Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
August 16 , 2008

Mitchell graduate serves as volunteer with Peace Corps.
By KRYSTAL SLATEN krystal@tmnews.com August 12, 2008
Ann Herbert is living on the eastern coast of Africa, volunteering in Morocco with the Peace Corps.
The Peace Corps, an independent federal agency of the United States, works in more than 70 countries around the world. The volunteers work with governments, schools, nonprofit organizations, nongovernment organizations and entrepreneurs in the areas of education, health, business, informration technology, agriculture and the environment to help those people meet the need for trained workers and gain a better understanding of Americans.

Herbert graduated from Mitchell High School in 2002 and Butler University in 2006 with a major in religious studies and minors in Spanish and business. She is the daughter of Christy and Hank Wintczak of Mitchell and Rod and Bridgett Herbert of Fort Wayne.

The past 16 months have been filled with new experiences for Ann, but also for her family.
The following is an account of some of them from the perspective of her mother, Christy Wintczak of Mitchell, and includes a description of her biggest project so far. The project has been planned for and with women in the community.

“For the past 16 months, our family has had the experience of having our second-oldest daughter, Ann, living and working in Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer. I, myself, couldn’t imagine what was driving her to live in such a far away, foreign place, but this is what she wanted so we supported that decision not knowing what was in store for her or us.

“The first thing that became apparent to us was the dress code that was required of her in order of be respected and acceptable in Morocco’s Islamic society. She called home telling us about the women covered from head to toe and was worried the clothes she had taken weren’t conservative enough. I rushed her a package of lightweight, yet very conservative, shirts that would be bearable in the scorching hot summers. The shirts were cut so that the bottom went to mid thigh, the top went up to her neck and the sleeves went at least to her forearm.

“The relationship between men and women and their roles in society is very different from what we are used to. Ann’s work for the most part has been with girls and women, partly because as a woman, men are less accessible to her, but mostly because her work as a health volunteer is best accomplished when women are reached. Women are the ones taking care of the household and are therefore in charge of their family’s overall cleanliness and diet, both of which are crucial in preventing the utmost culprit of infant deaths in Morocco — diarrhea.

“Diet has been one of the most difficult things for Ann while abroad. In the states, she was spoiled with all the products we have available to us. She enjoyed living a healthy lifestyle by eating lots of whole grains, vegetables and fruits. All of these are available in Morocco, the difference being only convenience. Because she is an avid cereal addict, I have sent many boxes of pumpkin flax seed crunch or some other fiber rich cereal which gives her a break from cooking and a refreshing reminder of home. While there, she has learned to cook because things aren’t available in the ready-made form that we are used to. She has learned how to make her own goat cheese, peanut butter, bread, hummus, soy milk, tortillas and other things we just go to the store and buy. Besides ‘American food,’ she is also learning Moroccan cuisine, which consists mostly tagines and couscous. Tagine is a mix of meat and vegetables cooked in a special clay volcano shaped cooking contraption. t meal time, the tagine is set in the middle of the table where all can reach it. The volcano shaped top is removed and everyone tears off a piece of the bread sitting in front of them and uses it to scoop up some of the well cooked food inside. I hope that she will cook it for us when she comes home. Although all of this cooking can be an inconvenience, I get the idea she thoroughly enjoys this aspect of her life there.

“In working with these women she has developed many close relationships, especially with her host family. Ann suggested I send presents for her to share with those people close to her. Simple things like shampoo, lotion, toothbrushes, chocolates, Betty Crocker cakes with a container of icing are special and exotic to those she lives with. In an attempt to share her culture and nurture the most meaningful relationships to her she hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at her house (one of the days when the electricity and water were suddenly turned off in the entire village ) gave her host sisters Christmas presents, and celebrated their birthdays — none of which they had ever done before. I’ve also sent simple work supplies such as tape, transparent laminating paper, pens and pencils because these everyday work essentials are mostly out of reach for people in her town. She has used these to hold health classes for girls and women at their local health clinic and schools as well as holding trainings on association development and grant-writing for the local women’s association.

“From my understanding, she has multiple projects going. The first is a Tashlhate video project. She has worked with another nearby volunteer to develop a series of educational health videos in the local language, Tashlhate, that will be used by Morocco’s ministry of health as well as future Peace Corps volunteers. Although she is proud of the final videos, she mostly boasts about the process in which they were made. She held class for girls and women in the community on various topics such as tooth-brushing, diarrhea, purifying water, etc. After the class, they filmed educational skits featuring Moroccan girls that pertained to that day’s topic. Then the health clinic staff added a professional, detailed run-down of each topic. Some of the pictures were drawn by another volunteer who had studied art and then they put all those components together to produce the video. They now have 12 videos.

“... Currently her time is occupied working with her local women’s association to develop their baking project. Last year, with her help, they held their first Ramadan Bake Sale. Ramadan is a time of year in the Muslim calendar when all Muslims fast from sun up to sundown for an entire month. When breaking the fast as sundown, Moroccans eat various traditional delicacies. The women’s association saw this as an income-generating opportunity and therefore made and sold the customary baked goods. Last year’s project was a success, especially considering all equipment was thrown together by women temporarily donating their various cooking supplies. The money that they made went toward paying for sewing classes, Arabic classes for the illiterate women and to help start up their community-wide trash disposal program. Because of this project, women are taking a leading role in their personal and communal development. However, the project needs improvements. They don’t have good, or enough equipment to sustain the project and therefore have worked with Ann for months on planning a bigger, better version for this year and years to come.

“Although I miss Ann, I have come to see why she has chosen to pursue this adventure. She is getting to do, learn and see things she never would have otherwise. She has developed close relationships and adapted to a different way of living. I sometimes still find her experience hard to relate to seeing that it is so different from anything I have experienced. Ann’s family supports her in any way we can: through sending letters, pictures, packages, calling and donating to the causes she is working hard for. By doing this, I have learned a little about Morocco, about Islam, about my daughter and even a little about myself and the country in which I live. I know most of all, that we have so much to be thankful for.”
Times-Mail Staff Writer Krystal Slaten welcomes comments and suggestions at 277-7264 or by e-mail at krystal@tmnews.com.
http://www.tmnews.com/stories/2008/08/12/people.nw-560249.tms
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Moroccan students attend international youth conference in US . 
By Iman Belhaj  2008-08-01

A delegation of Casablanca high school students recently spent several days in the United States for an international youth conference aimed at increasing global co-operation at the grassroots level. Ten Moroccan teenagers joined students from Mexico, the United Kingdom, Iraq, India and other countries at the Sister Cities International Youth Conference, held July 16th-19th in Kansas City, USA under the theme, "Global Action: Taking Community Service Abroad".

