Tangier - A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on Wednesday in Tangier between King Fahd School of Translation (KFST) and the United Nations Interpretation Service.

Signed by the Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, Catherine Pollard, the president of Abdelmalek Essadi University, Hodaifa Ameziane, and KFST director Noureddine Chamali, this agreement aims to strengthen cooperation between these institutions in the field of translation.

Under the agreement, students will benefit from programs intended to strengthen their skills in translation.

This agreement confirms the confidence of international organizations in Morocco’s higher education sector and should enable KFST to start a new stage in its distinguished scientific career, the signatories pointed out on this occasion.

This meeting was an opportunity to highlight the role that translation plays in ensuring the exchange of information, strengthening communication skills, and promoting the values of peace, tolerance and acceptance of others.

With MAP

The post Morocco’s King Fahd School of Translation Signs MoU with UN appeared first on Morocco World News.

New York - According to information published by Spanish news website lainformacion.com, the late Polisario leader Mohamed Abdelaziz, revealed to one of his close friends that the lung cancer he battled for years led him to believe that his old convictions “had become obsolete over time.”

Abdelaziz died on Tuesday, May 30 in a hospital in the United States after a long battle with cancer. The Moroccan-born leader of the Polisario separatist movement will be remembered by generations to come as the Moroccan who wanted to establish an independent state in southern Morocco.

Abdelaziz was born in Morocco and studied in Moroccan universities. He was the son of a former member of the Moroccan army.

According to the same source, Abdelaziz allegedly "regretted" his alliance with Algeria against Morocco and expressed his desire to be buried in Bir Lahlou. Located on the east side of the berm, this territory, which was left as buffer zone with the Polisario, is considered by the separatist movement to be part of its “liberated territory.”

Abdelaziz was born in Kasbat Tadla, outside of Marrakech, along with many of his siblings. He studied in Agadir, then in Rabat, like several other founding members of the Polisario.

His father, Khalili Ben Mohamed Al-Bachir Rguibi was born in 1912 and served as a member of the Moroccan Liberation Army, which was formed following Morocco’s independence in order to fight Spanish colonialism in southern Morocco. He later joined the Moroccan Armed Forces until he retired in 1976.

In a video published on YouTube, Abdelaziz’s father said that he had not seen his son since 1975. The former member of the Moroccan army also disowned his son due to his involvement with the Polisario.

Abdelaziz was elected leader of the Polisario in August 1976 when he succeeded the Polisario’s founder and first Secretary General, El Ouali Mustapha Sayed. While Algerians claim that Sayed was killed on the battlefield while fighting against Mauritania in June 1976, some former Polisario members who left the organization claim that he was killed by the Algerians as soon as they learned of his intention to negotiate with Morocco and put an end to the conflict.

Upon his election as leader of the Polisario, Abdelaziz led a guerrilla war against Morocco from 1976 to 1991, when the United Nations brokered a ceasefire.

Though an early proposed solution to the conflict, a referendum, has never come to pass due to disagreements between Morocco and the Polisario over voter eligibility, Abdelaziz clung to the proposal, calling for the establishment of an independent state in the Sahara.

Although in recent years some protestors in the Tindouf camps have called on Polisario leadership to rethink its handling of the conflict with Morocco, Abdelaziz enjoyed the full and unconditional backing of the Algerians until his death.

Edited by Kelsey Fish

The post On His Deathbed, Mohamed Abdelaziz Regretted Alliance with Algeria appeared first on Morocco World News.

by Lee Kainoelani

Rabat - Dominic Purcell, star of Prison Break series, sustained injuries after an accident occurred while filming for Prison Break Season 5, according to Hall of Fame Magazine.

Purcell share the news with his fans on his Instagram account.

“Thank god my love @theannalynnemccord was there when my unfortunate accident occurred on set.” Purcell added, “She went into raging #momma mode along with #christianorthup and got me the right care.”

He also told his fans not to worry and the show will go on. Purcell mentioned that he was really grateful to be doing well, despite the accident and his injures.

The actor later informed his fans he was doing well and and it was his thick skull that saved him after an iron bar fell on his head. He also sustained injuries of a broken nose due to the accident.

Purcell’s physician, who examined his wounds, also revealed that his tissue fiber was unusually tough, saving him from sustaining more injuries in the accident.

Wentworth Miller, co-actor in Prison Break, shared his thoughts about his colleague’s accident on Instagram, reposting the picture of injuries from Purcell.

Meanwhile, there have been speculations about the Scofield family in season five of Prison Break, with the chance that the producers may not opt for a happy ending on the show.

Viewers can see more of Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller when Prison Break Season 5 returns in spring 2017.

The post ‘Prison Break’ Star Dominic Purcell injured while Filming in Morocco appeared first on Morocco World News.

 By Lee Kainoelani

Rabat - A murder-suicide on the University of California, Los Angeles campus in the United States occurred on Wednesday, causing a campus wide lockdown and forcing hundreds of terrified students to hide in buildings, according to CNN.

Mainak Sarkar, who the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed was the shooter, say Sarkar allegedly shot and killed a professor Wednesday in one of the university’s engineering buildings before turning the gun on himself.

