Breaking Sexual Taboos in Morocco: Sociologist Advocates for Sexual Freedom

BY; Hana Saada

ALGIERS- Abdessamad Dialmy, a sociologist and university professor known for his expertise in “sexuality, gender, and feminism in Islam,” has been a consistent advocate for recognizing sexual freedoms in Morocco. In a recent interview, Dialmy emphasized the need for sexual freedom to be acknowledged as a fundamental right, challenging existing societal taboos that restrict the sexual autonomy of young Moroccans.

Dialmy has long been a proponent of legal changes in Morocco, targeting specific penal code articles, including 489, 490, and 491, which criminalize homosexuality, premarital sex, and adultery, respectively. He argues that these articles force young Moroccans into marriage as the only legal avenue for expressing their sexuality, and he has been calling for the repeal of these “repressive” laws since 2007.

His commitment to sexual freedom traces back to the 1970s when, inspired by Wilhelm Reich’s “The Sexual Revolution,” Dialmy, then a philosophy teacher, repudiated his marriage as a personal commitment to the sexual revolution. His subsequent experiences and academic pursuits, including a thesis in 1980 on Moroccan youth’s sexuality, exposed the dual restrictions of religious and legal prohibitions on the sexual lives of the country’s youth.

Dialmy’s research revealed a growing trend of delaying marriage in Morocco, with the average age being 26 for females and 32 for males. To navigate societal norms and desires, young Moroccans engage in sexual practices without penetration, a concept Dialmy termed “spatio-sexual bricolage.” This incomplete and makeshift form of sexual expression often occurs in unconventional locations such as cafés, trains, stairwells, basements, terraces, cinemas, and cars.

While societal constraints impact some, Dialmy acknowledges that Morocco is experiencing a sexual revolution. The prevalence of premarital practices has surged since the 1970s, accompanied by increased instances of prostitution and a more open expression of homosexuality. Dialmy remains optimistic, viewing this sexual explosion as a transitional phase toward embracing more liberal sexual norms. He predicts that legal reforms will secularize laws to align with evolving Moroccan sexual attitudes.

Despite his optimism, Dialmy recognizes the challenges. In 2019, a Moroccan parliamentarian proposed repealing laws penalizing premarital sex and homosexuality, a proposition met with political resistance due to the contentious nature of sexual freedoms in the country. Dialmy, now remarried with four children, has shifted his focus from advocating for a radical sexual revolution to pushing for legal, educational, and cultural reforms. His current agenda includes legal recognition of sexual freedoms, comprehensive sexual education in schools, and cultural shifts to promote non-violent masculinity.