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Morocco Week in Review 
October 31
, 2015

Language Complexity in Morocco, An American Perspective
Sunday 25 October 2015 - By Kabir Moss Essaouira

We were new to Essaouira and Ambassador Bush was passing through town. When paths cross, the Ambassador and other Embassy personal make it a point to meet with Peace Corps Volunteers and we were happy to meet for breakfast. We talked a bit about our impressions of Morocco on the whole. At the time, my wife Olivia and I had a lot less experience in Morocco and, therefore, we took our lead from the more experienced volunteers. At some point in the conversation Ambassador Bush asked, and I'm paraphrasing, where are the Moroccan students in relation to American students, you think?

The response that the elder volunteer gave stuck with me, "well, it depends, most of these kids know at least three languages." Think about that.
Before the age of thirteen, most Moroccan youth are introduced to at least three languages and if the person is of Amazigh descent, the odds are it is four. Pretty impressive, especially as I find myself floundering through what is merely my second (really more like my 1.5th language if I am going to be accurate).
Back home, if you have decent command of just one second language you are at least what LinkedIn might say, more employable. If you had three, or four? LinkedIn would hardly know what to do with you. Maybe put you on Buzzfeed along with that guy who knows nine languages?

Morocco welcomes tourists from all over the world. Many Moroccans who do business with tourists learn languages from interactions with customers.
I take nothing away from the man's language skills, nine languages fluently, but watching the Internet light up only drives home how far removed we, in the U.S., are from the rest of the world. Our geographic isolation, our mass cultural diaspora, and a good helping of British (and later American) Imperialism makes us rather uniquely positioned in the world to know only one language. English has become the language of international trade and business, and the "need" for another language is shrinking by the day.

I don't fault Americans for not knowing more languages. I don't think it is a reflection on character or intelligence. I do think we miss out on a lot of positives that come from building that particular brain power. The strengthening of that part of the brain when you learn and speak another language brings along benefits beyond simple communication. However, it isn't that an American born today can't learn more than just English, but it is the product of a lack in necessity. The vast majority just won't have to.

If my Language Teacher, Abderrahmane, whose first language is Tamazight didn't leave the countryside because his father needed work, he wouldn't have learned to speak Darija (Moroccan Arabic). If he didn't need to understand the Quran or study science in school, he wouldn't have learned Fusha (or Modern Standard Arabic, the language that is the baseline for Arabic dialects). If French didn't still dominate business and government administration in Morocco, he wouldn't have been taught French since middle school. Then, without all of these, he probably wouldn't have been in the position he was to pick up English so effectively, see his passion for it and study it in University. Without University, he would not have earned the job as our Language and Cultural Facilitator, which only reinforced his language skills with necessary practice.

Add into the mix, a technology boom, where youth have cell phones and text in Darija using the cell phone's stock Latin Alphabet not with Arabic script. So in order to indicate letters in Arabic not found in English or French they use numbers; creating a whole new alphabet and language in itself (talk about a generation gap).

That is a lot brain power to be sure, and to me it all feels a little crazy. Imagine talking one language at home (Tamazight), then learning another language at school (Darija), in order to learn another language (Fusha) to then learn the texts, literature and other technical studies like science. Only to, after all that, learn another language to improve your chances of employment (French) and improve your chances of employment overseas (English). The complexity confuses many more than just me.

Over a year and a half in and this still boggles my mind. This is because my mind, as a product of my American upbringing, is rather obsessed with efficiency. The right way for me (and a lot of people I would suspect) is often the most efficient way—the clearest, easiest, and quickest possible path from point A to point B, right? This is most certainly a product of an American mentality, but just because I recognize I am using this specific lens that doesn't mean I can dismiss it. I think constantly about the confusing state of languages and the murk it must stir up, especially in the early years of education.
Language is as fundamental as it gets. It is our basic block from which we build our capacity to learn and digest new information. What an overload this must be, to learn a language just so you can learn a subject. Is there a better way?

But here is where I must step back.

The system, most assuredly, is inefficient. Moroccans definitely have to spend an exhausting amount of time on language, which, when time is finite, inevitably takes away from other pieces of education. It saddens me to see it, because what pieces of education get cut first when time is limited? When priorities must be made and things must be cut, what do we lose? We lose those things that I have always valued most, like creativity, or self-expression, or critical thinking and analysis. Or even just the ability to read and write the languages they know how to speak. However, when I'm lost in the maze, critiquing the language situation Morocco is immersed I always come to this, huh, easy for you to say? Why do you get to say anything?

