Proclamation of Independence of Morocco

The Proclamation of Independence of Morocco (Arabic: وثيقة الاستقلال‎, French: Manifeste de l'Indépendance du Maroc), also translated as the Manifesto of Independence of Morocco or Proclamation of January 11, 1944, is a document in which Moroccan nationalists called for the independence of Morocco in its national entirety under Muhammad V Bin Yusuf, as well as the installment of a democratic, constitutional government to guarantee the rights of all segments of society. January 11 is an official government holiday in Morocco.[2][3]

Proclamation of Independence of Morocco
وثيقة الاستقلال المغربي
An image of the Proclamation of Independence handwritten in Mabsout Maghrebi script.
PresentedJanuary 11, 1944
Author(s)Ahmed el Hamiani Khatat
Ahmed Bahnini[1]

Context

On November 8, 1942, Allied forces landed in Morocco—a colony of France since the 1912 Treaty of Fes—during Operation Torch.[2] Free France then retook control of the a largely collaborationist colonial administration sympathetic to Philippe Pétain, which bode well for Moroccan nationalists.[2]

Sultan Muhammad V of Morocco, who was a de facto prisoner of the colonial administration, though he had made no public gesture of sympathy toward Nazi Germany, and had protected Moroccan Jews from antisemitic policies, received confirmation from President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference of January 1943, that the US would support the independence of Morocco when the war was over.[2]

On December 18, 1943, those who were still free among the old guard of the National Party outlawed by the French administration in 1937—whose previous leaders such as Allal al-Fassi, Muhammad Hassan el-Wazzani, et al. were either in prison or in exile—organized a secret conference in Rabat to found the Istiqlal Party.[2]

The Proclamation of Independence of Morocco was originally drafted by Ahmed el Hamiani Khatat and Ahmed Bahnini, attorneys of the party, and revised and amended by their colleagues.[4]

On January 11, 1944, with the outcome of World War II still uncertain to all but the most perceptive, 66 Moroccans signed the public proclamation demanding an end to colonialism and the reinstatement of Morocco's independence, an enormous risk at the time.

The main nationalist leaders of all origins united around the Proclamation of Independence, forming a real political movement, representative of a wider segment of Moroccan society, urban and rural. They decided together to ally themselves with Sultan Muhammad V, to whom they submitted their demand.[2]

Among the signatories were members of the resistance, symbols of a free Morocco, and people who would become key figures in the construction of the new Morocco.

Text

Text of the Proclamation of Independence of January 11 presented to Sultan Muhammad V:

