By Tarik Elbarakah

Morocco World News

Rabat, June 30, 2013

Hundreds of men and women in uniform had been called to join the efforts of maintaining security and facilitate traffic flow at Agadir’s Timitar festival.

Police patrol cars equipped with rotating cameras on top were seen combing sensitive areas in down town Agadir as huge numbers of people -sometimes moving in large groups at once- engulfed the venues to enjoy watching the musical performances.

The local authorities implemented several road checkpoints at the city exits and main entrances to monitor seat belts, excessive speeding and drivers under the influence of mind-altering substances.

As a tourist hub par excellence, Agadir is a favorite destination to thousands of local and foreign tourists who visit the city each year to enjoy the sun and the fine beaches.

The task of keeping everyone safe, especially with such a big festival in place is getting harder and more complicated.

Policemen, firefighters, auxiliary forces, paramedics were all ready to any urgent intervention.

The fear from a lurking threat of a potential terrorist attack pushed the the local  authorities to take  drastic measures such the use of bomb-sniffing dogs and metal detectors in order to detect any material that might be hidden somewhere on the stages or in someone’s bag pack.

Boots on the ground were doubled to keep the crowd from invading the VIP zone in which only people with an invitation or a press accreditation were allowed. Several endeavors to cross the barriers were aborted in the cradle and the “wrongdoers”, mostly teens aged 15 or 16, were asked by policemen to cease their attempts.

A private security firm worked alongside the regular forces to check the ID’s and escort the performers from where they stay to the concert venue and vice versa.

By Youssef Sourgo

Morocco World News

Casablanca, July 1, 2013

Despite my professors’ incessant recommendations to read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby while still an undergraduate student, I have not ceded to the temptation of doing so until recently. A couple of weeks ago, I received a text message from a friend of mine that read, “Hi, are you up for the movies? We can go watch The Great Gatsby!” I had to reject the invitation, for I have been engrossed in piles of academic assignments. Perhaps, too, I was daunted by the idea that the movie adaptation would bumble my aspiration to read the novel.

Ultimately, I ceded to the temptation. My friend’s detailed and tempting descriptions of some of the scenes from the movie stirred a restless curiosity in me that did not settle until the day I decided to watch The Great Gatsby. For me, be it the novel or the movie, both doubtlessly impart the same messages and sensations, and kindle perhaps similar introspections and retrospections.

The significance of The Great Gatsby resides in its universal properties. Emphatically, the novel addresses U.S.-specific themes, namely class struggle and the waning of the ultimate American Dream, from the vantage point of Nick Carraway. Yet, beneath its culture-specific themes and implications, The Great Gatsby is a universal landmark, replete with human experiences to which anyone of us can relate.

The Great Gatsby is unquestionably fraught with lessons and morals that are discernible depending on the vantage point from which one approaches the story. The Great Gatsby seems to remold the universe to make those who intrude it, by means of reading the novel or watching the movie, live the experiences and witness the events as if they were part of the plot. Personally, I left The Great Gatsby’s fictional cosmos with three priceless life lessons.

Lesson 1: Try everything…as long as you can!

“I wish I had done everything with you.” Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby film)

Daisy seems a lighthearted, splendid young woman at first sight, but is actually a pot full of pain and sorrow, as we get to learn her full story. Gatsby, the young, well-mannered gentlemen on the other side of the lake, is nothing less than a reflection of her inner torment. The lovers finally meet after 5 years of physical and sentimental distance, and the married Daisy and the morally degraded Gatsby realize that their delight might not go beyond that heartwarming encounter.

“I wish I had done everything with you,” says Daisy, aware of the fact that the past is irrecoverable and that her present, priceless moments with Gatsby are only laconic and without any reasonable prospect. What could such utterance, in such a predicament, invoke in our interpretive minds? What could Daisy’s statement, uttered in the form of a wish that radiates undertones of partial despair, tell us about life?

Well, it tells us one key thing: try everything, as long as you can! Universally, we humans are prone to easily cede to despair and depression whenever unpredictable occurrences ruin a dream of ours. There is this intimidating voice that echoes inside us whenever failure knocks on our doors, discouragingly resounding, “stop trying…stop trying…It’s over!”

Daisy is in an unbearable plight, being a charming young woman married to a cheater whom she does not love.  Gatsby, too, is in a ridiculous predicament, being a filthily rich young man who throws daily parties at his castle in hopes to see his married, beloved among those invited one day. What induced such plights? Well, they are the result of ceding to that very intimidating, internal voice holding one from clinging to his dreams.

Daisy was in love with the destitute young soldier, Gatsby, but Gatsby leaves the city to fulfill his military duty, leaving an impassionate Daisy awaiting him. Gatsby never returns. Rather, he sends her a message in which he states that he would never return unless he’s no longer poor, for he was aware that his social class would sooner or later hinder his love to Daisy. Daisy accepts to marry Tom Buchanan, an unbearable rich man, who has an affair with another woman.

Had Gatsby tried to climb the ladder of wealth without resorting to sordid means, had he strived against the odds of an exploitive modern society, had he tried, akin to any of those well-determined young men who “made it,” to start from scratch and set out his own empire his predicament would not have been as pitiful a predicament. Gatsby rather opted for the “open” path, that of unethical and undeserved financial gain. He returns rich and is faced with a new, unchangeable reality. He is a tragic hero, with as lamentable a plight as that of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

 The lesson to retain here is that life is a sea of possible paths. It is sometimes when everything seems to run counter to one’s aspirations that are the most perceptible. Even the lack of options is an option. Thinking out of the box, is sadly, a process that takes place only when the box becomes a sealed, iron room. Daisy and Gatsby’s predicament is the result of surface thinking, hasty decisions and emotional reasoning. If you don’t want to be a Gatsby or a Daisy, try everything as long as you can. When a door closes, don’t overlook the window!

Lesson 2: The past is only a stair, not the entire ladder! 

Nick Carraway: You can't repeat the past.

Jay Gatsby: Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can.

