Mohammed VI of Morocco
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| Mohammed VI of Morocco | ||
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| King of Morocco | ||
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| US President George W. Bush talks with His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco in the Oval Office on 23 April 2002 | ||
| Reign | July 23, 1999 - present | |
| Born | August 21, 1963 (age 43) | |
| Rabat, Morocco | ||
| Predecessor | Hassan II | |
| Heir-Apparent | Moulay Hassan | |
| Consort | Princess Lalla Salma | |
| Issue | Moulay Hassan | |
| Royal House | Alaouite dynasty | |
| Father | Hassan II | |
| Mother | Lalla Latifa Hammou | |
King Mohammed VI (Arabic: الملك محمد السادس للمغرب), also King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan is the current King of Morocco. He ascended to the throne in July 1999.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early Monarchy
King Mohammed VI was born in Rabat, Morocco on August 21, 1963, the eldest son and second child of King Hassan II and his wife [[Mohammed VI of Morocco from an important Berber family. Before becoming king, he held the title of Crown Prince. He was enthroned July 23, 1999, just hours after the death of his father. The young King soon became known as a moderniser who brought about a constitutional monarchy.
King Mohammed VI was the 18th king in the Alaouite dynasty, which has reigned in Morocco since 1666, he is also according to the Moroccan constitution Amir al-Muminin (Commander of the faithful) or religious chief.
[edit] Education
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His father, the late King Hassan II, was keen on giving him a religious and political education from an early age. At the age of four, he started attending the Qur'anic school at the Royal Palace where he learned the Qur'an by heart, and received a religious and traditional education.
After primary and secondary studies at the Royal College and after he received his Baccalaureate in 1981, H.M. King Mohammed VI obtained in 1985 a B.A in law at the College of law of the Mohammed V University in Rabat. His research paper dealt with "the Arab-African Union and the Strategy of the Kingdom of Morocco in matters of International Relations."
In 1987, he obtained his first "Certificat D'Etudes Supérieures" (CES) in political sciences, and in July 1988, he obtained a "Diplôme des Etudes Supérieures du Doctorat" in public law.
In order to complete his training, in November 1988 he underwent training in Brussels with Jacques Delors, then President of the European Commission.
He obtained his doctorate in law (PhD) with "Very Honorable" distinction and the Congratulations of the Jury on Octobe29, 1993, from the French University of Nice Sophia Antipolis for his thesis on "EEC-Maghreb Relations."
He is the recipient of an honorary degree by The George Washington University awarded in June 22, 2000, for the efforts he has been exerting to expand the scope of democracy in Morocco..
Mohammed was promoted to the rank of Major General on July 12, 1994.
[edit] Social Reform & Liberalization
Shortly after he took the throne, he addressed his nation via television, promising to take on poverty and corruption, while creating jobs and improving Morocco's human rights record. Mohammed VI is generally opposed by Islamist conservatives. His support for political pluralism has angered some fundamentalists. He also created a new family code, or Mudawana, which granted women more power. The law came into effect in February, 2004.
H.M King Mohammed VI also created the so-called Instance Equité et Réconciliation (IER), a commission, which was supposed to research the human rights violations under Hassan II. The commission was however not allowed to mention Mohammed's predecessor or report about human rights violations since 1999, when Mohammed was enthroned. This move was welcomed by many as a move towards democracy, but also criticized because the commission could not criticize the violation of freedom of speech, which according to human rights organizations still exists in Morocco.
[edit] Family
H.M. King Mohammed VI has one brother, Prince Moulay Rachid, and three sisters, Princess Lalla Meryem, Princess Lalla Asma, and Princess Lalla Hasna.
On March 21, 2002, the king married Salma Bennani (now HRH Princess Lalla Salma) in Rabat, also giving her the title of Princess. The King and Princess Lalla Salma have one child, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, who was born on May 8, 2003. They are expecting their second child.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] Reference
- Müller, Tobias. Königliche Wahrheiten in Jungle World November 23 2005. ISSN 1613-0766
[edit] External links
- Morocco Alaoui dynasty
- History of Morocco
- Official site of the Government of Morocco
- King Mohammed VI Grants Exclusive First-ever Interview to Time
- The most powerful man in Morocco, BBC News, 11 March 2006
| Preceded by Hassan II |
King of Morocco 1999–- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