The youth delegation's trip from Morocco to Missouri was organized by the Casablanca-Chicago Twinning Association. Director Boubker Mazoz said that the students selected to attend the international conference were "outstanding achievers in school in general, and in English in particular".

He explained that the students' secondary schools – Muhamad VI High in Sidi Momen, Muhamad V High in Darb El Sultan Al Fidaa and Ibn Mseek High – are all "twinned", or partnered, with sister schools in Chicago, USA.

"It was a great opportunity for young people our age, a truly unique opportunity. People of various nationalities got together and exchanged views, and we learned about different world civilizations. We hope we managed to convey a good image of our homeland," said 17-year-old Chaimaa Bourrou.

"We did not just represent the Association. Rather, we represented Moroccan youth, who all share the same dreams and aspirations to change things and send out a message of love and tolerance to all nations and individuals," the first year bac student said. She added that the American young people she met were "really thirsty" to learn about other cultures.

The talented young people had a challenging itinerary during their five-day trip. Jihane Dakir, 17, another bac student, said they participated in several social operations, such as sending school supplies to Iraqi children and observing how prison convicts are re-integrated into US society.

"We learned a lot, and it can truly be regarded as an asset to our stock of knowledge," said Awatif Elmelijy. Like other delegates, Awatif was very excited about the conference, telling Magharebia that her trip helped "correct some notions about Americans and the US".

The conference helped present the real image of Morocco and the country's progress in advancing volunteerism and social service, 18-year-old Ilyass Boujnane said.

"We met tolerant American youth," he told Magharebia. "Contrary to what we see on TV, they are people who want to live in peace, just like we do. Despite some challenges incurred by the difference in culture and religions, we managed to overcome that barrier and communicate freely," Ilyass added.

Another student, Khadija Agnaou, had misgivings before the trip about how other young people in the US would react to her as a veiled young woman. She was delighted to see their warm response to her and their acceptance of her ideas. The Moroccan delegation's easy interaction with peers from many cultures was noted by participants in the Sister Cities International Youth Conference.

Many found the performance of the Casablanca teenagers at the concluding ceremony to be very moving. Dressed in traditional Moroccan clothing, the ten high school students went onto the stage at Rockhurst University with their national flag held high to sing Morocco's national anthem.

Representing more than 2,300 communities in 127 countries, Sister Cities International aims to increase global co-operation at the grassroots level. Bringing together youth from around the world, the exchange program promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and co-operation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/08/01/feature-02
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Morocco, USA announce $700m "Millennium Challenge".
2008-08-05

The "Contract of the Millennium Challenge", a programme totalling $700m for social projects in Morocco, was launched Monday (August 4th) in Rabat, APA reported. The Morocco-US joint initiative will support the fishing and crafts sectors, SMEs and micro-credits. Some 6000 young entrepreneurs are expected to benefit from the Millenium Challenge funds.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/08/05/newsbrief-07
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Morocco biggest market for micro finance in Mediterranean region, FEMIP.
Brussels, Aug.15

Morocco is the largest market for micro finance in the Mediterranean region, with nearly half of clients, reported the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP), which is under the European Investment Bank (EIB).

In its latest report, the FEMIP underlined that the micro finance sector is experiencing strong growth, noting that the amount of disbursed funds totalled $727.4 mln by the end of 2007. This sum benefited 1.32 mln active customers, including 63.9% of women.

Noting that Morocco has a well-developed financial sector, the report hailed the establishment of one-stop shops in Morocco to facilitate the creation of enterprises, as well as the interest, displayed by public authorities, in developing tourism sector and infrastructure.

The report also highlighted the progress achieved in the area of governance, noting that "the strong desire of public authorities to improve the quality of services provided by the administrations has helped the implementation of reforms."

"Further progress has also been documented as regards improving economic transparency," the document added, recalling that Morocco has recently adopted new banking regulations aimed at increasing the transparency of transactions and combating bribery and money laundering.

The report pointed out that, in 2007, the FEMIP disbursed some € 1.4 bln to its Mediterranean partners (notably Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebannon), with 68% of the financing going to private companies.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box3/morocco_biggest_mark/view
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A research paper on the Berbers/Imazighen of Morocco:
http://www.swarthmo re.edu/SocSci/ Linguistics/ Papers/2007/ reino_tania. pdf
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Morocco tourism up 12% over last year.
2008-08-05
Some 3.2 million tourists visited Morocco in the first six months of 2008, up by 12% compared to the same period in 2007, MAP quoted the Department of Tourism as saying on Monday (August 4th). The French topped the list with about 1.16mn tourists, followed by the Spanish, the British, the Italian, the Belgian, the German, and the Dutch.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/08/05/newsbrief-06
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Fire ravages northern Morocco forest.
2008-08-03

A fire which broke out Friday near the northern Moroccan town of M'Diq has already devastated more than 230 hectares of forest, APA reported on Sunday (August 3rd), noting that this is the worst blaze so far this year. Strong winds are making it difficult for Moroccan civil protection teams to get the fire under control. This is the second fire in the area in a week.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/08/03/newsbrief-03
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Morocco second-quarter jobless drops to 9.1 pct.
Thu 7 Aug 2008, RABAT (Reuters)

Moroccan unemployment fell to 9.1 percent in the second quarter from 9.6 percent in the first as construction and services soaked up more available labour, the state High Planning Commission said on Thursday. More work was created in urban areas than lost in the drought-stricken countryside, with a net 19,000 new jobs compared to the April-June quarter of 2007, the HCP said in a statement.

As a result, the number of unemployed Moroccans fell to 1.03 million from 1.06 million, it said.
The services sector created 152,000 jobs as new business parks offering call centre and other offshore services took in newly qualified graduates and the telecoms industry continued to grow.

Construction, which is booming thanks to government-backed social housing, road, rail and port projects and tourism developments, created 80,000 jobs.

A vast informal economy means Morocco's official employment data may veer widely from the reality. Many family-run businesses hire and fire as contracts come and go and the country's towns and cities are full of casual workers hawking clothes, shining shoes, collecting scrap metal or attending parked cars.

State payroll cuts have removed the chance of a safe government job for many university graduates, who stage angry demonstrations almost daily in the streets of the capital Rabat.

According to an official report in 2006, Morocco needs to create 400,000 jobs per year over the next ten years to prevent mass unemployment that would threaten its stability. © Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.
http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnBAN737740.html
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North Africa: A decade of progress for women's rights.
MARY KIMANI - Aug 09 2008

Hayet Laouni is a member of Tunisia's Senate and an owner of her own maritime business. She credits her success to the liberal approach to women's rights that the government has shown since independence. "I am very grateful to my country," she says. "I was born and grew up in a part of the world where life is supposed to be hard for most people, but harder for women."

