Do not offend the national anthem!

Ismail Al-Halouti
Only reckless people who deny the virtues of the patriot who embraces them and gives them a lot of warmth, security and stability and bestows them with many good things without waiting for them in return, are the ones who offer without the slightest hesitation or shame to betray him and insult his symbols, including the national anthem that symbolizes the history and traditions of the nation, and it is a piece of poetry accompanied by a musical melody, which takes no more than a minute to recite in an atmosphere of respect. It instills enthusiasm in souls, enhances love for the homeland and pride in belonging to it, especially when it is played in educational institutions and during major national and international sports forums, at the start of competitions between teams and teams and during the distribution of medals.
It is worth noting that the story of the Moroccan national anthem, which is also called the honorable anthem, dates back to the period after the independence of Morocco and the emancipation from the bondage of French colonialism and the exit from the protectorate era in the year 1956, when it was then just a musical melody without words. And it continued until the Moroccan national football team was able to qualify for the World Cup activities in Mexico in 1970, where football matches were considered the largest sporting forum that took place by reciting national anthems for the participating teams in order to arouse the enthusiasm of the players and motivate them, which made the late King Hassan II, may God have mercy on him, issue his order to the writer and author Ali Sicily Al-Husseini to write words consistent with the musical melody that existed before, so that players in Mexico and beyond would repeat them whenever the national anthem was played.
However, in an incident with uncalculated consequences, and during the match that took place on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Sports Complex in Rabat, between the teams of Nahdet Berkane and Raja Casablanca, in the final drawing of the Throne Cup (2021/2022), which ended in favor of the Volcano Club with a share (1/0), some reckless among those tucked in among the sports fans who attended in large numbers, especially supporters of Raja Casablanca, refused, except to blow their whistles. Jean Eban played the national anthem before the referee blew the whistle at the start of the match, in addition to the riots and stone-throwing at the end of the match, inside and outside the stadium, which resulted in heavy material losses.
It is a non-sports event that sparked outrage and a wave of angry reactions not only for the sports fans, but also for the higher authorities in the country and for the rest of the Moroccan citizens, as voices of denunciation and denunciation of such hybrid practices and reckless and irresponsible behavior, which has nothing to do with the true patriotic spirit and noble sports ethics, were heard. The managing office of the Raja Casablanca Club was quick to denounce these events, which it described as “irresponsible”, stressing that they undoubtedly occurred from people tucked into the crowd, announcing their distance from what could be attributed to them in terms of actions contrary to the law or the morals and values ​​of sports, and their complete disavowal of the behavior of whistling while playing the anthem, which is among the most prominent symbols of the country along with the Moroccan flag and its motto “God is the country the king” as well as the Moroccan currency, and he did not fail to express in a communication his deep regret for these actions. Reckless, and his keenness to respect the law.
In view of the seriousness of the matter, dozens of fans affiliated with Al-Raja club were arrested, especially those who stated that the club’s president, Mohamed Boudrika, had asked them to go massively to the Prince Moulay Abdallah complex, and there in front of its gates they would receive free tickets to enter the stadium without problems, without achieving that for them, which put him in a real dilemma and led to his summoning by the security services, which opened an investigation with him that included a set of serious charges related to breaching public security, against the background of the complaint submitted by the governor, Ali. The region of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra Mohamed Yacoubi.
We strongly reject that some lunatics and delinquents resort to detonating their hatred and rage against the homeland and its symbols, and at the same time we call on the concerned authorities to expedite the opening of a deep investigation, in order to find out the merits of this heinous crime against the homeland and its people, and work to arrange penalties to deter all those whose involvement is proven from near or far, so that it serves as an example to everyone who tempts himself in the future to insult the national anthem and other symbols and sanctities, or to tamper with private and public property and assault on innocent citizens.