Why do I get to think like this? Why do I get to analyze their system, their struggles? The unsettling truth is that it is my American Privilege that lets me think these things. By being born where I was, I grew up speaking the only language I have ever truly needed and this gave me an unquantifiable amount of opportunities. This has given me not only worldly opportunities, but academic opportunities that my Moroccan counterpart would need years of study and mountains of time just to break even.

For a small example, before a Moroccan can dive into literature he/she must first learn Fusha because Darija, much less Tamazight, has never been written. And in contrast, my mother was able to read me stories from the very beginning because the language I spoke is the language she spoke and that was the same language with which the stories were written. This is an advantage. This is a privilege and so fundamental it is easy to forget.

Moroccans, on the whole, are unbelievable at language, and that cannot be stressed enough. especially when you think of the inefficacies of the public school system and that cannot be stressed enough. They are astounding, especially this generation, and especially when you think of the inefficiencies of the public school with teacher to student ratios sometimes as high as 50:1.

My second reason, however, is a little more personal. It is my expression of gratitude for being given an opportunity to learn about language on this level. Olivia, myself, and a lot of Peace Corps Volunteers around the world, are learning irreplaceable lessons on language (not merely Darija) that would be extremely difficult to understand without seeing first hand. Learning Darija has been a struggle for us both, but we are all the better for it. Not because our Darija will be a staple in our lives forever, but because of the perspective it has given us upon our own language and our own privilege. By learning through necessity we get to see, even if just slightly, from where so much of the world approaches.

Olivia likes to talk about how humbling it was, and still is, being submerged into a world where we could not communicate. To go from a big old college degree to being in all practical senses, a child—from an independent, self-reliant adult, to needing help ordering coffee. The sobering experience of confusion and misunderstanding, of not knowing, that comes from learning this language, this way, will be a piece of this experience with the greatest longevity. The unbelievable patience that we have received here from people trying to help, to coax us along, will be with us long after I forget how to say, ma-fhhm-sh, I don't understand.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/10/171074/language-complexity-in-morocco-an-american-perspective/
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Growing Controversy over Women's Inheritance Rights
October 27, 2015

In this 21st century and in a world where women are heads of State, heads of Government, leaders of political parties, CEOs, academics, physicians, soldiers, police officers, pilots, and even family income providers, it is absurd and perhaps ridiculous to continue to view and deal with women as second grade citizens.
It is worse in some countries, where women are considered as eternal minors. They cannot travel without expressed consent of their spouses, parents or an adult male relative regardless of their professional or academic status.

Some other countries are still debating whether women should be granted equal rights as men at all levels.

In Morocco, one of the most open and tolerant countries in the Arab and Muslim world, the issue of gender equality nonetheless often makes the headlines and sometimes fuels political debates. And this is exactly what's currently taking place in the North African country.

This time, the debate is about the equality between men and women in matters of inheritance rights. The controversy was triggered by Morocco's National Human Rights Council (CNDH) when it called for reviewing the family code to guarantee equality between men and women in inheritance.

The CNDH recommendation prompted a showdown between pros and cons of women's rights.

In 2004, the North African country adopted a family code which was commended by the international community and rights groups as a major stride. Few years later, Morocco endorsed a new constitution guaranteeing gender equality.

According to Islamic laws, a son inherits twice as much as a daughter and a brother inherits twice the share of his sister. But CNDH in its latest report said women should be treated the same as men in matters of inheritance.

This sensitive issue triggered a strong reaction from the ruling Islamist Justice and Development party, the PJD, and some conservative theologians.
For the National Human Rights Council, it is a matter of principle and compliance with article 19 of the constitution which stipulates gender equality.
But the PJD, which is leading a coalition government, has slammed the CNDH call for equal rights in inheritance, saying it is an "irresponsible move" and "a flagrant violation" of the Moroccan constitution.

"The proposal made by the Council of Human Rights is a flagrant violation of the constitution, particularly Article 19, which regulates equality between men and women in accordance with Morocco's religious and national specificity," the PJD said in a statement.

The Islamist party also tried to involve the country's King in the issue, saying the CNDH "interferes with the prerogatives of the King in his capacity as Commander of the Faithful".

Yet, supporters of women's rights cite Article 19 of the constitution which says "Men and women have equal civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights and freedoms (…) in line with the conventions and international treaties duly ratified by Morocco".

In response to the PJD statement, the political bureau of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) adopted a resolution, calling for the promotion of women's rights, particularly in inheritance, and expressing support for the CNDH on this subject.

The PAM resolution was very critical of those who "obscure the diversity and spread radical discourse" and denounced those who "aspire to impose restrictions on free thinking and innovation" and "attempt to impose forms of tutelage over society."