The shooting stemmed from a student-teacher dispute, police sources told CNN.

UCLA Student Body President Michael Skiles identified Professor William S. Klug as the murder victim.

Klug was a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, according to the UCLA’s website. He received his undergraduate degree at Westmont College, and later obtained his Masters at UCLA as well as a Ph.D. at California Institute of Technology.

Klug was described as an easy-going Little League coach, according to one friend, and an "an empathetic, brilliant teacher" as California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom put it. 

The professor also led the Klug Research Group, which studied “problems at the interface of mechanics and biology”.

"We aim to understand how the physical properties of biological structures and materials are involved in biological function from molecular and cellular scales upward," the group's website says.

After hours of officials putting the campus on lockdown as authorities investigated, the situation was put into into control by shortly after noon. No ongoing threats to the campus were found, said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.

He added that police found a weapon, and that the investigation was underway.

The post UCLA Shooting on Campus, Murder-Suicide appeared first on Morocco World News.

By Lee Kainoelani

Rabat - Ouarzazate, also known as the ‘door to the desert’, is where Hollywood directors go for shooting a Biblical film, or a film set in a war zone, according to the Guardian.

Countless films were shot there, including Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Black Hawk Down, and a part of Game of Thrones.

Although these Hollywood films seem to bring fame to Morocco, some Moroccans have grown tired of their country being used as Hollywood’s automatic stand-in for places as contrasting as Somalia, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Macedonia and Tibet. Moroccans say it is orientalist and perpetuates age-old western stereotypes about the “exotic east”.

While watching the 2014 movie American Sniper, Amal Idrissi, a Moroccan professor, was shocked to recognize Moroccan architecture in what was supposed to be Iraq.

“Our mosques and houses are very special; it’s not the Middle East,” she said. “I don’t think they [Hollywood filmmakers] know the difference; they don’t pay attention. It’s a huge detail – it’s not nothing. For me it’s like earth and sky. For them, it’s not important.”

Morocco is 3,000 miles from Iraq, but has beautiful landscapes, mountains and sea, far better security, the right kind of light for filming, and, particularly in Ourzazate, many experienced extras.

Most of these extras have cultivated professional beards, according to Karin Aitouna, the producer of Sans Bruit, a new documentary about Ourzazate’s extras. “When they know a Hollywood film is coming, they grow beards,” said Aitouna.

“It’s a very important criteria for the castings – for the historical films but also because they’ll play in terrorist films. They all have beards all the time, not because they want it but because they’re waiting for casting.”

Many extras think they know Hebrew, because in the Biblical films they are given a text and asked to mime speaking it in the background of a scene. “But it’s not real Hebrew they’re speaking, it’s fake Hebrew,” Aitouna said.

Malika, a 68-year-old woman, who has been in more than 200 films since the 1970s, can cry on demand, thus allowing her to earn up to €80 a day, double what an ordinary extra would make.

Other sought out actors are amputees, because of the many war films that have been shot in Ourzazate.

Idrissi said it was distressing to see her country portrayed often in a war zone, especially since few of the details are changed. For instance, extras are commonly wearing the distinctive Moroccan djellaba.

Othman Naciri, another Moroccan filmmaker, said in an interview with PRI that Hollywood directors did not know much about his country or compatriots, and chose to film in Morocco because it was cheap, safe, and had a lot of sand.

“The Moroccan people are cast as typical Arab profile: terrorist, bad guys, according to the American point of view,” Naciri said. “You know, we are not so far from the western point of view of the 1950s – with the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Lamia Chraibi, producer, feels it’s important to work on films exploring Moroccan themes because they provide poor Moroccans with a stream of much-needed income.

“It’s not the modern Morocco, it’s the idea they want to have,” she said. “It’s orientalism – the western way of seeing Morocco. They want to keep seeing Morocco as it was 60 years ago. But it’s still OK – why not? It’s like a studio. It’s not bad, we’re not offending our image. We know our country and we are very proud of the richness of the country and the landscape.”

Idrissi is proud as well, but thinks that portraying so many of the world’s wars in her country’s backyard is damaging to Moroccan dignity, and may even prevent tourists from visiting.

“It’s not good for Morocco. People will think it’s like Falluja here, and Falluja is not Morocco,” she said.

The post Morocco: Hollywood’s ‘Door to the Desert’ appeared first on Morocco World News.

Beyrouth - Syria's Regime bombing raids in and around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo killed on Friday 31 civilians, the civil defense said.

"As well as the 10 civilians killed in strikes on the bus. 21others died in intense strikes on several neighborhoods in the east of the city since dawn," the source added.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported intense strikes on the Castello road -- a key rebel supply route out of divided Aleppo -- giving a toll of eight dead civilians.

A bus on the road was also hit on Wednesday, resulting in seven civilian deaths.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the Castello road, which for civilians in rebel-held areas is the route out of Aleppo, was now "effectively cut".

"All movement is targeted, be that buses or bystanders," he said.

A truce agreed by Russia and the United States in February has been violated nearly continuously around Aleppo, where the regime and rebel groups have fought for control since 2012.

More than 300 civilians were been killed in Aleppo since April as rebels have pounded government-controlled neighborhoods with rocket and artillery fire and the regime has hit rebel areas with air raids.

