The Nonreligious Minority in Morocco

This open access volume poses the question of what it means to be nonreligious in a society where religion significantly shapes public institutions, legal frameworks, and societal norms. What expectations, dilemmas, and constraints emerge? And how do those who fall outside the religious mainstream adapt to these challenges? Grounded in long-term ethnographic research between 2016 and 2023, ‘Coming Out or Staying In?’ addresses these questions by providing a nuanced account of the nonreligious minority in contemporary Morocco. Based on life-story interviews with over a hundred young adults who self-identify as atheist, agnostic, or cultural Muslim, the book weaves together personal trajectories with theoretical insights from minority studies, queer theory, and feminist scholarship. Morocco forms part of a broader global discussion on nonreligion. Since the 2010s, nonreligion has experienced a surge across many Muslim-majority countries, particularly among the tech-savvy urban youth. Despite the increased visibility, distancing oneself from Islam carries societal, professional, and institutional repercussions. Against this background, the book examines the diverse ways nonreligious Moroccans try to navigate their predominantly Muslim environment. It explores the promises and limitations of diverse forms of nonreligious activism, the importance of compromises and maintaining relationships with religious family and friends, as well as building connections with other nonreligious individuals, the implications of leading a ‘double life’, and the motives behind moving abroad. Rather than representing fixed and separate paths, these tactics are often combined, adapted, and shaped by intersecting social positions and contextual circumstances. By examining these responses, the book illuminates the complexities of being part of a nonreligious minority. While this case study focuses on the Moroccan context, this book speaks to broader questions of minority dynamics by looking at common minority responses, such as activism, adaptation, concealment, allyship, and migration. This makes it an important read for anthropologists, sociologists, human geographers, and feminist and postcolonial scholars who explore similar themes. At the same time, this work will be of particular relevance to students, researchers, and policymakers with a regional interest in Muslim-majority contexts, such as Morocco and anyone interested in questions of (non)religion.