She is not alone. While many people outside the region view predominately Muslim North Africa as rigidly hostile to women's rights, they have in fact witnessed a decade of substantial reform and the achievement of some improvement in the status of women.

Reforming family codes
Much of the reform has been in countries' "family codes", sets of laws guiding the role and status of women in marriage, as well as their rights in divorce and custody matters.

The family code has been an important focus for women's rights activists because its laws are "absolutely critical and fundamental in Muslim society", says Mounira Charrad, a Tunisian-born university professor who has researched women's issues in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

Those laws, Charrad says, "address issues that are at the core of social life". Successfully reforming them, she says, can improve women's rights in marriage, access to divorce and ability to get custody of their children.

"When the present Tunisian government allowed a woman to pass on citizenship to her children, this created a seismic cultural change in the society," Charrad noted at a conference last year. "This law challenged the entire patrilineal concept of the family."

Much of the credit for progress lies with the dynamic women's movements that came into being in North Africa during the 1980s and 1990s, explains Valentine M Moghadam, who promotes equality between men and women for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

Between law and practice
But progress has been halting and uneven. In 2005, Egypt granted women expanded divorce rights, for example, but efforts to change the law to allow women to travel without the permission of a husband or father were dropped by the government for fear that they were too radical to pass.

Moghadam notes that North African countries continue to support social practices that discriminate against women and are inconsistent with international treaties. Importantly, they are also against the laws of those countries.

"Egypt's Constitution grants equality to all citizens," she points out, but Egypt's family law contradicts that "by placing women under the guardianship", or legal control, of their fathers. Moghadam also notes that many discriminatory laws and practices in North Africa and the Middle East are seen as directly resulting from Islamic injunctions, while they in fact derive from tribal or pre-Islamic cultural practices.

Leila Rhiwi, a former director of a women's rights group in Morocco, who is currently the women's rights coordinator for Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia for the UN Development Fund for Women, observes that in many North African countries, "what we have seen is a change in the law, not a change in society". However, she says, "changes in the law make changes in the society possible".

Charrad agrees. "Legal changes made a difference in countries like Tunisia. The reforms happened in the 1950s. Women can now file for divorce more easily and custody is easier", but, she says, "socially, divorce remains very difficult because divorced women find themselves treated as outcasts".

"Despite the challenges," she continues, "we can no longer say that in the Muslim world it is hard to change women's rights. Women have really gained very significant rights in Tunisia and Morocco. We need to move away from the generalised statements about that part of the world and come up with a more nuanced way of looking at it. Once we see that some women have gained substantial rights, we can learn from those cases."

Entrenching new rights
Nowhere have women in North Africa made greater progress than in reproductive rights -- in fact, notably better than in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

Tunisian law protects the right of a woman to decide whether to practise birth control or have an abortion. The World Health Organisation estimates that contraceptive use in Tunisia grew from 24% in 1980 (the current rate in most of sub-Saharan Africa) to 63% in 2007. Nearly all Tunisian women live within 5km of a source of family planning and they typically wait until about age 27 to get married, compared to about age 16 in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

In Egypt, 96% of women live near a family planning centre and about 60% use the centres' services. In Algeria, the government reimburses people for purchasing contraceptives. And, in Algeria and Tunisia more than 90% of births take place in public health facilities so that many more mothers and babies survive childbirth.

To help women use their rights, advocacy organisations have pressed governments to give better access to the courts. Egypt introduced a new system of child support and alimony and has brought divorce and inheritance issues under one judicial authority.

Rebecca Chiao of the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights says that since the changes were made in Egypt, her group has helped about 6 000 women annually to understand and use the new regulations.

Entrenching these rights requires greater women's participation in political life, Rhiwi concludes, and here progress has been slow. It was only in 2002 that Morocco's political parties agreed to reserve 30 seats out of 325 for women in Parliament, while in Egypt women make up a meagre 8% of parliamentarians and occupy few Cabinet posts.

Those numbers remain a major hurdle, she acknowledges, and one that must be overcome if women are to continue to make progress. "We have to ensure that the changes will be real, effective and institutionalised."

Mary Kimani is a writer for United Nations Africa Renewal magazine
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-08-09-north-africa-a-decade-of-progress-for-womens-rights
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Unemployment rate in Morocco drops to 9.1%.
2008-08-08

Morocco's unemployment rate fell to 9.1% in the second quarter of the year, down from 9.4% in the same period in 2007, MAP quoted the High Commissioner for Planning (HCP) as saying on Thursday (August 7th). Urban unemployment dropped from 15% to 14%, while the rate in rural areas increased to 3.9% up from 3.4%. Some 19,000 jobs were created during the April-June period, said the same source.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/08/08/newsbrief-03
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Morocco hails first female district officers .
By Sarah Touahri  2008-07-27

Until recently, women were barred from attending Morocco's elite training academy for district officers. The graduation of the country's first female caids last week is seen as a milestone for equal rights. In what is being called a landmark event for gender equality in Morocco, the Royal Institute for Regional Government has granted training course diplomas to women for the first time since its founding in 1965. The 43rd cohort of new caids (district officers) who graduated Monday (July 21st) includes 19 women out of a total of 107.

According to teachers at the institute, which provides theoretical, military and on-the-job training, the first female caids have dazzled with their ability. One – Loubna Faez – obtained the highest mark in her year and will now be promoted directly to the post of District Chief.

"Women have shown that they’re just as capable as men of running all aspects of national affairs. This first cohort of female district officers is something Morocco should be very proud of," Faez commented.

Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa chaired last week's ceremony in Kenitra and praised the performance of the female graduates. He also noted that a woman "came first in her year".

The first group of female district officers in more than four decades strengthens the programme and helps build "a modern democratic society to ensure equality between man and woman", the minister said.

"By taking this step based on the values of fairness and equal opportunity, the main foundations of building modern Morocco, the Interior Ministry is determined to move forward on this path to... integrate the female element into the areas of authority and give them the opportunity to assume positions of responsibility," he added.

Women's organisations and NGOs have welcomed the move to bring equality for women. Initiatives of this kind mean that women are finally making their presence felt, noted Samira Bandouri of Together for Development.

"We've been waiting a long time for decision-makers to apply the principle of equal opportunities in all areas. Over the last few years women have finally been given a chance to show what they can do," she said.

Access for women to positions of responsibility demonstrates how Moroccan society has undergone a total transformation, said social science professor Miloud Boussafi: "Women now have a say in family matters. Traditions are changing little by little."

"The appointment of women to key posts has given Moroccan women a huge confidence boost," he added. Morocco must follow the lead of developed countries with regard to sexual equality, argues political science professor Mohamed Bendahmane. "A true democracy can only be created through effective participation by women occupying positions of responsibility. Officials have realised this over the last few years, and so now more women hold important posts," he told Magharebia.

