Moroccan Christians are bravely proclaiming their faith despite threats of government persecution.
Calling themselves "Moroccan and Christian," they are using online platforms like YouTube to profess their faith.
Islam is the religion of almost all Moroccans and only a small number are Christians.
"My name is Iman. I am Moroccan and Christian. Yes, I am Christian, but I am not a foreigner. My father is Sahraoui, and my mom is Amazigh. I was born and grew up in Morocco," declared a woman on the YouTube channel Moroccan and Christian, according to Christian Headlines.
Iman then narrated a story when her Moroccan husband visited his family and they told him, "Why you didn't come with your wife. Even if she's Christian and doesn't speak Darija, we will welcome her."
The Moroccan World News report noted that "Moroccan religious, or non-religious, minorities started to claim their rights to express their faith and asked for abolition of some articles of the penal law which penalise conversion to a religion other than Islam."
In proclaiming her Christian faith, Iman explains that it is her "right to choose the faith that makes her feel comfortable."
She said restrictions in law and society discourage some Moroccan Christians from speaking openly about their faith.
She noted that in 2010, Christian volunteers and foster parents at a Moroccan orphanage abandoned the children when authorities accused them of proselytising.
Former Minister of Communication Khalid Naciri once warned that the government would be "severe with all those who play with religious values," BBC reported.
A 2013 U.S. State Deparment report said Moroccan Christians worship secretly to avoid being detected by the authorities.
"Local Christians stated the authorities made phone or house calls several times a year, asserting that the authorities did so to demonstrate that they had lists of members of Christian networks and monitored Christian activities," the report said.
Last December, the group Eglise Marocaine or The Moroccan Church asked King Mohammed VI to let them celebrate Christmas and other Christian holidays.
