UPG
UPG
FOG
THE
CATCHERS
By Gen Ha Park
Although the Berbers had to endure lots of hardships , they were able to overcome it with optimism .
A ristotle once said , “ It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light .” Morocco is a country in the northwestern tip of Africa that has a culture heavily influenced by Islam . They are predominantly populated by a people group known as the Berbers . Inhabitants constantly experienced hardships , especially the lack of clean water . Although times were rough , the invention of fog nets gave hope and confidence to the people .
Morocco ’ s poverty and the lack of clean drinking water in the desert are still significant threats . Without access to a local supply of water , poor people were not be able to afford drinking water exported from elsewhere . Dar Si Hmad , an innovative Moroccan non-governmental organization , noticed this problem so they worked with German engineers to develop fog-catching nets throughout the arid regions ( Prisco ). These engineers worked hard to develop a device that can trap moist , ocean winds from the Atlantic . Their effort paid off in the end . The team was able to extract up to 6000 liters of water , which was then purified and supplied to five villages at a very low cost ( Prisco ). This new technology reduced the harmful effects of poverty , as it kept poor people in the deserts from dying from diseases related to drinking water . In spite of the serious threat of water shortages , innovative organizations like Dar Si Hmad were able to alleviate its harmful effects .
The majority of the Berbers adhere to Islam , and the national government forces everyone to practice it . According to the Joshua Project , about 99.6 % of the population practices Islam , and only 0.2 % professes Christianity . The Moroccan king , in fact , ordered that the state would recognize all people born in Morocco to be Sunni Muslims ( Graves ). Christians in Morocco were forced to live difficult lives . For instance , Ayub , a Moroccan Muslim who converted to Christianity , got arrested numerous times just for participating in his church and reading online Bibles ( Graves ). Additionally , Muhammad , who was also a new Moroccan Christian , was brutally beaten by the police and was incarcerated ( Graves ). While Muhammad was in prison , he was forced to recite the Islamic creed of faith . Instead , he declared , “ I bear witness that there is no god but Allah , and I bear witness that Jesus Christ is the Messenger of Allah ". He risked his life by replacing the word “ Muhammad ” with “ Jesus Christ ” ( Graves ). Surely , Islam is the most dominant religion in this region , as the government continues to oppress people who wish to convert to Christianity .
The Berbers in Morocco need our support . The most powerful thing that we can do is to pray . We should pray that the Moroccan King would eventually come to know Jesus , encourage free choice of religion in the country , and also allow missionaries to spread the gospel throughout the country . Also , If it is God ’ s will , we can use our education to develop new devices ( like the fog catcher ) that would help the poor people in Morocco . Knowing that God is in control , we can spread the gospel to these people , no matter how risky it may be .
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