Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
February 23 , 2008

Terrorist network dismantled, says Morocco
2/22/2008 Source ::: AP

Morocco's government said it has dismantled a terrorist network that had plotted to assassinate Cabinet ministers and members of the North African kingdom's Jewish community. Authorities believe the network has links to Al Qaeda and local terror groups, the official MAP news agency reported Wednesday night. A total of 32 people were arrested in sweeps this week, Moroccan newspapers said.

Morocco also has banned an Islamist political party, Al Badil Al Hadari, because some members were linked to the network, MAP said, citing the interior minister. The network raised money by waging holdups, selling stolen goods and taking contributions from its members, the report said. One suspected member of the group waged a heist of an armored truck in Luxembourg in 2000, netting the group $25.65m, MAP said.

Gold jewelry stolen in Belgium was melted down by a goldsmith who belonged to the network and then sold, it said. The group had plotted to assassinate Cabinet ministers, army officers and members of the Jewish community, Interior Minister Chakib Benoussa was quoted as saying. Only a few thousand Jews still live in the largely Muslim kingdom, as many have emigrated to Israel and elsewhere.

Moroccan authorities have been on alert since suicide bombings in 2003 in Casablanca killed 45 people and stunned this relatively moderate Muslim country, a popular vacation spot. Those bombings targeted a Jewish community center and cemetery, a hotel, a restaurant and a Spanish social club.

Authorities have carried out regular anti-terror sweeps since then. Last March, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Casablanca Internet cafe, and investigators later uncovered an alleged plot targeting tourist sites acrossMorocco. Police cornered four suspects, shooting one dead and prompting the other three to blow themselves up to avoid capture. The blasts killed a policeman and wounded 21 other people. http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Gulf%2C+Middle+East+%26+Africa&month=February2008&file=World_News200802228423.xml
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Over 5,500 cases of violence against women in Morocco in 2007 .
Fez (east of Rabat), Feb.20

A total of 5,650 cases of violence against women, including 3,010 at workplaces, were reported in 2007 in Morocco, according to Fez-based Center for People's Rights (French acronym CDG). Violence against women climaxed in May with 680 documented cases, while some 660 cases were reported in April, 635 in November, 577 in October, 571 in February, 530 in June, 525 in March, 420 in July, 416 in September, 262 in January and 160 in December, director of the center, Jamal Chahdi, said.

General violence acts include rape, physical violence, non-payment of alimony, eviction from marital home, repudiation, insults, abuse and sexual harassment, while violence at workplaces include illegal dismissal, not reporting work hours, sexual harassment, denial of insurance or compensation for extra-hours and disrespect of the Labor Code. On ways to curtail violence against women, Mr. Chahdi called for the involvement of all social actors to ensure an optimal implementation of the Family Code provisions, a quicker implementation of violence-related sentences and the defense of women’s rights at workplaces. He also called for respecting the Labor Code, creating business committees and health services in workplaces, simplifying court procedures in labor disputes and boosting the role of trade unions by ensuring a larger representation of women.

Touching on the endeavors made so far in the field, Mr. Chahdi hailed Morocco’s women-friendly measure to combat violence through setting up a national strategy for the defense of women's rights and the creation by the Ministry of Justice of special crisis centers to accommodate and comfort women victims of violence. He finally called for encouraging education to human rights to "change social stereotypes and attitudes."
Founded in 1999 by a group of human rights activists in the region of Fez, the Center for People's Rights (CDG) aims to create a national network for the defense and education to human rights.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box1/over_5500_cases_of/view
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Anger Rises With Prices. By Abderrahim El Ouali
CASABLANCA, Feb 21 (IPS)

The move to embrace a free trade economy has brought a sharp increase in the price of basic goods across Morocco. This is causing hardship, and threatening social stability. Anger has erupted already. In September last year, large numbers of residents fought police in bloody clashes in Sefrou town to the east of Casablanca in a protest against rising prices. Many government buildings were set on fire, and local facilities were damaged.

Since then prices have risen, and the situation worsened. "There is nothing cheap left for the poorest and limited income families," freelance photographer Abdellah Bourahi told IPS. "Everything has become expensive." "The state wants to recover what it loses in customs income by imposing higher taxes on fundamental consumption," Abdessalam Adib, economist and member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) told IPS. "This leads straight to an increase of prices."

Free trade agreements with the EU and the U.S. have certainly contributed to an increase in prices. Morocco has a free trade agreement with the EU, and a free trade agreement was ratified with the U.S. in 2006. Further liberalisation is due by 2010. The agreements with both oblige the Moroccan state to deregulate prices, "which means increasing them to the same level as international prices, even though internal circumstances do not allow such measures," Adib said. "They should not forget that the monthly minimum wage for workers is only 1800 dirhams (about 163 euros), and that a great majority of citizens live under the poverty line," local journalist Loubna Goual told IPS.

