-Do you have a diploma ? – No, I am French

    While Tunisians, Egyptian, Libyans and Syrians have taken to the streets in waves to topple their authoritarian regime, Moroccans, mainly in Tangier and Tetouan, are doing so in troops to topple the French companies that  were confided with the mission of handling their cities water and electricity distribution network. So, how can we boast about our independence while French companies are still holding the reins of the most vital public services? The answer is always the painful reality that French occupation left from the door to return from the rear window in the form of giant companies whose interests have been already guaranteed by a hodgepodge of opportunists in the Independence party. Veolia, Lydec, RYDAL, Amandes and many others are actually real vampires that have been plundering and torturing the Moroccans in a sadistically and with an unconditional aid of a bunch of cousins and colleagues who were taught and trained in  « l’École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées de Paris » and other elite schools in France.

    Lately, all Moroccans got shocked when they heard of Sarkosy’s inauguration of the TGV high speed train production that was assigned to Alstom, another French multinational company. We all asked sarcastically « are we really in need to TGV while mules and donkeys are still the main means of transport for aconsiderable number of Moroccans who also think days and nights before getting into a dilapidated trains either fearing for their safety or lacking money for the expensive ticket? ». The truth is that it is France which is in dire need to sign profitable deals for its hungary and drooling companies and Alstom was the one that was saved from the crisis that is storming Europe these days and the Moroccans are the ones who will pay the bill and save France from Greece nightmare. When we talk about TGV of course we talk also about what follows the manufacturing, meaning  maintenance, renovation, services, training and above all the employment of the French idles.

     I once had the misfortune to meet a French citizen thinking she was a tourist, but later in the discussion I discovered that she works for a French company here in Morocco and when I asked her about her degree, she replied proudly « I am French » as if her nationality is enough to guarantee her a respected job with a great salary. Actually, Morocco has become mecca for the unemployed and desperate French people who are seeking work and the only diploma they may have is their ID card or their red passport.

    After having their unemployed people appointed and settled in good jobs in Morocco, the French government launched what is now called the “May 31 Circular” demanding a stricter application of the law regarding the status of foreign students applying for work permits and demanding a tightening of the number of permits issued. Accordingly, Several Moroccan graduates students have been catapulted back to Morocco after being denied a work permit. Therefore, the Moroccan expiring government that fails to deal with the local unemployment has to find a way out to absorb a flow of graduates coming from France. Some of these students have studied in the most pionnering of the French institutions and imbidded its culture and ideology and went the whole hog. What I am afraid from is having  another lobby, ready more than the first to secure the French economic existence in Morocco, but we have to bear in mind that France is still holding the colonizer mentality and Morocco, as long as being held by those betrayers,  will remain backyard  garden.

     France relations with Morocco are governed by interest and nothing but the interest of its giant companies and its people and Sarkozy who had once the guts to deny the overthrown Zero Ben Ali's request to host him in France won’t give it a second thought to throw away the Moroccan students for the prosperity and safety of his country. 

عن اي مقدس تتحدث في قضايانا الترابية؟

أسس الخطاب الملكي للتاسع من مارس لرؤيا المغرب المنشود في المستقبل. مغرب الكرامة و العدالة و المحاسبة والحرية والمسؤولية. ولكن هذا  الخطاب سيضل مجرد ظاهرة صوتية إن لم تكن أهدافنا واضحة وما نعنيه بالثوابت محسوم في أمره. ودعوني أتساءل معكم: ما هو الثابت و المقدس في القضايا الترابية؟

  أتذكر كيف كانت تعرض التلفزة المغربية خلال النشرة الجوية خريطة المغرب العربي بكاملها من ليبيا إلى موريتانيا و ليس فقط خريطة المغرب الأقصى كما هو الحال الآن.  وكنت أضن بسذاجة الصبا أن مساحة المغرب هي التي تظهر على الشاشة.  ولجت المدرسة ليأتيني معلمي بخبر عاجل مفاده أن المغرب يمثل فقط تلك البقعة الأرضية في الشمال الغربي للخريطة و مساحته لا تتعدى 710 ألف كلم مربع  في حين أن المساحات الأخرى هي لبلدان قيل لنا أنها شقيقة. تحول الإحساس بالفخر إلى هزيمة نفسية عميقة لزالت تردداتها تعودني بين الفينة و الأخرى. لقد تم تحطيم تمثل سابق لطالما شكل مصدر عضمة و اعتزاز. ومع مرور السنوات الدراسية وتطور المعارف والنضج النسبي للتفكير النقدي تحولت تلك الهزيمة إلى إحساس بالخزي و الذل بمجرد إدراكي أن حتى تلك الكيلومترات المربعة التي نتشدق بامتلاكها هي إما سليبة أو محط جدال. هذا وما يغيظني هو ما نسمعه في بعض "المهاضرات" عن ضرورة التكتل حول القضية الترابية للمملكة و ترسيخها كمقدسات في نفوسنا و مجتمعاتنا. فعن أي مقدسات نتكلم ؟ و ما معنى المقدس؟