The lower chamber of parliament now has 34 female members out of 325 under a quota system guaranteeing a minimum proportion of 10%. The current government has seven female ministers.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/07/27/feature-01
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Morocco's ONEP plans $615m of investment projects in 2008.
2008-07-27

Morocco's National Drinking Water Office (ONEP) has planned investment projects worth $615m in 2008, compared to $409m in 2007, MAP quoted Amina Benkhadra, Minister of Energy, Mines, Water, and the Environment as saying on Friday (July 25th). Benkhadra stressed the desalination of seawater as an alternative to face drought, in addition to adopting a national water policy.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/07/27/newsbrief-08
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Moroccan Bridge to… Andalusia!
Mohammad el-Ashab Al Hayat - 07/08/08

The descendants of Moroccan general Tariq Ibn Ziyad and Spanish King Felipe V are trying to once again bridge the gap between the two continents. What nature has achieved with volcanic eruptions, soil erosion and the sea extended between Europe and Africa, humankind now seeks to restore, by binding the branches to the roots.

Five centuries ago, Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain across the Atlantic to discover America. At around the same time, Moroccan geographer Al-Sharif Al-Idrisi advocated the spherical shape of the earth. It is paradoxical that Al-Idrisi lived in the city of Ceuta in Northern Morocco, today under Spanish occupation.

Today, it looks as if the most likely discovery at hand for both the Spanish and the Moroccans is submitting to the logic of nature by once again looking into the grand project of a land connection between Africa and Europe, in the form of a tunnel of colossal proportions, an accomplishment which had been difficult to imagine. However, scientific and technological progress has made it a matter of political will and financial capabilities. Such a tunnel would not merely be connecting two countries, as with the Channel Tunnel between France and Britain, but two continents.

Beyond the scientific and technical aspect of a project of such proportions, the initiative of bridging the continental gap between Europe and Africa has come from two countries, Spain and Morocco, which have yet to solve their political disputes over the fate of the occupied cities of Ceuta and Melilla. One cannot recall the common history of the two countries, from the Islamic Conquest to the collapse of the Taifa kingdoms and the fall of Andalusia, without mentioning the role played by these two cities, in peace and in war, in prosperity and in decline.

Nevertheless, it is true that the future perspectives of such a continent-connecting project will help overcome current difficulties and integrate border territories on the Mediterranean coast into a wider space for cooperation. As for Spain's claims of sovereignty over territories on the African continent, they can be toned down by providing it with face-saving economic and commercial interests. In turn, Morocco's demands in terms of holding on to sovereignty may be met with sympathy on the part of its northern neighbor by widening the scope of bilateral cooperation. Such cooperation will take on a continental dimension through which Spain, which has been aspiring to expand its influence vertically towards the African continent, can be confident of the new horizons ahead.

That is not the only gain. Morocco's opening up to Spain has represented a notable step towards overcoming sensitivities resulting from the influx of Moroccan goods into European space through Spain. If Spain reciprocates, it will provide Rabat with a privileged situation in its ties with Europe: more than a partnership and less than full membership.

Opening up at such an advanced degree will certainly benefit the region of North Africa as a whole. It will curb illegal immigration while allowing for the smooth flow of migrants within the framework of multilateral cooperation between countries of emigration and host countries, considering the increasing need of EU countries for both white-collar and blue-collar labor force. It will also be helpful in bringing the Arab Maghreb Union out of its slumber and paralysis, as the European Union wishes it to be its equivalent interlocutor. Added to that are the necessities imposed by integration into the Union for the Mediterranean, especially as one of the Union's priorities is the implementation of concrete projects, including transports and establishing additional duty-free zones, as well as trading political clichés with concrete economic terms.

When Morocco and Spain go to Luxemburg to put forth the project of an intercontinental land connection between Africa and Europe, many will be absent: the Arab Maghreb Union, which is facing difficulties in proving itself; the African Union, of which Morocco is not a member; and the Arab League, which can revive a trilateral dialogue between Africa, Europe and the Arab World. However, the opportunity has not yet passed, as the project is still being formed and Arab countries should get involved. The road back to Andalusia is paved with new concepts and values, ones which adopt the language of the age.
http://english.daralhayat.com/opinion/OPED/08-2008/Article-20080807-9d7591ee-c0a8-10ed-01bf-ee33546d8136/story.html
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North African native visits town.
8/7/08

Maha Bamaarouf is part of a contingent of Middle Eastern and North African students studying for a short time at Roger Williams University

Cultural differences: “This is what really impressed me the most. We met Attorney General Patrick Lynch. He was so modest, so down to earth. All my Arab fellows were really impressed by his modesty. In Morocco, high officials are almost not touched by the public, even a principal in a high school is not accessible at all.”

Home turf: “The neighborhood I’m living in is a little bit dangerous. I could easily follow the wrong path. The guys especially in my neighborhood would drop out to work. They give up on their studies.”

Teaching: “My mom and I came up with this idea. We rented a small apartment in our neighborhood. We tutor kids from primary school and high school who have issues with English and French and mathematics. We ask for 50 dirhams a year; $5, to help pay for the rent.”

Changes: “We do have a high unemployment. People see hope. The new king is making changes. There is the government, but the last decision is actually his. People love him actually. The queen used to live in my neighborhood, a modest neighborhood. He met her when he was giving out the diplomas for the top students.”

Multi-lingual: “I speak Korean and French and Arabic, and English. Everyone speaks three to four languages back home.”

Spare time: “I like photography. I take a lot of pictures. I have friends who are in rock bands. I take (band) photos and upload them to their home page. I take Sel-ca — it means taking photos of yourself. It’s a Korean thing. It’s not a close-up. It just looks like someone has taken your picture when you were not looking.”

After graduation: “I don’t have a clear idea, what I’m going to do, but it will probably be something in education.”

Dating protocol: “We’re Muslims, but we’re pretty open. It is okay, but not okay at the same time. It really depends on the family. In some families you can say ‘I really like this guy. I think he will ask me out.’ In Morocco it’s okay, if he has the intention of marrying you.”

Big brother: “Then again there is a lot of paradox going on. There are some families where big brothers are given a lot of power. Some big brothers ask friends to make sure their sister is not dating. It depends a lot on the parents. My big brother is my best friend.”

Favorite food: “I like salty stuff and hot stuff. In Morocco we would prefer to go with salt and spiciness than sugar.”

Philosophy of life: “One of my favorite codes is actually in Arabic, very hard to translate. Just do it (like) Nike. I could just give up with all the obstructions I faced in my life, but I found I can have my own
http://www.eastbayri.com/detail/76811.html
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Moroccan artists receive professional ID cards.
By Sarah Touahri  2008-08-07

The first ID cards have been issued to artists in Morocco, in the latest official step the government has taken to improve and regulate the profession. Moroccan artists are to be issued a professional ID card by the Ministry of Culture for the first time. The first cards – distributed by King Mohammed VI last Wednesday (July 30th) during Throne Day celebrations – represent the latest step in organising the artistic profession, after medical coverage was made available on March 28th.