Arabic English
الحمد لله إن حزب الاستقلال الذي يضم أعضاء الحزب الوطني السابق وشخصيات حرة: Praise God, for the Istiqlal Party, which is composed of members of the former Nationalist Party as well as independent persons:
حيث إن الدولة المغربية تمتعت دائما بحريتها وسيادتها الوطنية وحافظت على استقلالها طيلة ثلاثة عشر قرنا إلى أن فرض عليها نظام الحماية في ظروف خاصة و Whereas Morocco has always constituted a free and sovereign state, and that it has held its independence through 13 centuries up until the moment when, under particular circumstances, a protectorate regime was imposed upon it;
حيث أن الغاية من هذا النظام والمبرر لوجوده هما إدخال الإصلاحات التي يحتاج إليها المغرب في ميادين الإدارة والعدلية والثقافة والاقتصاد والمالية والعسكرية دون أن يمس ذلك بسيادة الشعب المغربي التاريخية ونفوذ جلالة الملك و Whereas the regime's objective and purpose were to give Morocco a set of administrative, financial, and military reforms, without impinging on the traditional sovereignty of the Moroccan people under the ægis of their king;
حيث أن سلطات الحماية بدلت هذا النظام بنظام مبني على الحكم المباشر والاستبداد لفائدة الجالية الفرنسية ومنها جيش من الموظفين لا يتوقف المغرب إلا على جزء يسير منه وأنها لم تحاول التوفيق بين مصالح مختلف العناصر في البلاد و Whereas under this regime, the authorities of the Protectorate have replaced that system with a system of direct and despotic rule for the benefit of the French colony—including the military and employees—in which Morocco only plays a minimal role, and in which the French authorities have not attempted to address the various needs of the different elements of the country;
حيث أن الجالية الفرنسية توصلت بهذا النظام إلى الاستحواذ على مقاليد الحكم واحتكرت خيرات البلاد دون أصحابها و Whereas the French colony, through this system, has been able to take over all channels of power, as well as to appropriate and monopolize the country's resources, to the detriment of its citizens;
حيث أن هذا النظام حاول بشتى الوسائل تحطيم الوحدة المغربية ومنع المغاربة من المشاركة الفعلية في تسيير شؤون بلادهم ومنعهم من كل حرية خاصة أو عامة و Whereas the regime has attempted—through all possible means—to break the unity of the Moroccan people, to prevent Moroccans from effectively participating in the governance of their country, and to deprive them of every individual civil liberty;
حيث أن الظروف التي يجتازها العالم اليوم هي غير الظروف التي أسست فيها الحماية و Whereas the circumstances the world faces today are not those in which the protectorate was established;
حيث أن المغرب شارك مشاركة فعالة في الحروب العالمية بجانب الحلفاء وقام رجاله أخيرا بأعمال أثارت إعجاب الجميع في فرنسا وتونس وصقلية وكرسيكا وإيطاليا، وينتظر منهم مشاركة أوسع في ميادين أخرى وبالأخص لمساعدة فرنسا على تحريرها و Whereas Morocco has participated significantly in the World Wars next to the Allied forces, with Moroccans having impressed everyone with their accomplishments in France, as well as Tunisia, Sicily, Corsica, and Italy, and with the expectation that they will participate in other theaters as well, particularly in the liberation of France;
حيث أن الحلفاء الذين يريقون دماءهم في سبيل الحرية اعترفوا في وثيقة الأطلنتي بحق الشعوب في حكم نفسها بنفسها، وأعلنوا أخيرا في مؤتمر طهران سخطهم على المذهب الذي بمقتضاه يزعم القوي حق الاستيلاء على الضعيف و Whereas the Allies, who shed their blood for the cause of liberty, stated in the Atlantic Charter that all peoples have the right to self-determination, to govern themselves by themselves, and expressed recently at the Tehran Conference their resentment toward the doctrine that the mighty should dominate the weak;
حيث أن الحلفاء أظهروا في شتى المناسبات عطفهم على الشعوب الإسلامية ومنحوا الاستقلال لشعوب منها من هو دون شعبنا في ماضيه وحاضره و Whereas the Allies expressed their support for Muslim peoples on multiple occasions, and have granted independence to some of those whose past and present civilizations are less developed than Morocco’s;
حيث أن الأمة المغربية التي تكون وحدة متناسقة الأجزاء تشعر بما لها من الحقوق وما عليها من واجبات داخل البلاد وخارجها تحت رعاية ملكها المحبوب وتقدر حق قدرها الحريات الديمقراطية التي يوافق جوهرها مبادئ ديننا الحنيف والتي كانت الأساس في وضع نظام الحكم بالبلاد الإسلامية الشقيقة. Whereas the Moroccan nation, which is a harmonious union of its different elements, feels what is rightfully its own in terms of rights, and what is upon it in terms of responsibilities within the country and beyond its borders under the patronage of its beloved king, and profoundly appreciates its democratic liberties, which are intrinsically consonant with our true religion, which has been the foundation of governance in fellow Islamic countries;
يقرر ما يأتي: Decides the following:
أولاً: أن يطالب باستقلال المغرب ووحدة ترابه تحت ظل صاحب الجلالة ملك البلاد المفدى سيدنا محمد بن يوسف نصره الله وأيده. First: To demand the independence of Morocco and the unity of its terrify under His Majesty the King Muhammad Bin Yusuf, may God aid and help him.
ثانياً: أن يلتمس من جلالته السعي لدى الدول التي يهمها الأمر الاعتراف بهذا الاستقلال وضمانه، ولوضع اتفاقيات تحدد ضمن السيادة المغربية ما للأجانب من مصالح مشروعة. Second: To implore His Majesty to seek the recognition and affirmation of this independence from nations concerned, and to sign treaties that define, within the context of Moroccan sovereignty, the legitimate roles of foreigners in Morocco.
ثالثاً: أن يطلب نظام المغرب للدول الموافقة على وثيقة الأطلنتي والمشاركة في مؤتمر الصلح. Third: To request the addition of Morocco to the group of states that have ratified the Atlantic Charter and that participated in the Peace Conference.
رابعاً: أن يلتمس من جلالته أن يشمل برعايته حركة الإصلاح الذي يتوقف عليه المغرب في داخله، ويكل لنظره السديد إحداث نظام سياسي شوري شبيه بنظام الحكم في البلاد العربية الإسلامية في الشرق تحفظ فيه حقوق سائر عناصر الشعب المغربي وسائر طبقاته وتحدد فيه واجبات الجميع، . Fourth: To implore His Majesty to support the reform movement that Morocco fundamentally depends on, and to bring apt attention the creation of a consultative political system, similar to the governments in Arab Islamic countries in the East, in which the rights of all elements of Moroccan society and all its social classes are ensured, and in which the responsibilities of all are defined.
والسلام Peace.

