1 Islam, Democracy and New Media: a Moroccan case study (in: Islam, Democracy and New Media (2013), Sunier, T, Buys, and P. Versteeg (eds). Amsterdam: VU University Press) Edien Bartels and Lenie Brouwer Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology VU University Amsterdam e.a.c.bartels@vu.nl and L.A.Brouwer@vu.nl Abstract The relationship between Islam and democracy is the subject of ongoing debate in Western European countries. The migration of Muslims to Western Europe in the sixties made this debate even more urgent, not only for Muslims in Islamic countries, but also for Muslims in Western ones. Two main arguments have stimulated this essentialist debate about the compatibility of Islam and democracy. On the one hand, it is cited by Western political strategists in order to maintain the existing relationship between nations of the world; on the other, Islamists claim that this incompatibility exists because of its western and anti- religious (infidel) implications. Both stances are based on the desire to exert power, to maintain the status quo, or to wield more power and gain more influence. However, as empirical research shows, most people in Morocco experience another reality in their daily life. People perceive democracy as a concept into which they project their Islamic ideals of good governance, social justice, freedom of speech and the absence of corruption. Our research shows that the accessibility of new media, such as internet and satellite television, is a sustaining condition for the development of knowledge of, and reflection on, notions such as democratic rights and practices. Keywords: Islam, democracy, new media, portals to the world, Morocco. 1. Introduction The debate about the incompatibility of Islam and democracy has been going on for decades among both Middle Eastern scholars and Western political leaders. Until the 1950s, West European countries were connected to Islam through their colonies, which placed the debate firmly outside the European context. Since the 1960s however, migration from Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, Algeria and Egypt to Western Europe has reshaped the relationships between the West and the migrants’ home countries. A growing number of Muslims, coming from Islamic countries (at least with regard to family law) are now