    كمواطن مغربي غيور على وطنه و حريص على ترابه "شبر شبر"، أومن إيمانا راسخا لا يعتريه شك أن الصحراء المغربية هي تابت وطني بالنضر إلى الأطراف المتداخلة و الأهمية الإستراتيجية للمنطقة و الميزانية المهولة المخصصة لها و فوق كل هدا و داك فهي رمز لهيبة و كرامة المملكة داخليا و خارجيا.  غير انه ما يستوقفني هنا هو المشهد الضبابي المتسم بكثرة القضايا الترابية المقدسة بالمغرب تعتبر فيه بعض القضايا أكثر أو أقل قدسية من الأخرى. هكذا يمكن لأي جماعة داخل هدا الوطن أن تصنف أي قضية ترابية حسب مدى قدسيتها و درجة ثقل وزنها الاقتصادي و الاجتماعي و السياسي على حياة المواطن المغربي العادي. فما القضية الأكثر قداسة: هل الصحراء المغربية ام سبتة و مليلية ام مياهنا الإقليمية ام....؟

    ما يقال عن مساحتنا الترابية يقال مضاعفا عن مساحة مياهنا الإقليمية التي تناهز المليون كلم مربع و لا يخفى على عاقل القيمة التي تحتلها البحار عند الدول التي تقدر هدا المصدر الحيوي و تعمل جاهدة على حسن استغلاله استغلالا يعود بالخير و المنفعة على شعوبها. أما عندنا، فقد تم على غرار ما يقع على التراب تفويتها عبر رخص قانونية وأخرى مشبوهة و ببلادة لأشخاص يعلمون قيمة هده الثروة. و طبعا نصيب المغربي من بحاره الشاسعة حددت في أمتار معدودة يزورها في أوقات معلومة و الحديث هنا عن الشواطئ المغربية التي تحج فقط صيفا و لمن استطاع إليها سبيل. أما معرفة المواطن العادي بثروة بحاره فتقتصر على السردين أما الباقي فيسمع عنه في وثائقيان ناسيونال جيوغرافي.  لأكرر و أعيد ما والمقدس ادن في القضية الترابية؟

    التحدث عن البحار بحمولتها الاقتصادية والسياسية و الروحية يدعونا لاستحضار و بحزن عميق مدينتي سبتة و مليلية المدينتين الساحليتين المتنازل عنهما (و ليس المتنازع عليهما). قيمة هاتين المدينتين لا يمكن أن تقدر بثمن أد مجرد الرؤية إليهما تجعل كل مغربي يذرف دمع الذل و الهوان و الخنوع. فما هو المقدس في القضية الترابية يا ترى؟

     بتعمقنا أكثر في أرشيف المغرب من خلال كتاب "مجمل تاريخ المغرب" لعبد الله العروي نستشف أن المغرب كدولة أخدت في التقلص. إذ منذ 1830 إلى حدود الساعة تقلصت مساحته من 100 إلى 33 ويمكن أن نتتبع بشكل سريع مضمون العديد من المعاهدات التي وقع عليها ملوك المغرب على طول تلك الحقبة و التي تم بموجبها إما التنازل أو التسليم أوالخسران. و نذكر من ضمن تلك المعاهدات: لآلة مغنية 1845، تطاون 1861، فاس 1912، باريس 1956و مدريد 1969 دون ذكر الاتفاقيات السائرة حاليا ليس  لمصلحة الاستعمار السابق فقط بل دخلت دول الخليج على الخط لتاخد نصيبها من الكعكة. فما هو المقدس في القضية الترابية؟

    جولة سريعة في بعض المدن العتيقة كمراكش مثلا تقودنا لاكتشاف أن هناك حملة مسعورة لشراء منازل و رياضات بكل ما تحمله من دلالات تاريخية و ثقافية من قبل أجانب و منضمات لا علاقة لها لا بالاستثمار ولا حتى بالسياحة. فأول تجليات هذه الظاهرة أن تم تشكيل مستوطنات صغيرة في قلب المدن القديمة و بالتالي الشروع في استئصال كل ما يمت لثقافتنا و تاريخنا و ديننا من محيطهم و كانت دعاوى منع أدان الفجر بدعوى إزعاجه الأجانب أول الغيث. رغم أن الظاهرة في مرحلتها الجنينية إلا أنها مثال طبق الأصل لما حصل بالأراضي الفلسطينية. فما هو المقدس في القضية الترابية؟

   لقد أصبح المغرب في إطار سياسة الانفتاح التي يقودها عصبة من الوصوليين الفاسيين ( عفوا الفاشلين) قبلة لمن هب و دب للحصول على تسهيلات و رخص استغلال ثروات هدا البلد. فمن رخص استنزاف البحار المغربية مرورا عبر تفويت استغلال مقالع الرمال و رخص استغلال المياه المعدنية في الجبال و القرى و صول إلى رخص إخلاء مناطق آهلة لتشييد قرى سياحية... و ما خفي كان أعضم.  فما هو المقدس في القضية الترابية؟

   من خلال هده القراءة السريعة يتضح أن مصطلح القدسية لا معنى له في قاموس السياسيين و أصحاب القرار والغاية من إحداثه هو الاستهلاك اليومي و محاولة فاشلة لحقن الشعب المغربي البسيط بطبعه بجرعات من الوطنية. فكيف سيناضل تطواني من أجل ملف الصحراء المغربية وهو يرى خنوع و استسلام دولته أمام ملف سبتة و مليلية؟ كيف سيناضل مسفيوي أو حسيمي من أجل ملف الصحراء المغربية وهو يرى كيف سلمت دولته للأجانب أمر مياههم الإقليمية؟  كيف سيناضل  مواطن من أكادير أو طاطا من أجل ملف الصحراء المغربية و هو يرى دولته ترضخ أمام نزوات المكبوتين الخليجيين و تمنحهم الهكتارات ليعيثوا فيها فسادا؟ كيف و كيف و كيف.....