As many other women's rights advocates continue to argue that the State should work towards the establishment of parity between men & women and has the duty to fight all forms of discrimination against women, some sides are calling for a public debate on the issue.

It is clear that the Moroccan constitution stipulates gender equality and women's empowerment, but will the Islamists and other conservatives abide by the rules and the Constitution they voted for or will they try to make a fuss and renounce their commitments? Time will tell!
http://northafricapost.com/9652-morocco-growing-controversy-over-womens-inheritance-rights.html
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Why Muslim Men and Women Should Be Equal in Inheritance
Saturday 24 October 2015 - Amjad Hemidach Fez

Recently Morocco's National Council for Human Rights recommended that men and women should have an equal share in inheritance. This recommendation created a controversy between liberals who welcomed the initiative and conservatives who consider it heresy and a way to camouflage the real issues the committee should tackle. The issue is complicated by the clash between religious texts and modern ideas pursuing equality and parity.

To me, the reality is that women in a patriarchal society like Morocco are still suffering from discrimination concerning basic rights. Women bring up children, do the house work, and work outside the home and share household expenses. They are equal to men regarding their contribution at home and in society, but when it comes to inheritance they are given only half of what a man receives under the law.

Some defend men receiving twice what women receive saying that men are obliged to support their families. Therefore, it is fair that they receive double what women receive for purposes of inheritance.

This argument rests on a shaky foundation, especially given the progress Morocco has made in the field of human rights. It also goes against Morocco's family code, which considers women and men equal partners in the family institution.

It may be true that in the past most women were not employed outside the home and men were responsible for providing food and shelter for the family. In such case, it may have made sense for women to be given half of what men inherited — the latter being the first to blame if a family faced financial problems. Nevertheless, nowadays, with the metamorphosis of society and social norms, this is not a solid argument to deprive women of their equal share.

Women are employed in every field, working hard, saving money and providing for their kids. They are sometimes more responsible than men who work only outside the home and spend time with friends in cafes smoking, drinking coffee, and watching soccer games. Obviously not all men are the same, and certainly not all women are passive receivers' of men's largesse. Rather, most women are contributing more and more to the household as well as to society.

But even if this were not the case, when a husband dies leaving a wife and children struggling for subsistence, the wife must not only fulfill her duties as a mother, but must also take on the responsibilities of the father. Where is the logic in having the woman receive only half a share of inheritance when she must support her entire family?

The call for women to receive an equal share of inheritance seems reasonable and should be supported by public outcry to liberate Moroccan minds from the shackles of thinking that a woman's place is in the home, not at the forefront of business, or government, or education. Such outdated notions should not cripple the steady march toward equality and Morocco's progress in human rights and economic development.
Edited by Elisabeth Myers
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/10/171066/why-muslim-men-and-women-should-be-equal-in-inheritance/
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Letter to Moroccan Parliament on Draft Disability Law.
HRW Oct. 2015

We are writing about the Draft law 97.13 on the protection and advancement of persons with disabilities (Draft Framework Law), which Morocco's Parliament is currently examining. We would like to share our observations about the Draft Framework Law in light of Morocco's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and other international human rights treaties, as well as the Constitution of Morocco.

First, we would like to express our thanks to the government for arranging for us a meeting in Rabat on April 29 with officials from the ministries that participated in the drafting of this law, including Social Development, Education, Justice, and Health.

We also spoke with other stakeholders in Morocco, including leaders of disability rights organizations, disabled persons organizations, persons with disabilities and their families, members of independent human rights associations, the National Council on Human Rights (CNDH) and the Economic and Social Council.
Building on the comments you have already received from several disability rights organizations, the CNDH, and the Economic and Social Council, we would like to share additional comments based on our expertise in the implementation of the CRPD across the world. Our comments will focus on the following issues:
• A rights-based approach to disability
• The right to legal capacity
• The right to education
• The participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations

I. Comments on Draft Framework Law
A. A rights-based approach to disability
The CRPD outlines a human rights-based approach to disability, emphasizing that persons with disabilities are holders of rights rather than simply the beneficiaries of charity or services. The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee) has been clear that states violate the CRPD when their laws and practices follow a "medical model" approach to disability - placing too much emphasis on diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and providing services to persons with disabilities to adapt them to society - rather than ensuring that states themselves adapt to ensure that persons with disabilities are fully included and can exercise their rights.[1]

Human Rights Watch is concerned that the Draft Framework Law does not yet adequately reflect the rights-based approach to disability, as it places undue emphasis on the diagnosis and prevention of disability and does not sufficiently address the need for society to adapt to ensure the participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life, as outlined in the CRPD. For instance, the first objective in Article 1 of the Draft Framework Law is "[p]reventing and diagnosing disability and sensitization of the need to take precautionary steps to avoid it," conveying that prevention and diagnosis of disability is the primary purpose of the law. Although the remaining objectives listed in Article 1 promote the rights of persons with disabilities, these rights focus on adapting persons with disabilities to society rather than on ensuring that society itself is inclusive.

