MARRAKECH BRAVES CONTROVERSY TO ROCK TO CHRISTIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 RABAT 000991 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2015 TAGS: MO PHUM PREL SCUL SUBJECT: MARRAKECH BRAVES CONTROVERSY TO ROCK TO CHRISTIAN MUSIC REF: A. RABAT 958 ¶B. RABAT 881 ¶C. RABAT 845 Classified By: Pol/C Timothy Lenderking for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Thousands of Moroccans rocked to the music of seven American Christian bands and nine Moroccan groups at a well-organized outdoor concert, dubbed the Friendship Fest, that took place in Marrakech without incident on May 6-8. The event's American and Moroccan organizers viewed the festival a "success" and told Poloffs that the Americans have been invited to organize an even larger event next year. Police estimated that some 100,000 concert goers took part in the free three-day festival. Although security was tight -- we observed at least 15 police vans and three military convoys in the vicinity of the grounds -- it was not oppressive, and concert goers were not restrained from responding to the music. The concert had become increasingly controversial as voices in mostly Islamist circles, but especially within the Islamist Party for Justice and Development (PJD) and the nationalist Istiqlal party, voiced concerns about an alleged Christian evangelical invasion of Morocco (reftels). Although the festival came off without a hitch, the underlying controversy has not abated as the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs was forced to once again deny reports of ongoing Christian evangelism during oral questioning at parliament on May 11. A separate business development conference in Fez, also organized by American evangelists, concluded with mixed results. END SUMMARY. -------------- FRIENDSHIP FEST A SUCCESS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Taking advantage of a free public rock concert in a large field outside the walls of Marrakech, thousands of Moroccans joined a smattering of American and other foreign tourists to sway to the tunes of seven American contemporary Christian rock bands and nine Moroccan pop groups on May 6-8. There was no indication that the thousands of mostly poor Moroccan youth understood that they were attending a Christian music festival, and the GOM had taken pains in recent weeks to downplay any religious element to the event. Most probably attended the concert because of the free music, said concert co-producer Tom Landis. Indeed, in spite of weeks of controversy in the national press, local officials in Marrakech avoided all references to religion in the promotion of the concert, pitching the festival instead as a free American rock concert with Moroccan bands. Moroccan officials said they invited the American organizers, Creation Festivals, to organize another event next year. ¶3. (C) Moroccan police estimated that 15,000 people attended the first night (Friday, May 6) of the concert, 40,000 the second (Saturday),and 50,000 the final night (Sunday). However, Creation Festivals director Reverend Harry Thomas, who is an experienced state-side concert organizer, judged the Friday night crowd size to be closer to 7000 people. Poloffs, who attended the last two nights of the festival, estimated that the crowds at their fullest on Saturday and Sunday were no more than 5000 - 8000 persons at any given time. Abdelali Doumou, President of the Regional Council of Marrakech-Tansift-Al Haouz, explained that the Moroccan police took into account the constant flow of people into and out of the concert area in order to arrive at their estimates. Clearly not seeking to play down the numbers at all, the semi-official French-language daily Le Matin reported that a total of 85,000 people attended the festival. The performances, which began around 6:00 PM each night, lasted well past midnight. -------------- PEOPLE CAME TO CHECK IT OUT -------------- ¶4. (C) Poloffs saw hundreds of mostly young, male Moroccans at the front of the crowd dancing to music whose lyrics were charged with Christian content. Cannabis could be smelled on the second night at the edge of the crowd. Although young males from 10 to 21 years old appeared to be the dominant demographic in the crowd, Poloffs also observed young women and a sizable contingent of working-age men standing in the middle of the concert. Bearded men in traditional dress meandered through the crowd and a lot of veiled Moroccan women sat on the ground at the periphery. Poloffs also spotted small groups of Americans and other foreigners dispersed throughout the concert grounds. Doumou told Poloffs that the crowd's enthusiasm is a sign of Morocco's "appetite" for this type of free cultural event. He indicated he would continue to look for similar ways to reach out more to this segment of the population. He was particularly struck, he said, by the engagement of Moroccans with the American musicians and with Americans who had come to see the show. -------------- SECURITY