With MAP

The post 31 Killed in Syria Regime Strikes in Aleppo appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Morocco will go back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on Sunday, June 5 at 3.00 a.m., the ministry of Public Service and Administration Modernization announced.

The country will suspend the daylight saving time (GMT+1) as of June 5 until July 10, 2016, the ministry pointed out in a statement.

Public administrations will work continuously from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Morocco’s airline carrier, Royal Air Maroc, said in a statement earlier this week that its flights would change as a result of the return to GMT time

Morocco has been enforcing daylight saving time during summer with an interruption in the fasting month of Ramadan.

The measure does not enjoy the unanimity of Moroccans. In March 2015, a petition launched by a group of Moroccan on called on the government to reconsider its decision to observe daylight saving time.

People who oppose such measure argue that daylight saving time has a “negative impact, increases the risks of heart attacks and causes sleeping disorders.”

The post Ramadan: Morocco to Switch Back to GMT on Sunday appeared first on Morocco World News.

Washington - The State Department on Thursday lauded Morocco's "comprehensive" counter-terrorism strategy, underlining the country's adherence to human rights standards and the increased transparency of law enforcement procedures.

Morocco "has emphasized adherence to human rights standards and the increased transparency of law enforcement procedures as part of its approach", the US State department says in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2015, which underlines that the kingdom has publicly committed itself not to use the struggle against terrorism to deprive individuals of their rights.

Morocco's comprehensive strategy for countering violent extremism "prioritizes economic and human development goals", the State Department says, adding that Morocco has accelerated its rollout of education and employment initiatives for youth and has also expanded the legal rights and political and social empowerment of women.

"To counter what the government perceives as the dangerous importation of violent Islamist extremist ideologies, Morocco has developed a national strategy to affirm and further institutionalize Morocco's widespread adherence to the Maliki-Ashari school of Sunni Islam" the State Department notes in its report.

The reports recalls that Morocco is a founding member of the Global Counter-terrorism Forum (GCTF) and a member of the Global Initiative to Counter Nuclear Terrorism.

The reports points out that “Morocco’s counter-terrorism efforts and cooperation with international partners led to numerous disruptions of alleged terrorist cells and prosecutions of associated individuals.

While highlighting that the North African country Moroccan is succeeding in “detecting terrorism financing,” the report stressed the “comprehensive strategy” Morocco has launched in recent year in order to counter violent extremism and terrorism.

“Morocco has a comprehensive strategy for countering violent extremism that prioritizes economic and human development goals in addition to tight control of the religious sphere and messaging,” the reports says.

“In the past decade, Morocco has focused on upgrading mosques, promoting the teaching of relatively moderate Islam, and strengthening the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (MEIA). The MEIA has developed an educational curriculum for Morocco’s nearly 50,000 imams in its version of relatively moderate Sunni Islam,” it added.

The post US State Department Lauds Morocco’s ‘Comprehensive’ Counter-terrorism Strategy appeared first on Morocco World News.

Washington - The American decision not to back Morocco’s decision to expel the U.N. mission in the Western Sahara is not an anti-Morocco position but rather a policy declaration consistent with prior American stances in similar conflicts. If Moroccan officials were hoping for a different outcome, they should have had a strategy and a plan to sway the White House. Unfortunately, Rabat did not have either.

Moroccan diplomats’ inability to convey to the White House the Kingdom’s vital role in sustaining American national security interests in North Africa, the Sahel and the Mediterranean Sea opened the door to the State Department’s diplomat-activists to adopt pro-Algerian positions.

Washington's decision to include language in the United Nations latest resolution on the Western Sahara referring to the self-determination of the people of the region was a slap in the face of old friend Morocco.

Moroccan diplomats, politicians and parliamentarian’s unfamiliarity with the American political system and their obliviousness to the nature of the Obama administration’s style of foreign policy have pushed the relations between the two nations into the predicament we see today.

To understand The Obama administration’s position on the Western Sahara and formulate a diplomatic counter-attack, the Moroccan embassy in Washington should have studied the case of “the independence of South Sudan”.

Why South Sudan? Foreign policy observers see former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and current White House National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice- who is credited with the independence of South Sudan as an architect of the White House’s policy in the Western Sahara. It is not a secret in Washington that White House officials and staffers micromanage the work of the State Department.

Following the same trend, Ambassador Rice perceives the “struggle of the Sahrawi people “in the same light as South Sudan’s drive for independence. As such, Rice’s unsuccessful attempt in April 20103 to amend the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) chart to include human rights monitoring in the Moroccan Sahara, was a prelude to an American endorsement of the concept of a Sahrawi self-determination.

It is painfully obvious that Moroccan officials have not learned their lessons.  Despite the crisis that erupted after Ambassador Rice maneuvers at the U.N., Moroccan officials did not change course in Washington. In fact, the same meek, incoherent and reactionary approach that led the 2013 crisis remains the thesis of Rabat’s foreign policy in Washington today.

It took Morocco a long time to realize that Washington does not have friends but rather interests. For now, the North African nation is not on the White House radar and therefore, American diplomats’ approach the Western Sahara conflict with an idealistic and "nonrealistic" modus.