During the CRPD negotiations, there was considerable debate on whether to include prevention of disability among these principles. Although prevention of certain disabling conditions may be one component of government health initiatives, it was ultimately excluded as a key principle in the CRPD, in part because preventing disability does not play a significant role in ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities specifically. In fact, the CRPD contains only one reference to the prevention of disability, as one aspect of the right to health.[2]

Recommendations
• Amend Article 1 of the Draft Framework Law to emphasize ensuring the full respect, protection, and fulfillment of the rights of persons with disabilities as the primary objective, instead of focusing on the prevention and diagnosis of disability.
• Include an additional objective in Article 1 of the Draft Framework Law affirming the need to adapt society itself to ensure the inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities.

B. Right to legal capacity
Article 12(2) of the CRPD specifically provides a right to legal capacity for persons with disabilities, which includes the right to exercise all of their rights and have their decisions recognized by the law on an equal basis with others and without discrimination based on disability.[3]
According to the CRPD Committee, all people, including people with disabilities, maintain a right to legal capacity "simply by virtue of being human."[4] It further notes that the exercise of legal capacity is "the key to accessing meaningful participation in society" for all persons, including persons with disabilities.[5] For example, the CRPD Committee has found that legal capacity "acquires a special significance for persons with disabilities when they have to make fundamental decisions regarding their health, education and work," while the denial of legal capacity has led to numerous violations of these rights for persons with disabilities.[6]

The CRPD Committee has repeatedly found that legal regimes that deprive persons with disabilities of their legal capacity and assign others to make decisions and exercise rights on their behalf - such as guardianship - do not conform with Article 12 of the CRPD and should be abolished.[7] Instead, the CRPD in Article 12(3) requires that states provide support when needed and requested to persons with disabilities so that they can exercise their rights and make important life decisions for themselves.[8]

The Draft Framework Law can strengthen protections of the right to legal capacity for persons with disabilities, including by overturning previous laws that limit the exercise of legal capacity for persons with disabilities. And although Article 19 of the Draft Framework Law provides for persons with disabilities to "enjoy full competence to exercise their civil and political liberties and rights," it qualifies this by stating that this competence should only be recognized "in accordance with the conditions set forth by law."[9]

The current "conditions set forth by law" in Morocco do not yet conform with Article 12 of the CRPD. For instance, the Family Code of Morocco indicates that persons with disabilities, particularly intellectual or psychosocial disabilities[10], may be deprived of their functional legal capacity--including the ability to exercise personal and financial rights--and assigned a guardian to make decisions for them.[11] Individuals with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, solely based on a doctor's assessment, are deprived of legal capacity when they turn 18 without a formal legal process or can be deprived of legal capacity and assigned a guardian or family member to make decisions for them by a court if they acquire the disability as an adult.[12] The person with disability can challenge this assignment in court but must demonstrate that they no longer have the "symptoms" of their disability in order to do so.[13]

Deprivation of legal capacity in Morocco places many limitations on an individual's exercise of rights under Moroccan law. For instance, the Moroccan Code of Contracts requires the consent of a guardian for people deprived of legal capacity, thus limiting opportunities for employment, to control finances, or to enter into other agreements.[14] The Family Code of Morocco states that all actions taken by persons deprived of legal capacity are null and without effect unless specifically allowed by the court when depriving them of capacity, thus limiting almost every opportunity for these individuals to exercise their rights.[15]

We welcome that the government is planning to amend the Civil Code, including the Family Code and the Code of Contracts, in line with an overhaul of Moroccan law.[16] It is unclear, however, what the timeline will be for such amendments and whether these amendments will ensure the right to legal capacity for persons with disabilities in line with the CRPD. And although the Constitution of Morocco protects persons with disabilities from discrimination, it is unclear whether this would extend to ensuring their full rights under Article 12 of the CRPD and thus influence the interpretation of the Draft Framework Law.

Recommendations;
• Amend Article 19 of the Draft Framework Law to state that persons with disabilities have full competence to exercise all of their rights in accordance with Article 12 of the CRPD.
• Strengthen Article 19 of the Draft Framework Law to clarify that persons with disabilities should not be deprived of their legal capacity, either formally or informally, and should be provided with support when needed to exercise their rights and make important life decisions for themselves.

