Morocco marks royal birth with 'feminist' celebrations

By Sinikka Tarvainen and Mouhsine el Hassouni Mar 1, 2007, 17:53 GMT

Rabat - Moroccans were Thursday preparing for several days of festivities to mark the birth of Princess Lalla Khadija, the second child of King Mohammed VI.

The baby was born at a clinic at the royal palace on Wednesday. The 4.16-kilo girl and her mother, Princess Lalla Salma, were reported to be 'in perfect health'.

Celebrations to mark the arrival of the new royal are expected to match those marking the birth of her brother three years ago, in a signal of growing respect for female children.

Dozens of people gathered in front of the palace, where the 43-year-old monarch made an appearance to greet citizens.

Cannons fired 21 shots and national television showed images of the monarch holding the newborn.

Special books were also to be laid out at regional government offices for people to congratulate the royal house.

According to Muslim tradition, the main celebrations were set to begin seven days after the birth - next Wednesday - and last several days.

Lalla Khadija's birth follows that of Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, named after King Mohammed's father Hassan II, in May 2003.

The warm reception for the new princess is seen as being in line with the 'feminist' views of King Mohammed.

His regime is known as one of the foremost champions of the rights of women in the Arab world, according to analysts in Rabat.

The government has, for instance, reformed family law, raising the age of marriage for women, making polygamy almost impossible and improving the rights of women in situations of divorce.

For weeks already, Morocco had been preparing for the birth of the royal baby. Streets were decorated with flags, lanterns, and flowers, and pavements were repaired in the capital Rabat.

Celebrations, starting Wednesday, are to include the slaughter of sheep, prayers, banquets and music over several days throughout the Alawite kingdom.

In the coming days, Moroccans also expect to see images of the newborn with her mother.

The nation never saw Mohammed's mother, but the king has modernized protocol, giving a discreet public role to his wife Lalla Salma, an attractive red-head engineer whom he married in 2002.

The palace has also sought to reduce the aura of secrecy surrounding royal life, immediately announcing the birth of Lalla Khadija to counter rumours that she had been born days earlier.

Despite the huge gap separating the elite from the poor masses in the kingdom hungry for change, King Mohammed has retained a certain popularity, and the birth of the new princess has been welcomed as a joyful event.

The palace was skilled at protecting the king from criticism by 'blaming anything negative on the government,' one observer quipped.