By Youssef Sourgo

Morocco World News

Casablanca, July 5, 2013

In order to answer Moroccan consumers’ increasing demands for milk in Ramadan, Morocco has built up a substantial stock of over 120 million liters of milk, noted daily La Vie Eco on Thursday.

Centrale Litière, one of Morocco’s leading dairy companies, allegedly imported over 16,000 tons of milk two weeks in advance of the holy month.

Jaouda, another leading dairy industry in the kingdom, reported an import increase of 40% compared to its customary imports during the rest of the year.

All in all, Morocco has accumulated a stock of 120 million liters for the holy month of Ramadan, 96 million liters of which are fresh pasteurized milk and 22 million liters are UHT milk.

Statistics published by La Vie Eco show that Moroccans consume about 2 million liters of fresh pasteurized milk per day. UHT milk consumption also increases by 50% during Ramadan, which is between 400,000 and 450,000 liters per day.

However, despite the noticeable increase in Moroccans’ milk consumption in Ramadan, Morocco still has not reached the average milk consumption set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is 90 liters per capita annually.

Since the average Moroccan consumes only between 45 and 50 liters per year, the kingdom ranks low in terms of milk consumption compared to developed countries such as the U.S., where the average American consumes around 110 liters of milk annually.

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 This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

By Saad Eddine Lamzouwaq

Morocco World News

Rabat, July 5, 2013

I was shocked, frankly speaking I’m still, by the decision of the Moroccan Ministry of Islamic Affairs to shut down Quranic schools in Marrakech belonging to the Salafist Sheikh Mohamed El Maghraoui. Despite the legal reasons that the Ministry advanced to try to justify such a miscalculated decision, it is clear this was a political decision. The question remains though: why and for what goal?

I really don’t pretend to have the answer, but I’m rather more concerned of the implications of such decision. Let us first go a little back in history, and remember that the same schools were closed by the authorities in 2007 when Sheikh El Meghraoui issued a fatwa saying marriage is permissible for 9 years girls.

No matter how backward and appalling was the fatwa, closing the schools was not understandable. Other Muslim clerics such as Sheikh Abdelbari Ezemzzami, who said a man can have sexual intercourse with his wife’s corpse, issued fatwas in the same line and were not prosecuted.

What is more disconcerting is that Sheikh El Maghraoui came back to Morocco, after spending four years in Saudi Arabia following the closing of his schools, after concluding a deal with the authorities to back up the 2011 constitution. He announced support to it once he got off the plane and called for his followers to vote YES.

This was not that surprising. In fact Sheikh El Maghraoui is one of the Salafist leaders who are pro-regime in opposition to the other salafist figures who were put in jail in the aftermath of May 16th, 2003 terrorist attacks. The latter, who had a more jihadist leaning, had to give signs they accept the legitimacy of the Monarchy.

So Sheikh El Meghraoui and his followers didn’t represent any “terrorist” danger to the regime and its institutions. It’s true the Salafist ideology is problematic. I agree that it’s a school of thought that originally sprang from Saudi Arabia, a context where there has been a more hardline and textual interpretation of the religious text, something which doesn’t go along with the moderate Malekit school officially adopted in Morocco.

Salafist ideology is now a general phenomenon. Whenever there is a Muslim community, even in developed countries, you’ll find among them men who dress mainly in  Abayas and women in Niqab thinking that’s the true practice of religion. It has spread largely thanks to Saudi money and Middle Eastern TV stations, taking advantage of the lack or failure of religious policy of Arab regimes. So it’s not something that is controllable.

In Morocco, despite all its maneuvers, the state is clearly unable to preserve one religious identity for Moroccans. People are naturally not satisfied with a religious discourse coming through official channels. The desire to keep firm control of the religious sphere makes the imams unable to deliver a message that is attractive to the toiling masses. Furthermore, the official religious discourse is mostly a scholarly discourse and is far from responding to the daily concerns of the lay man.

The salafist discourse, however, is largely popular among people from underprivileged backgrounds and with little education. Those people have recourse to TV clerics in Egyptian and Khaleji religious channels to find answers to their questions. Consequently those clerics become their authorities instead of the imam in the nearby mosque or the ones they see in their Moroccan religious TV. They also follow other local Salafist sheikhs who become authorities to them such as Sheikh El Meghraoui.

Closing down his Quranic schools could be seen by his followers as an act of aggression on institutions who teach the holy book. El Maghraoui’s followers took massively to the streets to demonstrate against the decision and were beaten up by security forces. The state run the risk of driving those people to more hard-line positions because it’d be seen as an act against religion itself. Why on earth people will be denied to learn the Quran in a country where the majority are Muslims?