  

Moroccanism in Critical Times

  I vividly remember when my Sociolinguistics professor had been explaining to us the meaning of a register. “It is a speech variety used by a particular group of people usually sharing the same occupation”.  Peculiarly and immediately, I went in a deep mediation, thinking about those who have no occupation. I soliloquized: “don’t they have a register? When I took to the streets myself  during Ramadan protesting against the outrageously growing corruption and backing my unemployed friends' endeavours, I discovered that the process of finding an answer to that weird question drove me to a very different and unexpected issue, but a gripping and a significant one.

    Unemployed Moroccan’s register is very typical and even distinctive. Mainly, you can recognize them just from the words and the expressions they use in their every day interaction. The following are only samples of countless examples that :

- What a fucking country. (Sorry for the word)

- May Allah curse this nation...

- If I were outside (Europe), I would never think of coming back…

- This country has offered us nothing but misery…..

       The majority, if not all these expressions and others mirror one unique truth which is the fact that Moroccans have reached the climax of hopelessness and desperation.

    This sense of wrath that sweeps over Moroccans, especially the unemployed, is not towards their country though it seems superficially so. The feeling of despondency is not at all due to their homeland simply because this latter is the source of their belonging, dignity and integrity. Rather, their incandescent anger is for those who represent this nation, those who once pledged to do their utmost to serve this country, but they ended up furthering themselves. Their inner pain and agony are due to those, vicious stakeholders and politicians who have been robbing everything in this nation to cram them in the Swiss banks. Wrong is the one thinking that Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is merely a myth and has nothing to do with reality.

     Moroccans love their country even to adulation; and I have enough and cogent examples to bring the ones who believe in the otherwise around to this point.

     Imagine yourself sipping a cup of tea in a Moroccan coffee, enjoying the vividness and the sociable atmosphere of the place. Suddenly, a foreigner enters and starts hurling insults at your country. What would be your reaction then? What would be your inner feelings? Notice with me if this impudent behavior was from a Moroccan citizen, I bet that you will not give it a second thought and you might even sympathize with that person and start seeking reasons that incited him to behave in such a manner.

   Surely, our disappointment and frustration is not because of the nation as a homeland. It is because of those who are the avatar of this unlucky nation. The land, undoubtedly, deserves our ultimate love and respect.

    Only last year, I witnessed an accident of two cars in Taza. The drivers rushed out of their cars with signs of rage and nervousness were splashing from their eyes. To my surprise, that feeling vanished into the blue once they knew that they were both from Tangier. They forgot about the accident and started conversing about where they live exactly and the likes. It’s safe to state that feeling of belonging to the same land and the pride that one shows when talking about his/her origins have an enormous influence and a magical effect on Moroccans and humanity at large.

     With this incident in mind, one can call to mind countless examples pertaining to the fact that feeling of harmony and familiarity between people is emanated from, without ignoring other factors, the notion of national belonging. This sense of nationalism and identity becomes clearer on the macro level. Meaning, think of that accident in Paris, New York, Tokyo, or Sydney, how would be those people’s reaction when they get to know that they are from the same country, city, or even neighbor. In plain English, the more distant we are from our native land, the more nostalgic and home-bound we become.

   Any person who was forced to quit his homeland either to study or to work is bound to turn back to it at least for a visit. This is human nature, As if there is a powerful magnetic field that pulls us in. A friend of mine had been repeating indefatigably that he will never think of coming back to his homeland if he set foot in France and I bet that it is the case with a large number of desperate Moroccans. In stark contrast, once he got his residency papers and become a legal citizen in France, he did not give it a second thought to come back to his home country for a short visit, and all his vows fell short of claiming and went with the wind. More than that, he kept his word and married the girl he has been in love with before immigrating. Wise who said that blood is thicker than water.

     Nationalism is deeply rooted in every Moroccan’s disposition. It is undefined, inborn, eternal and colorless.  In addition to the examples listed above, one can feel that his nationalism is functioning when he participates in a debate about a crucial national topic or event. Let us take the Western Sahara case or Sebta and Mallilia crisis and the tense atmosphere between Morocco and Algeria or Spain. Any Moroccan, when it comes to these issues, appears to be a great strategic expert or an experienced militant, or a shrewd diplomat or a great academic lecturer. He analyses, diagnoses, opines, suggests…. Any Moroccan: young or old, male or female, native or expatriate   appears to be zealous, loyal, and even chauvinist in defending his country’s case though his knowledge of the issue is fragmentary and even scarce. In fact, he converses subconsciously from his emotional perspective that mirrors the light of his nationalism.

