CNN - June 14, 2015

This week's edition of Maroc Hebdo is withdrawn from newsstands and online amid controversy
Its cover showed two men looking into each other's eyes with the headline, "Should homosexuals be burned?"

(CNN)— A Moroccan magazine has withdrawn its latest edition from the shelves after controversy over a front cover that showed two men at a swimming pool gazing into each other's eyes with the headline, "Should homosexuals be burned?"
A statement released by the magazine, Maroc Hebdo (Morocco Weekly), on Friday said its decision to pull the edition -- in paper form and online -- followed "strong reactions" to it, particularly on social media.
The statement, issued in the name of editor Mohamed Selhami, also apologized to anyone shocked by the subject matter.
"Our publication is not a political editorial that pushes a certain sensationalism or provocative topics that can offend the public," it said.
"In this instance, it wanted to show the different sides of a social fact; homosexuality and by extension its status in our society. A debate on today's agenda. Maroc Hebdo wanted in this respect to give an account of this debate."
At the same time it announced the edition's withdrawal, the magazine offered "an apology to all readers who could be shocked by this topic and reminds them that it will continue working on opening up a national debate on democracy in our society and the values on which it was founded."
Homosexuality is illegal the majority Muslim, North African nation. According to rights group Human Rights Watch, those convicted of homosexual acts under Moroccan law can be sentenced to up to three years in prison and a fine.

CNN's Christabelle Fombu contributed to this report


http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/13/africa/morocco-magazine-gay-controversy/index.html

FWIW, heres the cover.....

freedom of consumer pressure,,, lol

some people here know my views, but here goes. I'm straight, but I have gay loved ones, including a "brother" who is getting married in Denver tomorrow. If stuff like this offends a person THEY DON'T HAVE TO SEE IT. But that doesn't mean that it should be removed from public consumption. It's like that People cover with Elton John, his husband, and their son that got covered up in Ralphs(?) grocery stores because the "Moral Majority" was offended. That stpes all over a homosexual person's right to their persuit of happiness.

I disagree. When you sell to consumers, the consumers voice fortunately or unfortunately is going to be important,, you don't do things that turn away your consumer base,,,whomever that may be

Freedoms of speech and press mean that one is free not to sell a controversial periodical if one chooses not to.

It is extremely odd that the magazine would do this (publish the cover) considering the general attitudes of the population in that region in the first place. Usually, such an event would be pushed by staffers who are trying to bring the topic to the attention of the public ... which is probably exactly what happened here. But the staff, by exposing their existence, have now put themselves in danger of being exposed. North Africa is not the best place for gays.

When I was in North Africa I was "hit on" by a gay at a restaurant. I laughed it off at the time but later realized the danger in which the guy was putting himself.

Maybe the region is becoming more tolerant.

35 min ago- The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/15/moroccan-gay-men-to-be-tried-for-violating-public-modesty-over-photo


Morocco

Moroccan gay men to be tried for violating 'public modesty' over photo
Pair could be jailed for three years after being arrested for standing too close together at Rabat’s Hassan tower, say Moroccan LGBT activists

Placebo guitarist-bassist Stefan Olsdal with 489 written on his chest in Rabat, a reference to article 489, which criminalises homosexuality in Morocco.
Placebo guitarist-bassist Stefan Olsdal with 489 written on his chest in Rabat, a reference to article 489, which criminalises homosexuality in Morocco. Photograph: Sife El Amine/AFP/Getty Images
Saeed Kamali Dehghan
Monday 15 June 2015 14.43 EDT Last modified on Monday 15 June 2015 14.51 EDT

Two Moroccan gay men are set to go on trial for violating “public modesty” after holding each other for a photo at a historic site in Rabat, and could go to jail for up to three years.

Mohsine, a 25-year-old from Marrakesh, in the west of the country, and Lahcen, 38, from Rabat, were touring and taking pictures near Hassan tower, the capital’s famous minaret, earlier in June when they were arrested by the police for supposedly standing too close to each other, activists said. It is not clear if the men were in a relationship.

The pair are expected to appear in the court on Tuesday and if convicted, could face up to three years in jail under the country’s anti-gay laws. According to article 489 of Morocco’s penal code, homosexuality is punishable by six months to three years imprisonment.

The news of their arrest was initially announced by the state-run Al Aoula television channel, which revealed their identities and photos in public in an attempt to shame them in the eyes of the country’s conservative society.

A demonstration against the topless protest in Rabat by the Femen feminist group, whom the authorities suspect of being copied by the two men.
A demonstration against the topless protest in Rabat by the Femen feminist group, whom the authorities suspect of being copied by the two men. Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/EPA
Activists condemned the move as reckless as it sparked demonstrations in front of their families’ houses. Aswat Collective, a prominent LGBT group in Morocco, told The Guardian that demonstrators shouted homophobic slurs without any intervention by watching police.

Morocco’s ministry of interior has linked Mohsine and Lahcen’s arrest to a protest by the French feminist group Femen in the exact same place in Rabat one day earlier. The two topless Femen activists were arrested and immediately deported from Morocco after kissing each other in front of Hassan tower, one of the iconic landmarks of the country. The Moroccan authorities suspect that Mohsine and Lahcen were mimicking Femen’s protest act but Aswat said they have denied any connection to the group or their actions.

“According to police records, the detainees, while under investigation, have admitted that they are gay but they have also confirmed according to the same source that their visit to the square of the Hassan tower was for pure touristic reasons and not to imitate anyone,” Aswat said. “Detainee from Marrakech was visiting Rabat for the first time and wanted to go sightseeing with his friend. They visited several touristic places that day and took photographs at different sites before they ended up at the Hassan tower.

The arrest has come at a time when the authorities in Morocco are becoming more sensitive about pro-LGBT activities as the equality debate polarises a society still heavily rooted in conservative attitudes.

Last month, Morocco sentenced three gay people to three years in jail, the first time the authorities are known to have used the maximum sentence to punish homosexuals. This week, the latest issue of Maroc Hebdo magazine controversially asked on its cover: “Should we burn gays?”

Activists, Aswat included, have been campaigning for Morocco to abolish its article 489. Earlier in June, guitarist-bassist Stefan Olsdal from the US alternative rock band Placebo protested against the country’s anti-gay laws by writingthe number 480 on his chest as he performed on stage in Rabat.

Abdellah Taïa, one of the first Moroccans to come out publicly as gay who is currently living in Paris, said the recent premier of the French-Moroccan drama film Much Loved at the Cannes festival has also added to the Moroccan authorities’ sensibilities. Nabil Ayouch’s film is about the prostitution scene in Marrakesh.

“The debate in Morocco is pretty much that the west is invading us socially,” Taïa told the Guardian. “But let’s not forget, that there are also people who support the LGBT community in Morocco, recently an editorial published by TelQuel magazine called for equality.”

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