By 1927, it contacted the Salafiyya movement whose leader was Allal al-Fassi, and they both aimed for religious reform and assertion of Moroccan political independence.
[2] By May 1930, the scions of the country’s urban bourgeoisie challenged the protectorate authorities through mass protests against the so-called Berber dahir (edict), which replaced Islamic with customary law in many rural regions and thus aimed to fragment Moroccan society.
A number of violent incidents in September 1937 caused the French administration to suppress the Istiqlal Party and arrest its leaders, including Allal al-Fassi.
[5] The Moroccan Nationalist Movement regained hope during World War II after Syria and Lebanon were promised independence.
This led to military hostilities between the Moroccan Nationalist Movement and French government troops from 19 August 1953 to 5 November 1955, causing the deaths of 1,000 individuals.