Background
She is the daughter of General Mohamed Oufkir and a cousin of fellow Moroccan writer and actress Leila Shenna. Malika Oufkir is the eldest daughter of Mohamed Oufkir and she is a Berber Christian.
She is the daughter of General Mohamed Oufkir and a cousin of fellow Moroccan writer and actress Leila Shenna. Malika Oufkir is the eldest daughter of Mohamed Oufkir and she is a Berber Christian.
Her siblings are Abdellatif, Myriam (Mimi), Maria, Soukaina and Raouf. General Mohamed Oufkir was the interior minister, minister of defense and the chief of the armed forces. He was very trusted by King Hassan II (and the most powerful figure in Morocco after the King) during the 1960s and early 1970s in Morocco.
But after attempting to assassinate the King and Moroccan delegation returning from France on a Boeing 727 jet in a coup d"état in 1972, General Oufkir was arrested and then executed.
Malika Oufkir and her family were initially confined to house arrest in the south of Morocco from 1973 to 1977. Then General Oufkir"s entire family was sent to a secret prison in the Sahara desert where they suffered harsh conditions for a total of 15 years.
After escaping, they were released into house arrest in 1987. In 1991 they were among nine political prisoners to be released.
Malika Oufkir"s life has inspired many to advocate for the rights of political prisoners.
"In our family," she asserts, "Christmas had always been sacred. Oufkir married Eric Bordreuil on October 10, 1998.