credit to successors competent to take over the family business in the case of large family businesses; and cultural constraints that are manifested mainly by the taboos surrounding the death of the predecessor and religious principles that similarly explain the different configurations of success or failure of the succession strategy of the family business. An extension of this work could be a multi-factor analysis in future researches.

Novel mutation in the TGFBI gene in a Moroccan family with atypical corneal dystrophy: a case report

Background Corneal dystrophies (CDs) are a heterogeneous group of bilateral, genetically determined, noninflammatory bilateral corneal diseases that are usually limited to the cornea. CD is characterized by a large variability in the age of onset, evolution and visual impact and the accumulation of insoluble deposits at different depths in the cornea. Clinical symptoms revealed bilateral multiple superficial, epithelial, and stromal anterior granular opacities in different stages of severity among three patients of this family. A total of 99 genes are involved in CDs. The aim of this study was to identify pathogenic variants causing atypical corneal dystrophy in a large Moroccan family and to describe the clinical phenotype with severely different stages of evolution. Case presentation In this study, we report a large Moroccan family with CD. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed in the three affected members who shared a phenotype of corneal dystrophy in different stages of severity. Variant validation and familial segregation were performed by Sanger sequencing in affected sisters and mothers and in two unaffected brothers. Whole-exome sequencing showed a novel heterozygous mutation (c.1772C > A; p.Ser591Tyr) in the TGFBI gene. Clinical examinations demonstrated bilaterally multiple superficial, epithelial and stromal anterior granular opacities in different stages of severity among three patients in this family. Conclusions This report describes a novel mutation in the TGFBI gene found in three family members affected by different phenotypic aspects. This mutation is associated with Thiel-Behnke corneal dystrophy; therefore, it could be considered a novel phenotype genotype correlation, which will help in genetic counselling for this family.

Divorce on grounds of discord: Did the Moroccan family law reform bring the guarantee of divorce for women? An ethnographic perspective on the changing landscape of divorce. The Mudawwana a decade on

This article discusses the new divorce on grounds of discord procedure (taṭlīq li-š-šiqāq) within the context of the Moroccan family law reform of 2004. Literature available in English and French has, so far, focused primarily on the improvements the Moroccan family law reform has brought in regard to women’s rights. The reform is considered one of the most progressive legislative projects in the MENA region and a milestone for gender equality, notably the reform of divorce law. Divorce on grounds of discord was seen as the long-awaited divorce guarantee for women. However, legal scholars maintained that case law jeopardised the divorce guarantee. This legal-anthropological study is informed by fieldwork at the family court in Rabat, as well as official statistics, case law and the standard legal commentary. It aims to scrutinise how divorce on grounds of divorce is put into practice by the judiciary, how Moroccan men and women make use of it and how changes on a procedural and institutional level affect the implementation of the new divorce procedure. My empirical findings show that divorce on grounds of discord effectively guarantees Moroccan women’s right to divorce. Well beyond the discussion on women’s rights in divorce, I will demonstrate that, within a decade, divorce on grounds of discord developed into a standard divorce procedure for both men and women across socio-economical milieus and age groups.