       Moroccans utter anger and dissatisfaction is not due to their country. Rather it is because of those who hold the reins this realm, for those instead of serving and improving socially, economically, and culturally this nation, have chosen rather to secure their positions for life in a coward, base and selfish way. It is because of those fellow gluttons who have been lavishing our money carelessly in swanky castles and cars and satiating their depraved taste and carnal pleasure.

       Our love and adulation for our country is beyond description. Even though the national event, when this feeling can come into function, are scarce, one can easily remember his national blood was rolling and boiling inside his veins out of joy and ecstasy when the national football team had been defeating a team after the other in 2004 African Cup in Tunisia. What can we call this?  Isn’t nationalism? When Hicham Elgarouj stumbled and fell down in Sydney’s Olympics and how sad, sullen and downcast we became. What can we call this? Isn’t nationalism? When Juan Carlos visited Seta in extraneous circumstances and how the Moroccans expressed their incandescent anger in numerous demonstrations that reveal the solid bond between the people and their land. What can we call this? Isn’t nationalism? When almost 70% of the Moroccans boycotted the latest parliamentary elections refusing to cast their vote for a hodgepodge of illiterates, opportunists, drug barons and moguls aiming at a new start; What can we call this, isn’t nationalism? When the youth take to the streets days and nights asking for democracy, justice and bringing the corrupts to courts; what can we call this; isn’t nationalism? For me, it is those who are the real patriots, the real lovers of this country simply because love is not paid for; they love this nation expecting nothing in return. To much ink has been split about the World biggest flag, the tallest Mosque, the great football victory, the king’s May 9^th historic speech, the unprecedented constitution …etc, portraying them as the epitome of nationalism and loyalty. What put my monkey up is the rank hypocrisy of those who harp about change, citizenship, the national interest while holding red passports.

     I do remember that in the late 60s, john Kennedy challenged the American youth in a very influential and touching speech; he said “ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can for your country”.  I think this saying is true at any time and any place. Moroccans should not stay cross handed waiting for GODOT. We need to have a step forward even with the least means and effort we have got within our power. It is said “if you desire honey, be patient for bees’ bites”.

    I have a solid belief that Morocco is not black, and it is not white. It is not a place of wars, oppression, dictatorship, deprivation and wretch; and it is not a country of peace, fairness, democracy, welfare and happiness. Let us be reasonable an insightful, for those who see Morocco as a black nation, which color would they choose to paint Sudan, Somali, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq and the examples are legion. Do not be sad because you do not have a car, others’ legs are amputated. Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. Moreover, it should be stamped in the tablet of each one’s heart and mind that our Almighty God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Who is Responsible for Our Educational Crisis

As the new school year proceeds, a tedious razzmatazz about our broken educational system has started once again, with no looming sign for its ending. Our education system has become the center of ferocious criticism from everyone, whether scholars,  professionals or laymen. They all can talk nineteen to the dozen about our education. Some blame the students, other pin the blame on teachers and some accuse the education policy and decision makers. Personally, if we subject this status quo to an independent scrutiny, emboldened by the mysterious conspiracies unveiled right after the collapse of neighboring regimes, certainly we will find answers.

In the 1980s, in an interview for “La Nouvelle Observatoire”, the late Hassan II was asked about the causes of the deteriorating educational system and the rapid spread of illiteracy in his country. His answer was “…all those whom we taught in schools and universities became either revolutionists or Islamists…” Hassan II was truly of ingenious and crafty character. He was aware that the expansion of education in his country would mean the rapid growth of his political antagonists. Therefore, instead of softening the rigidness of his regime and democratizing his iron fisted rule in a way that gained his opponents’ plaudits and satisfaction, he cunningly did the reverse. Authoritarianism doesn’t mean only detaining and annihilating opponents, rigging elections, pillaging public properties, combining the three powers, nepotism, media censorship… The ugliest face of absolute rule is when it blocks people’s minds and impedes their mental and intellectual development, thus thwarting any glimpse of hope for consciousness raising that will undoubtedly threaten the ruling system.

Scenarios illustrating the hidden process of blocking intellectual development are legion in Moroccan history. The Casablanca uprising in March 1965 was fuelled by the government’s decision to prevent students above seventeen years old from pursuing their studies. Riots and mayhems lasted for three days and led to more than a thousand martyrs.

To add, Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the United States National Security Advisors to President Jimmy Carter, plotted a fiendish plan called “tittytainment.” “Tit” refers the woman’s breast and “tainment” refers to entertainment. The meaning of the expression is “breastfeeding entertainment,” which was a devilish plan to control people’s minds and shape their thinking in a very subtle way. In Morocco, this theory has been eagerly developed and put into action. A cursory glance at the growing number of national and international festivals that have been mushrooming in Morocco denotes that the “tittytainment” theory is flourishing. Festivities such as Mawazine Festival, Boulvard Festival, the World Sacred Music Festival, Casa Festival, Gnawa Festival, Chamal Festivals, Oujda Ray Festival… all these occasions have been able to deflect the youth from focusing on their nation’s socio-political affairs, and beguile them into having fun and concentrating more and more on frivolities.

