Islamization and Arabization in Morocco PDF

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1 Islamization and Arabization in Morocco (Abdelaziz Kesbi) 2005 Abstract After the Arab conquest in Morocco, Arabization was correlated with Islamization. In other words, there was a correlation between Arabic and Islam. Two main periods of Arabization can be distinguished in the Moroccan history. ...

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Islamization and Arabization in Morocco (Abdelaziz Kesbi) 2005 Abstract After the Arab conquest in Morocco, Arabization was correlated with Islamization. In other words, there was a correlation between Arabic and Islam. Two main periods of Arabization can be distinguished in the Moroccan history. In addition, the official introduction of the French language in Morocco was correlated with the French colonisation. Among three possible policies to adopt in Morocco, namely Islamization and Arabization, conservatism and reactionary policies, the coloniser opted for the latter. Besides this, the French colonisation meant also a linguistic and a cultural one. The reaction to this colonisation was done in a contradictory way. With the dawn of independence, there were attempts to solve this problematic issue of the conflicting situation between the French and Moroccan cultures.

1. Islamization and Arabization

From a socio-historical point of view, Arabization was never an automatic result of Islamization and the other way round relationship is true (Moatassime, 1996). By way of illustration, there are many non-Arabic speaking Muslim countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia etc. Yet, After the Arab conquest, the presence of Arabic in Morocco has been to some extent correlated with Islamization. Islam brought a new culture expressed via a new language, namely Arabic. The term 'culture' emerges as a determining factor and so needs to be defined. Culture is primarily the expression of a nation, its preferences, its prohibitions, its models/…/ (Frantz Fanon (1968), in Vatin, 1975: 3)

In this definition, the term 'culture' can be summed up in the word ‘expression’ of all that is related to a given society. Indeed, the term ‘culture’ is so rich that no definition can comprise all the richness of its significance. Culture is an individual concern. It is the link of man with his natural milieu.

In this sense, it symbolises the way each person imagines his/her

community and conceives of him/herself according to it. This implies a larger encompassing structure: the society, which considers itself as a different entity (Vatin, ibid.). For Molino, “Culture is not only language and creation, it is a vision of the world /.../ it is that totality of meanings that bases and organises the ways of life of a social group/.../”.

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(1986: 31). It is inferred that culture is a very broad concept including of course language. In the literature, the relationship between culture and language constitutes a circular issue. The researcher cannot imagine a culture without a language and at the same time, it is the language, which is the means, par excellence, chosen to transmit and perpetuate a given culture via the process of socialisation. Contact between different languages entails contact between different cultures, which may lead to either conflict or enrichment. In the former case, the dominated culture struggles for survival, while in the second case both cultures fuse in perfect harmony. Yet, the case of conflict is more the norm than the exception.

1.1 Islam and Arabic

The introduction of Islam in Morocco, hence a new language, raises a fundamental question: does Islamization mean Arabization? Benabdi (1980) distinguishes two periods of Arabization. The first was during the coming of the first Arab soldiers in the beginning of the eighth century. The use of Arabic in conjunction with Berber was limited to urban areas where it was the tool of administration and religion 1. The second period of Arabization occurred after the eleventh century when the spread of Arabic and Islam was vast and profound. This was due to the massive arrival of Arab nomads. The similarity of their mode of life with that of Berbers facilitated the process of extensive intermarriage, consequently Arabic stretched over larger regions. Indeed, Leglay (1936) cites Ibn Khaldoun who states that the previously Berber tribes /žba:la/ were completely arabized since the fourteenth century while the people living in mountainous areas were islamized but not completely arabized.

In his opinion, the

geographical element played an important role in facilitating the process of Arabization in the plains and hindering it in the mountains. This idea was previously mentioned by (Piquet, 1925). He states that the researcher cannot say that Morocco was completely arabized. He remarks that Arab customs and traditions were partially established in the plains, while the Berber areas covered the largest part of the country without being influenced.

This statement was no doubt a clear

manifestation of the anthropological colonial theme: ‘the Berbers against the Arabs.’ It is

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This idea is corroborated by Rosenberger (1998) who states that in the tenth century the use of Arabic was limited to urban areas. Créssier (1998) and Lévy (1998) think also that Urbanisation and Arabization are two overlapping phenomena.