Gatsby is entrapped in his past. He is unwilling to admit the ideal scenario of the past cannot be rewritten, even after he manages to climb the ladder of wealth. Every single thought and every single action is a bid to compensate his past failure. He keeps 5-year old memories in his mind, oblivious of their irrelevance to the present. It is with the climax of the story drawing near that Gastby begins to see Carraway’s utterance incarnated. It is not his past choices that solely impinge on his present; rather, it is mainly his defiance of the present that amplifies his predicament.

Carraway is right! The past is a past, why repeat it? When I read and heard his statement to Gatsby, the first thing that crossed my mind was our tendency to blame the present on the past. A great volume of our efforts is absorbed by our continuous endeavors to come in terms with the past, at the expense of the present.

Even if Gatsby had easily recuperated his beloved, he wouldn’t have been able to disremember the five years he spent attempting to become what he “had to be”, rather than remaining “what he is.” This is a universal human trait! We are loath to tolerate the idea that certain things are unrecoverable and some things are unchangeable. It is, however, his flaws that make him human, and make his predicament a universal experience that each one of us relates to or will relate to at a certain point of time.

I strongly recommend reading The Great Gatsby for its meticulous and sober descriptions of sensations, characters, settings and events. I also recommend watching the movie to get a sense of Gatsby’s universe and to witness a fabulous incarnation of the narrator’s descriptions. The Great Gatsby is a fountain of human experiences that are relevant to our contemporary lives and that tell a great deal about human essence.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

By Omar Bihmidine

Morocco World News

Sidi Ifni, Morocco, July 1, 2013

By nature, we like to give others advice. We like to tell others where to go, where to play and how to lead their lives. We like to give orders, to impose our choices, and to convince others that our suggestions are the right ones. Whether what we choose for others is right or wrong, we rarely care. Parents incessantly advise their children, and teachers tell their students where to look, what to see, and where to study. In frankness, this is all good. Yet, what I personally think is that we should avoid telling others that the second road is better.

Paulo Coelho, one of the best-selling novelists of today, has taught me that we must make our own decisions and not wait for others to decide what we should do with our lives. "Don’t let others say: ‘That road is better’ or ‘that route is easier," the author once put it cogently. Here, I must stress that God created us with a power to lead our lives the way we like, to choose what we think is best for us, and to pine for and pursue the path that we think will lead us to our goals. I believe that if we follow what others tell us, we will be led astray and lag behind in realizing our ambitions. Accepting others' choices while ignoring our own does not serve us well. Worse is that this habit to live others' lives rather than our own does us much more harm.

When I was in Zagora, my former place of work, I aspired to pursue my studies and earn more diplomas. At the time, I had very few working hours, which means that my ambition was easier to realize. But, making the acquaintance of some fellow experienced teachers in the region persuaded me to temporarily give up some of my ambitions. "We all tried to pursue our studies, but the distance between Zagora and Agadir is so far. You had better read voraciously until you move somewhere nearer, then you can easily attain your goal," the experienced teachers advised me. I innocently associated their experience with wisdom, thinking that they knew better than I did. I was even convinced by what they told me.

I did not pursue my studies until I moved to Sidi Ifni, my new place of work. Now, I regret following the road others chose for me. I regret it simply because others from more remote areas earned their diplomas without much difficulty. I regret it because I could have realized my dream if I had made my own decision. I regret it because I thought that others knew better than I did, when in fact I knew better what would have been beneficial for me. The mistake I made then was that I didn’t use the gift God gave me, that of making my own decisions. I still regret it for the reason that if I had not met them I would have taken the adventure as others in more remote areas have done and still do. Why should I opt for others' choices and ignore mine? I sometimes ask myself. Why should I think that their preferred road is better than mine? I often wonder.

In reality, we tend to underestimate our choices and our way of life and go on to follow others. Did not God create us with the same gift and power? We must break this rule of 'that road is better', that 'road is easier' or that ' decision is wiser'. We may consult others, learn from others, get advice from others, and benefit from others' experiences, but never to the extent that we give up our own choices for the sake of those of others. So many people have ended up becoming teachers, not because they like the profession, but because their wise grandfathers once preached to them on the nobleness of this profession. Here, they have ended up living the life of their grandfather, not theirs.

One of my colleagues once told me a real story that continues to remind me of the importance of tightly clinging to one's choices. In Zagora, two young studious classmates sat at the same table in class, side by side, during their primary school. They read nearly the same books during their high schools, revised their lessons equally immaculately, got nearly the same excellent grades, chose the same disciplines, and graduated with the same distinction.  The only difference is that one of them was forced by his mother to study at university and become a teacher. "No job is better than being a teacher," the mother told her son. The other classmate did maritime studies, the choice both of them aspired to. Yet, the mother innocently warned her son against the danger of maritime experiences.

At some point in their lives, many people have wanted to become businessmen, but ended up becoming greengrocers, for they were advised to emulate their father, a businessman too, especially if they seek his consent.  Some other people have wanted to become policemen, but they ended up becoming waiters, for their mother told them that becoming a policeman is a source of trouble and dangers.

Some others have always wanted to become rich, but they ended up becoming poor, for their friends keep on telling them that money is not everything since it does not bring happiness. Some youth have wanted to become football players, but they ended up becoming dustmen, for their grandparents said that playing football is a waste of time. Some poor students dropped out of school at an early age, for they heard from others that studying leads to unemployment and that finding a job and making money are much better than spending time at college.

The crux of the debate is that we become what others want us to become as though we were born enslaved, as though we did not exist and as though we were merely toys. At birth, we are endowed with the power to make decisions, to say no and to say yes, to agree and to disagree, to oppose and to support, to follow and to renounce, to be a disciple and to be a master, and to learn important things and to unlearn bad habits.

However, only very few of us make use of this power, particularly those who are ready to celebrate their freedom and revel in their capacity for free thinking. Think of those who get married, whether they have chosen their other half on their own or they ask their parents to choose for them, whether they are satisfied with their partner or they just want to please their mother, and whether they love their partner or they just need to get married at any rate as our old grandparents advise us to do.

It is high time we brought about a change to our lives. Here, the stumbling block might be that we fear change, especially because we have also been told that we had better shun the road of change and opt for that of routine stability. We have been told that security is better than adventure, and that those who do not accept advice and others' choices are doomed to failure. Let us try our own choices and work miracles. Personally, I was once told that teaching would not allow me to enjoy pursuit of my studies. I gave up the idea. Only then did I succeed to earn my B.A. with distinction, one of the goals I remorsefully missed when I used to listen to those who say, 'that road is better'. Never let others say: ' that road is better'.

