The Muslim News - Promenade of a Prince: Morocco's National Zoo Affair
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Rituals of bowing and hand-kissing are common during official ceremonies in Morocco when a member of the royal family is attending. In one of his first official inaugural ceremonies alone,
Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, the heir apparent, is warming up to his princely duties, along with the perks.
This video, recently released by Morocco’s state news agency, shows Hassan greeted by a line of officials at the newly constructed zoological garden in Rabat. The video, shown on Youtube with a high proportion of dislikes, has stirred a shocking reaction throughout the online community.
The scene of the nine-year-old prince greeted by high-ranking officials with bows and hand-kisses comes at a time when the Moroccan regime has continuously marketed itself as “progressive.”
However, the above scene conjures up memories of ancient practices that are now being met with negative reactions throughout the region. The Egyptian site, al Ahram features a screenshot of the video with an Arabic saying which roughly translates to, “Whoever sees the troubles of others, his own troubles are lessened.”