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inconceivable that the impact of the Arab civilisation, whose presence in Morocco dates back to centuries, did not have a real impact on the Berber tribes. Piquet (ibid.) is sure that the status quo is expected, as the French have witnessed in the case of the Algerian Berber tribes. Gaudefroy (1928), a fervent defender of the French presence in Morocco, states that the French had three possible policies to adopt in Morocco. The first policy was that of Arabization and Islamization. The author believes that the Arab civilisation is a transition that is necessary for ‘primitive people’2, since it is dangerous to make Moroccans jump over many centuries of civilisation. For Berbers, Islam will be the religion that holds the idea of a single God and complete rules of conduct and social organisation. Since they have no written literature, Arabic will be for them the language of trade and higher civilisation. The quick spread of Islam in Africa proves that it is easily adapted to and adopted by the different African populations. From the French point of view, this policy is not acceptable, as it creates a wide gap between the indigenous population and the colonisers; it paves the way for the establishment of an Islamic unity against France. Finally, the author states that the colonisers did not accept the spread of Arabic to the detriment of French. As the colonisers, he rejects the policy of Arabization and Islamization, which was adopted previously in Algeria and whose outcomes were not beneficial to the French presence. The second possible policy is that of conservatism. In other words, the task of the colonisers will be limited to the preservation of the previously present institutions. Through this policy, they will not encourage the establishment of a koranic school in areas where it did not exist before and will not teach Arabic to children. The author argues that this policy will also lead to Arabization and spread of Islam. He does not deny that Arabic is now i.e. /1928/ the language of trade, religion and administration. Ironically, this language was spreading within the Berber tribes, since it was used by the French to communicate with all Moroccans. The last possible policy, which seems to suit the French colonisers, according to Gaudefroy (ibid.), is a reactionary one. This can be summed up in attempting to stop the spread of Arabic and Islam even in bilingual regions. It is French, not even Berber, which will supplant Arabic, therefore the author urges the French to consolidate the Berber institutions. He argues that the establishment of a united population with one language and one institution will be dangerous for the French protectorate. Henceforth, the motto ‘divide and rule’ will be the guide of the French colonisers.

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This portrays the colonial idea that Moroccans are ‘primitive people’ who need to be civilised.

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Consequently, the French colonisation meant also a linguistic and a cultural colonisation.

This was clearly noticed in Algeria where the colonisers aimed at

disorganising the Arab-Islamic foundations of the population (Dhaudi, 1995). The same situation is to a lesser degree true in Morocco as the French colonisers tried to create a break between Moroccans and their Arab-Islamic culture. The invasion of the Moroccans’ mind was of strategic importance to the French in the long term. Later on, with the advent of independence, the quest for authenticity and cultural identity was one of the preoccupations of the Moroccan intellectuals, though it was manifested in a contradictory way. The first reaction was apparently negative, as it took the form of a refusal whose aim was to free the Moroccan culture from the shackles of the West. The second reaction was apparently positive; it concerned the choice of certain types of ancient intellectual productions susceptible of rooting again the present cultural life in what it was considered as authentic to the legacy of ancient generations (De Prémare, 1986). De Prémare (ibid.) cited Professor Toelle (1985) who teaches Arabic at the University of Provence. She presented some aspects of today's Syrian literature. The aim was to analyse, through this literature, the relations between the Arab society and the West. What can be deduced is the ambiguity of this literature: the West was generally represented as the enemy that should be rejected.

Simultaneously, through the themes of Arab-

nationalist inspirations, a certain model of Western origins seemed inherently present. A situation of conflict between two cultures is witnessed in Morocco, which can be compared to that in Tunisia, which was depicted by Aziz Krichen in the following way: Two main cultures occupy the intellectual scene, the culture of ‘openness’ and the culture of ‘authenticity’.

If there is inevitably no absolute

concordance between the phenomena of biculturalism and bilingualism, each of the two cultures is expressed via a different language: Arabic for the culture of the traditional type, French for the modernistic culture. Because of the concrete configuration of the relations of ideological forces that exist in the society, Arabic appears as a language which transmits a culture with feudal values –the language of sacredness- and French as the language that allows access to modernity, progress and secularism –the language of profaneness-.

This objective and particular situation supports the

perpetuation of the division of the intelligentsia in two antagonistic groups /.../. (In Gallissot, 1986: 47)

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From this quotation, we infer that, at least two cultures are present in the Moroccan, as in the Tunisian intellectual scene. Indeed, the presence of no less than two languages, namely French and Arabic entails a bilingual hence a bicultural situation, as any educated Moroccan is necessarily bilingual. Yet this biculturalism is experienced differently among Arabic and French-mastering intellectuals. On the one hand, for arabized intellectuals, Arabic stands for the culture of “authenticity”. In other words, it calls back to mind the nobleness and greatness of the Arabs’ origins. For those intellectuals, it is their right to be proud of their past and strive to repeat its glories. For this reason, French-mastering intellectuals blame arabized ones for being out-of-date and past-oriented which in their opinion may lead to isolationism and underdevelopment. While arabized intellectuals think that learning French was achieved at the expense of the Arabic culture and language. On the other hand, French-mastering intellectuals are convinced that the French language symbolises a culture of ‘openness’; that is to say, a window opened to the world. It represents a modern country hence it is considered modern too. Since there are different set of ideas on which political and economic systems are based, we can witness conflicting and contradictory ideological issues.

Indeed, the

presence of these two cultures leads to antagonistic relationships. To get out of this linguistic and cultural warpath, we should start by re-valuing the Moroccan cultural patrimony (Baina, 1981). The author thinks that a national and effective education should aim at enriching the national culture through a scientific spirit. The latter will have as a positive outcome the establishment of solid bases, which will constitute the cultural patrimony. He remarks that Morocco possesses a very rich culture, which can enrich the educational system.