The measure will afford artists a more structured environment in which to work.
Culture Minister Touriya Jabrane called the initiative the culmination of several years of effort to improve recognition of the work of Moroccan artists and intellectuals, who generate new ideas and promote noble humanitarian values.

"This card is not just symbolic," she said. "It allows its bearer to benefit from a stable professional situation and gives social advantages. This document is also a reflection of the importance accorded by the state and society to the task of organising and developing the artistic profession."

Hassan Nafali, an advisor at the culture ministry, explained that this measure should make it easier for unions to protect the profession, particularly by bringing pressure to bear on employers. He says that officials will now be able to carry out inspections at film-making sites, to check that artists' rights have been respected and respond with legal action where they are not.

Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi said the next step is to pay closer attention to artists' social situation, to ensure the conditions necessary to promote creativity are being provided.

Artists welcomed the long-awaited initiative, saying it is a move in the right direction. Humourist Hassan El Fad says it is a symbol of the authorities' recognition of a profession which has been marginalised for many years.

The artistic trade has suffered from anarchy for a long time, said Amazigh singer Fatima Tabaâmranete. She feels the artist card will help to regulate the profession.

Said El Imam, a composer and a committee member in the National Association of Artists, also said chaos has reigned in the arts since independence, and that it is high time to make changes.

"We have two categories of artist," he said. "On the one hand, there are those who are recognised, and on the other hand there are those who seek recognition. The latter will have to provide references from the institutions in which they have worked."

Young musician Fathi Mouden said the fight to normalise the sector will enable talented youngsters to find the place they deserve on a crowded stage where there is a lack of real producers.

"We earnestly hope that the veterans will not decide to chase the youngsters away. Organisation of our trade will even make it possible to regulate revenues and will allow artists to live decently, rather than seeking additional work to meet the expenses of everyday living," he said. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/08/07/feature-02
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A Walk Through the Medina.
Global Beat Fusion 4 August 2008 by Derek Beres

It's fascinating to think that a culture that produces such deep and soulful bass music could also contact its spirits via the shrieking, grating sounds of this flute, yet such is the nature of Moroccan music.

While it did not surprise me to hear Hassan Hakmoun blasting from giant stereo cabinets suspended from metal chains inside Fes’ medina —the largest non-automobile city on the planet —I was a little more taken aback to hear Souad Massi. Not that it should be odd; Algeria is a stone’s throw from Morocco. It’s just that inside a city playing such upbeat music —plenty of Gnawa and Arabic tunes, as well as the occasional hip-hop and even Nine Inch Nails —the sensual strains of “Raoui [The Storyteller]” was a nice break, especially blasting from the rooftop café near Bab Bajloud where I sat many a night drinking mint tea and soaking up bread in the broth from the couscous.

While covering the Sacred World Music Festival for PopMatters (much more detailed coverage will be posted soon), I was expecting to be greeted by a musical culture. It is true; there were plenty of stores blaring various sounds, and my petit cab drivers played music that ranged from recitations of the Qu’ran and horrible Arab electronica to Pink Floyd and some form of disco that shouldn’t have been created in the first place. I found it odd that a number of them asked if I wanted to hear American music —that was the last thing I wanted to hear in a country as sonically rich as Morocco. Cross-cultural fascination works in both directions, however.

So while my assignment was to cover performances at festival venues, my real fascination was with uncovering local music that I couldn’t find anywhere near New York City. This task was accomplished, for the most part, although it proved more of a challenge than I expected. Being that I speak little French and no Arabic, communication was a problem. Fortunately, I found a great little record store just inside the medina that did not care if the plastic wrappers stayed on the CDs. They gladly unwrapped any album, playing it inside that bass-heavy cabinet that I smacked the back of my head into (twice) during my time there.

Bass is something Morocco has always gotten right. The many-named bass lute —known as the sintir, guembri, or hejhouj —is the heartbeat of its indigenous music. Outside the lilting strings of Arabian orchestras that dominate its pop music, this is a culture dependant on the low-end. The ritual nature of Gnawa music, which leads dancers into trance, is built upon a flurry of percussion, chants, and bass. The other prominent instrument in folk music, known thanks to the ethno-musicological work of Brion Gysin and Paul Bowles (and later Brian Jones), is the double reed rhaita. It is fascinating to think that a culture that produces such deep and soulful bass music could also contact its spirits via the shrieking, grating sounds of this flute, yet such is the nature of Moroccan music and, as I would find out numerously during my nine days in Fes, the culture itself.

While the American recording industry continues its uncertain evolution, gingerly and tentatively putting out feelers of how to stay in business, this was of no concern in the medina. Even the “legitimate” record stores (compared to the cart-pushers set up streetside with crappy boomboxes) sold bootlegs. My first purchase —two albums that I cannot properly review because all the script is in Arabic and the CDs are burned versions —cost me 70 dirhams ($9). The pusher asked for 40 dirhams apiece, a bargain considering one was an mp3 CD-R with 35 Gnawa tracks on it. Still, I had to haggle, since you can never purchase anything in Fes without doing so. It was only after walking 20 feet down the road to an actual store that I found out burned CDs cost 20 dirhams ($2.59), and realized I had been had.

Then again, being had is relative in a black market economy. In my mind, everyone made out in some manner, especially considering the eight albums I picked up inside that store cost me 160 dirhams ($20.72). I had known of only one: Gnawa Diffusion’s Souk System, a popular reggae/electronica/Gnawa outfit from Algeria. I’ve had a number of their tracks from various compilations. Like this album, their songs are a mixed bag. Their electronica and hip-hop tend to be a little popish for my taste, but their traditional Gnawa sounds are impeccable, and they usually blend reggae with an astute touch of class. After sampling four of their records, Souk System appealed to me most, and after taking it home and listening to it numerously, the decision was a good one.

A group of children play in the Mellah, the old Jewish quarters of Fes’ medina.
The shopkeeper tried to pimp Orchestra National de Barbes, an Algerian/Moroccan rock fusion project, but I’d had the record for years. I was excited when he pulled out Akrab, who he told me was half the members of Barbes after they broke up. I didn’t need to listen; I put it into my pile right away. Yet when I got home, it didn’t impress me nearly as much as the first —it was over-the-top pop, with shiny saxophones and expectable guitar lines. When they perform traditional Gnawa music, though, they’re as good as ever. I’ve found most Gnawa “fusion” lacking. Even with someone like Hassan Hakmoun, whose rock-based interpretations I quite enjoy, there is simply nothing like the traditional craft they were born into.

