The so-called “Weinstein effect”—cascading dismissals of powerful men for abusing women—has swept across many of the world’s wealthy democratic countries. Now a scandal in my own country, Morocco, has broken new ground. It shows what happens when the Weinstein effect meets Islamists and other forces in a traditional Arab Muslim society.

On Feb. 23, Moroccan police arrested Taoufik Bouachrine, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Akhbar al-Yawm, at his office in Casablanca. Acting on testimony from as many as 30 women, including some of his own employees, prosecutors charged Mr. Bouachrine with rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and human trafficking.

But in contrast to many of the recent media scandals in the West, which have drawn remorse from perpetrators, Mr. Bouachrine has denied all charges and insists that he is the victim of a conspiracy. It should be noted that he is a vocal critic of the government and staunch supporter of the Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD), and some press advocates worry that the current charges are an effort to silence him. It is a complicated case.

What is clear, however, is that most Moroccans, in the face of these credible accusations against Mr. Bouachrine, have little sympathy for his accusers. Youth chatter on Twitter and Facebook refers to them as “temptresses” and “sluts” and suggests that they entrapped him.

One might have looked to Mr. Bouachrine’s fellow Islamists, who claim moral superiority over their political rivals, to distance themselves from him. But no such statement has been forthcoming from the leadership of the PJD or any other Islamist group.

“ What is clear is that most Moroccans, in the face of these credible accusations, have little sympathy for his accusers. ”

More surprising perhaps has been the muted response of women’s advocacy groups in Morocco. Most have been utterly silent about Mr. Bouachrine. Exceptions such as the women’s division of the Moroccan Federal Socialist Party, which took more than a week to issue a statement, simply called on authorities to safeguard the rights of Mr. Bouachrine and his accusers alike.


Some of this equivocation and deflection of blame can be ascribed to distrust of Morocco’s justice system. But that does not explain the widespread hostility toward the brave women who have come forward to recount their abuse to the public.

Newspaper editor Taoufik Bouachrine seen in court in 2009 when the Moroccan government charged him and a caricaturist with disrespect toward the royal family. Photo: ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP/Getty Images

The first of these, journalist Naima Lahrouri, wrote that she had been afraid to speak out because “many segments of the society, unfortunately, do not do justice to women.” But she wanted Moroccans to know that “I do not care if the state has a feud with [Mr. Bouachrine.] I only care that he sexually harassed me.”

It is telling that none of Mr. Bouachrine’s accusers who have emerged publicly has alleged rape, though he is charged with that crime. His former employee Kholoud al-Jabri, claiming sexual harassment, took pains to tell a TV interviewer, “I am ready to go with anyone who suspects that I have been raped to any doctor of their choice to prove that I am still a virgin.”

In Ms. Jabri’s statement lies the deeper reason, I believe, that Mr. Bouachrine enjoys more support than his alleged victims. An “honor culture” still prevails in most of Moroccan society, and it locates a family’s dignity or shame in the virginity of its unmarried daughters. It effectively punishes a woman for being raped. She bears a lifelong stigma and will find few potential husbands.

Journalist Ouidade Melhaf, like other accusers, has been a target of aggression on social media. She recently told family and friends, including myself, that the pressure of rebuke has grown unbearable and she has had thoughts of suicide.


Morocco has made considerable progress on some women’s issues. Our new constitution enshrines the principle of gender equality. But the readiness of Moroccans to condemn or doubt Mr. Bouachrine’s accusers shows that even voices preaching justice for women have yet to truly internalize the principles they espouse.

The recent scandal has not served as a “teachable moment” in Morocco. We still urgently need a public conversation about how to end deviant sexual behavior among powerful men. American groups that have done so much to encourage the development of independent media in Morocco might also consider how to help our female journalists, whose #MeToo moment has been such an unfortunate trauma.

—Mr. Charai is the publisher of the Moroccan news magazine L’Observateur.