The latest deplorable Ramadan sit-coms aired on Moroccan television are another obvious example of how a mysterious apparatus is working ceaselessly to stupefy the Moroccan mind through producing programs that don’t amount even to a puppet-like show. Were those programs to entertain or torture? Were we having fun watching those clowns? To the decision-makers, the matter is that either you are, yourself, dull and silly and want to transfer your stupidity to others, or are very smart and you want us to remain mentally childish.

It is safe to say that Moroccans’ nationalism and general loyalty is crumbling. It is right that loyalty can’t be assessed in the light of these minutia, but the sea is made of drops, a long journey of little steps and a spectacular castle is of little bricks that if not carefully placed and taken care of, will fall apart sooner or later. All what unifies Moroccans has to do with pain and anguish, and as the Moroccan sphere is rife of any national genuine festivity, Moroccans seek it elsewhere, giving a new definition to “clandestine immigration”.

I firmly believe that a country of educated people and educable citizens is more likely to prosper than any other country regardless of its natural wealth. My country is struggling steadily with a host of problems that hinder the process of its development, and a cursory look at the nature of those problems indicates that these are very closely related to education. Illiteracy, students’ dropping out, students’ low grades, absenteeism, ethical illiteracy, vandalism, unemployment, the mismatch between the content learned and the market needs…etc. These are only examples out of many that emphasize the truth that any country that wants to catch up with the rest of the developed world needs to invest generously in the improvement of its education and take care of its people’s grey material because education is the best safeguard of prosperity and liberty, much more than a standing army.  Sadly, this is more easily said than done.

Morocco: “Education for All” A reading between the lines

Under the umbrella term of “School of Success” and “Education for All”, numerous programs have been launched aimed at training teachers on the use of Information, Communication and Technology or ICT, and preparing them to implement the newest technological devices in their classes. This seems substantial for an effective learning-teaching enterprise, but unless school necessities have been fulfilled, luxury is a matter to be postponed.

Many schools, chiefly in rural areas, have electricity and water shortages, insufficient classrooms and instructors, high student drop-out rates, vandalism, addiction, etc; though, they are littered with the latest technological material whose soaring expenses might remedy all the aforementioned challenges. So, what’s up? Is there some sort of monkey business targeting our educational system? Do “Education for All” and “School of Success” as national slogans hold any credibility? Why so much emphasis on quantity at the expense of quality? Could our educational system be a source for profits?

It’s common knowledge that the world’s affairs are run by a few giant companies that students provide for them loyal consumers of their products (teaching approaches and materials, hardware, software, aids, experts…). Hence, we can all fathom the reason why conferences, seminars and colloquia are being held. It’s of course not for the sake of “Education for All”, rather it is “Consumption for All”. For those companies, schools are seen as markets and knowledge acquisition represents product consumption.

Nowadays, the new economic trend is no longer about filling stomachs, rather it targets minds that consume technology. The real aim of the modern colonialism is not only to control people’s wealth, because economic and political control can never be complete and effective without mental control. Our educational system is turning into a Shakespearian stage where schools, students and parents are merely players. Schools act as markets, students as consumers, teachers as mediators, parents as sponsors and governments watching as the audience.

In brief, “”Education for All” means no child to be left behind without consuming the new technology. In other words, when a pupil drops out from school that means the market has lost a consumer and this is a costly marketing blunder.

Islam, Arabs and the USA: Let’s Call a Spade a Spade

Do we, Arab Muslims, hate the USA? In plain English, do we honestly reflect our inner feelings towards the US when speaking, writing, acting and even demonstrating or are all the behaviors that we show mere formalities, void of any content? The following two situations are among numerous that cogently answer the question.

Each year, the US government launches a number of exchange programs for our professionals and provides various scholarships to our students to study in one of its well-reputed universities to acquire knowledge, interact with westerners and experience a fruitful and critical academic and personal experience. However, instead of rollinging up their sleeves and putting their minds to their studies and workshops, they prefer to find a job and settle there illegally instead of going back home and imparting their acquired knowledge to colleagues, friends and in turn serve their poor country.

The second scenario is the latest American atrociousness in Afghanistan and Iraq and the brutal Israeli policies towards the besieged Gaza strip, which uncovers a huge paradox in the Arab Muslim disposition. I have witnessed people that are powerless to carry out any reactive act towards the US and Israel aggression, except to organize demonstrations in streets and raise their arms before the Almighty God in gesture of supplication, wishing the US and its allies horrendous calamities and a terrible deterioration. But once they finish up their prayers, they leave the mosque and head towards the nearest cyber café where they can apply for a Green Card. When they finish with the application procedures, they turn back to God again, imploring Him to be selected for the Lottery and, thus, make their dream of going to the US come true.

I really wonder which request that God, the Almighty, will fulfill. Is it the first to destroy the US or the second to improve and ameliorate their lives via moving to the US? Religiously speaking, I think it depends on the person’s faith, determination and credibility. To put it in a nutshell, when was the person more faithful? Is it when they were an applicant or supplicant?