Another disappointment was L’Oud Marocain, a recording of oud playing. The first two songs were more acoustic; that’s what I heard in the store. Upon returning home I winced to the rest of the album, whose artist felt it was a good idea to play this beautiful lyre over beats that sound preprogrammed on a Casio keyboard. When the calypso oud kicked in, I shut it off, and have not put it into my iMac again.

Much more impressive is Ahmed Nasr’s Kanoon Bazaar #2, which is listed on the jacket as #1. The only reason I know it is by Nasr (as the rest of the cover is in Arabic) is because the songs are registered on iTunes. After seeing a wonderful performance by Lebanese singer Ghada Shbéïr and her qanan player at Batha Museum, I was inspired to find more music from that instrument. Nasr plays the edge of dangerous territory here being accompanied by a piano, a surefire recipe for New Age disaster. Yet he pulls it off, in a manner similar to Cuban pianist Omar Sosa performing alongside Nass Marrakech on Bouderbala: meditative, explorative, and beautiful.

I had to buy Mahmmoud Guinia’s four-track Gnawa album due to the cover alone: he sits cross-legged holding his sintir, dressed in a vibrant pink and brown striped shirt with yellow squares and light orange corduroy pants, with a deep orange background decorated with yellow and blue Arabic script. The expression on his face makes him look like he’s playing Frank Sinatra covers, but the album turned out to be very good, despite its horrible recording quality. On the back is an ad for six more albums (including another by Guinia with the same photo cropped into an absurdly bright green backdrop), four of which are by H.M. Damciri that look so insanely painful that I know the music has to be amazing.

Finally, we get to Nass El Ghiwane, perhaps the most well known Gnawa band on the planet. Formed in the late ‘60s in Casablanca, this outfit injected a political and social cause behind its Gnawa tradition, and has time and again been an empowering voice of the people of Morocco. Unfortunately I left Fes the day before the group performed, later told that I missed the best show of the entire festival. I made a good purchase in Essamta, but only upon returning and trading that album for a copy of Transe Music du Maroc did I really get hit with the full force of this band.

Despite poor recording qualities, there’s something warm and bright about the music of the medina. While there have been great efforts to digitize Moroccan music —Bill Laswell’s bass playing and production on Maghrebika’s Neftakhir and Cheb I Sabbah’s La Kahena come to mind —sometimes the muddle is part of the charm, like the analog sounds from Lee Perry’s Black Ark in 1960s Jamaica. Just as you cannot simply lay social and political systems into foreign territories, the music of Morocco mimics the sounds of the street: the 15-year-old boys I kept encountering with sintir and krakebs, playing their hearts out like it’s the only thing in the world that matters. To them, as many others, perhaps it is.
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/61114/a-walk-through-the-medina/
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Morocco's Gentle War On Terror.
TIME By Tim McGirk / Sale Wednesday, Aug. 06, 2008

The three teenage girls sniffing glue in the back of the bus must have thought the fumes had melted their brains. Here they were in the North African kingdom of Morocco, riding into a slum in the town of Salé. Yet as they peered through the window of the bus, they could see a giant poster on the side of a house, featuring a leering Saddam Hussein holding a rifle. Stranger sights lay ahead: as the bus rounded a corner, the street was full of Iraqis and American soldiers in Humvees.

"They're filming a movie. We're supposed to be Baghdad," one passenger explained, and the girls returned to their glue. Sure enough, director Ridley Scott was shooting a political thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, and Morocco — with its deserts, craggy peaks and labyrinthine bazaars — was his tame cinematic stand-in for Iraq.

Hollywood isn't alone in wanting to turn Morocco into Iraq. Al-Qaeda, and a small but virulent band of loosely associated jihadis, would also love to make their mark in this nation of 34 million. They see corruption, spreading slums and 15% unemployment as fertile ground to sow their extremism. Similar conditions in neighboring Algeria gave rise to an ongoing civil war between security forces and armed Islamists that has left 150,000 dead. Morocco is next in the jihadis' crosshairs.

It so happened that one of Morocco's weapons against this jihadi fantasy was also riding the bus that day, a seat in front of the glue-sniffing trio. With her chubby cheeks, quiet voice and large glasses, Fatima Zohra al Salfi makes an unlikely heroine, and she's clearly nervous about a few of the sinister-looking passengers on the bus. What al Salfi has going for her is the same thing the jihadis have: religion. She is a murshida, a Muslim "guide" or preacher, and as such a rarity in the Islamic world, in which religious instruction is usually the preserve of men. The government-sponsored religious training that al Salfi and other female preachers have undergone is unique in Islam. But Moroccan officials say other countries, including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, have also expressed keen interest in the idea of using a woman's touch as an antidote to extremism.

Al Salfi knows the Koran by heart and is prepared to do battle with the Islamic extremists on their turf — in prisons and in shantytowns where sometimes the only escape from despair is through the fumes of glue or hashish or a DVD of an al-Qaeda sermon extolling the pleasures that await a martyr in paradise. "If I found someone who wanted to blow herself up," says al Salfi, "I'd recite a verse from the Koran telling her that in Allah's eyes, suicide is the road to perdition."

But her mission is not just a matter of combatting extremism. Al Salfi and the other 200 women graduates from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs' new training school for murshida also want to help restore what they see as women's rightful place within Islam. They take inspiration from the strong and often opinionated wives of the Prophet Muhammad. One wife, Khadija, helped him recognize that Satan once came to him disguised as the Archangel Gabriel; another wife, Aisha, was the source for many of the sayings and deeds of Muhammad, who trusted her wisdom and integrity. "For centuries, women have been distanced from religion, from the pillars of Islam," says Rajaa Naji El Makaoui, a law professor in Rabat who, in 2003, was the first woman ever invited to give a speech at the royal palace during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. It is time, she adds, for women to assume their equal role once more. Or, at least, almost equal. The female guides perform nearly all the same functions as male imams, or preachers, except that they are not allowed to deliver the Friday sermon in mosques.

In conservative Morocco, these female preachers could never have gained acceptance without a nod from King Mohammed VI, a progressive when it comes to women's rights. One of the monarch's first decrees on ascending the throne in 1999 was to throw open the doors of his father's harem in Rabat, pensioning off dozens of concubines who had rarely been allowed outside the palace walls. He later pushed for a reform in family law, giving women more rights than in most Muslim countries in matters of divorce, property and her husband's choice of subsequent wives. (Islam permits up to four wives, but in Morocco the first wife must now approve of her husband taking additional wives.) The result: divorce is up, polygamy down.

