Who are these young Moroccans residing in Europe
“Morocco, by the grace of the Almighty, has an expat community of about five million people, in addition to hundreds of thousands of Moroccan Jews around the world”. The last royal speech on the occasion of the celebration of the Anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People was a call for the involvement of Moroccans around the world in the development process in Morocco, especially since “the firm human bonds as well as the pride taken in belonging to Morocco are not limited to first-generation immigrants. They are passed on, from one generation to the next, up to the third and fourth generations”, underlined the Sovereign. This reality is supported by several field studies, including the report produced in 2020 by the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME), to “Understand young Moroccans in Europe”.
■ Identity: This shows the presence of a “Moroccan identity affirmed by almost all young people, with also a national belonging claimed in connection with the country of residence”. This latter tendency is more pronounced among Moroccans living in France. Added to this is “a great diversity in the circle of relations, whether coming from the Moroccan community or not”. The same applies to Moroccans in other countries of Europe where “the local language of the country of residence is widely spoken, written, and read in most countries, with the exception of Italy”. In contrast, “the Arabic language is less mastered by young Moroccans in Europe, with the exception of those living in Italy and Spain, where the Arabic language is read, written and spoken by more than 70% of the young people surveyed”. In terms of religion, access is “largely relayed by the family. Places of worship have a more secondary role”.
■ Difficulties: Regarding their involvement in the socio-economic life of the country of residence, “two thirds of the young people surveyed have the nationality of the country of residence”, but the feeling of belonging is “more moderate than the one felt towards Morocco”. This trend is particularly marked in France, as this document shows. Another peculiarity is the fact that “young Moroccans in Italy seem a bit less integrated than other Moroccans residing in Europe”. These young people also seem to be divided on the one hand between “the feeling that the inhabitants of their country of residence have a good image of their community and of Morocco”, and on the other hand, the persistence of “a certain number of difficulties in their daily life”. This concerns in particular the difficulties of access to employment, housing, the practice of religion, and other issues. “Nearly 8 out of 10 young Moroccans in Europe nevertheless say they are confident about their professional future in the country of residence”.
M.A.M.