Another important element is that these particular Quranic schools are known of having produced some of the finest Quran recitors in the country, including Morocco’s most famous recitor Sheikh Omar El Kazabri. Shutting them down was unfavorably received by many people.

Some speculate the state took the decision as a punishment for El Meghraoui’s support for the Justice and Development Party (PJD) in the last 2011 parliamentary elections. If this might be true, then it’s really despicable.

 To punish certain citizens because they exerted the right to choose whom they want as their representative in parliament is extremely absurd. Let alone the fact the regime itself was ready to accept PJD’s leading a government in a context where the Arab Spring paved the way for Islamic parties to move from opposition to government.

Shutting down those Quranic schools is an extremely uncalculated decision, and I don’t see any good that may come out of it.

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

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

By Youssef Sourgo

Morocco World News

Casablanca, July 5, 2013

Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, Egyptian hardline Islamist presidential candidate, was allegedly arrested on Friday after being accused of inciting violence among the thousands of Islamists who marched across Cairo to protest against the ouster of Mohammed Morsi, reported the Egyptian press.

According to many sources, Salafist Abu Ismail was reportedly arrested while he was at his home.

Back in 2012, Abu Ismail was disqualified during the presidential elections that brought Morsi to power because of alleged reports that his late mother held an American passport.

Since one of Egypt’s electoral rules is that both parents of a candidate running for presidency have to be Egyptians and with no dual citizenship, Abu Ismail was automatically eliminated for not meeting this criteria.

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

By Rachid Khouya

Morocco World News

Smara, Morocco, July 6, 2013

Being beautiful differs from one tribe to another and from one society to another. This is something obvious as there are no specific agreed upon traits to judge what is beautiful or ugly between all people. Thus, what is beautiful in this region and culture might be seen as ugly in another region, culture or religion and vice versa.

In the Sahara, despite the development of society and the movement from the life in the open desert and tents to the life in cities and houses, men, generally, do still hold the same characteristics and definitions of the beautiful lady. Families are  still attached to these traditions and have inherited collective images and paradigms of being beautiful.

All over the Sahara, both in Morocco and Mauritania, men and women of the region agree upon the importance of obesity and being fat in defining a beautiful or an ugly woman. For them, the fatter a woman is, the more beautiful she is. On the contrary, fit girls and women are seen as ugly, undesirable and unwanted.

Starting from the age of thirteen, families start the process of papering their daughters for marital life. They prepare them psychologically and physically to get married and to show that they are beautiful so as to attract good husbands from rich families and powerful tribes.

In fact, families are proud of their fat daughters as, in their collective consciousness and sub-consciousness, being fat means that the girls belongs to wealthy, rich and noble families. That’s why mothers do their best to force their girls to eat more so as to be fat to be a source of pride for their families.

On the other hand, families feel ashamed if their daughters are thin. Society sees the fit girl as a source of bad luck, misery and troubles as well as a source of shame and embarrassment for her family and tribe. Therefore, the girls are prepared psychologically since their early childhood to be a source of pride for their families and to eat more and more so as to be fat and beautiful.

Yes, the two adjectives go side by side in the culture of the inhabitants of the Sahara. A fat lady is loved by men who compete to get her love and to pay whatever  dowry that would cost them to get her as a wife and this  is one reason fore late marriage in the region lately.

The husband is always proud of marrying a fat lady and winning her love. Young men feel proud if they succeedto marry the fattest lady in the tribe. They feel pride in front of other men and in front of the tribe and others who talk about her weight, her size and the enormity of her body.

Besides, the more obese she is, the more love she gets and space in the heart of the husband. This weighting of love in the heart of the husband and its relation with the weight and size of the wife is depicted in many poems and proverbs. For example, there is a Sahraoui proverb that can be translated as follows: ‘The size of her place in the heart of the husband is measured by the size of her place in the bed’, meaning, the fatter and the bigger she is, the more space she gets in the heart of her husband.

Moreover, the community respects the opinion and the speech of fat women. Their words have authority in the tribe. Being fat gives them a special social status as the tribe respects what she says, what she thinks and what she suggests. For instance, there is another proverb that says that ‘the word of the fat is strong and authoritative’; a stark contast to slim women who have no social position and who are disliked, undesired and unheard.

In brief, if the western societies see fat women as obese, ugly and sick, in the Sahara, this is totally the opposite. Men love fat ladies and they are ready to lose their wealth and their lives to marry them. Thus families work hard to prepare their daughters for marriage by making them fat. Thus, in the Sahara every fat girl has her motto: ‘I am fat, therefore I am beautiful’.