A Kinder, Gentler Faith
Inside the Salé shantytown mosque, more than 300 women of all ages are waiting for al Salfi, whose voice gathers volume and fluency as she warms to the subject of how women should behave in a mosque. Lesson 1: Refrain from gossip. Afterwards, women tell her of their family woes, confiding about the daughter turned prostitute, say, or the drunken husband who punches his wife. "Sometimes it's as much about psychology as it is religion," says the murshida program director, Mohamed Amin Chouabi, who notes that their year-long training teaches the women preachers how to deal with modern-day problems ranging from aids to alcoholism.

Indeed, the murshidas' role is in part to protect Moroccans from the moral dangers that modernity brings. Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Toufiq told TIME: "The world is wide open. We have satellite TV in the highest villages of the Atlas mountains, and we can't escape these alien influences. All we can do is find an immunity within the body."

The best immunity, says Toufiq, is to revive the kinder, gentler form of Sufi Islam that spread through North Africa and Spain between the 9th and 13th centuries, a golden age known for its art, philosophy and tolerance. This is the kind of Islam that Toufiq is trying to recreate in the training schools for women guides and male imams. Not only the Koran is taught — so, too, are Greek philosophy, Christianity and Judaism.

This Islam stands in direct contrast to the puritanical version preached by today's jihadis. Says Toufiq: "These extremists say we're infidels because we don't pray correctly — even if I'm a Muslim and I believe in Allah and his Prophet Muhammad. We didn't think these people existed here until they started blowing things up."

The wake-up call arrived in May 2003, when al-Qaeda suicide bombers killed 45 people and wounded dozens of others in Casablanca in explosions outside a luxury hotel, a Jewish center, a Spanish restaurant, a social club and the Belgian consulate. Since then, Morocco has been rocked by scattered acts of terrorism, and in February police arrested 38 people who were allegedly members of an extremist gang suspected of pulling off robberies in Europe in the mid-1990s to bankroll a plot to assassinate Moroccan ministers and police chiefs. "We also know that Moroccans are feeding into the pipeline of foreign fighters going to Iraq," says a Western diplomat in Rabat. A disproportionate number of them, he adds, end up as suicide bombers. Police say that since February they have arrested more than 70 suspected extremists and broken up two jihadi cells that funneled recruits to Iraq.

Jihadis challenge one of the pillars that have kept the Moroccan monarchy stable since independence in 1956: the idea that the King, as a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, is a Commander of the Faithful — a temporal and spiritual ruler rolled into one. When Mohammed VI first came to power, this exalted title jarred with his public image as a rather shy leader less enthused about statecraft than about computer games and the water sports that earned him the nickname His MaJetski. His relaxed behavior in the first years of his reign made him an easy target for jihadi propagandists. But after the Casablanca bombings, the King began to assume more control: he ditched a few of his late father's widely unpopular courtiers, signed off on a budget for rural education — literacy countrywide is 52% — and built low-income housing in Casablanca and Rabat.

Mohammed VI predicted that the terrorist attacks in Casablanca would be the last to jolt the country. But that forecast proved overly optimistic, despite the jailing of more than 500 suspected Islamists. Moreover, says Hakim El Rissai, a senior researcher at the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, the police crackdown has only fueled resentment against the regime: "The police here aren't very methodical. They arrest 200 people to catch one terrorist." This repression, adds El Rissai, "is turning the jihadis into martyrs."

Islamic-affairs officials know that simply advocating a more open and compassionate version of the faith is not enough to counter the radicals' incendiary message. What happens inside the kingdom's mosques is also now under scrutiny. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs suggests bland sermon topics — one recent theme was road safety — and the Ministry has passed out a guideline of dos and don'ts for the imams. Many mosques have been equipped with closed-circuit TVs so officials can monitor what goes on inside.

Not everyone is buying the move to moderation. The most credible critic of the regime is a fashionably attired woman who covers her hair, Islamic-style, with a Parisian silk scarf. Nadia Yassine leads the Justice and Spirituality Movement, a nonviolent organization with more than 35,000 members and many more sympathizers. She scoffs at the government's efforts to combat religious radicalism by standardizing Koranic teaching and sending female guides into the slums: "This is Islam Lite. It's like throwing powder in our eyes to distract us." She argues that "real changes" are impossible without improving Morocco's level of education.

When her father, Imam Abdessalam Yassine, a respected Sufi cleric, made similar remarks during the reign of the last King, he was incarcerated in an insane asylum, and she concedes that political freedom has improved under Mohammed VI. Nadia Yassine also welcomes the fact that women are now allowed to conduct religious activities. "We need to restore a version of Islam that has less machismo," she says. After all, such efforts to bolster a gentler, more moderate form of Islam may stop Morocco turning into Iraq once Hollywood's cameras stop rolling.
With reporting by Merieme Addou/Rabat
Find this article at: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1829931,00.html
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Arabian adventure that left Michael stunned.
Aug 4 2008 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

My partner Michael celebrated his 40th birthday last week, and he thought reaching this milestone would be a nice low key affair as I’d treated him to a luxury pamper day at Titanic Spa in Linthwaite.

What he hadn’t realised was that his treat was planned to get him out of the way for a day while I set the wheels in motion for his surprise party.

I’d invited 200 family and friends to our house for an Arabian Nights themed bash, and managed to keep it all hush hush.

On the front lawn I’d arranged for a large Moroccan tent decked out with rugs, cushions, lanterns and draped with loads of plush fabrics and even a dancefloor in one corner.

We’ve also recently bought our own inflatable marquee to use for other events but when it arrived in a bag resembling a pile of laundry I wasn’t sure if we’d done the right thing. So we decided to have a go and put that up on the back lawn.

I’d definitely under estimated quite how gigantic it was and as soon as it started to inflate it became clear that the back lawn was in no way big enough so I enlisted the help of 8 guys to help move it. Once it was up it resembled an enormous square ice cube and looked fabulously funky so we set up the bars in there.

On the other side of the lawn I’d hired a Moroccan band and a bucking camel – just like a bucking bronco but a camel to keep with the Arabian theme.

All the guests looked amazing in their Arabian costumes and I’d brought over loads of kaftans, slippers and fezzes from Morocco so everyone was dressed for the occasion.

When Michael drove up the drive we all hid in the Moroccan tent and the band played Happy Birthday Moroccan style. He couldn’t believe his eyes as when he’d set off from home that morning I was still in bed and he hadn’t even had a sniff of suspicion.

I quickly dragged him onto the lawn for a belly dancing lesson with Sophie Mei who reached the semi-finals of Britain’s got talent and the party was in full swing.

Of all the parties we’ve thrown this has to be one of the best – everyone was having a fantastic time and it was the hottest day of the year. Michael was thrilled.

But he always wants revenge when I pull a surprise on him so when we were all tucking into Moroccan lamb at the barbecue area he asked me to pose for a photo with him next to the pond. The next thing I knew I was pushed in backwards and went completely under – re-surfacing with my white kaftan covered in mud and reeds!