According to official figures, more than six million Moroccans live under the poverty line. The country has a population of 32 million. Prices of basic foods have risen continuously since 2005. Sugar has risen to 6.5 dirhams (0.59 euro) a kilo from 5 dirhams then. Beef is 65 dirhams a kilo (5.90 euro), up from 50 dirhams (about 4.50 euro) two years back.

Scattered protests are picking up, led by groups referred to as 'coordinations'. "It is the population suffering from the high cost of living who are protesting," Adib said. "'Coordinations' just supervise the different forms of protest." The new government, formed after elections Sep.7 that drew little participation from a disillusioned people, has not offered any significant solutions. The government is seen as lacking legitimacy because the majority of people boycotted the last election. Only 27 percent of the electorate voted.

Political parties have failed to take up the issue. Only human rights NGOs have been raising their voice against the increase in prices. "But rights action cannot replace political action, and vice-versa," Adib said. "The Moroccan political scene has become furnished with political parties whose fundamental concern is to serve the state," Adib said. "The economic and social policy that has been followed in our country for decades now serves just the interests of imperialism and local high classes, and is widely impoverishing the middle and lower classes." The economy itself may suffer because "increasing prices without following any preventive measures leads to inflation, and this means the currency loses its value," Adib said. (END/2008)
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41282
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ISU president receives high Moroccan honor
Special to the Tribune-Star February 18, 2008

Indiana State University President Lloyd W. Benjamin III has become the first American and only the third person ever to receive Morocco’s top education honor. The honor bestowed Monday comes in recognition of Benjamin’s — and ISU’s — long-standing commitment to help modernize the country’s system of higher education.

Benjamin, who is in Morocco to implement a significant step in developing a nationwide higher education accreditation system informed by U.S. models, was presented with an honorary doctorate in international relations from Hassan II University-Mohammedia at the conclusion of his visit. The presentation took place before a gathering of dignitaries from throughout the region, including representatives from the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulate in Morocco, the Moroccan Ministry of Education, governors of the Casablanca region and presidents from several universities. “I am truly honored to receive this award on behalf of the many administrators, faculty and students of Indiana State University who have helped grow our cutting-edge collaboration into an initiative that will help modernize an entire country’s system of higher education,” Benjamin said.

C. Jack Maynard, ISU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs; Brad Balch, dean of the College of Education; and El-Houcin Chaqra, associate director of ISU’s International Affairs Center, joined Benjamin in attending a weeklong conference in Morocco that included government-level workshops with the goal being the completion of a study providing recommendations for designing and implementing a system of accreditation in Morocco.

Since September 2002, the university has maintained an active, comprehensive and growing relationship with Hassan II University. What began as an initial partnership focusing on joint degrees, cross-cultural exchanges and various research projects grew into an effort by ISU leaders to develop a first-ever system of accreditation for the country’s higher education system.

Currently, Morocco operates on a French-based system with no accreditation process. As the result of the exchange program for higher education leadership in which Moroccan educators spent time at ISU and ISU leaders did likewise, the Moroccans decided to move forward to develop a nationwide accreditation system, with ISU as their partner. This project also has been supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development. “More important than any award or honor is the proud legacy Indiana State University will always have in helping a great nation and longtime American ally modernize its nationwide system of higher education,” Benjamin said. “I’m confident that this partnership will only continue to grow stronger in the years to come and lead to even greater successes.”

In addition to ISU’s role in developing the accreditation system, the university has launched a number of other projects since the collaboration was first signed more than five years ago in September 2002. Other ongoing initiatives include establishing a social work program and, in effect, the profession of social work in Morocco, largely from the efforts of professor Robyn Lugar of ISU and ongoing student and faculty projects and exchanges.

In addition to providing valuable insight and resources to Morocco’s education accreditation process, Benjamin also has worked to advance foreign relations between the United States and Morocco. Benjamin submitted written testimony to the U.S. International Trade Commission on the benefits of a free trade agreement with Morocco, citing the positive relationship the university had established with Hassan II.

Benjamin also encouraged Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to intervene on behalf of the 404 Moroccan prisoners held by the Algerian-backed Polisario movement, some of whom had been detained for nearly 20 years. Lugar traveled to Algeria at the request of President Bush and facilitated the release of the prisoners in August 2005.
http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_049223006.html
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Morocco launches emergency road safety plan.
20/02/2008 By Sarah Touahri

With 200 drivers injured daily on Moroccan roads, the government has introduced a new safety plan. The revised Highway Code includes stiffer penalties on offenders, greater protection for pedestrians and improvements to road signs. In a bid to improve safety on Morocco's roadways, the government has drawn up a new 1 billion-dirham emergency road safety plan for 2008-2010.