Manifestations of backwardness in the Arab world and the mediaeval circumstances that we can see all around us exhort us to ask whether the problem with the Arab world is external or internal. Is it foreign interference, aggression and occupation that are holding us back? Or are we hostages to the backwardness of our own sociopolitical and economic structures? I admit that both causes are taking their toll on the region. We shook off colonial rule quiet a long time ago; though, we are still lagging behind while countries such as China, Brazil, Korea, and India that underwent all kind of exploitation on a much larger scale than we did, managed to catch up with the rest of the world with remarkable virtuosity.

We should feel a shame to attribute our backwardness to the US and Western aggression when knowing that Mexicans, who suffer the malaise of living next door to an international giant, are envying us for our geographical location insomuch that a Mexican writer once wrote “How sad are you Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States.”

Let us acknowledge that it’s our backwardness that made us easy prey for avaricious outsiders to take advantage of us. When musing over the supremacy of the US and the helpless state of the Arab world, I usually provoke the scene of a strong starving lion along with its cubs only a few meters away from a silly fleshy gazelle and you know the rest of the story. In the world of humankind, the end may seem the same but the means sometimes can be violent, other times diplomatic. The United States’ relations are governed by interest and nothing but the interest of its giant companies and its people.

Feelings of belligerency, hatred and the inflammatory polemics caused by the American wars on Afghanistan and Iraq generate an insistent belief that they were wars on Islam and justifications of fighting terrorism or putting an end to dictatorship in the region are mere pleas to destroy Islam.

If this is the case, why don’t we have the same feelings of hostility towards Russia that has been exterminating Muslims in Chechnya and elsewhere. Why don’t we have the same feelings of enmity towards China where Uighur Muslims are being tormented in Xinjiang Region. Why don’t we have the same feelings of antagonism towards India where Muslims are being slain in public by Sihks and Hindus. Why don’t we have the same feelings towards France, Spain and Italy where veiled girls are banned from schools and Muslim laborers are ignored for merely possessing Islamic names. Which side does the United States support in the Pakistani/Indian conflict? Is it the Islamic Pakistan or the Hindu India. We always keep boasting about how Morocco was the first country to recognize the independence of the United States, the fact that all Americans acknowledge and appreciate, but we rarely know that the US was the first country that recognized the independence of Morocco.

Not Only for Bread Do Moroccans Strive, We Aspire For More

Shortsighted is he who confines Moroccans’ demands only to staple foods and certain political amendments. As a matter of fact, the impulse that took people to the streets on 20th of February is not only their legitimate hopes for social welfare, but for psychological relief as well. In plain English, as Moroccans, we are in dire need for joy.

All what we need is a nationally celebrated event in which we can amuse, rejoice and unleash our inner emotions as pure Moroccans. We all want to feel the flavor of unity and belonging to the same nation not always through sustaining hardships and failures, but rather through experiencing moments of jubilation, joyfulness and taking delight in a real national festivity. In short, our crisis is not only economic and social, it’s a crisis of joy too.

Under the current regime and for decades, national happiness has been something of luxury to attain. Joy forsook our hearts for years; jubilation abandoned our streets and delight has been a mere rumor. We became easy prey to despondency, stress and dissatisfaction. Snorts and sighs have become part of Moroccan daily language while scowls and frowns have dotted every Moroccan countenance.

Morocco has been a flavorless and bland country. How poor are we the present generations! After independence, it took us more than half a century to see our expectations and dreams come true. Instead, some of us are yearning nostalgically for the colonization era. Fifty years that have been sterile, with no social achievement, no political innovations and no laudable economic tidings. We have been victims of fiascos and easy prey of crises.

Thirsty for any sort of joy and rejoicing, Moroccans have been hatching creative methods to satiate their emotions. They have been taking part in their neighbours’ rejoicings. During the World Cup, they have been cheering the Spanish and the Algerian teams as if they were theirs. And when the Spanish matador won the World Cup, waves of ecstatic happy Moroccans took to the streets chanting and reveling in the victory, hugging each other, honking the horns of their cars and hoisting the Spanish flag high, meanwhile their sense of nationalism was becoming lower along with their flag.

During the last few weeks, Moroccans of all ages and ranks were among the first virtual invitees of the Tunisians, the Egyptians and the Libyans’ revolutionary festivities, feeling as if they contributed more or less to the success of those revolutions. Via Twitter, Youtube and Facebook, they have been sharing suggestions, articles, photos, videos… aiming to help the revolutionaries with the little means they have. Their simple intention was to help in the preparation for a party where they can show their solidarity with te protesters .

Moroccans’ lust for joy is extreme and much is needed to quench their desire. Saturday and Sunday are about to become sacred days for Moroccans from all walks of life, not because they are days off, but because Barcelona and Real Madrid matches are usually scheduled on those days. All cafés are packed with audiences who seize the opportunity to unleash their feelings. They cheer, laugh, insult and when a goal is scored they release their euphoric emotions, hugging each other, waving the team’s flag and applauding.

In a nutshell, our demands for real social justice, real economic development and real political reform are not as ends in themselves. By doing so, we are aspiring for real psychological comfort and to lead our life with ease. That’s the aim.

