The latest initiative to solve Morocco’s problems: National Chastity Day

Always expect Al Arabiya to be on top of any story on Morocco when it’s about sex. I tried reading through this piece on the proposed National Chastity Day by a certain Sheikh Abu Zaid who must have some dirty thoughts and a lot of spare time on his hands to put forth such a proposition.

This day, he said, will aim at fighting all “unchaste” phenomena that have lately invaded the conservative Moroccan society.

Oh, I see where this is coming from. This is about that new sex shop in Casablanca, right my pure and enlightened Abu Zaid? I’m sure if you ask someone, they’ll get you whatever you need. I heard they’ve got quite an assortment of products.

I mean, between a serious budget deficit, unimplemented political reforms, rising food prices, ongoing oppression of protesters throughout the country, let’s take a moment to evaluate this proposition of a “National Chastity Day.”

Penelope Cruz (or, technically, Maria Elena) will evaluate this for me:

My sweet, dear Abu Zaid. Are they printing Qurans with lead ink? Let’s say you sincerely cared about launching a nationwide initiative for the greater good of the Moroccan people, but still keeping it related to sex. I came up with a couple options for you:

National Anti-Underage Sex Orgies With Foreign Dignitaries Day: Do we all remember this gem? An unnamed French minister paying young boys for sex, going protected by the Moroccan government. Let’s imagine how many other cases have gone unreported.
Wait, how about just a National Anti-Underage Sex Prostitution Day: France24 ran a chilling report on the prevalence of underage sex prostitution in Morocco, namely in the tourist city of Marrakech. Watch it if you haven’t. You too Abu Zaid.
National Human and Sex Trafficking Awareness Day: When this story came out last year about an elaborate ring of 13 people who trafficked women from Morocco to Abu Dhabi and forced them into prostitution, it went largely unnoticed by Moroccan media. I don’t recall hearing anything of it. And this market between Morocco and the Gulf is extremely lucrative, and has gone virtually ignored by Moroccan officials without a single policy set in place to crackdown on this. The U.S. State Department has a report on the rampant human and sex trafficking between Morocco and the Gulf. Can someone get this report to Abu Zaid?