Just a simple idea worth mentioning, today, thanks to education, mass media and women in the workplace, the new generation of women in the Sahara has started to change their view of beauty. The young generations today prefer to be educated, fit and healthy as obesity has been demonstrated to be a source of many health problems. For the new generation, it is the opposite: ‘I am fit. Therefore, I am beautiful’.

Morocco World News

Rabat, July 6, 2013

The (Moroccan) National Human Rights Council (CNDH) published a report on “Children in Protection Centers: Childhood at Risk - For an Integrated Policy to Protect Children’s Rights.”

In fulfillment of its mandate, the Council analyzed the situation of children institutionalized in child protection centers by virtue of a court order. It assessed the institutionalization procedures to see to what extent they comply with the standards of the international Convention on the Rights of Children.

In this regard, 17 child protection centers were visited. The team held interviews and met with public stakeholders (at the local and central levels), associations, children and families. The gender dimension was taking into consideration throughout the entire process.

The report notes that institutionalization and deprivation of liberty are often the first judicial procedures taken. It sheds light on numerous constraints and dysfunctions that make the institutionalization process non-compliant with the norms of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the guidelines of juvenile justice (infrastructure, supervision, guidance, living conditions, security, safety, children’s participation in the trail, complaints procedures…)

These shortcomings include the following:

• institutionalized children are not classified on the basis of age or the reason behind their institutionalization (children in difficult situations or in conflict with the law), which hinders providing appropriate care services to each category and jeopardizes safety of children under 12 and children with disabilities;

• Proximity of centers to children’s places of residence is not taken into account;

• Significant differences among the centers in terms of the rate of occupancy or the number of children in each center;

• Reception and care services do not comply with the required international standards (standards related to buildings, equipments, supervision quality and children’s safety and protection);

• The centers are not monitored regularly by the relevant authority;

• The living conditions (residence, hygiene and nutrition) do not guarantee children’s basic rights;

• The right to health, physical integrity, protection against all forms of violence and exploitation, appropriate rehabilitation and participation are not guaranteed. The same goes for the rights of children to be heard, to be protected and to have legal assistance during the entire judicial process.

The report also notes that institutionalized children are exposed to corporal punishment, verbal abuse and humiliation. They are denied their rights to resort to complaint mechanisms, provided for in international standards. No follow-up is ensured for children in their natural environment after being deinstitutionalized. This actually undermines their right to social rehabilitation. Besides, there is no family policy to provide psycho-social, socio-economic and parenting support and there are no alternatives to institutionalization (difficult process to access to Kafala, the lack of host families’ regulations) are considered as serious issues.

The report includes a number of general recommendations addressed to the government. Some urgent recommendations are specifically addressed to the Ministry of Justice and Liberties and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The report calls for the adoption of a national comprehensive policy to protect children that will take the implementation of the general principles and provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into account. The authority that will coordinate the implementation of and follow-up to this policy and the responsibilities and roles of key ministries and departments concerned should be identified, the report says.

In terms of training and capacity building, the report recommends the adoption of a (basic and continuous) training strategy for the different stakeholders working with children in contact with the law (police, gendarmerie officers, judges, public prosecutors, investigating judges, educating teams, directors, social workers/family investigators and lawyers).

According to the report, institutionalization and deprivation of liberty must be considered only as a last resort. Custody in a natural environment is far better for children in difficult situation and guarantees the rights of children to be heard and to be informed and to be legally assisted.

The report also recommends:

• A comprehensive review of the legal and administrative framework of child protection centers in a way to ensure the best interests of the child;

• Setting up norms regulating child reception structures, in compliance with the norms in force in the area of children’s rights;

• Setting up mechanisms to monitor and supervise these institutions.

In order to protect children against all forms of violence, ill-treatment, abuse and exploitation, it is necessary to adopt and activate independent and easily accessible complaint mechanisms for children with no discrimination, to ensure the protection of their best interests.

Given the worrying situation of a large number of institutionalized children, the report urges the bodies concerned to evaluate the current situation of the institutionalized children, as soon as possible, in order to initiate a review of the procedures taken by virtue of court order. This will allow children to benefit from the guarantees provided for in law and help evaluate children’s health conditions, and accordingly provide appropriate medical care to them. A national symposium on child protection centers should be held, the report concludes. All the parties concerned with the protection of children’s rights should take part in this symposium to discuss and adopt a general, comprehensive and integrated policy to guarantee children’ best interests and ensure the protection of their rights.

