The Casablanca Protest

A reported tens of thousands of Moroccans marched through Casablanca's Mohammed V square to demand the release of two Moroccan Embassy employees reported kidnapped in Iraq and threatened with execution. Demonstrators chanted "No to terrorism" and "Islam is a religion of love, not hatred" (please tell the French muslims that!). "All Moroccans feel targeted by this kidnapping," said Mohamed Benhammou, one of the march organizers. The two embassy employees dissapeared October 20. Al-Qaeda's Iraq wing claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and said they were sentanced to death after convicting them in an Islamic court. Morocco's influental High Court of the Ulema (HCU) said on Saturday that "Killing the two Moroccans would be considered as the killing of all Moroccans."