In the video of the ceremony, the dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Muhammad al-Talbi, is seen asking the student to remove the keffiyeh, and after she refused he left the stage and another person presented her with the award in his place. Officials in Morocco claimed that al-Talbi “harmed the general feeling of support of the Moroccan people for the Palestinian issue.”
The incident took place in the wake dozens of weekly demonstrations across Morocco to express solidarity with the Palestinians amid the war in Gaza. Major cities including Tangier, Casablanca and Rabat have hosted major protests in which demonstrators wear keffiyehs and wave Palestinian flags. Morocco signed a normalization deal with Israel under the Abraham Accords in January 2021.
The event was widely covered in the Arab media, including by Qatari television station Al-Jazeera, as well as on social media networks. One surfer called the dean’s position unacceptable, and criticized the moment when al-Talbi reached for the keffiyeh on the student’s shoulder as “an inappropriate act.” Another commented that he “doesn’t understand what the dean’s problem is with the beautiful keffiyeh” and others called for him to be fired. Sources stated that “he will finish in his position, but it is not clear if it is because of the end of his term or because of the incident.”
Another response called on al-Talbi to “explain why he refused to hand over the certificate. Is this poor judgment?” A source close to the dean claimed that it was a misunderstanding. According to him, the dean congratulated the student on her achievements, and asked her to remove the keffiyeh so as not to confuse politics with the “celebration of academic excellence.”
“The problem is not with the keffiyeh, it is the symbol of the Palestinian issue and the issue of all Moroccans. The problem is the mixing of politics in an academic institution,” according tot he source. He pointed out that the dean chose to leave the stage in light of the harsh words heard from the audience, and that the dean is is a person of professional integrity known for his protection of women’s rights.
Despite the accusations and the harsh reactions, sources in Morocco said supporters are mobilizing for the dean, including making t-shirts that read: “We are all Muhammad al-Talbi.” Another source in the country added that “this is a public facility and in Morocco it is customary not to bring politics into universities. Our problem in Morocco is that the Islamists only believe in Islam. The noise on the Internet manages to bring people down, it is significant. Morocco strongly supports the Palestinians, but also has strong ties with Israel.”
The Moroccan government said it would not intervene in the matter.