TIGHT BUT NOT OPPRESSIVE -------------- ¶5. (C) At least 15 police vans and three military convoys were stationed at strategic points around the concert grounds, located on the outskirts of Marrakech. Plain-clothed policemen also circulated among the crowds and, along with approximately two dozen private security officers, manned the stage area, where protection was reinforced by rows of portable iron gates. Doumou told Poloffs that some 200 policemen in all were present at the event. Although tight, security was not oppressive, and Poloffs observed that avid concert goers in front of the stage were largely permitted to form dancing pits and "crowd surf" without intervention. Poloffs noted an occasional detention here and there, including at least two individuals who were arrested for petty theft, according to one policeman and Doumou, but did not observe -- nor hear about -- any other security incidents. ¶6. (C) Doumou asserted to Poloffs that at no point was he concerned about security for the concert, despite the avalanche of press articles alleging an evangelical Christian invasion of Morocco in the weeks leading up to the concert. He said he rejected recommendations from security officials to mount motorcycle barriers in the concert area on grounds that the concert should preserve its openness and be free for all who wished to attend. He commented that fearing for the safety of what he called a "gang" of "Satanic" heavy metal-loving concert goers from Casablanca, a small group of policemen was dispatched to keep a close protective eye on them. Doumou said this precaution ended up being unnecessary, however, as the group took part in the concert without causing trouble. -------------- CHRISTIAN PERFORMANCES NOT "OBJECTIONABLE" -------------- ¶7. (C) While respecting the organizers' request to refrain from public prayer and overt proselytization while on stage, the Christian artists did not hold back on proclaiming their worshipful lyrics or raising their arms in personal Christian worship while performing. Oblivious for the most part to the meaning of the lyrics because of the language barrier, Moroccan youth at the front responded in kind, raising their hands too, and often shouting response phrases back to the artists. The R&B-sounding Out of Eden sister threesome accompanied one of their dance-along songs with the commentary, "God is faithful, no matter what happens in your life. God bless Morocco! God bless Marrakech!" The Newsboys, whose New Zealand-born lead singer donned a black Moroccan djellaba for the occasion, rocked concert goers with their edgy grunge-sounding music, which the lead singer at one point accompanied with the statement, "We pray that one day He may come and save Marrakech." The Newsboys concluded their Saturday night set with the call, "God bless King Mohammed VI, and God bless Morocco!" ¶8. (C) Poloffs asked Doumou whether he found any of the American groups objectionable, specifically the Newsboys. While Doumou acknowledged that the Newsboys lead singer was a charismatic artist who "manipulated" the crowd, he stated he had no "objection to the group's lyrics." "They've got their (Christian) message and I've got mine (Muslim)," he said. "There is no reason why the two can't co-exist." -------------- MOROCCAN MOTIVATIONS FOR ORGANIZING CONCERT -------------- ¶9. (C) Doumou explained to Poloffs that he was committed to organizing the concert to consolidate friendly relations between the Moroccan and American people. The concert would help improve Morocco's image for Americans and vice versa and would promote Marrakech as a tourist destination for Americans, he said. He noted that the biggest challenge was to manage the politics of the event, which many in Morocco's conservative Islamist circles, but especially from within the Islamist PJD and the nationalist Istiqlal political parties, strongly opposed. Doumou indicated that his empathic message to the PJD and Istiqlal at the national level -- he has served in parliament since 1993 -- was that the concert was intended to promote friendly private relations between the two countries and not to proselytize Moroccan Muslims. ¶10. (C) Doumou said he was interviewed by the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph (UK) and the Washington Post on the second evening of the festival. Visiting journalists probed him on whether he believed the GOM sought to win support from influential American evangelicals on the Western Sahara issue. Doumou said it was by chance that the concert promoters happened to be evangelicals. He said that he told each of the journalists, "I met (concert promoter) Harry Thomas. I like Harry, who happens to be a a Christian. I might have invited Harry to hold a concert, even if he had been a Communist." Doumou commented to Poloffs that the PJD and Istiqlal's resistance to the concert was largely motivated by political considerations ahead of the 2007 parliamentary elections. He explained that the issue of