C. The right to education
The CRPD requires that all persons with disabilities have access to education on an equal basis with others (Article 24) and be provided with reasonable accommodations if needed.[17] The CRPD Committee has in turn found that states violate the right to education when they segregate persons with disabilities into special schools without the option to attend mainstream schools with reasonable accommodation. The Committee has also explained that children with disabilities are denied their right to education if they are placed in special classes in mainstream schools where there is little interaction with other students, and if students with disabilities receive sub-standard education because they are not provided with reasonable accommodation.[18] Indeed, the CRPD specifically states that the denial of reasonable accommodation is a form of discrimination on the basis of disability.[19]

Based on the April 2015 statement by the government, Morocco appears to have a long-term plan for ensuring the integration of children with disabilities into mainstream schools and classes in Morocco's public schools. This is a welcome step forward.

We also appreciate that the Ministry of Education has issued circulars requiring schools to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream schools and classrooms. However, families of children with autism and intellectual disabilities in Morocco report significant problems integrating their children into mainstream schools, including objections from schools and teachers about having assistants in the classroom assigned to work with students with disabilities. They also raised concerns about the quality of education their children receive in special classes or in mainstream classes without assistants and about the lack of government support for providing reasonable accommodations for integrating their children into mainstream classes.

Additionally, as we understand, some NGOs are providing a significant amount of support to children with disabilities in schools--including by training, paying, and providing learning assistants for children with autism or intellectual disabilities and running parallel classrooms for these children-at their own expense or at the expense of families and with little or no government support for these services. This has meant that mainly families with sufficient financial and other means are able to provide instructional support for their children, leaving many children with disabilities behind. Parents say that they rely on these NGO programs because mainstream schools will either not accept their children or will not provide them with needed accommodations to receive an adequate education.

We urge you to consider amending the Draft Framework Law to address some of these issues, and to bring the law in line with national and international law. First, the law should include an appropriate accountability mechanism to ensure access to education for children with disabilities on an equal basis with others, whereby children with disabilities and their families can report denial of enrollment or reasonable accommodation in mainstream schools and receive speedy replies. The Draft Framework Law should also clearly shift the burden of providing reasonable accommodation - including individual support for children with disabilities - from families to the state. Although this issue could be addressed in more detail in other supplementary laws, we hope that accountability and state responsibility for ensuring reasonable accommodation can be stated as important principles in the Draft Framework Law.

Finally, we are also concerned that the Draft Framework Law as currently written may be interpreted to limit access to mainstream or inclusive education for some persons with disabilities, particularly autism or intellectual disabilities. Article 12 of the Draft Framework Law mandates the creation of separate institutions for education and training of persons with disabilities "who are unable to pursue their education and training at other institutions," which may promote continued segregation of children with intellectual or other disabilities, contribute to stigma surrounding disability, and deny these children the right to an education with their peers. Children with disabilities should only be placed in separate schools on the basis of a meaningful choice by the children and their families, and only in cases where this environment maximizes their academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion, as mandated by the CRPD.

Recommendations:
• Include in the Draft Framework Law a definition of reasonable accommodation in line with Art. 2 of the CRPD, noting that denial of reasonable accommodation, including in access to education, is a form of disability discrimination.
• Include in the Draft Framework Law a clause that specifically requires the state - rather than NGOs or parents - to provide reasonable accommodation for children with disabilities in schools, including by funding this reasonable accommodation and setting up programs to ensure access.
• Remove clauses in the Draft Framework Law that imply limits to the education that persons with disabilities can receive or require segregation, such as the reference to persons with disabilities "unable" to receive education in mainstream schools. Instead, replace this language to ensure that "Effective individualized support measures are provided in environments that maximize academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion," as required by CRPD Article 24 (2e).
• Call for greater investment of resources towards integrating persons with disabilities into mainstream schools and classrooms.
• Insert an additional paragraph in the Draft Framework Law that establishes an accessible reporting mechanism for parents and children with disabilities who are denied access to education or reasonable accommodation.

D. The participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations
Finally, in line with the spirit of the CRPD and the principle of inclusion and participation conveyed in the disability movement's slogan "Nothing about us without us," we urge the government to ensure that persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in Morocco are adequately included in the process of developing this Draft Framework Law. According to NGOs and government officials, NGOs were not involved in the writing of the current Draft Framework Law, though some were included in a 2010 process in which they worked with officials to draft another law. Although the Ministry of Social Development indicated, in our meeting on April 29, that these earlier consultations were all part of the same process for developing the current Draft Framework Law, the current draft differs significantly from what was developed in 2010.

Now that the Draft Framework Law has been put forward for adoption by the Parliament, we hope that you give the comments from persons with disabilities and their representative organizations due importance in your deliberations. The Draft Framework Law could also be strengthened by including specific provisions to ensure the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in developing future legislation to implement the law, as required in Article 4(3) of the CRPD.

