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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