The end of May, the European Parliament brought up the question of Morocco’s recent expulsions of foreign Christians. Three representatives decided to submit a letter of protest to Spain, which presides over the European Union until July 2010, asking that “Morocco stop the expulsion of Christians.”

The Parliament members estimate the number of these expulsions at “more than one hundred in the last two months.” In their letter they state that “since its independence in 1956, Morocco has never expelled this many Christians.” The authorities of the Kingdom accuse them of proselytizing.

Spain considers that it has already “expressed itself regarding this question and will continue to do so especially within the framework of the Alliance of Civilizations which will take place soon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.”

Morocco continues to put pressure on Christians whom the local authorities accuse of religious proselytising.

In May, authorities expelled twenty or more foreign Christians – many of whom are married and heads of families. They had been living in different cities of the Kingdom and are from several different countries including England, Switzerland, France, and countries of South America and North America.

The situation is obviously even more difficult for national believers. The Moroccan Christian leaders living at home and abroad have reacted by forming the World-wide Union of Moroccan Christians (Union Mondiale des Chrétiens Marocains – UMCM). In their official declaration they reaffirm that their Christian faith is a personal choice and not the result of “any form of pressure or incentive, monetary or social”, which is what the Moroccan authorities want people to believe. According to the UMCM, it must be remembered that Moroccan followers of Christ no not have their own places of worship and are forbidden to gather together, to practice their faith, or even to have in their possession a Bible in the Arabic or Berber languages.