In calling for the return of the MINURSO to the Sahara and not supporting Rabat’s position, the State Department has avoided setting a precedent. Morocco is not that important for Washington to venture in calling for a U.N. mission to suspend its work based on the whim of a U.N. member state.

The White House’s ambivalent attitude is due in large part to Morocco’s lack of strategy underscoring its strategic importance to American military and intelligence efforts in the region, the State Department never felt political heat from either the White House or the Pentagon to adopt an understanding tone with Morocco. The United States reacts only when its national interests are at stake.

Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs should have seen America’s “unreceptive” positions coming.  After all any diplomatic observer following the U.N. could have predicted that U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power, known for her support of human rights and self-determination causes, will likely call for a return of the MUNIRSO .

It was naïve for the Moroccan diplomats to think that Power will back Rabat’s decision to expel U.N. Personnel. To the contrary, they should have predicted that the U.S. Ambassador would recommend a resumption of the U.N. mission if for no other reason than on humanitarian grounds.

The absence of permanent, credible, articulate and knowledgeable Sahrawi public advocates of Morocco’s positions have hurt the image and the message in Washington and Europe. These campaigners need to be on the move all the time and on the ready to tackle predicaments as they rise.

As long as Moroccan officials keep shying away from international media and rely on lobbyists and publicists to advocate for their cause, the damaging results will remain the same. Similarly, Morocco has struggled to formulate a strong, clear and concise case for its positions in the Western Sahara dossier.

Morocco’s diplomatic shortcomings in Washington, and not the “defunct” Algerian diplomacy, are behind the recent series of crisis between Rabat and Washington. It is time for a new and bold diplomacy in Washington.

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

The post Morocco-USA:  Moroccan Diplomats Stumble Again in Washington appeared first on Morocco World News.

New York - Mohamed Abdelaziz, former leader of the Polisario Front, died on Tuesday, May 30 at age 68. For the members of the Polisario, he was a “leader who fought tirelessly for independence,” while for Moroccans he was a “traitor who betrayed his country and sold his soul to Algeria.” His death offers an opportunity for observers to shed light on the life of this controversial personality, his political motivations and his goals.

Mohamed Abdelaziz was born and raised in Morocco until he joined the Polisario in 1973. His father was born in 1912 and lived his life in Morocco, serving in the army until 1976. Unlike his father, who joined the Liberation Army upon Morocco’s independence in 1956 to fight the Spanish presence in southern Morocco and then Moroccan Royal Army, Abdelaziz dreamed of establishing an independent state in the so-called Western Sahara. His determination to achieve this dream sat well with Algeria, whose leaders were adamant in preventing Morocco from achieving its territorial integrity.

Like other members of the Polisario, such as El Oualid Mustapha Sayed, the founder of the separatist movement, and Bachir Edkhil, one of its early leaders who later defected to Morocco, Mohammed Abdelaziz studied at Moroccan universities and held Moroccan degrees. He and his acolytes were all part of the leftist movements that developed in Morocco starting in the 1960s.

Following the death of Abdelaziz, many are wondering if his passing will signal a change in the Polisario’s handing and approach to the Western Sahara and if new leadership will bring a new dynamic to the conflict. The main question that observers are asking is whether the new Polisario leader will have any willingness to open up to Morocco and show readiness to negotiate a political solution or stick to Abdelaziz’s legacy and maintain his call for the establishment of an independent state in southern Morocco.

Abdelaziz’s successor will follow Algeria’s agenda

Given the history of the conflict over the past four decades and Algeria’s upper hand over the Polisario leadership, it would be both premature and naïve to think that his death might bring a new or positive dynamic to the conflict and that his successor might have a different vision for a political solution.

If things were different, we could say that the designation of a new leader might bring a positive change that would likely help Morocco and the Polisario put an end to the conflict.

However, those who have the last word in the Tindouf camps are the Algerians who will only select a new leader who will stick to the same approach defended by Abdelaziz for 40 years, which is the demand for the establishment of an independent state in the territory.

Abdelaziz was just a simple civil servant faithfully implementing the instructions given to him by the Algerians. What we should not overlook is that the Polisario is not the master of its own destiny. Abdelaziz remained at the helm of the Polisario simply because he was serving the Algerian agenda. Those who knew him and know the basics of Algeria’s foreign policy doctrine towards Morocco since the mid 1960s have always been aware that Abdelaziz was a tool used by Algeria to weaken Morocco and prevent it from achieving de jure sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

Abdelaziz was the perfect docile “leader” for Algeria

Abdelziz owed his longevity at the helm of the Polisario to the Algerians. Had Algeria not decided to place him in charge of the separatist movement, he would have never dreamed of being its leader. Since the early days of the movement, the Algerians realized how malleable Abdelaziz was and how he could be used as a tool in their struggle against Morocco. The Algerians are believed to be the ones who killed the Polisario founder and first leader El Ouali Mustapha Sayed.

Many former Polisario operatives who fled to Morocco argue that Sayed was not killed in battle against the Mauritanian army; he was killed by the Algerians after they realized that he was open to negotiating a solution with Morocco in a way that would have put an end to the conflict and guaranteed the Sahraouis rights within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.

