September 2005 Archives

In Morocco, a Rights Movement, at the King's Pace - New York Times

In an interview in his Casablanca law office, the walls decorated with Koranic sayings engraved in brass, [Member of Parliament Mustafa] Rameed said the only opinion that really mattered was that of the king. "The political path is determined by the mood of the king and not the mood of the people. We have left the authoritarian years behind us, but we are not yet a democracy."

Mr. Rameed and many other people active politically hope to restructure the Constitution to strengthen the role of Parliament and the political parties while defining the monarchy within a framework of laws.

MoorishGirl: Salman Rushdie: The Interview

Salman Rushdie asks for Laila Lalami's autograph.

Le Matin.ma reports that Morocco is considering legislation to make torture a criminal act, but at the same time is contemplating imposing fines and prison terms for disrespect toward the Moroccan flag.

The Morocco Foundation is looking for people to transport wheelchairs to Morocco.

MoorishGirl: Helpful Hand

MoorishGirl notes that the Moroccan government has made a significant contribution to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

I have started reading Jamil M. Abun-Nasr's A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period. The book begins by setting up a number of dichotomies between the Arab conquest and the Berber resistance and urban centralization versus tribal allegiances.

I had a very pleasant conversation this evening with Ashraf Bennani, the owner of new Moroccan-style kabob joint ("Bennani's") at the Farragut North Metro food court in Washington, D.C. It was a little late to sample the food, but I will be certain to go back.

MoorishGirl points to the likely shutdown of Tel Quel magazine as a result of a satirical article that has resulted in a massive libel judgment with a striking lack of due process. The on-line petition on behalf of the magazine translates roughly as follows:

As a result of an expedited defamation lawsuit, the president of Tel Quel Ahmed R. Benchemsi and his news chief Karim Boukhari were sentenced, without their lawyer even having a chance to speak, to two months suspended sentence in prison, and a fine of 1,050,000 DH. The two journalists have appealed.

The prison sentence and exorbitant fine constitute, without doubt, a "warning" from the powers that be with respect to Tel Quel, which is being "punished" for its editorial independence. This tactic inaugurates a new method for muzzling the press: strangle it gradually by disproportionate fines, imposed through sham trials. Today Tel Quel, tomorrow the entire Moroccan free press is threatened.

The undersigned strongly denounce any attack, even indirect, on freedom of the press, and demand justice for Tel Quel in an appeal that is fair and transparent.

MoorishGirl writes about how horrified she was to discover that the devastation in Louisiana far exceeded anything she had imagined in her novel, which opens with a flood in Casablanca.

Smoking Hashish in Morocco

About.com actually has an article about smoking "kif" in Morocco. Aside from the fact that kif is widely smoked by Moroccan men, the article points out that the penalty for possession is potentially ten years in a Moroccan jail, and that many dealers are also informers. At the same time, enforcement is often erratic, since kif represents a significant source of revenue.

The Union Internationale des Avocats (The International Union of Lawyers) just concluded its 49th annual conference in Fez. In addition to exploring a number of topics of international scope, the sessions at the conference also included a discussion of Moroccan Family Law. It sounds as though it was a very interesting conference, and the UIA could not have chosen a more inviting location.

Middle East Institute: Perspective

Middle East Institute scholar Jacques Roussellier casts a skeptical eye on the recent release of Moroccan prisoners of war by the Polisario Front, and argues that it does nothing to resolve the underlying conflict between Morocco and Algeria or the probability of unrest in the Western Sahara. Roussellier scrupulously avoids characterizing either of the major regimes in the conflict and offers no comment on the merits of their competing claims.