March 2005 Archives

Rick Atkinson has a chilling description at page 462 of of how British and American troops in Tunisia shot North Africans for sport, made children dance by shooting at their feet, raped women, and burned houses with the women and children inside. Atkinson states that the atrocities were perpetrated by a small number of soldiers, but he concedes that in at least some cases they acted with impunity. Having visited this terrible war upon North Africa, Europeans and Americans should be pleasantly surprised and gratified any time they receive a friendly reception there.

Joshua Haynes is planning a project to assist a local Moroccan orphanage. I have a little experience with orphanages in Morocco, so I know that anything that can be done to help will be needed and appreciated. Joshua is planning to post a website outlining the orphanage's needs.

Randa Jarrar of MoorishGirl is fighting the government's efforts to deport her brother. She is asking that our thoughts be with her and her brother this Tuesday, March 22, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time as the court decides his fate.

Peace Corps Writers reviews former Morocco Peace Corps Volunteer Jeffrey Tayler's , about his travels through the Sahel to the south of Morocco.

Joshua Haynes is working on preparing an Amazigh text book for the Tashelheet dialect spoken in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Meanwhile, I have just received the text of a Peace Corps textbook on Moroccan Arabic that I hope to prepare for viewing on the web.