US embassy cable - 05RABAT991

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). 
 
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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