By Youssef El Kaidi

Morocco World News

Fez, July 6, 2013

On the track of the Egyptian rebellion movement that led to the ouster of the president Mohamed Mursi on July 3, a number of Moroccan activists launched two Facebook pages calling for political change in Morocco. The first page bore the name “Moroccan Rebellion to Overthrow the Regime” and the second came under the name “Rebellion Morocco.”

 The first page raises the demand of overthrowing the whole ‘Makhzen regime.”

The second page, however, doesn’t clearly state whether it lobbies against the Islamic government or against the whole regime. Claiming that there is no real reform in Morocco, the page calls on all Moroccans to “overthrow the regressive regime and rise against the use of religion” in politics.

While the identity of people behind the new protest trend in Morocco remains unknown, many sources claim that most rebellion activists are likely members of the Socialist Union Party and the Istiqlal, which is a member of the coalition government.

A source from the Socialist Union made it clear to ‘Good’ that “the leadership of the new movement was constituted of young people from different leftist backgrounds in addition to the unemployed,” and that “the Socialist Union members are just part of the movement.”

A member from “Tamaroud” movement in Tangier who requested anonymity told Morocco World News that the current Islamic government “causing heart attack to Morocco on all levels. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all Moroccans to overthrow this government which is reluctant in implementing the constitution and fighting corruption.” 

The same source affirmed that the movement has started a petition against the government and initiated coordination with the 20^th February movement in Tangier.

The activist spoke to Morocco World News about his “certainty that the movement will have a striking number of supporters in the north and all over Morocco because.”

“Moroccans are deeply disillusioned at the Islamic government which has done nothing after two years in power.” He noted.  

The two pages, however, did not succeed in attracting a significant number of followers. While the first page, which was created on July 3^rd attracted 23 followers, the second page created on June 21, attracted 110 followers.

In addition, at the time of writing the totality of comments posted on these pages goes against the goal of people behind them.

These comments show people’s attachment to the monarchy and their refusal to see the country embark in a hazardous process to the unknown as is the case in Egypt and other Arab countries.

A number of Moroccans told MWN that the creation of this movement is an attempt by the leaders of the leader of the Istiqlal and some opposition parties to accelerate the fall of Benkirane’s government.

“The parties of the Istiqlal and the USFP are trying to take advantage of what happened in Egypt to weaken Benkirane’s and accelerate the fall of his government,” a University professor from Fez, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told MWN.

“The overwhelming of Moroccans will not be duped by this movement, for they know, that regardless of the obstacles it faces, their country is on the right path towards progress and development,” he noted.

“We don’t want a movement that will undo all the progress achieved by our country over the past decade. What we need is to fight against the forces of corruption and nepotism that are still infesting our country's social fabric,” he added.

Morocco World News with agencies

New York, July 5, 2013

The Egyptian interim President Adly Mansour, appointed on Saturday Mohammed ElBaradadei, Senior figure in the Egyptian opposition, as interim Prime Minister, Al Jazeera English reported on Saturday. 

The appointment was made two days after Adly Mansour was sworn in as interim President following the toppling of former President Mohammed Morsi, who was democratically elected in the June 2012 presidential elections. The new interim Prime Minister will be sworn in at 8 pm Egypt local time.

ElBaradei won the Nobel peace prize in 2005 for his work with International Atomic Energy Agency. In 2010, he returned to Egypt and became a prominent opponent of veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak in the lead-up to the 2011 uprising that overthrew him.

The last 24 hours  witnessed ferocious violence that killed 37 people and injured more than 1,400.

Morocco's national local team on Saturday got the best of Tunisia as it defeated it 1-0 at  Soussa's Olympic Stadium.

The winning goal for the Atlas Lions was scored by Abdessamad Lambarki at t he 90^th minutes, just a few minutes before the end of the game.

The game is the first leg of the latest stage of the qualifiers to the African Cup of Nations for local players, which will be held  in South Africa in early 201.

The Moroccan team ended the match with nine players after two of its players were red-carded at 75^th and the 80^th minutes respectively.

The second leg of the last stage of the qualifiers will be played in two weeks in the Grand stadium of Tangier, in northern Morocco. 

Born to run, Salah Barhoum, 17, is another raising star in the world of athletics from Revere, Boston, MA. Born in Aljadida, Morocco in 1996, he immigrated recently to the United States with his family. Salah Barhoum is a Track and Field runner who won seven titles this year and qualified for regionals two weeks ago.

“I qualified for regionals and I hope I can qualify for nationals. I get a lot of support from Moroccans all around the world, especially the ones in Boston, and that puts more pressure on me to do great,” Salah told Morocco World News.