Why Did Moroccans Boycott Their TV Channels During Ramadan?

For decades, waves of frustrated Moroccans have been immigrating on perilous boats to never land, fleeing the whips of poverty and all colors of marginalisation. The same story is being repeated during these blessed days of Ramadan with a slight substitution of boats by satellite dishes; Moroccans from all walks of life are boycotting their local television channels and immigrating to the other Arab and Gulf ones, this time fleeing the dullness, and the denseness of the pathetic programs being aired before breakfast, that instead of stimulating the fasters’ appetite, nauseate them. If only I had a vaccine against stupidity.

Watching only a few moments of these so-called comedy programs is real psychological torture for viewers. You may even feel the need to throw-up due to the filth and the bitterness of the content of these distasteful and frivolous sitcoms. Personally, the pain that I feel when watching that rubbish is no less than when watching the atrocities in Libya and Syria. All what I watch is just actors and clowns’ shouting, bounding and quivering non-stop and with no clear message. They think such childish behaviour and boring scenarios may produce laughter. Instead they arouse fury and ire among viewers, of course if they bother watching until the end.

The reprehensible programs such as «machi lkhatri», «zin f tlatin», «tkbr wtanssa», «lfhaymia»… unveils the reality that there is a very deep crisis of creativity and imagination among those who were confided with the mission of entertaining and educating television viewers. These so called comedians are unable to come up with stories, contexts, scenarios and situations that can elicit even a smile. Instead they resort in each scene to shrieking, convulsing their bodies, mispronouncing words or using vulgar expressions and borrowing rural accents in an attempt to make us laugh. Those clowns should bear in mind that they are addressing people who enjoy critical thinking skills and a great sense of humour.

Moroccans, in the midst of deplorable circumstances and deepening social depression, have developed in their disposition, traits of sarcasm, irony and humour because without these traits they would, long ago, have committed suicide. I believe that a life without humor is like a wagon without springs, jolted jerkily by every pebble in the road. Therefore, any tv product should respect Moroccans’ intelligence and abide by their cultural and moral values. The kind of humour that we want is the one that makes us laugh for a minute and think for five minutes, not like these disgusting derisory puppet-like shows.

But I wonder how, in light of these ridiculous programs, that are actually plots to stupefy the Moroccan mind, block its intellectual development and downgrade our artistic awareness and appreciation of our surroundings, Moroccans have proven immune to appeals to ignorance and resistant to senselessness and backwardness. The proof is in the indefinite number of satellite dishes on Moroccan houses and slums, revealing that Moroccans are fed up with their local TV programming and have obtained for themselves visas to be entertained, to explore and to learn.

Speculation on My Death

« Happy birthday Mahmoud » I received this phrase from myriads of cousins and friends on the 25th of july. Of course I was in raptures and extremely impressed by their overawing gesture, but this year my feeling of delightness was a wee bit imbued with a gust of anxiety and fear especially after being exposed to a bereavement of less than one day-cousin. I recognized that my life slips away second by second. Every day brings me closer to death or that death is as close to me as it is to other people even if they are less than one day of age.

In the rapid flow of daily events, I usually occupies myself with totally different and minor subjects: how to behave, where to go, what  my future wife may look like, how to please my parents, what clothes to wear next morning, what to cook for supper, how to solve some trivial problems, what the results of the football matches are, where to spend the summer, how much money to put aside; these are few examples of the routine process of major issues that concerns me. Honestly, I have never thought of the subject of death as deeply as I am doing these days. I should have kept in mind the fact that living for even one further hour is never guaranteed. Sometimes,  I witness, on a daily basis, the deaths of people around me, but I think little, very little about the day when others will witness my own death. I have never supposed that such an ineviatble end is awaiting me! 

      While burying the corpse of the little kid, I was thinking of everything that I was able to do and still I enjoy: I can blink my eyes, move my hands, speak, laugh; All these are the blessings that I possess but, with a motionless corpse being buried, I got assured that this status quo is temporary. Immediately, I thought about the state and the shape my body will assume after my death. 

     Once I will breathe my last, my soul will leave the body, announcing my new identity: "a heap of flesh and bones" no more no less. I, rather my body, will be still, inert, and fixed while being washed for the last time. Wrapped in a shroud, I will be carried in a coffin to the graveyard. Once I am in the grave, soil will cover me. This is the end of my story. I will be in the heart of darkness. From now on, my whole life represented in an epitaph written in a marble stone. 

      Outside, in the wake of the first days, my grave will be visited frequently. As time passes, fewer people will come. Decades later, there will be no-one even those whom I would have been the  dearest to their heart. Time plays its role too.  Simultaneously, my close family members will experience varying degrees of sorrow and grief that sooner will fade away. At home, my room and bed will be empty or occupied. Most of my clothes, shoes, and the likes will be given to those who need them. My books and papers in the cupboard will be replaced and my files in the computer will be deleted. And my legacy, if I had one, will be subsidized and inherited. During the first years, some will mourn for me. Yet, time will work against the memories I left behind. A dacade later, there will remain only a few who remember me. Three dacdes after, new generations will come and none of mine will exist any longer on earth. Whether I am remembered or not will be of no value to me. . 

     i have long had possessed a solid belief that it is too early to die and that there are always years ahead to live. Yet ,most probably, people who died on the way to work or while playing a football match, or  while sipping a cup of coffee shared the same thought. They probably never thought that the next day « Jnaza » prayer will be on them. It is entirely possible that, as you read these lines, you are expected to die after you finish them.  So, do thank the Almighty God, you have finished them. 