According to the same version of events, over a year after Algeria started lending military and financial support to the Polisario, Sayed realized that Algiers’ goal was not to help the Sahraouis achieve their goal of independence or lead a dignified life, but to use the conflict as a tool to weaken Morocco. This prompted Sayed’s decision to open up to Rabat in order to explore the best way to end the conflict. This decision cost him his life.

To achieve their goal of perpetuating the conflict, the Algerians found no “leader” more docile and loyal than Mohammed Abdelaziz.

Bachir Dkhil, one of the founding members of the Polisario, remembers how former Algerian President Houari Boumedien said that he wanted to turn the Sahara into “a stone in Morocco’s shoes.”

Since the Sand War that pitted Morocco against Algeria in 1963 and the ensuing humiliation the Moroccan army inflicted on its Algerian rival, one of the main tenets of Algiers’ foreign policy has been to weaken Morocco, prevent it from achieving its territorial integrity and stop it from being the main regional power in the Maghreb.

By resorting to this strategy, Algeria does not only seek to weaken Morocco, but also to prevent it from laying claims to large swaths of Algerian territory such as Tindouf and Colmbe Bechar, which, before the French occupation of Algeria, always belonged to Morocco. The cause of the Sand War was Algeria’s decision to declare the inviolability of borders inherited from colonialism, in total disregard of the promise made in 1958 by Algeria’s Farhat Hashad to return the aforementioned territories to Morocco once Algeria achieved independence from France.

A solution to the conflict can only come from Algeria

Following Abdelaziz’s death, the only person who can bring a positive dynamic and put an end to the ongoing impasse is the president who will succeed to Bouteflika in Algeria. There will only be a solution to the Western Sahara conflict if the Algerians change their foreign policy doctrine toward Morocco, come to terms with the fact that there can be no establishment of an independent state in the region and become willing to negotiate directly with Rabat in order to explore the best way to put an end to the conflict.

It is an undeniable fact that the conflict over the Sahara is not between the Sahraouis and Morocco, but between Morocco and Algeria. The Sahraouis have been used as tool in the proxy diplomatic and media war that Algiers has waged against Rabat for 40 years.

Regardless of the new Polisario leadership’s course of action with regards to Morocco, the most important element to take into account in the coming weeks is what will happen inside the camps. In recent years and more intensely in recent weeks, many opposition movements have been calling for a change in the way the Polisario has handled the conflict so far. One of these movements is that of Khatt Ashahid, who called on many occasions for the Polisario leadership to open up to Morocco in order to put an end to the conflict.

The only fear is that the vacuum caused by Abdelaziz’s death might cause some unrest in the Tindouf camps. It would be hard to predict what could happen next if this occurred.

At this time of uncertainty for both the leadership of the Polisario and the Algerian government, the international community has to step up more than ever before, look at the conflict with realism and push for a mutually acceptable political solution that would preserve stability in the region.

An earlier version of this article was published on the New Arab

Samir Bennis is the co-founder of and editor-in-chief of Morocco World News. You can follow him on Twitter @SamirBennis

The post Western Sahara: Why Nothing Will Change After Mohamed Abdelaziz’s Death appeared first on Morocco World News.

By Lee Kainoelani

Rabat - Muhammad Ali has been put on life support, Thursday, after being sent to the hospital suffering from a respiratory problem, according to Metro.

 Regarded as the most legendary heavyweight boxer of all-time, Ali and his family have been told by Scottsdale, Arizona hospital doctors, that he is ‘near the end’.

During his initial entrance into the hospital, Ali seemed like to be in ‘fair condition’, but was later to transferred to intensive care.

His daughters Laila, Hana and Maryum have accompanied him at the hospital.

Ali's respiratory problems seem to have worsened from Parkinson’s disease, a disease that he had been diagnosed with in the 1980’s.

Doctors have been working to regulate his breathing, but the Parkinson’s has been making it difficult.

Ali's children are worried, and have dropped everything to be by their father’s side. Their father means so much to them, and they are afraid his problems are worse than they first feared.

But, as a source said, ‘Like in the ring, Ali is a fighter on the ward.’

The post Muhammad Ali sent to hospital, put on life support   appeared first on Morocco World News.

By  Lee Kainoelani

Rabat- Earlier in the month, Latino Muslims gathered to celebrate Cinco De Mayo at the only Spanish-speaking mosque in the country, according to Muslim Girl, an organization that focuses on Muslim/Islamic news.

The newly opened mosque, where Cinco De Mayo was celebrated, Centro Islamico, is located in Houston, Texas. Islam in Spanish, an education non-profit organization, was founded by a Columbian convert.

The interior of Houston’s Centro Islámico is decorated with motifs that echo the striped arches of La Mezquita de Córdoba, a 10th-century mosque still standing in southern Spain.

Today there are more than 1,000 Latino Muslims affiliated with the organization.

“They’ve been able to really define very significant and strong Latino and Muslim identities, and to merge the two together,” said Ken Chitwood, a PhD student at the University of Florida who studies and writes about the growing Latino Muslim community. “And they are very intentional about that.”

