Palestinian refugee and Gaza doctor stories rejected from Arabic exam in Morocco
The Regional Directorate of the Ministry of National Education in Al Fida–Mers Sultan district in Casablanca has rejected two texts intended for the sixth-grade Arabic language exam scheduled for June 2025. Both texts addressed the suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.
The first text tells the story of a Palestinian refugee dreaming of returning to his homeland, while the second recounts the experience of a Palestinian doctor who, against all odds, continued to provide medical aid to his besieged people in Gaza.
The directorate justified its decision by stating that the proposed texts «touched on politically sensitive national issues» and requested that the Arabic language exam topic be «replaced with something more appropriate».
This decision sparked a wave of controversy on social media and drew attention in parliament. Abdessamad Haiker, a MP from the Justice and Development Party (PJD), submitted a written question to the Minister of National Education, Primary Education, and Sports. He emphasized that «the resilience of the Palestinian people in facing occupation and their right to return to their homeland are legitimate rights guaranteed by international law and various relevant international resolutions. These rights have never been a matter of debate or disagreement among Moroccans of different backgrounds».
Haiker added, «Moroccans have historically been at the forefront of supporting the Palestinian people and defending their historic and legitimate rights, including the right to return to Palestine. This issue has always been deeply rooted in the Moroccan conscience and has never been a source of sensitivity».
He described the directorate's actions as a blatant provocation to the feelings of Moroccans and a direct affront to their national values—chief among them the Palestinian cause, which «His Majesty the King equates with the territorial integrity of the kingdom». Haiker called on the Minister of National Education and Primary Education to clarify the details of this decision and outline the measures his ministry will take to address this offensive incident and prevent its recurrence.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Against Normalization issued a statement condemning the move, declaring that «the censored text, prepared in full compliance with the exam procedures manual and the framework for the primary education certificate exam, was unlawfully rejected».
The Front strongly denounced «the actions of the Al Fida-Mers Sultan Regional Directorate», calling them «an act of educational normalization, the most dangerous form of normalization with the Zionist entity».
The Front affirmed that this incident is «not isolated but part of the Moroccan regime's ongoing comprehensive normalization with the criminal Zionist entity». They demanded «a fair and independent investigation into the matter and that those responsible for this blatant betrayal be held accountable».
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