Mokhtar Laghzioui (Arabic: المختار الغزيوي, ''Mokhtar el-Ghzioui''–Born in 1972, Meknes) is a Moroccan journalist and editor of ''

Al Ahdath Al Maghribia ''Al Ahdath Al Maghribia'' ( ar, الأحداث المغربية, "The Moroccan News") is a daily Moroccan tabloid. History and profile ''Al Ahdath Al Maghribia'' was established by Mohammad Brini and other socialist dissidents in 1999. The pu ...

''.

Fatwa controversy

During an interview on the Arabic television station Al Mayadeen in June 2012, Laghzioui supported a call by the

Moroccan Association for Human Rights The Moroccan Association for Human Rights ( ar, الجمعية المغربية لحقوق الإنسان, french: Association marocaine des droits humains, abbreviated AMDH) is one of the biggest Moroccan human rights non-governmental organizat ...

to repeal s490 of the Moroccan penal code, which criminalises sex outside marriage. Asked whether this sexual freedom would be extended to his close relatives like his sister and mother, he showed extraordinary courage by admitting that they are free to choose what to do with their own body. Following the broadcast, an imam from

Oujda Oujda ( ar, وجدة; ber, ⵡⵓⵊⴷⴰ, Wujda) is a major Moroccan city in its northeast near the border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of about 558,000 people. It ...

, Abdullah Nahari, who is well known for his extreme violent outbursts, posted a YouTube video in which he issued a

fatwa A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...

calling for Laghzioui's death. His call was subsequently supported by Morocco's three most senior

Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generat ...

clerics, Abou Hafs, Omar el-Heddouchi and Hassan al-Kettani. On 17 July, Nahari was indicted for incitement to murder. However, Laghzioui remained concerned for his safety: "I am very scared for myself and my family. It's a real blow to all the modernists who thought Morocco was moving forward."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laghzioui, Mokhtar African newspaper editors Moroccan male journalists Living people Moroccan editors People from Meknes Year of birth missing (living people)