Alfonso Flores, a recent convert to Islam, took the shahadah, the Islamic profession of faith, at the new mosque, during the Cinco De Mayo celebration, where community members gathered, with roots from Columbia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, and other countries, and shared halal variations of their traditional food, while celebrating their identity as Muslims, according to the Guardian.

“We’re like a family,” said Ana Ortiz, a Puerto Rican Muslim originally from New Jersey, who was serving food at the festival’s Puerto Rico tent.

Since the opening of the mosque, 18 people, like Flores, have taken the shahadah and declared their faith as Muslims.

There are more than 55 million people of Hispanic origin in the United States, and more than 3 million Muslims. Estimates of the number of Latino Muslims in the US range from 30,000 to 300,000.

“We used to gather in different masjids,” said Magidel Morris as she served halal tamales in the mosque’s parking lot on Saturday. “But then we got together and decided we had to have a place for Hispanic people to get together and learn about Islam.” With the Centro Islámico, America’s Latino Muslims now have a home of their own.

In the past, New York’s Alianza Islámica mosque opened in the mid-1990’s, but shut down in 2005. Centro Islámico mosque is the first mosque built for Spanish-speaking Muslims since then.

Chitwood found, through research, that many Latino Muslims are converts from Christianity. Central and South American countries are heavily rooted in the Roman Catholic church.

“Typically, there is some sort of spiritual wandering that occurs,” Chitwood said. “There is some type of spiritual dissatisfaction with their present religious outlook, be that Catholic or Protestant or whatever. And then they go looking.”

Fletcher said: “You can practice Islam and remain a Latino … We want Latinos to be proud of where they come from, to have a strong sense of identity for themselves.”

The post First Spanish-speaking Mosque Opens in the United States appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Despite the complicated global situation, Lahcen Haddad, the Moroccan Minister of Tourism, said he has "an optimistic evaluation of his 2020 strategy."

His vision, according to tourisme.gov.ma, is that Morocco should be among the 20 largest global destinations and a staple of the Mediterranean periphery in terms of long-term development. He also wants to target the Chinese market with its 98.2 million tourists in 2013, which generated as much as $102 billion in expenditure worldwide.

The Minister wants to attract some 100,000 Chinese tourists by 2020. He is determined to make Morocco a unique destination. He unveiled these ambitions during the Forum of Tourism Engineering held in Rabat on May 31.

Organized by the Moroccan Society of Touristic Engineering (SMIT), the Forum was suitable for the Minister to send his message to 200 participants, including other African Ministers of Tourism, managers of institutions of tourism development, experts, and national and international professionals.

In an interview to Le Point Afrique, the Minister said, "We have reached an objective of 10 million tourists in 2013 despite an unfavorable conjuncture. The impact, which is extremely negative, of the terrorist threat on touristic activities doesn’t exclude, indeed, any country of the world."

"We registered within this context at the end of 2015, a settlement of performances in this sector, but we are confident because the obtained results are suitable compared to our neighbors," Haddad added.

Morocco has experienced a 1 percent decrease in the number of incoming visitors during a time when many regional destinations suffered a decrease of 2 percent.

Haddad considers this aligned with Morocco’s vision, but believes that adjustments are needed in this field. "This is why, at the middle of the vision strategy, we are actually evaluating Moroccan tourism at 2020 in order to prioritize the sites of construction in order to allow an increase of our tourism performance," he explained.

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) is a type of tourism that brings together groups for a specific sort of business tourism, which constitutes one of the Minister’s priorities, primarily due to its strong value in this field.

Additionally, the Minister talked about Casablanca, which is among the top financial centers in Africa.

He said that Casablanca is characterized by a heritage and cultural dynamism, which “helped the city make many strategic investments,” such as the building of Marina, urban rehabilitation, valuation of the ancient city, and the preservation of architectural heritage in the new Medina.

This city has also made great improvements in air connectivity by expanding existing flights and opening new lines, according to the Minister.

The post Lahcen Haddad: We Are Confident About Our 2020 Vision for Tourism appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - A Spanish surgeon has helped a Moroccan woman recover her face, according to El Pais

Samira Benhar was recently rescued in Spain from neurofibromatosis type I, gave a press conference this Thursday, June 1 in Valencia hospital.

She was accompanied by her Spanish surgeon, Pedro Cavadas. Within a year, the 39-year-old had three operations in order to extract a tumor that was disfiguring her face and caused her to be unable to see from one eye.

Because the physical symptoms caused by this illness, Samira suffered from a “social rejection” as she explained, in addition to harassment that her children were subjected to: “A new life was given to me, because the present situation was unbearable.”

Samira’s journey to recovery began with a meeting with a pharmacist in Casablanca. She took a picture of Samira and said to her, “I don’t promise you anything, but I will try to help you.” The pharmacist’s family, who lives in Spain, welcomed Samira into their family. The Islamic center of Valencia offered her interpretation and assistance during her visit.

Dr. Cavadas explained to journalists that he helped Samira because her file “presented possibilities for surgical improvements.”He thanked the people who introduced the young woman to him. “Those are engaged people that are willing to help, in contradiction to those that sometimes want to leave the problems without cooperating. “

“Living in dignity”

The Valencia hospital paid for the entire cost of the surgery. Pedro Cavadas is one of the most well known surgeons in the world. In 2008, he performed the first double hand transplant in Spain, In 2009 he performed the first face transplant in Spain. In two or three weeks, Samira will be able to return to Morocco. Rejected by her husband, the association Adra is prepared to give her financial support in order to allow her to “live in dignity” with her two sons.