Edited by Allison Kraemer

 © Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

By Mourad El Hanafi

Morocco World News

Oujda, Morocco, July 1, 2013

Being a five-year-old child, my family, as any other Moroccan family, sent me to the Jamaa (traditional kindergarten, especially in villages) to learn the Arabic alphabets and some short chapters from the Holly Qur’an before I officially enrolled in “the modern school.” Usually in mornings, my mother would escort me and ask the Fkih to whip me whenever I showed any sign of idleness or misbehavior – He would do without waiting for anyone to give him the green-light.

In other times, my peers and I would bang at each other’s door and go together. You could recognize some of us coming to the Jamaa without faces being washed, or with partially-torn wet clothes that reeked of the smell of urine as effects of night dreams. Nevertheless, on our way, we would retrieve previous memorized verses chorally, sway, jump, and kick any rubbish we found in the street, or fight with our wooden slates. With our innocent souls we enlivened and invigorated the alleys with our shrieking voices in the early morning.

At the gate of the Jamaa, we would wait for that long-bearded man to show up, and if he was already there, we would stand in a solemn salute becoming to the meaning of being under the supervision of that firm Fkih. We kissed his hand one by one and sat down. In turn, he would say “llah ifteh alik” (May Allah help you). After this short grin on his face as a sign of kindness, he would extend his hand to that long stick he always put in a recess beside him for urgent cases. Instantly, everyone would dash and pick out his wooden slate and start memorizing as if a referee whistled for a match to start

I was one of the Fkih’s favorite pupils. I could easily memorize and clean my slate to embark on another short Surah. The Fkih envisaged me to be a skilled Fkih and reciter of the holly Qur’an. He was always pleased to point to me to recite before people whenever we met in any banquet or party.  But everything would be up-side-down later.

One day, we were asked by the Fkih to bring five Dirhams-it was the end of the month in which he used to collect his salary. When I came back home, I urged my mother to give me five Dirhams. I begged my father many times, and they kept saying to me “tell the Fkih to wait until the weekly market and we will give him five Dirhams.” But to their rigidity, I was so stubborn; I prolonged my protest if they didn’t give five dirhams, I would not step into that Jamaa. Finally, my mother borrowed five Dirhams and gave it to me. “Oh! Yes” I jumped in full excitement!

I was the first one to bring the five Dirhams. I was so honored for that. I considered it as a remarkable achievement. Afterwards, I recognized that the other pupils refrained from bringing the humble sum. As a corollary, I regretted giving the five Dirhams. I felt injured. Then, I circulated the idea in my tiny head and managed to fabricate a lie to get back my money.

At the end of the session, I went to the Fkih in his nook where he used to sit and settle on his worn-out fleece. I told him that my father recommended me to fetch the 5 DH. The Fkih seemed surprised, but he could easily detect that I was lying. He stretched his hand to his Djellaba pocket as if he were going to pick out the coin. To my dismay, he gave me an unforgettable stormy slap on my face. Being slapped vehemently, I could see a series of copies from everything…Everything was blurred before my eyes. When I turned to go back to my seat, I totally forgot where I had sat before.

From that day on, I was touchy; raising anything beside me would give me the impression that I’m about to receive another strong slap. Worse still, that Jamaa turned to be a nightmare that haunted me every now and then. I was no longer seeing that Fkih as a teacher; but rather, I was always depicting him in my mind as a big slap. Whenever I got to the gate of the Jamaa, my body would shake as I had to kiss his spade-like hand. I was praying those days to be last days to leave and join “the Modern school.”

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

By Youssef El Kaidi

Morocco World News

Fez, July 1, 2013

The Spanish southern city of Seville is to host a unique exhibition under the theme “Light in the Art and Science in the Islamic World” in October, 2013. The exhibition which is an initiative by the Focus-Abengoa Foundation will show 150 unique pieces of Islamic art.

The event, which will be open to the public from October 25 to  February 9, 2014, collects different objects, manuscripts, rare coins and prints, from a dozen countries, including Morocco, said Anabel Morillo Leon, Chief Executer Officer  of the Foundation Focus -Abengoa.

This exhibition, which includes several Works from the Dar Batha Museum and Najjarine of Fez and the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, is to showcase the Islamic legacy and heritage through unique pieces and entrench the values of peace and coexistence that characterized Islam throughout history.

The main idea of the exhibition is to highlight the importance of the alliance between light, art and science in the Islamic artistic creation since the eighth century. The objective is to show the diversity and richness of Islamic art. “This is the first exhibition of its kind ever held in the world, which took four years of work and contact to collect 150 pieces,” said Anabel Morillo Leon.

According to her this event, which brings together for the first time private and public collections, is the largest event organized by the Foundation in collaboration with the Dallas Museum of Art and the participating countries.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

By Youssef Sourgo

Morocco World News

Casablanca, July 1, 2013

What could be the point in common between Mariah Carey, Hilary Clinton, Haifaa Wahbi, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Haddad and Jennifer Lopez? The answer is that all of these international female celebrities were enchanted by the majestic beauty of the Moroccan attire, the Kaftan.

Alongside all the aforementioned names, innumerous female celebrities from all corners of the world have found a perfect match to their sublimity in the Moroccan Kaftan. Thanks to faithful, taste-refined Moroccan women abroad, who have been ambassadors of the Moroccan elaborate apparel, Kaftan’s magic has found its path to women’s hearts worldwide.

HH Princess Lala Salma has also had an unquestionable share in rendering Kaftan every woman’s aspiration abroad. Princess Lala Salma, topping the list of Moroccan female ambassadors of Kaftan, has always elegantly stood out of the crowd, dressed in refined Kaftan designs on a myriad of important ceremonies abroad, ranging from the crowning of a royal figure to an international conference on women’s rights.

It is no coincidence that the traditional Moroccan Kaftan continues to appeal to leading female figures in the world, even to those who have a sophisticated sense of fashion and modernity. The intricate attire, with its dazzling colors, composite designs and refined tissues easily espoused modern trends of fashion, thus astounding both fans of modernity and tradition in clothing.