After getting showered and changed, I got even with him again when he was made to sit on a throne outside the Moroccan tent with a 12-ft python round his neck – he has a phobia of snakes too so you can imagine that went down well.

We danced the rest of the night away in the Moroccan tent as Michael’s favourite DJ, Karl Lucas entertained us all – he can always get everyone up on the dancefloor whatever the mood. He’s the best party DJ I’ve ever seen and has given his services for free at our charity bonfire parties over the last few years.

We’ll never forget Michael’s 40th party – particularly as we took 2,000 photos for the family album. After such an exhausting weekend we needed some recovery time so we donned our kaftans again and flew off to Morocco for some authentic Arabian culture.
http://www.examiner.co.uk/views-and-blogs/columnists/terry-george/2008/08/04/arabian-adventure-that-left-michael-stunned-86081-21458752\
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Is  Morocco a model for curbing extremism?
By Helen Wilkinson

The British government's recent announcement about tackling religious extremism by giving young Muslims "citizenship lessons" among other things is an interesting one. It's easy to sneer at initiatives in the face of the omnipresent threat of Muslim religious extremism worldwide, but Britain is not the only country pursuing such an approach. So too is Morocco, where I live for part of the year.

On the edge of Europe, Morocco stands proudly in the Arab Muslim world. While Islam is the state religion, King Mohammed VI has placed Morocco firmly in alliance with the West.

His approach has provoked reaction. On 16 May 2003, suicide bombers in Casablanca killed 45 people, heralding a resurgence of religious fundamentalism and signalling a wake-up call for the King. Terrorism touched Moroccan citizens and also put at risk the King's strategy for foreign investment and tourism.

The parliamentary elections in Morocco last September had a record low turnout (of only 37 percent), especially among the youth. The implications are not lost on King Mohammed. Neighbouring Algeria casts its dark violent shadow over this small country. The King knows he must give Moroccans – especially young unemployed men – a reason to invest in the country's political and economic future. Otherwise, Muslim extremists will find new recruits just as they did in Algeria. Some will find their way to Europe and the West, just as others will stay in Morocco itself. That's why King Mohammed needs to bring jobs and foreign investment if he is to curtail the threat.

But he is not content to rely on economic growth alone. The King understands that it is in civil society that the battle to contain Muslim extremists will be won. Education is therefore also essential. As Islam is the state religion, the kinds of controversies that muddy the waters in Britain are less apparent. Not that his initiative is without controversy, for the King has gone beyond traditionalists and is feminising the face of Islam. Women, he believes, can be the purveyors of a mainstream humanitarian Islamic message.

At the heart of King Mohammed's initiative is the recruitment and education of female guides. This initiative first made news in April 2006 when the Moroccan government announced that the first 50 had graduated. The second class – another 50 – is currently being prepared for their role in the capital, Rabat.

They will work in local communities helping women with religious questions and giving support in schools and prisons. By working face-to-face in the community, women (still the primary care givers and nurturers in Moroccan society in their role as mothers, sisters, aunts, friends and community guardians), will present the mainstream face of Islam and curtail fundamentalist violent excesses.

September 11, 2001 showed that in an increasingly global interconnected world, terrorism, like trade, knows no boundaries. King Mohammed's initiatives are leading the way in understanding another implication – namely that cross-cultural understanding is vital, and that women can lead the way in moderating the messages of Islam.

The British government and leaders of the Muslim community there should adopt the Moroccan king's approach. In Britain, the paucity of women speaking on behalf of and for the Muslim community is striking, yet education starts inside homes and families, and continues in the informal spaces of civil society – like voluntary groups, schools, and mosques.

To tackle the terrorist threat, and stop the subversion of Islam in its name, the face of Islam must be feminised in both the public and private sphere in Britain. And initiatives that promote interfaith communication and cross-cultural understanding must be supported. Without this – as chairman of City Circle, Asim Siddiqui, points out – in a culture where religion and the state are separate, Muslims and others will distrust initiatives which target one sector of the community without reaching out to others.
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* Helen Wilkinson is author of Time Out – The Costs and Benefits of Paid Parental Leave and a director of Genderquake Limited. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews)
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/viewarticles.php?editorialid=589
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Islamism and Heavy Metal.
By Mark Levine
Today's post is a guest blog from Mark LeVine, Professor of Middle Eastern history, culture and Islamic Studies at UC Irvine and author, most recently, of Heavy Metal
Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam (Three Rivers Press/Random House).
Heavy metal has had a more powerful and controversial appeal than perhaps any other element of Western culture that has taken hold in the Muslim world. It might seem strange that a genre of music long associated with sex, drugs and even Satan worship should be popular in Muslim countries. But heavy metal can't be reduced to the "hair" or "glam" metal epitomized by one-time MTV staple bands such as Motley Crue or Quiet Riot. Instead, the much harsher sound of death, doom and other forms of extreme metal are winning a growing following across the Muslim world.

This is partly because the subjects these and other extreme metal bands deal with - death without meaning, the futility of violence, the corruption of power - correspond well to the issues confronting hundreds of millions of young Muslims today, the majority of whom live under authoritarian governments in societies torn by inequality, underdevelopment and various types of violent conflict.

As one of the founders of the Moroccan metal scene, the Sorbonne-educated Reda Zine, explained to me when I first met him: "We play heavy metal because our lives are heavy metal."

Middle Eastern metal isn't merely an outlet for youthful frustration. It offers fans a sense of community, "affirming life" through its seemingly morbid focus on death, creating a space outside of government control to express identities that don't conform to those sponsored or desired by undemocratic regimes and conservative religious establishments.

The characteristics that make metal increasingly popular across the Muslim world are the same qualities that have long made Islamist movements popular as well. And in a region with the world's highest percentage of young people (in many countries more than half of the population is under 25 years old) there is a huge constituency for the kind of community and solidarity that both metal and Islamist movements offer. In Morocco, for example, only two groups could bring 100,000 people into the streets: the rock band Hoba Hoba Spirit and the semi-illegal social-political religious organization, the Justice and Spirituality movement.

Certainly, the region's various religious movements have a far larger base of support than rock, metal, hip-hop or other forms of pop music, despite pop music's rapidly growing fan base. But with festivals in Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and Dubai attracting tens of thousands of fans, and a growing list of music video channels catering to the youth demographic (Pakistan alone has upwards of a dozen 24-hour video channels), there's no doubt that rock music is playing an increasingly important role in shaping the identities and attitudes of young people around the Muslim world.

Historically, Islamists and metalheads have been on opposite ends of the political and cultural spectrum. Conservative religious establishments have supported and even encouraged crackdowns against the metal scenes in Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon and Iran. In Egypt's case, the Grand Mufti actually called for the death penalty