Recommendations
• Ensure that persons with disabilities and their representative organizations are included at all stages - development, drafting, passage, implementation, and monitoring – of the Draft Framework Law and other legislation or regulations related to persons with disabilities
• Include in the Draft Framework Law a reference to the importance of the principle of participation of persons with disabilities and require state agencies to include persons with disabilities in any initiatives that may affect them.

II. Conclusions
Thank you for your time and attention to this letter. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss these concerns with you further and would be available to meet with you in person at your earliest convenience to hold these discussions. We will follow up with you to arrange a time to meet. We hope that our comments are useful to you in your deliberations and look forward to working together to promote the rights of persons with disabilities.
________________________________________
[1] See, e.g., CPRD Committee, Concluding Observations: Turkmenistan, paras. 5-6, U.N. Doc. CRPD/C/TKM/CO/1 (2015).
[2] CRPD, Art. 25(3).
[3] CRPD, Art. 12(2).
[4] CRPD Committee, General Comment No. 1, para. 14.
[5] CRPD Committee, General Comment No. 1, para. 13
[6] CRPD Committee, General Comment No. 1, para. 8
[7] CRPD Committee, General Comment No. 1, para. 7.
[8] CRPD, Art. 12(3).
[9] Draft Framework Law, art.19.
[10] The Family Code of Morocco uses the term "demented" to describe persons with intellectual disabilities and the term "insane" to describe persons with psychosocial disabilities. Family Code of Morocco, articles 213, 216-217 (unofficial English translation).
[11] Family Code of Morocco, Arts. 208, 211, 213, 216-219, 233 (unofficial English translation).
[12] Family Code of Morocco, Arts. 211, 216-217, 220, 231 (unofficial English translation).
[13] Family Code of Morocco, Art. 220 (unofficial English translation)
[14] Code of Contracts, Section 1 (unofficial English translation).
[15] Family Code of Morocco, Arts. 224, 226 (unofficial English translation).
[16] Interview with government officials, April 29, 2015.
[17] Under the CRPD, "reasonable accommodation" is defined as "necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms." CRPD, Art. 2
[18] See, e.g., CRPD Committee, Concluding Observations: Australia, para. 45, U.N. Doc. C/CRPD/AUS/CO/1 (2013).
[19] CRPD, Art. 2.
https://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2015/10/26/282616================================================================================================

An Unforgettable Tagine in Morocco.

By LAILA LALAMI OCT. 26, 2015

Moha, who wanted to be our guide, said it was an easy hike to the Bridge of God. But he looked about 15 and spoke in a timid voice that made me doubt how easy it would really be. We were at the trailhead in Akchour, a small village nestled in the Rif Mountains in northern Morocco. ''How long will it take?'' my daughter asked.

I translated her question into Arabic for Moha. ''It depends how fast we walk,'' he replied. ''With small children, three or four hours.'' The adults in our party were eager to do the hike; the children, not so much. Something is always lost in translation, but as Salman Rushdie once put it, something can also be gained. ''Only a couple of hours,'' I said in English.

We followed Moha down the trail toward the river. Its banks were so narrow that we had to hold onto tree limbs and scramble over mossy rocks to make our way. In places, we waded into the water, which was chilly, even in August.

After we'd labored for several miles, after the children had asked for the 10th time whether we were there yet, we finally saw, rising 80 feet above the river, a red rock formation that resembled an arch. This was Qantarat Sidi-Rabbi, the Bridge of God. A breathtaking sight.

Then I noticed a blue sign hanging from a tree branch. ''Welcome to Bridge of God,'' it said. Behind it was a wooden shack, with an open terrace. A cafe, here! There were no tables or chairs or menus or waiters, just a cook with earthenware dishes and a barbecue pit.

While the children changed into their swimsuits and went back into the river, he made us a kefta tagine, a simple dish I had had many times when I was growing up. Traditionally it is made with lamb, but that day he used beef, which he rolled into meatballs and left to simmer in a red tomato sauce. When the meat was ready, he removed the tagine from the fire and cracked three eggs over it, letting the remaining heat bake them.

I hope that my forthcoming crowdsauced web site, The Tagine Moroccoblogs, under the editorial *num-num de plum* of "Steve Stenciler" will...

When when I returned to North America after living in Morocco, I had a hard time adjusting to everyone having a separate plate and steel...

I've been hiking in the Rif mountains. The region grows 70% of the worlds marijuana. Literally every farm you can see for hundreds of miles...