[5]

Signatories[6]


  1. Mohammed Benlarbi al-Alami
  2. Abdelkader Hassan El Assimi
  3. Ahmed Bahnini
  4. Ahmed Balafrej
  5. M'hamed Belkhadir
  6. Kacem Benabdeljalil
  7. Omar Benabdeljalil
  8. M'hammed Ben-Azzouz
  9. Mehdi Ben Barka
  10. Ahmed Benbouchta
  11. Omar Benchemssi
  12. Ahmed Benchekroun El Meknassi
  13. Ahmed Bendella
  14. Abdelaziz Bendriss Amraoui
  15. Abdelkrim Benjelloun Touimi
  16. el-Hassan Benjelloun
  17. Seddick Benlarbi
  18. Jilali Bennani
  19. M'hamed Ben Jilali Bennani
  20. Mohamed El Bekkali
  21. Mohammed Bensouda
  22. Abderrahim Bouabid
  23. Mohamed Bouamrani
  24. El Hassan Bouayad
  25. Ahmed Cherkaoui
  26. El Hafiane Cherkaoui
  27. Messaoud Chiguer
  28. Mohamed Diouri
  29. Abdelkbir Ben Mehdi El Fassi
  30. Malika Belmehdi El Fassi
  31. Mohamed Ghali El Fassi
  32. Mohamed El Fatimi El Fassi
  33. Abdelkbir Fassi-Fihri Ben Hfid
  34. Abdelwahab El Fassi-Fihri
  35. El Hachemi El Filali
  36. M'barek Al Gharras
  37. Mohamed al-Ghazi
  38. Mohamed el-Hamdaoui Taghi
  39. Ahmed El Hamiani Khatat
  40. Nasser Al Hussaïni
  41. Abdallah Ibrahim
  42. Bouchta Jamai
  43. Mohamed el-Jazouli
  44. Othman Jorio
  45. Mohammed Laghzaoui
  46. Ahmed Lyazidi
  47. Mohamed Lyazidi
  48. Ahmed el-Manjra
  49. Ahmed Mekouar
  50. Abdeslam El Mestari
  51. Mohammed El Mestassi
  52. Driss M’hammedi
  53. El Hussaïne Benabdellah El Ouarzazi
  54. Abdeljalil El Kabbaj
  55. Boubker El Kadiri
  56. Abdallah Rahmani
  57. Abdallah Regragui
  58. Mohamed Rifaï
  59. Mohamed Ben Abderrahmane Saâdani
  60. Boubker Sbihi
  61. Ali ben lamrabet
  62. Abdelhamid Zemmouri
  63. Amr Zemmouri
  64. Mohamed Zeghari
  65. Kacem Zhiri
  66. Tahar Ben El Fqih Abi Bakr Zniber.