 Who could believe that Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, American’s international diva singers, who have for so long been engrossed in Western trends of fashion, would wind up falling in love with a traditional attire from the other sphere of the earth?

Who could believe that the most beautiful representative stars of the Arab world, the likes of Asala Nasri, Cherine, Ahlam and Diana Hadad would be attracted to the Moroccan attire while their cultures have their own distinctive traditional attires?

Credit has to be given ultimately to the tremendous efforts put into practice by Moroccan traditional designers. Kaftan’s current universal appeal will always be indebted to the professionalism and dedication of thousands of professional, traditional Moroccan designers. Kaftan’s early life kicked off in their romantic, humble shops, where handmade divinities were created.

Credit has to be given, also, to all Moroccan women who have favored Kaftan over the myriad of fashion trades sweeping the world every second. Their persistence to keep the Kaftan an attire worn on most significant ceremonies, such marriages, festives and celebrations has kept the Kaftan in the spotlight.

Morocco World News

Rabat, July 1, 2013

According to MENA news agency, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr has resigned.

Egyptian Foreign Minister is the sixth minister to resign amid the political crisis plaguing Egypt, especially Monday, which witnessed successive developments highlighted by the statement of the Egyptian army. The latter gave the parties 48 hours to resolve the political crisis or it "will intervene if the people’s demands are not met", according to a statement issued on Monday.

In a statement read out on state television, the armed forces reiterated its “call that the demands of the people be met and gives (all parties) 48 hours, as a last chance, to take responsibility for the historic circumstances the country is going through.”

“If the demands of the people are not met in this period… (the armed forces) will announce a future roadmap and measures to oversee its implementation,” the statement said according to AFP.

Morocco World News

Rabat, July 2, 2013

On the occasion of Ramadan, Morocco will return to standard time (GMT) starting from Sunday  July 7th.

In a statement announced by the Ministry of Public Service and Modernization of Administration, the time has been delayed by 60 minutes today from 3:00 p.m, and that the time will once again be advanced by 60 minutes on Saturday 10 August at 2:00 a.m.

The change comes under the Decree 2-12-126 of 26 Jumada I 1433 (April 18, 2012) and the decision of the Head of Government N.3-59-19 of 18 Sha’ban 1434 (June 27, 2013).

As in previous years, public administrations are to keep working continuously from 9:00 a.m till 3:00 p.m.

Airline companies are also to change their flight schedules. It is expected that Royal Air Morocco (RAM) flights will be advanced one hour on departure and arrival from various Moroccan airports.

By Erin Geneva

Morocco World News

Rabat, July 2, 2013

Coming from Canada to Morocco, the first thing I noticed about Morocco is how close people get when they are speaking to you. I also noticed the frequency of kissing, hand holding and friends walking with their arms over each other’s shoulders. Especially among men, this is totally different than the way people interact at home. Besides just the notion of physical proximity, I can notice a very big difference in how easily people interact here compared to how they do at home. I think that a part of this is cultural, and part of this is because of how the media at home portrays the world.

There is a very strong cultural value in Canada that is based on the idea of each person minding their own business, and not getting too involved in other people’s lives, especially in urban areas. This means not making eye contact with people sitting across from you on the bus, it means not raising your voice, and it means having as little contact as possible with sales clerks, bus drivers, baristas or other people whose services you may employ during the day.

Since I’ve come here, I have seen people kissing their barbers after a haircut, I have seen people get into a stranger’s car to help guide them with directions, and I have been to a hamaam where a large group of people are practically naked in front of each other, and then washed by an attendant.

I was particularly moved, while riding a train from Tanger to Rabat a few days ago. A young couple with a newborn baby were sitting across the aisle from me, and directly in front of me was a family with a child of maybe three of four years.  As the baby fussed throughout the trip, he was passed between his parents who tried to calm him. A few times, the young child came over to the baby, stroked his head and give him a few kisses on the cheek. Another girl, perhaps about eighteen years old, was sitting alone nearby. I saw her take a package of candy from her purse and give it to the little boy. He then proceeded to kiss her on both cheeks.

The parents of the baby, as well as the (presumably) mother of the young boy seemed completely unfazed by these interactions.  This is what was particularly interesting to me.

“Stranger danger” is something that Canadian parents work very hard to instill in their children. This I believe, is largely a result of the media’s exaggeration of the phenomenon of crime in Canada. Crime, and child abduction is undoubtedly something that happens in Canada, but it is an extremely rare occurrence, and I think it is sad that people are in my view much more afraid of this than they need to be.

 “Never accept Candy from a stranger,” is something that has been repeated to most Canadian children countless times. So I was quite shocked not only that this girl offered up some candy with the expectation that the child would even accept it, but also that the mother of this boy did not opportune that moment as a “stranger danger” lesson.

Besides the fear factor present in Canadian society, is the ever-present value that implores you not to interfere in other people’s business. Therefore, the interactions I observed on this train were significant to me.  They would be highly unusual at home.

One thing that I have noticed about Morocco since arriving two months ago, is that it seems to be a society that is much more collectivist and family oriented than my own.  I have seen people bring their children to work, and I have also seen a very noticeable difference in the treatment of elders. Sharing the back seat of a taxi with four other people is also certainly an experience that illustrates a collective importance placed on sharing.

I am sure that as a foreigner, used to standing arm’s length from other people, measuring the volume of my voice and accustomed to minding my own business, I may seem a bit standoffish to many Moroccans. To this, I would like to say to the people I have met - Thank-you for welcoming me here with your distinct Moroccan traditions. Thanks for not minding your own business.

Erin MacDonald, is a Canadian MA candidate.  She grew up in Halifax Nova Scotia where she earned an Honours degree in Religious Studies from St. Mary’s University. She is now earning an MA in Dispute Resolution from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. She is currently fulfilling the internship requirement of her MA degree, working at La Voix de la Femme Amazighe in Rabat Morocco.

Morocco World News

New York, July 2, 2013

Moroccan King Mohammed VI is leading the list of most appreciated Arab leaders, according to a poll conducted by MSN Arabia to choose the  public’s “preferred Arab leader.”