Edited by Timothy Filla

The post Moroccan Woman Saved by Spanish surgeon appeared first on Morocco World News.

New York - American boxing legend Muhammed Ali died on Friday night in a hospital in Phoenix. He was 74.

Born as Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., Muhammed Ali was said to be in critical condition earlier on Friday. Doctors at Scottsdale, Arizona hospital told Ali’s family members that he was “near the end.”

The sad news was announced by Mimai Marlins senior director of communications Matt Roebuck, who told USA TODAY that his team learned of the American boxing legend’s death from one of his relatives shortly before the team’s game against the New York Mets ended.

"We wanted to honor (Ali's) legacy and put a message on the scoreboard at the conclusion of the game, and we were unaware at the time that the announcement of (Ali's) passing had not been made public," Roebuck was quoted by USA TODAY Sports as saying. "I know that our team president is certain of his passing," he added.

“We were informed by someone close to the family that he had passed away. We wanted to get a tribute out as soon as we possibly could,” Marlins President David Samson said according to the Miami Herald.

Scott Gustin, National Content Editor at Tribune Broadcasting, announced the new on his Twitter account.

Marlins announce Muhammad Ali is dead. No media outlets reporting this. A closer look at image shown to fans: pic.twitter.com/XzwZtiudzD

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) June 4, 2016

The American legend, who was regarded as the most legendary heavyweight boxer of all-time, converted to Sunni Islam in the 1975.

Famous American actor Will Smith, once described Muhammed Ali as “one of the greatest heroes of our time.”

Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, color and religions. This man might be the most famous person in the world,” Smith said. “He’s one of the greatest heroes of our time – and he’s a Muslim,” he added.

Muhammed Ali visited Morocco in 1998 at the invitation of late King Hassan II. Ali’s visit coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. During the visit, the late Moroccan king decorated the boxing legend with the order of the Commander of the Arch, which is one of the most prestigious honors in Morocco.

The post American Legend Muhammed Ali Dies at 74 appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - The holy month of Ramadan will start in Morocco on Tuesday June 7, the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs said on its official website.

The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs said in a statement that the calculated results of the administrative Calendar show that the crescent of the month of Ramadan 1437 AH will not be sighted on the evening of Sunday, Sha’ban 29, 1437 AH corresponding to June 5 2016.

Since the month of Sha’ban will complete 30 days, according to the same calculations, the first day of Ramadan will be June Tuesday June 7.

Ramadan is a time when Muslims across the world fast from sunrise until sunset. 

The Islamic months are dated according to the Islamic lunar calendar. Because of this, determining when a month starts and when it ends is subject to either observing the crescent or relying on a method of calculations.

Morocco is among the Muslim countries that rely on a local sighting of the moon by special committees, in line with the Hadith of the prophet (peace be upon Him): “Fast when you see the crescent and break the fast when you see it; if it is not apparent, then make the month of Sha’ban thirty days.”

During the Holy Month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world reach into their hearts, spending more time on personal reflection and devotion to God.

The post Ramadan in Morocco to Begin Tuesday June 7: Ministry appeared first on Morocco World News.

By Ali Hassan Eddehbi

“My name is Iman. I am Moroccan and Christian. Yes, I am Christian, but I am not a foreigner. My father is Sahraoui, and my mom is Amazigh. I was born and grew up in Morocco,” says a young woman with a smile. Personally, I have found the opening sentences are enough powerful to draw us into the content of the video. The first opus of an upcoming series of short podcasts made by Moroccans, for Moroccans.

“Moroccan and Christian” is the title of this new program podcasted on a YouTube channel with the same title. “A series of short videos in which Moroccan Christians, in Morocco or abroad, will explain their Christian faith and reply to many rumors and misunderstandings about Christianity,” says the channel’s short description.

A bold choice for sure but also an innovative idea. Not only because the podcasters dare to appear with their uncovered faces, but also because the main point smartly highlights in a new and non-aggressive way that being Moroccan necessarily implies the fact of being Muslim. It is short, fresh, friendly, powerful, and, above all, instructive. Here are some reasons for which I think this video brings something new to the struggle for the freedom of belief.

Culture is common, faith is individual

In a perfect Darija sprinkled with idioms, Iman tells us her own anecdote of when her Moroccan husband visited his family in his village and they told him, “Why you didn’t come with your wife. Even if she’s Christian and doesn’t speak Darija, we will welcome her.”

It might be not thatfunny, but it tells volumes about the mainstream mentality. Since they knew that this man’s wife is Christian, they could not imagine that she is Moroccan. They have never seen it, so they think it does not exist, and by (a very harmful) extension, that it should not exist. Thanks to Iman for remind us of that fact!

