ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS IDEALS AND worldview permeate all aspects of social order in Morocco. Islam, which means "submission," effects the attitude of the great majority of Moroccans toward social action, their comprehension of reality, governmental power and authority, interpersonal and group relationships, reaction to events and changes, and how they reflect on and even foresee their future and that of their country. Article 6 of the Moroccan constitution identifies Islam as the state religion (al-Islam din ad-dawla), and nearly 98.7 percent of Moroccans are Muslims. Other small minority religions, such as Christianity (1.1 percent) and Judaism (0.2 percent), are tolerated to a certain degree. Given its predominance in Morocco, the Islamic ideologies structure frames of reference against which "natural attitudes and behaviors" toward the world (worldview) are constructed. Religion, as identified by the famous philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883), is the "opium of the masses." It often fulfills emotional, psychological, and even material wants. It can be used to explain human existence and help understand the complexities of life. Moroccans also turn to religion to deal with problems of insecurity, troubled relationships, witchcraft, and other sufferings of life, such as unemployment, poverty, sickness, and death. Human trials move people to seek solutions and remedies through prescribed rituals and adherence to the existing taboos, norms, and values that define their cosmology. A people's worldview or cosmology determines key concepts in which social actions and behaviors coalesce. In Morocco, as in every society, these natural impulses are transmitted to the young members of the society through a process of socialization. As individuals relate to society and tackle the realities of their life challenges, they tend to adopt new ideas and introduce fresh meanings on inherited values. This may result in conversions to new doctrinal orientations, as in the case of the Arab-Berbers who have been compelled by their historical experience to reshape their belief systems and ritual practices since the seventh century. To make religious ideas and worldview in Morocco more intelligible, the basic tenets of the Islamic religion will be highlighted first here because they offer the believer a comprehensive meaning to life. In some places, these overlap with the indigenous Berber belief system and practices. Thus, understanding this complexity gives a complete worldview of Moroccans.