It's our backwardness that holds us back

    Manifestations of backwardness in the Arab world and the mediaeval circumstances that we can see all around us exhort us to ask whether the problem with the Arab world is external or internal. Is it foreign interference, aggression and occupation that are holding us back? Or are we hostages to the backwardness of our own ramshackle sociopolitical and economic structures? 

       I admit that both causes are taking their heavy toll on the MENA region. We have shaken off colonial rule quiet a long time ago; though, we are still lagging behind while countries such as China, Brazil, Korea, and India that underwent all kind of exploitation on a much larger scale than we did, managed to catch up with the rest of the world and shoulder their way to the top. We should feel a shame to attribute our backwardness to US and the West aggression when knowing that Mexicans, who are suffering the malaise of living next door to an international giant, are envying us for our geographical location insomuch that a Mexican writer once wrote "How sad are you Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States."

       Let's us acknowledge that it's our retardation that made us easy prey for avaricious outsiders to take advantage of us. The Tunisian political upheaval unveiled the truth that the West manipulates us through their loyal tyrants in return for blessings and approvals for the fraud operations, rigged elections and many other bloody businesses.  

      When musing over the supremacy of the US and the helpless state of the Arab world, I usually provoke the scene of a strong starving lion along with its cubs only few meters far from a silly fleshy gazelle and you know the rest of the story. In the world of human, the end can be the same, but the manner sometimes can be violent, other times diplomatic.

     The West relations with he rest of the world are governed by interest and nothing but the interest of its giant companies and its people and the way the French President Sarkozy turned down the overthrown Zero Ben Ali's request to accept him in France reinforces the reality that it is interest that count and the west has no more interest with Ben Ali.

       

Morocco s Achilles Heels

Moroccans are keeping abreast of the recent uprising that toppled Tunisia's president-for-life Ben Ali. Several factors that have triggered Tunisians' rebellion are also present in Morocco: Soaring unemployment among educated youth, sweeping corruption, nepotism and monopolization of the country's wealth by a minority.

In Morocco too, if your family name is not of significance it is very difficult to ascend the social and the political ladder. It will hinder you from gaining, among other things, an academic degrees or acquiring a professional skill. Many past and current politicians, militants and businessmen reached their rank by taking advantage of a member of their extended family. They benefited as sons, grandsons, sons-in-law, brothers-in-law, nephews of a well placed kin. Some seized the  chance and obtained valuable jobs, others boosted their businesses and some wielded their political power. 

The Fasi families, the Benise(s), the Benani(s), the Benchakroun(s), the Elmarnisi(s), the Bensouda(s), the Iraqi(s), the Skali(s), the Tazi(s) … are all of Fez origins and most of them were/are members of the ruling Independence party (Istiklal) and they made their fortunes thanks to the privileges offered by French colonial authorities during the colonization and extended them under the independence. 

The case of the "fasi" family is a vivid example of how crucial familial ties are to social and political ascension in contemporary Morocco. The current government consists of three ministers from the Fasi family: Abbas Elfasi, the Prime Minister; who is [former head of Istiklal Party] Alal Elfasi's son-in-law. Tayb Elfasi Alfihri, the minister of Foreign Affairs, who is also Abass Elfasi's nephew and Yassmina Baddou, the minister of Health, whose father Abd Rahmane Badou, was a minister in the 70s. The other Fasis occupy no less sensitive positions. Yassmina Badou's husband, Ali Elfasi Elfihri, is both the General Director of the “Office National de l'Eau Potable“, "Office Nationale de l'Electricité" and the President of the “Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football“; he is also the brother of Tayb Elfasi Elfihri and Othman Fasi Elfihri, the General Director of the “Société Nationale des Autoroutes du Maroc“. And all the three lucky men are current prime minister Abass Elfasi's nephews. The Fasi family tree is intricately interwoven through marriages whose aims is to secure continuity, inheritance and fortune.

 Morocco's economy will not attain competitiveness unless productive, qualified and talented citizens are given fair chance and allowed to serve their country and give Morocco a chance to catch up with the rest of the world. However, nowadays, if a competent candidate does not have a "prominent" Family name, they are likely to have their hopes dashed and end up protesting in front of the parliament with ever larger hordes of fellow unemployed graduates.

The Moroccans who are lucky to immigrate overseas and get an education are currently running some of the most prosperous companies and organizations in US and Europe, where their capacities are valued and their dignity is respected.

Luckily, Moroccans have not lived under a tunisian style tyranny and dictatorship, However the high unemployment among the educated and inequitably of how opportunities are provided, and unless credible reforms are implement in a timely manner, Moroccan disenfranchised youth may, one day, rise up against the 'fassi' the same way the Tunisians have done it against the "trabelsi"