JULY 24, 21:27 EDT
King Hassan II of Morocco
1929 - 1999
King Hassan II of Morocco died Friday, July 29, 1999, at
70 years of age. He ascended the throne in 1961, also
becoming prime minister. He suspended parliament and
established a royal dictatorship in 1965 after riots in
Casablanca. Despite constitutional reforms (1970-1972),
he retained supreme religious and political authority
in Morocco. This, and most of his success as a leader in
the Arab world, rested in his family's claim on being
sharifs, decendants of Muhammad, a claim that was widely
accepted in Morocco, as well as abroad. Also, Hassan was
ever watchful of Moroccan heritage and religion, and the
world's highest mosque, finished in 1993, is named after him.
Among his accomplishments are the appointment of a
coalition "government of national unity" under a
civilian prime minister in 1984, and the formation,
with other leaders, of the Arab Maghreb Union in 1989.
Hassan is widely respected for holding together a country
that has always been ruled by a strong and freedom-loving
people. He was also one of the most important leaders
in the peace process that went on for more than 10
of the last years of his rule.