“I love being Moroccan and American and I’m proud of both. I aspire to become an Olympic champion like Hicham El-Guerrouj and give an honorable and respectful image of Moroccan immigrants in the US,” he added.

Following the Boston Marathon bombings, the young athlete was shocked to find people circulating his picture as a suspect after The New York Post published first-page photos of Salah and his friend claiming they  were wanted by the Feds for connection with the Boston bombings. Salah Barhoun filed a defamation lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court against the NY Post for describing him as a suspect in the deadly marathon bombings.

 Referring to the significant impact the New York Post's allegations had on his career, especially on the regularity of his trainings, Salah Barhoum said: “I have been through hard times for almost a month and a half, but now I’m trying my best to work twice harder than before and run twice harder than before so that I can make my fans proud of me.”

When asked about the recent developments concerning his lawsuit against the NY Post he said: “I sued the Post as everybody knows and I’m still not done with that problem.”

Morocco World News encourages the young athlete and wishes him good luck.  

By Omar Bihmidine

Morocco World News

Sidi Ifni, July 7, 2013

Hajar Boussaq, a young Moroccan woman, recently received the first prize from the queen of Malaysia during the 55th round of the International Contest of Quran Recitation.

Finishing first at the recitation contest, thanks to her great efforts, Boussaq brought Morocco much honor by gaining this prestigious reputation.

Morocco has held this ranking for two years in a row, following the success of Hassna Khoulali who received the honor last year.

On this occasion, Boussaq has proved Moroccans' talents in reciting the Quran, in memorizing it, and in ranking first at reading it with an enchanting voice.

It is worth noting that several Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, have already recognized, acknowledged, and hailed Moroccans' talents at reciting the Quran.

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

The first post-Arab Spring and post-2011 constitution Moroccangovernment has not been able to alleviate the burdens of the Moroccan people ranging from poverty, joblessness, homelessness, despair, etc. Instead Moroccan politicians have managed to amuse them with their populist tirades and ridiculous fight bouts and indefatigable jockeying for leadership within a hodgepodge so-called majority.

Once upon a time, the late king Hassan II called the parliament a circus (I am sure he was right), and he is even more right today. In the conduct of the politics of the country, the parliamentarians of today are real clowns whose actions are very funny and sometimes pitiful. They have forgotten that they were elected by the nation to defend their interests and further their hopes, but instead they are spending most of their time bickering over trivial personal issues, and their conduct certainly leaves a lot to be desired.

The actual so-called majority is not really a majority because the two central parties in it, the –Party of Justice and Development (PJD), heading the government and the Istiqlal Party (IP), are truly at loggerheads. This tribal feud was ignited by Hamid Chabat, a Fez homegrown politician, popular and populist, who, on assuming the presidency of this ultra-conservative and nationalist party, called on this other popular and populist politician Benkirane, head of the actual government, to consider reshuffling his cabinet, which was put in place a little more than a year before.

The reasons for this political request lie within the personality of the ambitious and power-hungry head of IP, Hamid Chabat. Chabat is a very popular and charismatic political figure. He started his long career as a bicycle repairer in Fes, and because of his jovial and down-to-earth personality, he made useful friendships within the various guilds of the Medina of Fes who eventually elected him first as a city counselor and later city mayor. As a city mayor, he fulfilled some of his electoral promises.

On the other side of the spectrum, stands another pragmatic and populist politician, who like Chabat, is clever and outspoken but more direct and lacks etiquette. His weak point is he mixes registers unknowingly. He cracks jokes when he is not supposed to do so and makes reference to popular culture when he is supposed to show the qualities of the shrewd politician he is.

He arrived to the helm of his party on the eve of the Arab Spring. In the post-2011 constitution elections, his party won the legislative elections and he found himself the first Head of Government, with the widest powers ever thanks to the Arab Spring and the pressure of the youth protest movement: the 20 February movement. A popular joke has it that he does not believe he is the Moroccan Head of Government and keeps asking his wife to pinch him to wake up from his supposed sweet dream.

In the first coalition government he had to form, he found himself facing the calm soft-spoken secretary general Abass el Fassi, the outgoing Prime Minister, with whom he always had cordial relations. Benkirane thought things will go smoothly in the coalition. But he was totally wrong because few months later the IP elected the mercurial nemesis and relentless fighter and political provocateur, Hamid Chabat. Thus Benkirane found himself in front of a personwho aspires to replace him as Head of Government.

Chabat gave Benkirane a few months respite and then launched his first subdued attack, asking him to reshuffle the government and give his party more ministerial portfolios, arguing that his party deserves more than the other member of the coalition. Benkirane ignored this request. Chabat, feeling incensed by this attitude redoubled the vigor of his attacks, saying that the Government is failing the Moroccan people.