Adopted on Monday (February 18th) in Rabat, the plan is aimed at reducing the current increase in road accidents initially and then ultimately reversing the trend. An average of 10 people die and 200 are seriously injured every day on Morocco’s roads. Azzedine Chraibi, Permanent Secretary of the National Committee for the Prevention of Road Traffic Accidents, said the road safety campaign is aimed primarily at tackling non-compliance with the country’s Highway Code.

The government has stressed the importance of implementing the draft code, an effective legal framework which officials say will guarantee the legality of all measures taken with regard to road safety. One of the main features of the code is an attempt to tackle repeat offences by expanding the use of spot fines and agreed fines which are generally collected immediately – a practice most drivers oppose. "There’s already corruption as it is. If they increase fines, it'll get out of hand," said teacher Samid Berrahou.

The plan also includes a number of other measures, including some aimed at saving the lives of people in vulnerable categories, such as pedestrians and drivers of two-wheeled vehicles. Some relate to roadside amenities, such as the introduction of new vertical and horizontal road signs in towns. Local authorities have also been asked to make road safety central to their strategies, while a new government handbook has been published to standardise road sign design.

Road checks are to be tightened up, with enhanced monitoring to ensure their credibility and transparency, while resources and equipment for checks will also be boosted. The government has also decided to set up a committee headed by the Ministry of the Interior to implement a general emergency telephone service and devise rapid emergency response programmes to cut down call-out times and make emergency assistance more efficient.

The new three-year plan follows an earlier attempt in 2003 which the government credits with establishing a programme to monitor roads with high incidences of accidents and improving the road network and urban highway maintenance. It was also aimed at making road signage more consistent, tackling accident blackspots, building cycle lanes and revamping the road network. The country’s fleet of rescue vehicles and ambulances also received a boost, with 166 new vehicles. Eleven new emergency medical centres have been opened and 15 rescue centres have also been built.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure is optimistic about the plan, saying that the first phase has already slowed down the rise in accidents. Before its introduction, the number of people involved in road accidents had been increasing by nearly 4.5% per year. This level has since dropped. "If the plan had not been implemented," said Minister of Transport Karim Ghellab, "statistical projections show the number of people killed would have been 4,490 instead of the actual figure of 3,750." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/02/20/feature-01
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Marrakesh snake charmers' spell fails to work on activists.
MARRAKESH, Morocco (AFP)

The men working in Marrakesh's Djemma el Fna square may be able to charm the snakes and tourists, but their magic fails to work with the animal rights activists pushing to have the practice banned as cruel. Long one of the city's main attractions, the charmers say they take care of their snakes "like their children". But a French animal rights group is calling on tourists to boycott the snake charmers, who they say are mistreating the reptiles.

The Study and Observation Group to Protect Wild Animals (GEOS) urges visitors to "shun the indecent spectacles that mistreat the animals, or better yet express your indignation" to the authorities. The boycott appeal received 200 signatures in the first few days after its launch, according to its initiator Michel Aymerich. The 49-year-old Moroccan-born French political scientist admits he is a fan of "nature's most unloved": snakes, scorpions and spiders.

"You have to know that the snakes are deaf and respond only to gestures. The cobras rise up to the flute not because of the music, but because they feel threatened and instinctively adopt a defensive position, rise up and give that spectacular display of its hood," said Aymerich. "Moreover, for the most part they remove their poisonous fangs or glands, which causes abscesses and a slow and painful death." Defanged or not, Aymerich says the snakes are under terrible stress and die after just several weeks of performing. Their normal life span would have been 12 to 15 years.

"These people are completely ignorant of our profession," the doyen of Marrakesh snake charmers, 80-year-old Lhoussine Hajjaj told AFP. "These reptiles are like our children. We look after their education, diet and health because they are our money earner."

The snakes are fed eggs, birds and even sheep hearts."When one of the snakes is tired we ask a veterinarian to prescribe it medication," he said.
He strongly denied as "false rumours" that the charmers remove the fangs and poison glands of the snakes."If that is true why are there casualties among us?"

Hajjaj also disputed claims that the cobras died after only several months. "That's false because there is a cobra that has been on Djemma el Fna for more than 10 years," he said. Most of the snakes come from Morocco's southern Guelmim region, according to Aymerich, trapped by members of the Aissaoua Brotherhood religious order who supply many protected animals to Marrakesh's market. Aymerich would like the region turned into a nature park, with the Aissaoua becoming guides for tourists.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hl0hI8x6-B0vpZI87RtA9PiuW-GA
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Morocco: Hijab as a Choice.
Friday, February 22nd, 2008  by Jillian York

Much has been said about “the veil,” or hijab. Perhaps too much - mention it, and suddenly everyone - Muslim or not - is an expert. While in the West, hijab is often used to simply refer to the headscarf (veil), a more correct definition is any Islamically mandated dress for either gender, which for women includes, but is not limited to, covering the hair.

