Just released: See Compass Direct News article on Jamaa here!

Jamaa Ait BakrimA Moroccan Christian named Jamaa Ait Bakrim was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in 2005 for his faith in Jesus Christ. You can help free him! First, read our information below and find out all you can about Jamaa and about religious persecution in Morocco. Then take a look at the top menu to see the different actions you can take to help free him. Evil likes to hide in darkness, so help us shine the light on injustice and free Jamaa!

(p.s. – try dragging Jamaa’s image to help spread the word.)

Name: Jamaa Ait Bakrim
Age: 46
Place of Birth: Jouabra, Morocco
Prisoner Number: 26574
Prison: Prison Centrale
Location: Kenitra, Morocco
Sentenced: Total sentence of 15 years (2005); Proselytism - Article 220: 6 mo-3 yrs; Destruction of the goods of others - Article 581: 10-20 yrs

Jamaa’s Story: After receiving a bachelor degree in Political Science from Rabat, Jamaa moved to Europe where he converted to Christianity. In 1993 he applied for political asylum in the Netherlands but refused and was expelled back to Morocco when his visa expired. Jamaa returned to his Moroccan village and his family thought his conversion was a religious crisis and would soon pass. In 1994 he spent seven months in jail for “proselytizing”(case no. 919/95) and then forced internment at the mental hospital of Inezgane although he had no mental instability. Two years later he was again prosecuted for putting up a Christian cross in public and spent a year in jail.

When he was released Jamaa was rejected by his family and forced to move away from his home village to the city of Massa. He refused to bow to pressure to convert, and instead, put representations of the cross and verses from the Bible on his business storefront. When Jamaa burned two defunct wooden posts that had been unused for three years, it gave the authorities the excuse they needed. Although he contacted local authorities to obtain permission, he was charged with “destruction of the goods of others” and “proselytizing.” Sentencing was delivered at the court of Agadir on December 28, 2005, condemning him to 15 years imprisonment.

“Jamaa is a Christian who is convinced of what he believes, he is far from being mad,” said a businessman who knew Jamaa well. “The business of two burnt posts gave the authorities an excuse to rid their city of a man they hated.”

Prison Centrale

Jamaa has at no time denied his Christian faith. He does deny disturbing the public good or destroying the property of his neighbors. He denies approaching his neighbors to “shake their faith,” or “undermining the king’s person,” as was brought against him in court. When the judge condemned Jamaa to 15 years in prison he said, “The fact that Jamaa denies accusations of proselytization is inconsistent with the confession during which he proclaimed he was a son of Christ and he wanted Moroccans to become Christians.”

Jamaa has been serving five years for his Christian faith in the largest prison in Morocco. Prison Centrale, or Central Prison, is a large complex built during the French protectorate and located alongside the military base in Kenitra (see satellite view of Prison Centrale above).

“Jamaa presented a serious problem for the authorities,” said one long-time friend of Jamaa. “He displayed his convictions in broad daylight and for this reason he underwent the crackdown of ‘justice’.”