A few days before the end of the previous Ramadan, Moroccan police raided a café in the city center, arrested a group of young people, and took them to the police station under an investigation for allegedly breaking the fast even though they were in a closed space out of public view. The police arrived with an army of camera operators documenting the raid for many media outlets across Morocco. Aren’t the police supposed to “protect and serve”? Go figure…

Every Ramadan in Morocco, there’s always a huge controversy about the popular TV shows that are shown during the first breakfast of the evening. Commonly, Moroccan families sit around the TV together during this first breakfast every sunset during Ramadan. Seeing PDA on these shows is very taboo for a majority of the strict religious families (which most families are) that consider TV shows and watching TV as Haram, prohibited by Islam. The less religious families still feel uncomfortable like the traditional families when any type of PDA is shown on the screen. With all that being said, I understand why creators have such a difficult time producing quality shows and being creative

“My fasting sister, my fasting brother. It's okay if you brush your teeth to get rid of the bad breath in your mouth. It is also okay to change your socks and underwear every day…”

The beginning of Ramadan (the holy month of fasting in Islam) presents the perfect opportunity for residents of Arab countries like Morocco to adorn the traditional religious regalia and head out to the mosque.