Cat in Rabat and Eatbees have extended essays on why more people in Morocco do not read for pleasure. Though Cat in particular advances the tri-lingual nature of Moroccan society (Darija, Arabic, French) flavored with Berber and sometimes even English, my experience in Morocco suggested that a significant part of the problem is a lack of reading material at an appropriate level and an early age. Cat writes:
Our parents read to my brother and I before bedtime; we were encouraged to read for ourselves when we became a certain age; our bookshelves were routinely replenished with fresh Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys volumes; weekend trips to the public library were considered a natural way to spend a Saturday; used book stores acquired an importance early in our lives
that has never diminished.
When I was teaching, my students were always pestering me for books in English. I never had enough, and with the exception of a few special purchases, they were generally too difficult for my high school students. Not having books to read, or having only books that are too difficult, will discourage any would-be reader. As Cat notes, she had a plentiful supply of Nancy Drew, etc. as a child. The Hardy Boys may be tripe, but I had a whole shelf as a boy and devoured every one.
However, high school is too late to start. My two toddlers between them own more books than than I suspect most Moroccan villages do. And the books are appropriate for babies. They are just taking the first steps toward reading, but I cannot pry the books out of their hands. (In addition, we read to them throughout the day.)
A Moroccan friend of mine pointed out today that the Qu'ran commands Muslims to read. Children will not learn to love reading, however, unless they have the opportunity while they are young.
P.S. I think Massir's comment on Eatbee's post, in which she describes giving her children books before they can speak, nicely sums up what I am trying to say.