From the early days of the protests in Morocco, rapper al-Haked’s anti-regime songs echoed in the streets, until he was arrested on dubious grounds.
Calling himself “The Spiteful” (al-Haked), an anonymous protester released a rap song on YouTube only a day after the start of the February 20 protest movement in Morocco.
Directly addressing the king in the name of the people, the song broke new ground in political speech, sharply criticizing the regime. Back then, nobody knew who he was.
Yet since September 9, al-Haked has been languishing in Casablanca’s Akasha prison. He was arrested on charges of assault and battery, but many believe that his real crime was political activity, since his lyrics set a new standard for direct criticism of the Moroccan regime.
Al-Haked is 24-year-old Muadh Balghawat, from a poor working-class neighborhood in Casablanca.
During the early days of the protest movement, al-Haked participated in the general assembly of members of the February 20 Youth Movement at the United Communist Party’s headquarters in Casablanca.
Balghawat, a tall, thin young man appeared shy at the assembly, and his political inexperience was immediately apparent. He wasn’t skilled in the pandering or slick talk of refined politicians.
He tried to defend the slogan “the people want…,” which has been echoing through the squares of Arab capitals.
Nobody knew yet that he was al-Haked, singer of “One Day, When the People…,” a song that was already widely circulating among revolutionary youth.
Balghawat released a second song, and then a third and a fourth. From a musical perspective, his works were slightly amateurish, but his critical message is both powerful and sophisticated...
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Muhammad al-Khodayri @'alakhbar'
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