religion is a "very sensitive" one in Morocco, and that it can be "exploited for political gains as parties play on the ignorance and fervor of the masses." ¶11. (C) Creation Festivals co-organizer Tim Landis said that during the height of the media controversy over evangelism in Morocco, the GOM had wanted to cancel the concert. Marrakech Wali (Royal Governor) Mohamed Hassad and Doumou had pushed back. (Note: the GOM postponed a Christian evangelical and Muslim dialogue (Ref A) that was planned to precede the concert. End note.) Landis said the Wali and Doumou agreed to accept personal responsibility if the concert failed. Landis told Poloff that at the beginning of the concert planning, it was evident that the Moroccans had not thought out the political consequences of the concert invitation. "What they wanted was a real American rock concert on the cheap," he said. Indeed, the concert was not expensive for Marrakech. The evangelicals raised USD 135,000 to cover costs, and the celebrity Christian rock musicians performed without pay. Royal Air Maroc kicked in 80 free airline tickets for the performers, and the Wali and Doumou leaned on several Marrakech hotels to donate rooms. The regional government promoted the concert in Morocco and provided security. -------------- FEZ BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE FIZZLES -------------- ¶12. (C) Thomas and Landis mentioned to Poloff during the concert that a nearly simultaneous business development conference in Fez, organized on May 2-6 by a second group of American evangelicals to bring Moroccan investors and Americans together, proceeded smoothly until one of the Americans referred to a picture of President Bush and his father in the context of a discussion on family values. Several Moroccans reportedly left the conference during the ensuing discussion because of the introduction of the political content, the evangelicals said. Doumou commented that he was pleased that the business development conference, which originally had been planned to coincide with the concert, had been moved from Marrakech to Fez. "It is not my problem," he said. -------------- TOUFIQ DENIES CHRISTIAN EVANGELISM -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Responding to questions raised by the PJD caucus about the Friendship Fest at parliament on May 11, carried on the front-page of Le Matin on May 12, Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq dismissed alleged reports of ongoing Christian evangelism in Morocco. "No foreigners have declared to (Moroccan) authorities that they have come to Morocco to practice evangelism," he told the PJD. He added that the activities of foreigners established in Morocco are "well known" to the government. Toufiq was confident that economic need would not motivate impoverished Moroccans to abandon their religion, and he deemed that the limited charitable acts of Christian clerics in Morocco do not undermine Islam. "Christian clerics recognized by the State work in churches of different confessions to help members of the Christian community in Morocco," he insisted. The PJD continues to argue that the concert was a pretext for American evangelicals to establish a foothold in Morocco, according to an article published by the official Maghreb Arab Press (MAP). ¶14. (SBU) A separate article in the Arabic-language daily Assabah on May 8 noted that "according to official reports," 800 Christian missionaries are now proselytizing in Morocco. The article claimed that the number of apostate Moroccans (converts to Christianity) doubled during the last year and that Al Akhawayn University has become a center for missionaries "from Arkansas and Georgia." (Note: Post believes this article greatly exaggerates both the level of missionary activities in Morocco and the number of Moroccans who have converted from Islam. End Note). -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶15. (C) The most significant aspect of this three-day festival is that it happened at all, and that the Moroccan authorities supporting the event did not buckle under the intense controversy it generated. We believe there was an element of the GOM not fully comprehending what it had bitten off by agreeing last year to host the event, and nervous mutterings to us by senior officials including Taieb Fassi Fihri (a member of the Istiqlal Party) suggest there must have been discussion about canceling it. While the heat of the controversy may have passed, it will take some time to die down completely, especially in the Arabic-language press, as the PJD, Istiqlal, and a few NGOs -- under the guise of safeguarding Morocco's spiritual identity -- continue to eke as much political mileage out of it as they can. The event has certainly burnished Marrakech's reputation as a city in Morocco where almost anything goes, and public officials there seem to believe all the anxiety and trouble was worth it. Whether they are willing to host a second round next year remains to be seen. RILEY