He encouraged men to beat their wives for the sake of "proving" their so-called masculinity. A video of his vile statements had been online for months without any complaints (as if promoting abuse was a normal act) up until earlier this month.
During a television appearance, popular Moroccan singer Adil El Miloudi unashamedly cited personal experiences and said that husbands who "don't beat their wives aren't real men." Though the episode, which aired on Chada TV's Kotbi Tonight show, dates back to June, it recently resurfaced online this month, leading many to call on authorities to take action against the man for promoting gender-based violence.
Amid the controversy, Imad Kotbi, the presenter who interviewed the singer on the show, told Huffpost Maghreb that Chada TV was not yet supervised by Morocco's High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) at the time El Miloudi's episode was broadcast. His statement basically implied the channel will not be sanctioned for airing the singer's comments.
However, nearly two weeks later, action has been taking against the show. On Wednesday, the country's media authority suspended Kotbi Tonight for three weeks.
Wondering how misogynistic El Miloudi is?
During the show's segment, the singer confirmed he still "beats his wife" and, just like you'd expect a male peacock to show off, proudly announced he was once arrested in Spain over this matter.
"She [his wife] told the cops that I did not do anything to her; they released me 24 hours later," he explained. The man didn't stop at that as he went on to state that domestic violence is "normal" in Morocco, adding that men in the country can do whatever they want with their wives including "beating them or even killing them."
The singer is no stranger to misogynistic remarks. In July 2015, he released a song attacking Moroccan actress Loubna Abidar for appearing in a sex scene in a film titled Much Loved. His song, Kifach Houma Mahadrouch (Why didn't they talk?), features direct threats targeting Abidar and the director of the film Nabil Ayouch. The song's lyrics read: "Loubna Abidar, today, you are in danger. Everyone knows what you did, it will bring you only misfortune." They also include the chorus: "Nabil Ayouch will be arrested, and we will see what 'Much Loved' means then."Not only does El Miloudi threaten and attack women in public, but he also defends accused rapists. In March 2018, he went live on Facebook to defend Moroccan recording artist Saad Lamjarred. At the time, Lamjarred was facing several rape charges in France.
Not the first time someone tries to normalize domestic abuse in Morocco
In 2017, Moroccan singer Eman bint El Hawat released a song that says it's OK for men to physically abuse women. At the time, the track sparked international backlash, leading to its removal from YouTube.
The promotion of domestic violence hasn't been limited to Moroccan singers and songs but has also reached local television channels. In 2016, a Moroccan state television channel broadcast a tutorial to teach domestic violence victims how to cover up their bruises.
Will such promotions of violence ever come to a halt? According to a national survey conducted by the Moroccan High Commission for Planning, 62.8 percent of Moroccan women aged 18-65 have experienced physical, psychological, sexual, or economic violence in recent years. "Of the sample interviewed, 55 percent reported 'conjugal' violence and 13.5 percent reported "'familial' violence."
This is the reality of things despite the fact that Morocco passed a law that bans violence against women in 2018. But, this still hasn't made things better for women nor has it stopped misogynists from proudly sharing their hate-filled views.