Consequences

The reaction was immediate: great pressure upon Sultan Muhammad V to publicly condemn the Proclamation, as well as the detention of signatories and known nationalist activists.[2]

On the night of January 28, Ahmed Balafrej, secretary general of the Istiqlal Party, as well as his associate Mohamed Lyazidi, were arrested in Rabat under the pretext of sharing intelligence with Axis powers.[2] Balafrej was one of 3 nationalist activists deported to Corsica.[7] In Fes, Abdelaziz Bendriss and Hachemi Filali were incarcerated.[8] In total, French authorities arrested 20 nationalist activists in the aftermath of this manifesto.[2]

The Proclamation of Independence was a major step in the struggle for independence. It was with this document that the Moroccan Nationalist Movement allied itself with the sultan. The sultan also started to become an important national folk symbol, delivering the symbolic Tangier speech April 10, 1947 and being forced exile on the eve of Eid al-Adha August 20, 1953.[9][2] The French Protectorate in Morocco came to an end on March 2, 1956 with the Franco-Moroccan Joint Declaration signed in Rabat.[2]

See also

Bibliography
  • Charles-André Julien (préf. Annie Rey-Goldzeiguer), « Naissance de l'Istiqlal », dans L'Afrique du Nord en marche : Algérie-Tunisie-Maroc, 1880-1952, Paris, Omnibus, 2002 (1re éd. 1952, rev. et augm. en 1971), 499 p. (ISBN 2258058635, OCLC 644767406), p. 296-297
  • Jacques Valette (1983). "Guerre mondiale et décolonisation". Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer. Paris. 70 (260–261): 136.
  • Moulay Abdelhadi Alaoui, « Mohammed V et le mouvement de Libération nationale », dans Le Maroc et la France : 1912-1956 - Textes et documents à l'appui, Rabat, Fanigraph, 2007, 568 p. (ISBN 9789954038598, OCLC 262650411, présentation en ligne), p. 86-135
  • « La conférence d'Anfa et les “habits neufs” du sultan », dans Michel Abitbol, Histoire du Maroc, Paris, Perrin, 2009 [détail de l’édition], p. 497-502
  • Mostafa Bouaziz (February 2011). "Les manifestes de l'Indépendance". Zamane. Casablanca (4): 48–49. [chapeau en ligne]
  • Mostafa Bouaziz (May 2014). "Les manifestes de l'Indépendance…". Zamane. Casablanca (42): 12–13. Voici à quoi fait référence Bouaziz lorsqu'il écrit, p. 12,

    [d]ans notre numéro d’avril (Zamane, #, Proclamation of Independence of Morocco), nous avons soulevé la question du nombre de signataires du Manifeste du Parti de l’Istiqlal: une section de la rubrique Les buzz de l'Histoire

    intitulée

    Faux : Malika El Fassi est la seule femme signataire du manifeste de l'Indépendance de 1944

    .
  • Mohamed El Mansour (February 2016). "À propos du Manifeste de l'Indépendance". Zamane. Casablanca (63): 72–73. [premières lignes]

References
  1. الاستقلال, Istiqlal Maroc Parti-حزب. "Manifeste de l'indépendance du 11 Janvier 1944". Portail du Parti de l'Istiqlal Maroc (in French). Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  2. Miller, Susan Gilson. (2013). A history of modern Morocco. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-62469-5. OCLC 855022840.
  3. Yabiladi.com. "11th of January 1944, when the Istiqlal party wrote a Manifesto demanding Morocco's full independence". en.yabiladi.com. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  4. الاستقلال, Istiqlal Maroc Parti-حزب. "Manifeste de l'indépendance du 11 Janvier 1944". Portail du Parti de l'Istiqlal Maroc (in French). Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  5. "نص وثيقة المطالبة بالاستقلال في 11 يناير 1944". هوية بريس (in Arabic). 2018-01-11. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  6. Abou Bakr El Kadiri, Moudhakkirati fil Haraka al Wataniyya (Mémoires), tome 2, pp 357-513
  7. "Combat : organe du Mouvement de libération française". Gallica. 1946-08-07. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  8. Rachik, Hassan (2003). Symboliser la nation: essai sur l'usage des identités collectives au Maroc (in French). Le Fennec. ISBN 978-9954-415-01-6.
  9. Yabiladi.com. "Revolution Day, a Moroccan holiday created by king Mohammed V and nationalists". en.yabiladi.com. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
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