The list of Arab leaders included Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, Emir of the United Arab Emirates, King King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.

At time of writing, King Mohammed VI leads the poll with 308,915 votes (64% of the votes), followed by the UAE ruler with 155,845 (32%), the Saudi monarch with 9694 (2%). King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian Mohammed Morsi came at the bottom of the list with as little as 1% of the votes.

By Youssef El Kaidi

Morocco World News

Fez, July 2, 2013

Very swift was the US reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision which struck down a federal law against same-sex marriage. After less than a week of the decision of the Supreme Court, Traian Popov, a Bulgarian gay married to Julian Marsh from Florida, was granted a permanent residence visa last Friday after submitting an application in February. The approval is perceived as a proof of US visa policies quickly adapting to the Court’s decision on same-sex marriage.

Traian Popov who lives with his American spouse, Julian Marsh, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla was notified by Citizenship and Immigration Services of the approval of his request by e-mail. The couple, who were surprised by the news, was very satisfied at the approval.

“It was just kind of a shock, like winning the lottery,” said Julian Marsh was as saying by The New York Times.

“The amazing overwhelming fact is that the government said yes, and my husband and I can live in the country we chose and we love and want to stay in,” he added.

However, the union of Julian Marsh and Traian Popov remains not legal in the state of Florida where they live because it does not recognize same sex marriage. “They make you feel more and more like a second-class citizen, and they don't want you. And that’s how I feel about Florida,” Julian Marsh was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Mr. Popov who finishes his doctorate in social sciences at Nova Southeastern University in Florida would, now, not be denied federal benefits available to opposite-sex couples such as tax, health and pension benefits and family hospital visits. He can also seek a job legally. Traian Popov and Julian Marsh are also planning to become same-sex activists in Florida where they are considered “second-class citizens,” as Mr. Marsh was quoted as saying by the New York Times.

By Hasna Sabah

Morocco World News

Casablanca, July 3, 2013

On Friday, June 21st, I attended an amazing event that reminded me of my days in Silicon Valley: the 7th Moroccan American Bridges conference held in Casablanca.  Revolving this year around the theme of Entrepreneurship as Morocco's Engine for Growth, the conference was organized by the Association of Moroccan Professionals in America. AMPA is a non-profit membership organization whose aim is to bring together successful Moroccan professionals, in the US and beyond, to create synergy and value.

I was really proud of all the members, whether those in leading US companies (Google, Coca-cola, Bloomberg), and the startup founders (Enigma, Greendizer, Social IQ) or Morocco-based professionals (Microsoft, Dayam fund, hmizates.ma).  On a global level, the event was similar to Techwomen Entrepreneurship Day. However, it was special because the conference approached the subject matter from a Moroccan perspective. Hearing from dark-eyed conference panelists, who switched from time to time from English to Darija (our local  arabic) enhanced the transmission and processing of their message.  I was saying to myself, if they did it, I can do it!

In his keynote speech, Mr. Ahmed Reda Chami, ex Minister of Industry, Trade and New Technologies (also an engineer and businessman) highlighted Morocco's need for its people and encouraged entrepreneurship by highlighting his own ventures.

Then he talked about the business climate in Morocco, described as the land of opportunities where everything has yet to be done, a gateway to Africa and one of the most appealing business environments in the MENA region.

While there are certainly more hassles in Morocco than in the US, suck as a lack of legislation on bankruptcy law, there are also many efforts underway (with focus on governmental ones) to help businesses through startup and financing: intilak, tatwir, innovation hubs at universities, Maroc numeric fund, etc.  Mr. Chami's message was clear: this is the best time to start something in Morocco.

In the following session on the "entrepreneurship path," panelists discussed best practices for various business steps:

- Ideas generation: one can spot a local need or something that is not working properly. It is possible then either to come up with a new solution or adapt a foreign model to local market, no matter how inventive or innovative the idea is, the most important thing being the perception of return.

- Business model: one has to keep in mind that realistic things that sell better are not necessarily fancy ones. In order to match correctly the needs of the market, one has to reach out first to potential customers and build upon that. Things can change and one has to adapt: perseverance is not rigidity.

It is also important to think of building a process to ensure payment, as making people pay you can be a tough problem.

- Financing: Apparently, there is plenty of money for business holders:  Maroc Numeric Fund, DAYAM fund, Atlas Business Angels, Ceed morocco (potentially), Reseau Entreprendre Maroc are all potential sources of revenue.Offers range from thousands to millions of Dirhams, depending on the needs, scale and status of the project. Some VC's required ownership equity might be questionable however.

How does one get this money? By working hard on the pitch and if possible, playing the "customer satisfaction card."

Startup competition

After the keynote speech came the Startup competition. There were 4 candidates:

Averty.ma: an online survey and opinion poll service.

bloomingbox.net: a cosmetics online shop

myVLE.com: a learning management system

stagiaires.ma: an intern recruiting service

The AMPA Award consists of funding, coaching and networking. Participants presented their mission, service details, growth and sales plans. Judges commented on the quality of the business pitches, asked questions about their revenue models, marketing strategies, customer management, and returns on investment.

I personally liked the performance of myVLE team: a smart introduction with their brainstorming during a Bissara (a very popular moroccan dish based on beans) and Meloui (another popular form of bread) meal. They also demonstrated their good assessment of the local market demand, and it was easy to see their efforts building the product.

The announcement of the winner was left till the end of the conference.

Lunchtime was a great opportunity to talk to some wonderful people and get energy for the afternoon.

During the third session, Achieving Career Growth in Morocco, I was a little bit dizzy and bored with discourse on management.  But I got the important message (for me at least) that getting a diploma from the US has many advantages, apart from the prestige. Most recruiters in Morocco don't differentiate between US universities, unlike French schools with which they are familiar and know exactly their ranking.

Returning to Morocco to directly start a business might be a fiasco, especially if one is not aware of and ready to deal with hassles typical to morocco (I still smile when I remember how Mr Samir Benmakhlouf depicted that). A soft landing, at an international company here, is certainly a good alternative.

Mr Samir also gave valuable advice to Moroccan folks: we need to boost our technical skills.  In other words, getting certified on technologies of interest is as important as getting one's degree.