After the children came back from their swim, the cook brought us a pitcher of water to wash our hands. Moha joined us as we sat in a circle around the tagine, which we ate in the old way — with our fingers. Eating from a communal dish was a habit I had lost when I left home, but now I could once again share my meal with others beside me, touch the food that I was about to eat, feel the heat of a piece of a meat long before I brought it to my mouth.

I couldn't help thinking about my eating habits in Los Angeles, where I live now. Everything is organic or 100 percent this or that. At restaurants, waiters clear our plates the minute we're finished eating. We're always rushing, removing ourselves from the experience of food. A meal can turn into a task. But on that summer afternoon, it seemed to me that with each bite I was returning to a time when food was shared, with family and strangers alike.

The cook was out of mint, so he made us rosemary tea, which we drank after the tagine was cleared. As we made our way back to the trailhead, neither of the children asked how long it would take. There, on the banks of the Oued Farda, it was as if we had all the time in the world.
Laila Lalami is the author, most recently, of "The Moor's Account," a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/magazine/an-unforgettable-tagine-in-morocco.html?_r=0
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Shukrán, Morocco (Thank you, Morocco)

By Lauren Saxe 10/26/15

As my weeks abroad tick by faster and faster, this weekend I killed two birds with one stone as I crossed both a new country and continent off my travel checklist.

My study-abroad group explored a total of three Moroccan cities. We began with Tangier and ended in Tétouan, but our main stay was in the city of Chefchaouen in the mountains. Our guide, Abdeslam, who had enough energy for our entire group, provided us with all the details and history of each city.
Upon our arrival in Chefchaouen, we were matched with Moroccan host students in groups of two or three. I always prefer this to staying in a hotel or hostel, partly for a more authentic experience, but mostly because it as an opportunity to make international friends and get to know people of a different culture.
My friend and I were paired with the youngest of the host students, a 16-year-old high school girl named Yousra, who studies economics. As soon as I entered her room, which we stayed in, I noticed inspirational quotes on her wall, much like I might find in mine — granted, hers were written in three languages, while all of mine are merely in English.

That was one of the things I found most impressive — the number of languages many people in Morocco could speak. The students we spent time with could all speak Arabic, French and English, and several were learning a fourth language.

In the morning of our full day in Chefchaouen, we took a short hike through the mountains to see one of the mosques at the top and to experience a view of the entire city. Chefchaouen primarily consists of blue buildings, and therefore is often referred to as "The Blue City."

Halfway through Saturday, we visited the foundation the mother of our main host student, Akram, started: The Alawite Organization for the Care of Blind People. It is a foundation that offers work for blind citizens, where they are able to use their other senses to create garments and home goods to sell in its shop and support their families in the process.

A mental snapshot I will remember forever was the lunch we enjoyed. Our meal consisted of several courses, ranging from a beautiful veggie platter to a full chicken doused in rich sauce to endless pomegranates. As we finished our meal, there was a quartet from the music conservatory in Chefchaouen that played in the living room of our host, Akram's aunt, and the merriment that filled the room was immeasurable. Amidst the music and cheer we enjoyed mint tea, henna tattooing and overall good company.

I think a lot of times, when people travel, they focus too much on cultural differences and not enough on the things that bring people together. Perhaps the most rewarding part of traveling is that, although at first things might seem extremely foreign, and many certainly are, you can always find a common ground or something that connects two cultures or two people.
http://www.idsnews.com/article/2015/10/column-shukrn-morocco-thank-you-morocco
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Morocco is building the largest solar power plant the world has ever seen
By Chloe Olewitz | Digital Trends – Wed, Oct 28, 2015

The natural fit between the Earth's deserts and humanity's growing interest in solar power is obvious, but the resource has still been largely untapped, until now. Ouarzazate is a city in the completely landlocked desert region of Morocco, but you've probably seen it before in movies and TV shows like Lawrence of Arabia, The Mummy, and perhaps most famously, Game of Thrones. But aside from the fictional glory of the Seven Kingdoms, Ouarzazate is also about to become the home to the largest consolidated solar power plant in the world.

The enormous power plant will focus entirely on renewable energy, so that through a combination of solar, hydro, and wind power, Morocco will source more than half of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2020. Currently, Morocco imports 94% of its energy as fossil fuels from resource-rich regions around the world, according to Moroccan environment minister Hakima el-Haite. Such a high import level is costly, but for a country mostly dominated by desert land, solar has started to look like an enormous environmental and economic opportunity.