Again Benkirane kept his calm. Feeling yet once more being ignored, Chabat launched his most viral attack on Benkirane saying that his party will withdraw its ministers and support from the government. To make his threat look real, he called for a meeting of the national council of his party to discuss his request. The latter convened and officially adopted his decision and called solemnly the party to leave the coalition.

Believing that he is on the right path and that the kill of his partner-opponent is at hand, he called on the monarch to arbitrate the deadlock, but to his appointment Mohammed VI asked him to stay in the government for the time being, pending future royal decision on the issue, if any.

Even if the kill did not take place, the gallery was still amused and entertained by this gladiators’ game.

Actually, though the Moroccan public has stopped watching public television for decades for lack of quality programs and migrated to French and Arab satellite channels, yet they get their fill from the Moroccan political gladiators’ games on the daily newspapers.

Reversed roles

By not saying anything publicly or taking any action, the monarch is showing tremendous wisdom and qualities of realpolitik. Indeed, while these gladiators’ games were in process, the king was in his château in France enjoying his vacation and Chabat kept repeating to the public that when he is back, he would grant him an audience.

However, most of these politicians have conducted government business in normal manner. After the Arab Spring, two politicians were propelled into the Moroccan political scene: Abdelilah Benkirane and Hamid Chabat. Unlike the actors of the previous governments, these two come from modest backgrounds and were elected by poor and middle class people.

As the Head of the Government, Benkirane is discovering that populist politics works in stirring the people but not in conducting government business on a daily business. Since coming to the helm of the government, he has increased the price of diesel, a very unpopular move and is considering scratching the subsidies on basic staples such as: flower, sugar, oil and butane gas and offering six millions poor Moroccans a stipend instead.

This move, dictated by the World Bank, will certainly get him the blessing of world financial authorities but also the wrath of the Moroccan people, who might even rebel and boot him from his position. In the end the choice is hard, and whatever direction he takes, he will incense one side or the other and risk his job and seat.

Since becoming head of the government, Benkirane and his troops have gone back on their populist agenda slowly but perceptibly. Benkirane, now wears ties and dons expensive and customized shirts and suits, rides in the government Mercedes and moved from his modest abode to the government spacious villa in the highly-official Allée des Princesses, in the fashionable quarter of Souissi.

However, Benkirane still uses populist semantics either in the parliament or in official functions. He argues constantly that the reactionary forces of the ancient days are impeding his reformist ventures aiming at dismantling corruption and nepotism and setting a meritocratic system. He calls these forces, in his populist lingua, devils and alligators and he says they are lurking in the dark and waiting the propitious moment to attack him and destroy his program and his dream.

Feeling strong at the local and national levels, Chabat launched verbal attacks on his opponents in his party and on his partners on the coalition to the extent that he was more vociferous than the real opposition in the parliament. At some point political analysts were wondering where was the right opposition, the one inside the so-called coalition or the one outside. Has Chabat by any chance missed the right register? Was he driven by his illogical enthusiasm? Nobody knows.

Who won the duel?

The biggest looser of these gladiators’ games is undoubtedly Chabat. He lost everything on his first major political sortie:

 -  He lost face on a national level vis-à-vis his followers, Benkirane and the Moroccan people, because he was rush, lacked wisdom and vision and exhibited tremendous negative ambition. He might be sincere in his willingness to serve his country the best way possible, but he certainly lacks the diplomacy and the gentle touch;

 -  He could have taken his time to scout the best possible site for giving the coup de grâce to his opponent, not in a gladiators’ arena but in a less conspicuous place;

 - By attacking openly and suddenly his partner, nobody will believe in any association with him of any kind, he has lost his political virginity and social credibility. People will think twice before undergoing any association of any kind with him.

Benkirane has not lost the duel, but he has come out of these gladiators’ games weakened and certainly bruised and would consider any future association with any political party twice before undertaking it. He would certainly also reconsider his government policies to guarantee his stay in power for a full term.

But the interesting thing about these gladiators’ games is that there is a third member who has been solicited by either side for arbitration, and that person is the monarch Mohammed VI, who has showed tremendous professionalism and a great amount of wisdom in dealing with this tribal feud.

In conclusion, the winner of the Moroccan gladiators’ games is none other than Mohammed VI for his wisdom and savoir faire in dealing with populist party leaders hungry for power and authority.

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

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

Morocco World News

New York, July 7, 2013

British tennis player Andy Murray becomes the first British to win Wimbledon in 77 years, as he defeated the Serbian Novak Djokovic in three straight sets, in the final that took place on Saturday afternoon in London. 