I was perfectly awake for the forth session, very well introduced by Mr Mohamed El Manjra. I appreciated his way of seeing hassles as barriers to competitors as well, and encouraging perseverance as a key to success. Then came one of the best moments of the event: presentations by successful Moroccan entrepreneurs.

Hicham Oudghiri, co-founder of enigma.io  did an excellent job explaining what Big Data is all about. Today more than any time before, huge amounts of data are produced daily and need to be analysed. Banking, Telcos, Government, social networks are all examples of sectors abounding with opportunities. Hicham gave some outstanding examples beginning of course with his startup, and mentioned Netflix which had great success with its matching algorithm of likes and dislikes.

Representing e-commerce and the deals industries, Kamal Reggad, founder of hmizates.ma and hmall.ma, talked about  e-commerce opportunities in Morocco. Although some customers still prefer cash payment, the majority (70%) of transactions in his websites are done via credit card. Mobile payment is not implemented because of high fees required by telco operators. I also learned that the initiation of payment institutions in Morocco will certainly enlarge customers' options and create many more opportunities for e-commerce.

The last presentation reminded me of how rich Moroccan soil is and that agriculture is a pillar of our economy. Mr Othmane Aqallal, founder of Atlas Olive Oils, gave an insightful look at wealthy opportunities in Agro-business. I was extremely thrilled to learn that Morocco is the third exporter of olive oil to US (behind Italy and Spain). Our product is good and has great potential, but it needs added value and marketing efforts. Atlas Olive Oils has been working on that, by designing nice bottles, getting certified to high quality standards and doing R&D to develop medicinal products based on olive oil. The company won an impressive number of awards and I am sure the best is still coming. Way to go Moroccans.

The event closed on a high note. The Startup competition winners were announced:  The myVLE team did it!  What an enthusiastic, achieving and humorous team! They deserved it and were Heartily applauded by everyone. Congratulations to our education re-inventors.

This is another point of view of what has happened and is still occurring in the Middle East and North Africa, during what is called “the Arab Spring,” which instead we call “the democratic spring.” As a member of the liberal youth generation in this uprising region, I would say that the story could be told in different ways.

While still some thinkers and cultural elites are surprised about the young revolutionaries who shot down the Arab authoritarian regimes, a few others indeed had expressed their frustration about the changing events. It used to be said in the revolutionary ideology historical literature that total change of regimes would not be possible without strong charismatic leadership, a clear ideology and vast popular support.

The democratic spring, however, demonstrated the opposite. It was the people who got out to the streets in an absolute self motivated movement screaming “the people want change.” The only ideology they have is the ideology of freedom and this is not just because the dictatorships transformed their lives into prisons, but also because of the recent global transformations that contributed to the widely spreading demand for freedom among the Arab peoples.

Thanks to globalization which made our lives more human than before, and more valuable than ever before we became connected to one twisted world. It has led to the expansion of new communication and information technologies to every corner of the world even in those close dictatorship systems. We then became conscious to the importance of information in this open world due to the role it plays in the awareness of the world we live in; who controls one another?  Who are those who get controlled? And how we could manage to have a good neighborhood between one another? The emergence and growth of non-governmental civic organizations in the beginning of this century featured actually to answer those relevant questions.  A movement such as AVAAZ has been an example of the significance it occupies as this fifth power in the international political scene.

Thanks must be given to Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, the founders of the most common social networking services Facebook and Twitter. These talented boys have created an open and fast connected world where time has been the precious value focused on in order that information could be shared more effectively. Nowadays, not only is information precious but the rapid speed in delivering the information is even more precious. A special thanks is also due to Julian Assange, that Australian internet activist who publishes secret information, leaked diplomatic cables and documents “to bring important news and information to the public and tell them the truth” as is explained on the WikiLeaks website. The truth is sometimes hard to be told and all the time is forbidden to be revealed to people especially by dictatorships and non-democratic states and governments.

Thanks to the non-violent struggler Gene Sharp, who taught us how to express non-obedience to those in power through his two main works; “The Politics of Nonviolent Action,” and “From Dictatorship to Democracy.”  His fundamental belief, that is sourced in-depth studies of Mohandas K. Gandhi, A. J. Muste and Henry David Thoreau, is that any power structure relies upon the subjects' obedience to the orders of the ruler(s). If subjects do not obey, leaders have no power. With Gene Sharp, we learned in depth a pragmatic political analysis of nonviolent action and tactics that focused on dictatorships’ weaknesses and in civil disobedience’s power. His life was a commitment to freedom, democracy and peace through the magical plan of non-violent struggle.

Thanks should be given to Stephen Hessel, that old resistant who fight for universal justice, human rights and civil courage. In his most brilliant small volumes “Time for Outrage” and “Get Involved”, Stephen Hessel called for human anger and resistance against fear and obedience in order to establish real democracy, respect for human rights and social well-being. The way to engage and achieve those aims is by civil society through its non-government organizations, new information technology and any social non-violent resistance. His ideas and appeals were a strong inspiration for many resistant movements such the Spanish Indignados, the American Occupy Wall Street movement and occupy Paradeplatz in Switzerland.

Now let’s say it clearly; the democratic spring in Middle East and North Africa saw the light firstly because dictator states had choked the individual’s liberties for a long period and used the state as a means to collect personal property and as a family heritage. Secondly, because of all those fighters for liberty all over the world, some of whom have been mentioned here for their deep influences on the global societies. However, a special thanks is for the soul of that Tunisian boy Elboazizi, who burned his body protesting against the fascist politics of the Tunisian state. Thanks to him, he sparked the anger and triggered protests among people of different social classes especially youth who succeeded to express and maintain their disobedience in a very organized non-violent movement.

The region now is witnessing a democratic transition period as it recovers from those very heavy dictator heritages left behind in society and its different institutions of the state. Moreover, this sensitive period needs real efforts and struggle by all political parties and movements in order to build new democratic regimes based on liberty, strong institutions and human rights.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy

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By Zouhir Chbakou

Morocco World News

Rabat, July 4, 2013

Nowadays, classrooms are full of irrelevant behaviors toward education. For example, the classes in Moroccan schools suffer from using electronic devices such as texting, playing games, surfing the internet, and listening to music. Not to mention, irrelevant reading, drawing, laughing with classmates, disrespecting teachers, sleeping in class, clowning around, coming late to class, idleness, copying homework or even not doing homework. But, the most unacceptable behavior in classroom, according to many teachers, is having disruptive conversation with classmates.

