Safety of Americans traveling to Morocco
Aug 29th, 2006, 06:27 PM
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Safety of Americans traveling to Morocco
I'm looking for some honest insight about the safety of Americans traveling in Morocco post-August 10th London terrorist arrests. If you've been there in the past month, what was your sense of the climate towards Americans? I realize caution should always be exercised when traveling, of course...Thoughts?
Aug 30th, 2006, 02:12 AM
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Hi,
Somebody asked the same question before in an other forum and this is wxhat he got:
In May, I spent a fantastic month travelling throughout Morocco and had no problems whatsoever. Morocco is a modern, western leaning society, while retaining its Arabic heart, language and customs. The people are very friendly and helpful. French is widely spoken, so if you can speak some French , it will help to differentiate you from other English speakers, even if you just use "Merci" or "Merci bien" (Thank you, thank you very much) and "s'il vous plâit" (please). Maybe pickup an English-French phrase book to assist you with common phrases.
Most of the foreigners I met were from France (probably 80%), the Netherlands, and England, with some German tourists too. I met just one American in 30 days there, and that was a student on a train heading North to Tanger.
I would say that if there is one countries citizens that would not be looked on favourably, its probably the US. Even then, I doubt it would really be of the same magnitude that your friend experienced in Tunisia
Have a great trip!
Cheers,
Frederic in Montréal
here is an other answer:
3.
It's safe. Just to be on the extra safe side, avoid discussions of political or religious subject matter with Moroccans.
and here again :
I have to say, Moroccans seem to be even more welcoming than usual whenever geopolitical turmoil arises. They love tourists -- they are their lifeline -- so they are not happy with things that threaten their economy and jobs.
and:
In general, Moroccans have far more pressing things on their mind than politics. And they are equipped with enough intelligence to be able to distinguish between a people and their political leaders. Don't wear your Four More Years badge or a shirt with Support Israel on it and you'll be fine.
and so on......
Is it clear enough for you now ?????
Somebody asked the same question before in an other forum and this is wxhat he got:
In May, I spent a fantastic month travelling throughout Morocco and had no problems whatsoever. Morocco is a modern, western leaning society, while retaining its Arabic heart, language and customs. The people are very friendly and helpful. French is widely spoken, so if you can speak some French , it will help to differentiate you from other English speakers, even if you just use "Merci" or "Merci bien" (Thank you, thank you very much) and "s'il vous plâit" (please). Maybe pickup an English-French phrase book to assist you with common phrases.
Most of the foreigners I met were from France (probably 80%), the Netherlands, and England, with some German tourists too. I met just one American in 30 days there, and that was a student on a train heading North to Tanger.
I would say that if there is one countries citizens that would not be looked on favourably, its probably the US. Even then, I doubt it would really be of the same magnitude that your friend experienced in Tunisia
Have a great trip!
Cheers,
Frederic in Montréal
here is an other answer:
3.
It's safe. Just to be on the extra safe side, avoid discussions of political or religious subject matter with Moroccans.
and here again :
I have to say, Moroccans seem to be even more welcoming than usual whenever geopolitical turmoil arises. They love tourists -- they are their lifeline -- so they are not happy with things that threaten their economy and jobs.
and:
In general, Moroccans have far more pressing things on their mind than politics. And they are equipped with enough intelligence to be able to distinguish between a people and their political leaders. Don't wear your Four More Years badge or a shirt with Support Israel on it and you'll be fine.
and so on......
Is it clear enough for you now ?????
Sep 5th, 2006, 10:10 AM
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Just returned last night from a 3 week tour of all areas of Morocco. Moroccans love Americans. Dress respectfully (no shorts and strappy halter tops)and you'll have no problems. They're quite curious about Americans and many want to practice their English with you. Be friendly and learn a few arabic words and they'll love you for it. Many of the younger boys (20 somethings) want to engage in political discussions but only to tell you that Morocco is not like the radical Arab extremists. Morocco is a melting pot of cultures and they are tolerant of all people and their religions. As two women traveling alone (sometimes with a private guide) we never felt threatened or out of our element, regardless of what area of the country we were in. The airport in Casablanca was rather lax with inspections, but we made up for it in Paris where our stuff was searched probably 6-7 times.
Sep 20th, 2006, 03:23 AM
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I've lived in Morocco long enough to have witnessed the Moroccan reaction to the war in Iraq, Abu Ghraib, an ongoing number of massacres in Afghanistan, Lebanon, etc...all to have not noticed any change in the attitude towards Americans here. The prevailing one is, 'if you're here to spend your money, "marhababikoum"'. The other poster couldn't have said it better- Moroccans have more important things to think about than politics, such as putting food on their table. Go to Morocco, have a wonderful time, and tell everyone you know back home that not all muslims are fanatical terrorists bent on destroying the US....
Oct 8th, 2006, 03:48 PM
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I returned recently. It's perfectly safe. I saw no signs of animosity.
The below is true:
The other poster couldn't have said it better- Moroccans have more important things to think about than politics, such as putting food on their table. Go to Morocco, have a wonderful time, and tell everyone you know back home that not all muslims are fanatical terrorists bent on destroying the US....
The below is true:
The other poster couldn't have said it better- Moroccans have more important things to think about than politics, such as putting food on their table. Go to Morocco, have a wonderful time, and tell everyone you know back home that not all muslims are fanatical terrorists bent on destroying the US....
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