In Arabic, the world "noor" means light, so each phase of development on the plant follows plans named Noor 1 through 4 as the four solar parks complete construction and link to form a consolidated plant. The first phase, Noor 1, involves the installation of more than 500,000 mirrors arranged in 800 rows to track the sun as it passes across the desert sky each day. Every mirror in the array measures in at 12 meters high, and will be affixed to a steel pipeline that utilizes an ultra-hot heat transfer solution to create steam. The synthetic thermal oil solution is heated to 393 degrees Celsius, and as it makes its way through the pipeline system, it coils into a heat engine where it is combined with water to create the steam that powers the turbines that create usable energy.
Noor 2 and 3 are scheduled to begin in 2017. The final four plants that will make up the completed renewable energy complex by 2020 will take up as much space as Morocco's capital city of Rabat. Space aside, the power plant will also generate up to 580 Megawatts of electricity, which is enough energy to power an estimated 1 million Moroccan homes. When all is said and done, the plant will receive $9 billion in investments from international financial institutions like the World Bank. Moroccan government guarantees have also been set up to back the project and its external funding, and King Mohammed VI has established energy subsidies so that the great cost of becoming the a global solar superpower isn't transferred to Moroccan citizens.

A specialized heat tank loaded with molten sands means the Noor 1 array will be able to store heat energy for up to three hours. For obvious reasons, solar cells can't produce energy once the sun goes down, so the plant's heat tank was built into the plan so that Moroccan homes will be able to source renewable energy into the evening hours. Subsequent phases of the project will expand on the technology laid down in Noor 1, eventually storing energy for up to eight hours so that Morocco and even neighboring nations will be able to run 24/7 on solar energy. While Moroccan government ministers explore high-tension transportation lines that would enable the exchange of these renewable energy resources, King Mohammed VI reportedly has his sights set on Mecca as the plant's ultimate energy goal.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/morocco-building-largest-solar-power-190701762.html#JK2baHu
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Old Meets New in a Moroccan Oasis: Villa Capaldi offers an escape from the bustle of Marrakesh amid olive farms.
By NICOLA VENNINGOCT. 29, 2015 MARRAKESH, Morocco Credit Raymond Colledge

Visitors find Marrakesh enticing and exotic, but for long-term residency, some second-home buyers prefer the tranquillity of the nearby countryside.
Villa Capaldi is one such oasis off the Route d'Amizmiz, south of the city. Across a gently rolling plain dotted with Berber villages, olive farms and cypress trees, the villa, a four-bedroom summer home, sits within the six-hectare, or 15-acre, grounds of the Hotel Capaldi.

The villa, the first of four planned homes, is for sale for $960,000 and comes fully furnished. It has been used by the hotel as a vacation rental, but any buyer would have the option to "rent back to the hotel," said Edward Lyle, director of the hotel. Villa Capaldi has an area of 540 square meters, or 5,813 square feet, and an additional 5,000 square meters of gardens with roses, bougainvillea, palms and olive

Outdoor living at the villa is enhanced by informal entertaining areas. In one corner of the garden is a gazebo with adjacent barbecue; on the opposite side, near the pool, is a terrace and dining area with an open fireplace. In the distance are the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. The villa combines contemporary design with traditional Moroccan materials. The entrance and internal doors are large, antique and wooden, while the kitchen has a floor of bejmat, a type of handmade tile from Fez. Although there is central heating — "You need heating in a house this size in the winter," Mr. Lyle said — the reception room has an Eastern-inspired fireplace at either end.

All of the bedrooms — two on the ground floor and two above — also have fireplaces, and there is air-conditioning throughout. The bedrooms have wide terraces and en-suite bathrooms, which are decorated with mosaic tiles. Even the exterior of the house, made from a local stone with a Moroccan render finish, has had "earth added, so it blends well into the landscape," Mr. Lyle said.

All four of the new homes are expected to be completed by mid-2016. Homeowners will have the use of the hotel facilities, though many leisure activities, especially golf, are nearby.

Close to the town of Amizmiz and the Route du Barrage, the area is one of the few places outside Marrakesh with "large free places for development," said Marc Leon, managing director of Kensington Estate Agency, based in Marrakesh. "You are close to the mountains, have unique Atlas views, excellent air and good access to the city center."

A new nearby development is the Jnan Amar Polo Resort, about a 10-minute drive from Villa Capaldi. Alongside two polo fields, there will be a Ritz-Carlton as well as 85 three- to five-bedroom contemporary-style villas with private pools and terraces. Construction has begun and is expected to conclude in about 18 months. The homes, which are being sold by the resort, are priced between $913,000 and $3 million. The polo resort and Villa Capaldi are a 30- to 40-minute drive from Marrakesh. Those who prefer to be closer might consider La Palmerie, a tranquil neighborhood within the city limits.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/30/greathomesanddestinations/old-meets-new-in-a-moroccan-oasis.html?_r=0
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