Explaining not complaining 

Alongside the relatively open climate of the last few years, Moroccan religious, or non-religious, minorities started to claim their rights to express their faith and asked for abolition of some articles of the penal law which penalize conversion to a religion other than Islam. Repressed quite often by the authorities, these claims were supported by the international media and human rights organizations. The whole discourse was logically reduced to criticism of the oppressive penal law. This struggle between both ideologies has unfortunately depicted a simplistic picture: religious minorities are against majoritarian values and want to disturb us.

In this video, Iman intelligently escapes this trick and  simply explains her “right to choose the faith that makes her feel comfortable.” “Not only the law, but also society,” she says while describing the reason why Moroccan Christians have hidden themselves. In other words, her voice is not against society but rather tries to catch the attention and the understanding of the society. Calm down guys, it is friendly!

Explaining not proselytizing

Let us scroll back in time to 2010 when Christian volunteers and foster parents at a Moroccan orphanage were forced to abandon dozens of children after they were accused of proselytizing. The former Minister of Communication, Khalid Naciri, warned that the government would be "severe with all those who play with religious values, according to the BBC. He added that religious freedom is guaranteed under Moroccan law, but proselytizing is banned. The video has broken new ground in that the content is respectful of this “legal redline,” without any religious branding. Nevertheless, I am quite sure that some will still think that talking about another religion than Islam is itself proselytism.

 This mix is false and harmful – false because, according to the Oxford Dictionary, proselytism is an action to “convert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another.” However, Iman and the other participants try to “express” their ideas without telling anything about the “good side of being Christian.”

Christian but (Not) for a fistful of dollars  

Iman looks urban and educated.  We can see the same profiles in the teaser of the program. A short video which shows six other urban and educated Moroccans. This challenges the cliché of the poor Moroccan who chooses to convert to Christianity because he or she is tricked by someone proselytizing who offers them money and promises of going to Europe or elsewhere.

Peace and love

Last but not least, Iman says she loves us. She loves Moroccans without any distinction of religion. Thank you, Iman.

The post I, Iman, a Moroccan Christian, love you all appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Some 21 people have been arrested in different cities of Morocco for allegedly leaking baccalaureate exams, which started Friday, police said.

According to the first elements of the investigation, the arrested people, including candidates for the baccalaureate exams, are suspected of involvement in the creation and management of pages on social networks dedicated to leak exams while offering answers for cash.

During this campaign, the authorities seized computers, mobile phones and digital kits used in the fraud operations.

With MAP

The post 21 People Arrested in Morocco for Leaking Baccalaureate Exams appeared first on Morocco World News.

New York - Muhammed Ali, the heavyweight boxing champion and one of the most widely recognized and admired boxers in the world died Friday evening at age 74.

The American legend visited Morocco in January 1998, at the invitation of the late King Hassan II.

During the visit, which coincided with the holy month of Ramadan, the late King Hassan II bestowed on Muhammed Ali the Order of the Commander of the Arch award, which is one of the most prestigious honors in Morocco.

The greatest boxing champion of all time also attended a religious ceremony presided by the Moroccan monarch and opened a friendly football match between Morocco and Angola, which took place at Mohammed V stadium in Casablanca.

In a video shared on YouTube, Muhammed Ali appears wearing the Moroccan traditional dress, called Jellaba, and receiving a royal decoration.

Ali also attended a breakfast ceremony organized on his honor. In video, Muhammed Ali breaking the fast near the then Prince Sidi Mohammed, who would become King Mohammed 18 months later.

Ali also visited Casablaca’s Hassan II mosque where he performed a prayer.

Ali was born in 1942. At 18 years of age, he won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. A month after the games, he made his professional boxing debut.

The post Video: When Muhammed Ali Was Decorated by King Hassan II appeared first on Morocco World News.

By David Hazelwood

Rabat - Americans stand strong for Morocco, hail Morocco’s human rights achievements, highlight shared values and a strong Alliance.

Yesterday, Americans stood strong with Moroccans, as they have for decades, to commend Morocco on its progressive advancements on human rights by writing a letter to President Barack Obama.

In the letter, sent on Thursday, a group of 16 Members of U.S. Congress recognized Morocco as America’s “strongest and oldest friend in a very important part of the world,” and urged “greater visibility” for Morocco’s role in promoting development in the region, as well as the country’s progress on human rights.

 The letter comes shortly after Morocco expressed concerns last month that the US State Department’s April 2016 human rights report on the country contained “factual errors and misrepresented Morocco’s efforts in that area.”

In the letter, Congress noted that “Morocco is the only country in the region to have established with the United States an on-going dialogue on human rights that is intended to be an open forum for objective and constructive engagement on these issues…We commend this process and would hope that it brings a positive contribution.”

 “We are concerned that recent developments in our strategically important alliance with Morocco need to be made a higher priority and that our support for Morocco’s signal achievements, including on human rights, and the important role it is playing to enhance stability and development in the region, needs to be given much greater visibility in our public statements about this critical bilateral relationship with one of our oldest and most trusted partners.”

Analysts say despite the current friction as a result of the US Department human rights report on Morocco and Washington lack of support to Rabat on the Western Sahara, the mutually beneficial friendship between the US and Morocco remains strong and vibrant.

The post 16 Congressmen Write to Obama, Hail Morocco’s Human Rights Record appeared first on Morocco World News.