Murray lost last year’s final against the Swiss Roger Federer. With this historic victory, Murray puts an end to Britain's 77-year wait for an All England Club men's singles champion.

Murray’s win in Wimbledon constitutes a repeat of his last year’s performance as he beat Djokovic, the world’s number one, in the London Olympic Games.

By Nidal Chebbak

Morocco World News

Fez, July 7, 2013

The Moroccan Association of Friends of English (MAFE) on Saturday organized the first edition of Public Speaking Contest in Fez, which was hosted by the American Language Center.

Before the contest, the MAFE organized several free seminars over the past few months which were open to people interested in public speaking in the English language to learn techniques, practice and develop their public speaking skills, and prepare for the final contest.

The contest witnessed the participation of many enthusiastic and talented participants from different schools and institutes from Fez and other cities. The participants were from different backgrounds and different age groups. What was very impressive is to see two young high school students: Nermine Lambarraa and Nora Elfdili, taking off to the stage, giving their speeches and competing with older participants with great confidence and proficiency.

After giving their speeches, both girls expressed their happiness about their participation. It was the first time for both to speak in public. They showed their eagerness to participate again in the 2^nd edition of the contest.

The winners of the Public Speaking Contest 1^st edition are:

 Mohammed Babaoui. Topic: "Achieving Your Dreams"

Youssef Bekkali. Topic: "Forgiveness and the Chain of Love"

Rania Mjahad. Topic "Ideologies in Media"

Rania Mjahad, the 3^rd winner, said "Public speaking contest is not only a competition but it is a golden door that allows you to gain self confidence. Also, it shows that we have great public speakers who can transmit messages within a specific amount of time. So, Morocco will be great with these young people who are full of energy and enthusiasm and such competitions make the talented young people the leaders of the future".

She continued “to be one of the winners in this amazing competition is an honor for me because I was able to transmit my message to the audience within a specific amount of time. So, these are truly unforgettable moments and I’m grateful for this opportunity.”

The first edition of public speaking contest was a great opportunity to discover great and talented public speakers. The organizers of the event hope to discover other great talents in the 2nd edition of the contest next year.

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

By Youssef El Kaidi

Morocco World News

Fez, July 7, 2013

The crescent moon heralding the start of the holy month of Ramadan will be observed  on Monday 29 Chaaban 1434 AH corresponding to July 8, 2013.

The ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs announced Sunday in a statement posted on its website that the observation of the crescent moon for Ramadan will be on Monday Chaaban 29, 1434 corresponding to July 8, 20132. The statement added that the honorable judges, nadhers (observers) of the Habous and Islamic affairs delegates are called on to contact the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs to confirm their observation or non-observation of the crescent moon on these numbers:

0537.76.11.45

0537.76.09.32

 0537.76.05.49

 0537.76.89.54

Fax Number: 0537.76.17.21.

Asmae Azzamouri

Morocco World News

Oujda, July 7, 2013

Generally, people tend to believe that leadership is about making crucial decisions and governing everything and everyone through their steady imposition. This opinion is very common, which I even held myself until not long ago. However, being engaged in various business and educational activities, I began to see things from a new and different angle, thus let me clarify this misconception.

Throughout history, leadership has been a major theme of which millions of stirring things have been written about -though they might not be explicitly stated, but implicitly mentioned. In due course, heroes such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gamal Abdel Nasser were entitled “leaders” based on certain criteria that, I think, young people should fulfill to become good leaders one day.

Having a vision is an important quality that differentiates leaders from the rest of the world. Without a vision, a person cannot inspire nor motivate but, worst of all, he may not be able to bring the change that both society and population is in need of. In this regard, leadership is beyond reach. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a future in which blacks and whites could have equal rights didn’t only bring about a sudden revolution but it gave birth to one of the greatest leaders history has ever known.

There is nothing more depressing and discouraging than witnessing the withdrawal of your role model from war because of fear or fatigue. A good leader should be committed to his job and his promises; he should set his heart, mind and soul to the causes he fights for and never give up because of challenges that certainly lie ahead.

People, even the very ordinary ones, can never be inspired by a quitter. A quitter could never be given the title of a “leader” as the one who truly believes in the beauty and importance of his visions until the end. The latter creates lasting change.

Finally, a good leader should have a sense of humor. Some believe it is insignificant, but for me it’s a leading skill that only few can master. Humor and laughter occupy a special arena in human’s daily life because it erases tension and stress, especially the ones caused due to work.

