Rabat – Morocco’s Islamist ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (PJD), received backlash after MP Amina Maelainine removed her hijab while on a trip in Paris.

Pictures of Maelainine, who typically wears a hijab, emerged on social media weeks ago, showing her without a hijab. She received criticism from other PJD members, public figures, and her followers. After an initial denial, saying the pictures were doctored, Maelainine acknowledged the authenticity of the widely-circulated pictures.

Now, it is the PJD Minister of Human Rights Mustapha Ramid criticizing Maelainine.

Ramid said that people voted for Maelainine because, wearing a hijab, she presented herself in a certain way that reflected several values. “Therefore, she has no right to remove her veil once abroad.”

The MP quickly responded to the remarks.

In a Facebook post, Maelainine wrote, “The decision to wear the veil, now or in the future, is a private matter. It has nothing to do with the party. This does not fall under the conditions of membership or contracts with activists.”

Commenting on Ramid saying she was hypocritical, the MP said that she only has one face. “This is what has made my positions unchanged since I joined the party when I was student.

She added that changing her attitudes might have saved her from what she has experienced, including defamation, slander, and diligence.

Maelainine received especially harsh criticism from Moroccan lawyer Lahbib Haji, who attacked her after she claimed the pictures were faked.

Lahbib said that he knew the pictures were not “fake” because they reflected PJD’s culture of deceit and “fraud.”

“Your party knows this with certainty, which means that it adopts this type of fraud,” he commented.