Somalinet is carrying a story on the ongoing war of words between the Islamists and the Moroccan Government over Royal Air Maroc's sensible decision to request that pilots don't fast during Ramadan if they are flying.
Now the government is accusing one of the opposition groups, the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), of using religion to manipulate Morocco's forthcoming parliamentary elections. This follows the statement from PJD accusing Morocco's National airline of banning its Muslim employees from praying and forcing pilots to eat during the fasting season (Ramadhan).
"Since July, Air Maroc has banned its workers from praying in their offices to enforce work discipline, but the airline workers are allowed to pray at two mosques nearby. It is a shame that the decision was branded as a crackdown on religious freedom. It is wrong to claim that RAM abuses the religious rights of its workers," Bourara Khadija, adviser to Morocco's Transport Minister, Karim Ghellab.
According to an anonymous Morocco's government official, PJD was "stirring up the debate in parliament and in the press to try to embarrass the government ahead of 2007's elections."
Khadija defended the move to stop pilots from fasting. "Aviation authorities proved that a fasting pilot can not fully control a plane's gears and equipment after spending some hours flying," she said.
According to traveler's contacted by The View From Fez, 100% of them back the government on this issue. As a French tourist told us - "Fly on an airline where the pilot was fasting? You think I'm crazy, or what?"
Another traveler explained: "Low blood-sugar makes me irrational. I certainly wouldn't chance it with a pilot."
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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