With a good sense of humor, a leader can open channels of communication and lighten the mood within groups he works with, he can raise moral of his followers when things fall apart and above all he makes everyone love and respect him. In this context, the American businessman Stephen Covey said once: “The leader is the one who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation, and yells, ‘Wrong jungle!’”

Morocco World News

New York, July 8, 2013

Up to 34 pro-Morsi protesters were killed early on Monday in clashes with the military forces, Al Jazeera English TV said on Monday according to the Muslim Brotherhood. There are varying reports of between 16 and 34 dead, and more up to 200 injured, the same source added.

Most of the victims of the recent fighting were taken to a makeshift hospital in Nasr city in Cairo. The Muslim brotherhood said that pro-Morsi elements were protesting peacefully when security forces stormed their demonstration using teargas and firing on the protesters.

It is believed that the number of dead at the makeshift hospital in Nasr city could rise.

Morocco World News

New York, July 8, 2013

According to a press release by the Fiqh Council of North America the first day of Ramadan of this year is Tuesday 9 July.

As in previous years, the Fiqh Council of North America bases its decision on astronomical calculations, rather than on the traditional sighting of the moon with naked eyes.

The Fiqh Council of North America recognizes astronomical calculation as an acceptable Shar’ia method for determining the beginning of Lunar months including the months of Ramadan and Shawwal. FCNA uses Makkah al-Mukarram (Mecca) as a conventional point and takes the position that the conjunction must take place before sunset in Makkah and moon must set after sunset in Mecca.

On the basis of this method the dates of Ramadan and Eidul Fitr for the year 1434 AH are established as follows:

1st of Ramadan will be on Tuesday, July 9, 2013.

1st of Shawwal will be on Thursday, August 8, 2013.

While the astronomical calculations are accepted by some countries, it is still a hotly debated issue, since many cling to the traditional sighting of the moon with naked eyes, as set out in the Holy Quran.

The calculations of the Islamic calendar are based on the lunar calendar, which causes the Islamic months to move in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days every year. The beginning of Islamic months may also vary from one country to another depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not.

 Morocco World News

New York, July 8, 2013

The sacred month of Ramadan will begin on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, Saudi authorities announced on Monday.

The 1st day of the holy month of Ramadan 1434 AH corresponds to Wednesday, July 10, 2013.

Oman, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan have also announced that first day of Ramadan will be Wednesday.

The announcement made by these countries will, undoubtedly, create a confusion among Arab and Muslim expatriates living in Europe, North America and other continents, especially as the the Fiqh Council of North America, which bases its decision on astronomical calculations, announced early on Monday that the first day of Ramadan of this year is Tuesday 9 July.

To follow Saudi Arabia and the other Arab countries or the Fiqh Council of North America will be the dilemma that will hunt Muslims living in the United States and Canada.

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

Morocco World News

New York, July 8, 2013

Most Arab and Muslim countries have announced that Wednesday, July 10, 2013 will be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

The religious authorities in most Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Oman, the Palestinian territories, said that Tuesday is the completing day of the month of Shaaban and  Wednesday will mark the beginning of Ramadan.

Muslims in European countries, such as France and Belgium will also start Ramadan on Wednesday.

On this happy occasion, the staff of Morocco World News is delighted and joyful to wish all our readers, as well as all Muslims all over the world a happy and blessed Ramadan. May the Almighty bless all of us with mercy, tranquility, forgiveness, good health and longevity. We pray to God that this month of Ramadan will bring with it peace and happiness, repentance and piety and ease the pain and sufferings of the weak and the needy.

Ramadan Kareem with best warmest wishes.

Morocco World News

Rabat, July 8, 2013

The sacred month of Ramadan will begin on Wednesday in Morocco, the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs announced on Monday.

The month of Sha’ban (Morocco) will be held on the 30th day. The 1st of the holy month of Ramadan 1433 AH corresponds to Saturday, July 21, 2012.

Ramadan will begin on Wednesday in most Arab countries.  Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,  the United  Arab Emirates and Yemen were among those to announce that Wednesday will be the first day of this holy month.

The announcement made by these countries will, undoubtedly, create a confusion among Arab and Muslim expatriates living in Europe, North America and other continents, especially as the the Fiqh Council of North America, which bases its decision on astronomical calculations, announced early on Monday that first day of Ramadan of this year is Tuesday 9 July.

To follow Saudi Arabia and the other Arab countries or the Fiqh Council of North America will be the dilemma that will hunt Muslims living in the United States and Canada.

The calculations of the Islamic calendar are based on the lunar calendar, which causes the Islamic months to move in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days every year. The beginning of Islamic months may also vary from one country to another depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not.