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Reign of Muhammad VI

His Majesty the King Mohammed VI was born on Wednesday August 21st, 1963 in Rabat. At the age of 4, his father late King Hassan II, enrolled him at the Koranic school of the Royal palace. On June 28th 1973, His Majesty Mohammed Ben Al Hassan passed the primary school certificate. He finished his secondry studies at the Royal college where he had his baccalaureate in 1981. In 1985 His Majesty the King Mohammed Ben Al Hassan got his bachelor degree in law at scientific, judicial, economic and social studies in Rabat. The theme of his memoire is on "The African Union and the Kingdom strategy in International relations". In 1987, he gets the first certificate of high studies in political sciences. In July 1988, His Majesty King Mohammed Ben Al Hassan passed his last exams in the second certificate of high studies in public law.

In order to complete his training through the practice of the principles and the rules of law learned at the college, late King Hassan II decided to send him on November 1988 to Brussels for a training session with Mr Jacques Delors, President of the Commission of the European Communities. On October 29th 1993, His Majesty the King got, from the university of Nice - Antipolis in France, the degree a doctor in law with the congratulations of the jury. The thesis title was called : "Co-operation between the European Economic Community and the Arab Maghreb Union".

Even at a young age, His Majesty the King was always entrusted by his father to carry out various missions at different levels : national, Arab, Islamic, African and international to the heads of brotherly and friendly states,. His Majesty Mohammed Ben Al Hassan took part in many international and regional conferences. On November 26th 1985, His Majesty the King was appointed by his late father as the co-ordinator of services of the general staff of the Royal Armed Forces.

In July 1999, King Hassan died and was succeeded by his son Crown Prince Sidi Mohammed, who assumed the title of Mohammed VI. One of the new king's first acts was to free some 8,000 political prisoners and reduce the sentences of another 30,000. He also established a commission to compensate families of missing political activists and others subjected to arbitrary detention. In September 2002, new legislative elections were held, and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires-USFP) led all other parties in the voting. International observers regarded the elections as free and fair, noting the lack of irregularities that had plagued the 1997 elections. Under Muhammad VI, Morocco has continued down a path toward economic, political, and social reform and modernization. In May 2003, in honor of the birth of a son and heir to the throne, the king ordered the release of 9,000 prisoners and the reduction of 38,000 sentences. Also in 2003, Berber-language instruction was introduced in primary schools, prior to introducing it at all educational levels. In 2004 the government implemented reforms of the family code improving the status of women-first proposed in 2000-despite the objections of traditionalists.

Internationally, Morocco maintained a moderate stance, with strong ties to the West. It was one of the first Arab and Islamic states to denounce the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. In May 2003, Morocco itself was subjected to the more radical forces at work in the Arab world when Islamist suicide bombers simultaneously struck a series of sites in Casablanca, killing 45 and injuring more than 100 others. The Moroccan government responded with a crackdown against Islamist extremists, ultimately arresting several thousand, prosecuting 1,200, and sentencing about 900. Additional arrests followed in June 2004. That same month, the United States designated Morocco a major non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally in recognition of its efforts to thwart international terrorism. On January 1, 2006, a comprehensive bilateral free-trade agreement between the United States and Morocco took effect.