In Morocco, hijab is certainly a choice. Young and old alike don the headscarf, and in big cities, seeing it is as common as not seeing it. Although in rural areas it is more prevalent, all women have (legal) freedom of choice whether or not to wear it. Everything Moroccoexplains Moroccan dress accurately:

Veiling in Morocco is not a law, but a choice. Some women may wear it in submission to their husbands, but many women wear it as a sign of faith in and respect for the Islamic code. On the street, veiled women walk openly with their unveiled sisters and friends. Women in the same family may or may not choose to veil and it's nobody else's concern. Older women still wear the full veil, revealing only their eyes. I have even seen the occasional burqa like the Afghan women wear.

No doubt part of the choice to wear hijab is conformity to traditional customs and social rules, but even that is not necessarily so strong it prevents a woman's choice. It is much the same as when a Western woman didn't leave the house without a hat, coat and gloves. I remember when I lived in Nurnberg and a woman did not go into the city in pants or shorts. If you were inappropriately dressed, the sales clerks in the stores wouldn't even wait on you. So, most Moroccan women won't leave the house without putting on their djellaba and a scarf over their hair.

Another excellent article, from the Washingtonpost.com, has Pamela Windo sharing her experience with hijab in Morocco: Although [the scarves] are made of colorful fabrics with pretty clips at the back, what most struck me was the blatant dichotomy between the hijab and their other clothes. While a few women wear it with a subdued djellaba, and others with their everyday modern suits, skirts and coats, a startling number of young Moroccan women combine the hijab with figure-revealing blue or black jeans, elaborate glittering belts, modern sexy tops and designer sunglasses. Equally striking is the glossy-magazine-style make-up, heavy on the lipstick and black kohl eye-liner.

Traveling Mamaoffers a slightly humorous perspective in a post entitled “Advice for Grandma”:

There is a wide variety of interpretations of “modest” dress, but one rule that most women follow here is that the *ahem* buttocks must be covered. Many of the local women choose to do that with a jilaba, but there are others such as the woman crossing the street in the picture above who choose to simply wear a long shirt or jacket. You would also want to avoid anything particularly low cut, revealing or sleeveless.

The subject of hijab has apparently become so important among foreigners as to prompt a discussion on the subject at a Fez cafe, reports The View from Fez. The discussion, entitled The Role of the Hijab, takes place on March 7 at Cafe Clock, and is presented by Subul Assalam Centre.

For more on the subject of hijab, read Abdurahman Warsame's recent article, “Somalia: Can a hijab-wearing blogger get a respectable job in the US?”
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2008/02/22/morocco-hijab-as-a-choice/
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Morocco's largest telecom operator pleads for Internet price cuts.
Rabat, Feb. 22

Morocco's largest telecom operator, Maroc Telecom, has pleaded on Friday for reducing Internet connection tariffs to enlarge the market before seeking benefits. The company's chief, Abdeslam Ahizoune who was presenting the operator's results for 2007, said the 476,000 ADSL connections and 6 million Internet users are "good for the business but not for Morocco," deeming it necessary to cut prices to attract more users.

"That's little to me. The 21.7% growth is quite much for the business, but little for Morocco," Mr. Ahizoune said, noting that reducing Internet tariffs requires the approval of the authorities overseeing competitiveness and an agreement between the operators working in Morocco, i.e. Maroc Telecom, Medi Telecom and Wana. In 2007, Morocco accounted for 1.29 million landline clients, that is a 1.8% increase compared to 2006, the CEO went on, adding that the newly created “Phony” products has largely contributed to this increase.

Maroc Telecom has achieved a consolidated turnover of around USD 3.51Bn in 2007, i.e. a 21.7% increase compared to 2006 thanks, mainly, to the continuing growth of mobile activities, Mr. Ahizoun said, adding that the group’s net gains soared 19.2% to stand at over USD 1.04Bn in 2007.

The head of the telecom operator described these results as “exceptional,” noting that the company has invested some USD 547Mn in 2007, an amount due to reach USD 678Mn in the current year with the Pacte project, which provides mainly for extending the company’s network to include another 7,338 rural areas. Mr. Ahizoune added that his company has invested over USD 169Mn in its African subsidiaries in Mauritania (Mauritel), Burkina Faso (Onatel) and Gabon (Gabon Telecom).
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box1/morocco_s_largest_te/view
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