However, this patrimony cannot be used as a whole;

therefore, it is necessary to highlight its positive aspects. The Moroccan culture is linked to the Arab-Muslim civilisation, a solid basis, which constitutes one of its important parts. Besides this, its Arab-Muslim aspect is coexisting with the largely rich Berber civilisation. The Moroccan cultural patrimony is composed of varied sources, which endow it with a specific identity. The strategies to be adopted, according to Baina (ibid.), are the respect of the rich and precious Arab-Muslim history and at the same time the respect of the national authenticity. The latter cannot be achieved unless the positive aspects of the patrimony3 with all its varied sources, namely ArabMuslim and Berber, are reinforced. The national culture should shape mentalities open to the external world. This will contribute to the modernisation of the country and to the evolution of its mentalities. 3

The negative aspect of the Moroccan patrimony such as witchcraft; superstitious visiting of mausoleums etc.

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Although the national culture is rich and varied, it cannot remain isolated from other aspects of different cultures representing different human civilisations. The contemporary progress in all fields is impossible under isolationism.

Therefore, learning of foreign languages is

necessary to have access to the different human civilisations.

Yet, if knowing other human civilisations is indispensable for the renovation of the national culture, then it should be done following two guiding principles, namely the diversity of sources and the adaptability to the national reality. On the one hand, the diversity of sources to make the national culture more open to foreign cultures is a necessity for freedom and independence.

The preference of a given foreign culture should not impose itself;

otherwise, it could be dangerous, leading ultimately to the weakness of the national culture (Baina, ibid.). Overall, we have tried to show that there is no automatic correlation between Islamization and Arabization as illustrated by many non-Arabic speaking Muslim countries. Yet, Arabization in Morocco was to some extent related to Islamization. Indeed, two main periods of Arabization occurred during the 8th and 11th centuries.

In addition, the

geographical element had an important impact on the spread of Arabization in Morocco; indeed, it was easier in the plains and more difficult in the mountains. Likewise, the presence of the French language in Morocco was closely related to the French presence. The colonisers had three possible policies to adopt in Morocco. First, ‘Arabization and Islamization’ as the Arabs’ civilisation was deemed necessary for a smooth civilisation transition of Moroccans. The second policy is ‘conservatism’, in other words to keep the linguistic and religious situation as it is with no encouragement whatsoever for the spread of Arabic and Islam. The last policy that was really adopted was a ‘reactionary’ one when the French attempted to hinder the spread of Islam and Arabic. Accordingly, the French colonisation was an equivalent to a linguistic and cultural colonisation. After independence, due to ideological reasons, the reaction to the French language and culture was contradictory leading to antagonistic relationships between the Moroccan’s intelligentsia. To resolve this problem, we need both a re-valuing of the Moroccan cultural patrimony; bearing in mind that favouring a given culture would lead to the decline of the national culture.

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Tome 3, éditions

maghrébines, Casablanca. Benabdi, A. (1981) Arabization in Algeria: Processes and Problems unpublished PhD. Thesis, Indiana University. Cresssier, P. (1998) “ Urbanisation, Arabisation, Islamisation au Maroc du Nord: quelques remarques depuis l’archéologie.” In Aguadé et al. Eds. (1998). De prémare, A. L. (1986) «A Propos D’authenticité et De Retour au Patrimoine Culturel» in Henry J. R. (ed.), (1986). Dhaudi, M. H. (1995) Language Nationalisation: A Case Study of the Challenges of the Other Underdevelopment, Kuwait University, Kuwait. Gallissot, R. (1986) «Les Limites de La Culture Nationale: Enjeux Culturels Et Avènement Etatique Au Maghreb» in Henry, J. R. (ed.) (1986). Gaudefroy-Demombynes,

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Moatassime, A. (1995) « Islam, arabisation et francophonie. Une interface possible à l’interrogation ‘Algérie-France-Islam’ »? In Jurt, J. (ed.) 1995. Molino, J. (1986) «Considérations Intempestives Notes Critiques Sur La Culture Au Maghreb» in Henry, J. R. (ed.) (1986). Ouadghiri, A. (1993) Alfrankufu:Niyah Wa Ssiya:Sah Llurawiyah Wa TtaʕLi:Miyah Lfaransiyah Bil Marrib Najah Edition, Casablanca. Piquet, V. (1925) «Le Peuple Marocain, le Bloc Berbère» In Ouadghiri, A. (Ed.) (1993) (Trans. In Arabic). Rosenberger, B. (1998) « les villes et l’Arabisation. Fonctions des centres urbains du Maghreb Al-Aqsa »: (VIIIe- XVe S.” In Aguadé et al. eds. (1998). Vatin, J.C. (ed.) (1975) Cultures et société au Maghreb, Editions CNRS, Paris. Vatin, J.C. (1975) «Questions Culturelles et Questions À La Culture» In Vatin, J.C. (Ed.) (1975).

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