Safety in Morrocco?

On Frommer's Morocco board there are answers to this very question.

Personally, I added Morocco and Turkey to places I wouldn't visit in the near future due to ongoing instability throughout the whole Muslim-controlled territories. I don't want to be caught in the middle of some salafist protest or be identified as the nearest target-by-association for backward protesters dissatisfied with a lame movie. I'd only go to Israel or Cyprus in the area.

Wait, why Turkey? There's been exactly one protest and it was peaceful. There have also been protests in Greece and Serbia, and even a much bigger one in Hong Kong. Out of those 4, though, only one was somewhat violent - the one in Greece! (With protesters throwing bottles at riot police, and the riot police responding with tear gas). Protest doesn't automatically equal unsafe. By that standard Stuttgart is unsafe, we have anti-Stuttgart 21 Rail Project protests every week. It depends on the type of protest, and where it is. Yes, there are certain countries I wouldn't visit right now. Friends of mine have wisely postponed booking a Christmas trip to Egypt to see how things go there. But the worst protests have been in Egypt, Pakistan, and what happened with our embassy in Libya wasn't even the result of the protest but rather a planned, targeted terrorist attack. The biggest demonstrations in Libya since then have been protests AGAINST violence and anti-Western sentiment. This website lists where the US State Department thinks is unsafe to travel right now:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html Note that Mexico is on it (which as the report states, does not apply to the entire country, but parts of it). Turkey and Morocco are not. I can understand being nervous about Morrocco but it appears that so far the protests there have been relatively small and not violent. I'd keep an eye on the situation but as it stands right now, I think you'd be OK to go.

Agree with Andre.

"Wait, why Turkey?" Perhaps this has something to do with it: http://tinyurl.com/cfbjqms

Well, I won't weigh in on the decision of safety right now, but should you decide to go I can tell you that I absolutely loved Chefchaouen... it is an amazing place unlike any other I have visited. I also enjoyed Tangier even though it was a big chaotic city we had a great time. Another wonderful place was Assilah.

If people are going to concur with an opinion they should state why. That suicide bombing is tragic but totally unrelated to the protest issue. It seems odd to suggest that travel to Israel is safe and travel to Turkey is not if your reasoning is suicide bombings. While Israel hasn't had an attack for a while, it's an ongoing risk. It's also a risk in many, many other countries that people travel to on a regular basis. Note that the suicide bomber was targeting a police station in Turkey and not a tourist area. Suicide bomings have also happened in Western Europe, yet no one would suggest we don't travel there. This is just confusing the issue of safety in Morrocco specifically as a result of the current protests.

Relax, I was just keeping you abreast of current events you may have missed. You're welcome.

'I'd only go to Israel or Cyprus in the area.' Morocco and Isreal aren't exactly in the same area since they're about as far apart as DC and LA.

Ed, I was referring to Muslim territories around the Mediterranean. I just gave my personal assessment. The Turkish government is becoming increasingly hostile towards Westerners, the Turkish president went on national television (so not an Internet hoax) say that making silly and harmless garage videos is blasphemy and blasphemy is a crime against humanity. So I'm already skeptical/negatively biased towards all these countries, throw in civil unrest and I'll skip them in the blink of an eye. Again: that is my personal assessment. It is not what the Department of State might say, and I'm not advocating people follow it as gospel.

I just think it's important that we are careful when we say which countries are safe and which ones aren't, and why. It is true that Turkey has stepped up some anti-Western rhetoric (and anti-Israel rhetoric quite a bit in recent years), but Turkey is still a secular democracy and there is no indication that it would be a dangerous place for Westerners to visit right now. I wish I could speak more specifically to Morrocco but I don't follow the news as closely there. That said, it also appears to be under control and the protests there have not become the large-scale, violent protests that are taking place in other areas. It seems like it would make the most sense to just to continue to monitor the news there, and see how things develop. I have a good friend who cancelled the trip of a lifetime last year due to the Arab Spring. Her destination? Turkey. It was just silly, but I couldn't talk her out of it. She didn't seem to realize that Turkey, already being a democracy, wasn't undergoing a revolution at the time. That said, I wouldn't like, hang out near the Turkish-Syrian border right now, but otherwise? It's fine.

I was in both Tangier and Chefchaouen earlier this summer. Likely, your biggest hassle will be the large number of "guides" who will be more than happy to show you around the medina for a tip. Yes, there were a couple of protests in Morocco, but it is not a country where extremists are well-tolerated. I found the welcome and hospitality from the people there overwhelming. To lump all Muslim countries in one category to me seems a bit naive and uninformed. I would go, but that's just me. In fact, I'm considering Turkey in a couple of months. My advice would be to keep a low profile and leave your American bravado at home. If you are a woman, please dress modestly. That means long pants and cover your shoulders. If you have long hair, you will attract less attention by wearing it in a ponytail (sounds crazy to Americans, but trust me). Don't discuss politics (in fact, we found it easier to talk to people about religion than politics). Of course, this advice would apply to visiting Morocco at any time.

@Sarah: Eastern Turkey has been a hotbed for evil Kurdish terrorist activities for ~20 years. Not only the Syrian border is dangerous, the one with Iran is problematic and the one with Armenia is a major smuggle route. @Ed: I find the suggestion American women visiting Morocco should use ponytails as offensive as suggesting Moroccan women visiting Miami should wear micro-skirts and plenty of cleavage to "conform to local practice". Other than that, I agree that starting political discussions in a foreign country is not the most sensible thing to do, except if you don't have deep knowledge of whatever argument are you getting yourself into.

I guess Andre' is just as offended in Italy, where exposed shoulders and knees seem to tick off the churches to no end. How many threads do we have on here about what kind of clothing will be respectful in which countries, cities, etc. in Europe. Now that it is about visiting a Moslem country, it isn't ok to make recommendations? Really? My experience in Morocco was that of friendliness and hospitality. There weren't any veiled women and the beaches were packed. Yes, it was a few years ago, but I wouldn't have any qualms about going back there today. Going to Turkey wouldn't bother me either. None of these places sound scary or dangerous to me.

It's just common sense to be respectful of local dress customs no matter where you go. I mean, Andre, are you suggesting North American women shouldn't dress modestly if they are in Orthodox Jewish sections of Israel or does this attitude only apply to Muslim observances of modesty? And it's a false equivalency to say someone from a modest culture should dress immodestly in Miami, because in the U.S. we do not frown on modest dressing the way some other cultures frown on less modest dressing. There are rules for men, too, in many of these countries wrt modest dress. I mean, I'm a feminist, but that doesn't overrule common sense and basic respect. I really don't think most tourists in Turkey are going to be going anywhere near the Iraqi/Kurdish border anyway, so...what? What are you real justifications for saying people shouldn't go to Turkey right now?

Thank you all for your lively responses! Although I was inquiring about Morocco, I loved all of your comments about Turkey, Cypress and Isreal. We leave for Spain tomorrow and hope to have a wonderful trip. We will, most likely, continue our plan to visit Morocco and I'm sure it will be fabulous!
Jo