Talking in class is a problematic phenomenon affecting the education in Morocco and other countries. Without a doubt, everyone has contributed to, witnessed, or has been bothered by this occurrence. The irony is that, for decades and with waves of students enrolling every year in Moroccan schools, every student still goes through this phenomenon; it is living in our classes, as a cancer in our brain. In Elementary school, teachers somehow manage to control the classes because kids respect, if not fear, their teachers. In middle school, teachers control and reprimand the students and then they sometimes behave correctly at that time. High school, this troublesome behavior starts to become fatiguing or even worse, but still, the actions are excused by their hormonal changes. The nub of the problem lies on university students where small chitchat by few causes a major disturbance. This contagious disease is affecting the education in Morocco. Notwithstanding the difficulties, psycho-sociologists and other responsible researchers, with the help of the administrations, can heal our classes academically in Morocco.

My personal experience in university triggered the urge to highlight this phenomenon. I observed that my Professors asked students to be quiet at least 5 times every two hours, or 47.5 times per week. 19 hours/week is the average number of hours that university students study during a semester. Assuming, sometimes, students get quiet after this request. Besides, professors speak with anguished voice caused by hubbub in class. These irritating conditions disappoint professors and cause apathetic emotions towards teaching. It becomes more like a job to pay the bills rather than teaching passionately for noble reasons. Furthermore, professors spend less effort on bringing more useful tools, materials and documents to their subjects.

Many studies and research have tackled this subject and came with striking results. Firstly, a study done by University of Massachusetts, Amherst, reveals that by letting students participate in setting classroom rules, you can reduce a significant amount of disruptive behaviors. “Leaving some classroom policies open for students to decide or giving students some choices within prescribed limits is likely to be appreciated. For example, an instructor might tell students he cannot tolerate talking during his lectures, but can live with students drinking a Coke or munching on a candy bar”, explains Prof. Sorcinelli from Massachusetts University. Consequently, feedback from students catches their attention and attracts them to get involved in class. In other words, teachers should ask students whether they liked the lecture or not, what they would like to know about the material provided for the lecture and so on.

Secondly, recent studies made by Macquarie University in Australia on troublesome classroom behavior, discovered that the percentage of behavioral difficulties in classrooms increase as the students grow up from the early years to adolescence (66% of troublesome behavior students are boys). Also, the same studies show that around 25% of available time in the classroom is spent on managing bad behavior. This significant amount of time wasted in classroom explains our needs for an urgent solution.

However, foreign solutions will not completely solve the problem in Morocco unless if many cultural differences are considered. An American teacher living and teaching in Morocco stated, “I do not think that teachers find the right balance between strict and fun here. There has to be that balance in order to build a bond with your student without that bond the learning process can be strained.” Moroccan students often confuse or abuse fun in classrooms, whether they laugh more or they put the lesson out of their minds and concentrate on fun more. In addition, cultural learning styles differ from one country to another. This means, the solutions for talking in class should be studied and solved by researchers with academic knowledge of the Moroccan culture.

Teachers and the Moroccan educational administrations acknowledge the problem in Moroccan classrooms and may know solutions given by other studies and researches, but what they lack is a serious study of that phenomenon, including cultural learning styles in Moroccan classrooms to come up with practical ideas, whether by creating a special class with a program to teach students how to behave in class or by updating the pedagogical program in order to discern this troublesome classroom behavior.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy

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By Youssef El Kaidi

Morocco World News

Fez, July 4, 2013

FEMEN activists, who stirred uproar recently following their controversial way of protest or what they call ‘Topless Jihad,” are being progressively banned from Facebook. The decision came against the backdrop of Facebook’s campaign against pornography and violence.

In an article published in the Huffington Post, Inna Shevchenko, FEMEN leader in France, protested against Facebook, which just closed their main page on Sunday on the grounds that FEMEN topless photos promote “Pornography” and “prostitution.” On Saturday Facecbook had already closed FEMEN’s French page. Both pages had reached 170,000 followers, according to  Inna Schevchenko.

“This act is the logical continuation of the war waged against the FEMEN by various Internet groups of reactionaries,” said Inna Shevchenko. For Giuseppe Di Bella, a historian and engaged citizen, the attitude of the firm Zuckerberg is “absurd.”

“We may not always agree with the actions of the FEMEN, often highly publicized. But we can only salute the courage of these feminists - whose motto is ‘Get out, get undressed and win’ - that are fighting for freedom and against all forms of obscurantism. They fight, even at the cost of their freedom as was the case in Tunisia, for women's rights, for the protection of the environment, against homophobia, and against the intolerance of certain religions,” said Giuseppe Di Bella.

The decision of Facebook to close several of FEMEN pages is considered by human rights activists as an “infringement on freedom of expression.”

“Facebook, which has less and less the wind in stern and is increasingly losing its users, would do well to review its methods of operation, which are often opaque. When a page is closed, that is often very difficult for its managers to be heard, to defend themselves,” Mr. Di Bella noted.

Sara Rachak, a Moroccan-American blogger resident in Enola, Pennsylvania, expressed her disagreement with the idea of closing FEMEN page.

“We can’t hide the fact that those events ( FEMEN topless protests) took place. It’s the bare truth and it should not be hidden nor laced up in some sort of twisted lie,” she told Morocco World News. FEMEN’s way of protest is “wrong on the religious and social level, but denying them the right to express themselves and get published is unacceptable,” she continued.

FEMEN movement was received with much criticism in the Arabo-Islamic world and its method of protest is considered by many commentators as an onslaught on moral values and decency that characterizes Islamic societies.

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By Youssef Sourgo

Morocco World News

Casablanca, July 4, 2013

Mr. Abdessamad Kayouh, the Minister of Handicrafts,  lodged a complaint against daily Al-Massae for having published an article accusing him of “defrauding an investor by setting a trap to him,” wrote daily L’opinion on Wednesday.

