Tensions flared in Morocco's Parliament as PM Fatima Ezzahra El-Mansouri clashed with PJD deputies over religious practices and gender roles.
Tensions in Moroccan Parliament
Tensions escalated on Thursday, October 22, in the Moroccan Parliament, where Prime Minister Fatima Ezzahra El-Mansouri addressed conservative members of the Justice and Development Party (PJD).Dispute over prayer request
The dispute originated from a remark by PJD deputies reminding the session should be suspended for prayer. The request reportedly irritated El-Mansouri, who criticized the attitude of the PJD representatives, suggesting they were trying to appear as good believers, unlike other parliamentarians.Criticism of double standards
El-Mansouri accused her interlocutors of holding a double discourse, encouraging the education and professional activity of their own daughters while wanting to confine other Moroccan women to the role of a "lamp illuminating the home," a phrase previously used by Abdelilah Benkirane, the general secretary of the PJD, in 2014.Prime Minister's defiant statement
El-Mansouri declared, "I am not a lamp. I am a reason, a conscience, convictions, and a struggle," to the applause of the audience, before concluding: "Here is a woman standing before you."