According to the same source, Mr. Kayouh’s brother condemned Al-Massae’s article and described it as “an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Minister by reversing the roles of the persons involved in the affair.”

Mr. Kayouh’s family has allegedly provided authentic documents proving that the so-called "investor" is in fact an unemployed individual sought by the police for ‘fraudulent business.’

Moreover, the alleged scammer also happens to be prohibited from leaving the country, as he had allegedly previously been sentenced to two years in prison for fraud, forgery and for issuing NSF checks to relatives of Mr. Kayouh.

Mr. Kayouh’s brother said that Al-Massae’s published article was aimed mainly at inducing the public to condemn Mr. Kayouh and his family. He also probed the actual reasons behind the said publication.

Al Massae could not be reached to comment on these allegations.

By Rachid Khouya

Morocco World News

Smara, Morocco, July 4, 2013

Isn’t it a real catastrophe to spend a decade or two at school and at the end you find yourself or your children ignorant, unable to read, to write, to speak or to listen?

Don’t you see that it is a real catastrophe to discover that our students leave school with no clear understanding of themselves, their objectives, their values and are unable to perform well in exams or to integrate into real life?

What is worse is that a lot of students who got their baccalaureate degrees do not know what to do once in the university. They are lost. They have no vision for their future. They do know what options, possibilities and horizons are in front of them. They keep walking in streets, as a stranger who lost his map in the desert, asking whomever they meet about what they should do at the university and whether it is better to choose a technical institution or go ahead to the university.

Wherever they see me, they ask me the same question to which I give jokingly the same answer: "Please when you want to marry, will you marry the lady you love or the one I love?" They always laugh because I tell them: "This is your future. You have to sit down, take your time and make the choice you want and then you should do all your best and fight to make your dream and choice reality.”

Frankly, our schools prepare students to get their degrees but they do not prepare them for life. We do not teach our students how to think, how to live and how to rely on themselves, be responsible, have dreams and work hard to achieve them.

We keep blowing wind in their heads as we do for balloons and we give them a false image about themselves and their educational level. Our schools sell the learners false and fake success while in fact they lack the least basic skills and competencies that would enable them to face life’s challenges and to have self-trust and self-confidence.

Krishnamurti, the greatest philosopher of the East and one of the wisest intellectuals humanity has ever seen, wrote in his Education and the Significance of life: "Now, what is the significance of life? What are we struggling and fighting for? If we are educated merely to achieve distinction, to get a better job, to be more efficient, to have wider domination over others, then our lives will be shallow and empty."

This is the case in our Moroccan context today, unfortunately. The majority of families want their boys and girls only to get their degrees so as to get a job. They encourage their children to cheat, they even help them to do so and they do the impossible to find corrupted teachers and unemployed university students to help them on final exams by sending or giving the answers to their sons and daughters.

But what these parents ignore is that they are ruining, consciously or unconsciously, the future of both their children and nations. Krishnamurt makes this clearer when he writes that” if we are being educated only to be scientists, to be scholars wedded to books, or specialists addicted to knowledge, then we shall be contributing to the destruction and misery of the world".

Society must understand that the objective of school is to prepare students for life, to be able to integrate in the social, cultural and political life, to be true citizens who are proud of being humans and of their values, to rely on themselves to solve problems they might face, to contribute actively and positively in the development of their communities locally and nationally and, most of all, to know who they are and what is their mission and role in society and life.

To conclude let me quote Krisnamurti’s words as I find them meaningful and wise. They say what I feel and what you may feel as well and think. At the end of the first chapter of his book, Krisnamurti wrote, "What is the good of learning if in the process of living we are destroying ourselves? As we are having a series of devastating wars, one right after another, there is obviously something radically wrong with the way we bring up our children. I think most of us are aware of this, but we do not want to deal with it."

Certainly, there must be something wrong with our educational system and certainly we should not just keep watching. It is high time that we got up to help reform what needs reform and change what has to be changed.

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By Omar Bihmidine

Morocco World News

Sidi Ifni, July 4, 2013

No sooner had the Egyptian Army removed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi from power than some Moroccans began to support the decision, while others went on to condemn it on the basis of violating the principles of democracy and legitimacy.

Whereas some Moroccans used Facebook social network to express their uncompromising solidarity with the Muslim brotherhood, pointing out that Morsi was the first democratically elected president in Egyptian history, others shared harsh criticism on their walls, stressing that the wish of the Egyptian masses who took to the street in millions must be respected.

Ousting Morsi by the Army, some Moroccans believe, is the last solution after the Muslim brotherhood “failed to solve the economic, social, and political problems gripping Egypt.”

Conversely, those who support Morsi say that going against legitimacy and democracy, “will get the Egyptian opposition and its followers nowhere.”

Expressing his opinion about the latest events in Egypt, Said El Kecha, a Moroccan teacher, told MWN: ”Media has played a role in pushing Egyptians into taking to the street. Media is destroying everything by airing ani-Morsi protests while blacking out pro-Morsi ones.”

"Ousting Morsi is a sign that Egyptians do not seek democracy. They are rather looking for more instability and unrest,” he added.

Removing Morsi from power, El Kecha said, will open the door for Mubarak’s era corrupt politician to make their come back into the political landscape.”

“Democracy in Egypt is gone with the wind. The Egyptians are entering the unknown; they are entering an abyss since the Army’s decision is held by many as undemocratic,” another Moroccan, who asked to speak on the condition of anonymity, told MWN.

On the other hand, Jamal Naimi, a Moroccan professor of Geography, said: "Egyptians are afraid of losing their personal freedoms; they are also afraid of political Islam."

“The decision of the Army was wise in that it lived up to the expectations of the millions who protested in Tahrir Square,” he noted.

“We support the Egyptian army’s decision. It is the Egyptians who ousted Morsi, not the Army. We support this  new Egyptian uprising because Egyptians themselves are dissatisfied with the reforms Morsi promised to make,” some Moroccans wrote on their Facebook pages.

In addition to Moroccans’ views about the “military coup” in Egypt, other Arabs have expressed their fear about potential threats to other Arab world’s leaders. Contagion of this unexpected wind of change in Egypt, for many Arabs, poses the serious threat that may reach neighboring countries.

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