Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
May 15 2004

Morocco Marks First Anniversary of May 16 Blasts.
Only 25 pct of cancer cases detected at early stage in Morocco, Official.
IMF urges Morocco to accelerate growth
140 specialized judges to enforce new code.
Moroccan Jews celebrate Hailoula Festival in Ouazzane.
Morocco forms council to preserve Islam.
HM King calls for redressing social and sectoral disparities.
Over 5 pct increase of Moroccan expatriates remittances.
Minister: Morocco sugar sector suffers from poor infrastructure.
Italian company to assist children of Moroccan war veterans.
Italy cancels 20 million Euro debt owed by Morocco.
Morocco's hard currency reserves exceed $12.5 billion by end of March 2004.
Religious extremism harms Islam, experts
Senate passes draft law on orphans in state care.
Morocco: 2,000 bombing suspects detained
Spanish cultural center in Morocco reopens a year after attack.
Up to 90 pct of road accidents in Morocco due to human factor, Minister
HM King Mohammed VI Chairs presentation ceremony of major Works in Bouragreg Valley
Morocco Future King turns one.
Festival de Cannes 2004: Two Moroccan movies to be screened.
Time has gone by, but Casablanca gets its cafe.
Morocco Offers Helping Spain 'Monitor Mosques'

Morocco Marks First Anniversary of May 16 Blasts.
RABAT, May 14

Morocco is commemorating on Sunday, the first anniversary of May 16, the day when 12 suicide bombers blew themselves up in five quasi-simultaneous bombings in Casablanca, killing 33 people, including five foreigner (two French, three Spaniards and an Italian). Two of the suicide bombers survived the attacks that targeted Farah hotel, a restaurant near the Belgian consulate, a former Jewish cemetery and "Casa de Espana" restaurant.

The bombings were obviously targeting symbols of the spirit of openness in Morocco that long boasted to be a haven of stability, tolerance and co-existence between religions and civilizations, especially with the existence of an important Jewish community in the north African country.
"The terrorist aggression is incompatible with our identity and with our tolerant faith," asserted HM King Mohammed VI in the wake of the attacks, which he described as "vile" and "despicable".

A week after the bloody event, over 1.5 million Moroccans took to the streets in Casablanca to condemn hatred, extremism and intolerance, reflecting an image of a nation that was unanimous against a new enemy, terrorism.

A merciless fight against this new phenomenon seemed unavoidable. Shortly after the blasts, the Moroccan parliament enacted, on May 28, an anti-terrorism law that stiffens penalties, eases police work in terrorism cases, and broadens the definition of terrorism. This move was followed by a train of trials against people involved in the attacks and members of extremist groups. Fourteen people have been sentenced to death penalty and scores of others to prison sentences up to 30 years. According to Moroccan justice minister, Mohammed Bouzoubaa, "2000 people have been indicted in terrorism-related cases" so far, while several other cases are still under trial.

Aware of the dangers of a radical Islam, HM king Mohammed VI, Amir Al Mouminine (Commander of the Faithful), unveiled on April 30 a fresh plan designed to overhaul and revamp religious affairs in order to "shield Morocco against the perils of extremism and terrorism."
The new plan aims in particular at protecting religion from "the influence of some intruders" who preach imported radical doctrines that are far cry from Morocco's tolerant Islam.

In a symbolic move, HM King Mohammed VI and Spanish premier unveiled last April 24, at Mohammed V square in Casablanca, a commemorative plaque in the memory of the victims of May 16 to evidence a people's determination not to forget the victims of a blind extremism and not to give up to the preachers of death and extremism. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_dep1972.htm
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Only 25 pct of cancer cases detected at early stage in Morocco, Official.
Health, 5/14/2004

Only 25 percent of cancer cases in Morocco are detected at an early stage, said chairman of the Moroccan Anti-Cancer Association, Youssef Boutaleb. Boutaleb underlined in an interview with MAP that 12,000 cancer cases out of 50,000 to 60,000 new cases are detected each year. He added that breast cancer has become the most frequent kind of cancer affecting women followed by cancer in the neck of the womb. As for men, he said, prostate cancer and lung cancer are the most common. According to Boutaleb, pollution, smoking, sexually-transmitted diseases increase the risks of cancer. Boutaleb added that his association will launch an awareness campaign from 17 to 22 May on cancer, themed "early diagnosis."
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040514/2004051417.html
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IMF urges Morocco to accelerate growth
Wed May 12, 2004 07:23 PM ET WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters)

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday projected that economic conditions in Morocco would go unchanged in 2004, but forecast that growth would drop to 3 percent in the year from 5.5 percent in 2003.  In an annual review of the Moroccan economy, the IMF said inflation was low, non-agricultural output was up and foreign exchange reserves were sufficient to cover debts. It said, however, the biggest challenge facing the government was to increase growth so that poverty and unemployment were reduced.

Economic growth in Morocco has been volatile because of the dependency of agriculture on rainfall and recurrent droughts increased poverty in rural areas, the fund said. "To achieve higher growth in the context of Morocco's increasing integration into the world economy, (IMF board) directors stressed the importance of supportive macroeconomic policies and accelerated structural reforms with a view to promoting private investment and increasing the productivity of the economy," the IMF said. It said there were no signs of an exchange rate misalignment, with the anchor of the peg of the dirham to a currency basket keeping inflation low. The IMF welcomed authorities' plan to probe alternative exchange rate regimes before further opening the capital account. The fund urged Morocco to quickly finalize draft legislation on anti-money laundering that was consistent with international standards.
http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=bondsNews&storyID=5124552
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140 specialized judges to enforce new code.
Judicial, 5/13/2004

Moroccan Justice Minister, Mohammed Bouzoubaa, announced, here Tuesday, the appointment of 140 judges specialized in family and matrimonial cases to enforce the new family code in 180 centers set up in first instance courts. King Mohammed VI had in October 2003 announced reforms of the family law which were approved unanimously and applauded worldwide as "revolutionary." The sovereign has also given instructions to activate the law enforcement by the setting up of facilities for the new family jurisdictions in Moroccan courts. Speaking at a press conference held to present a new practical guide on the family code, Bouzoubaa said some 320 judges, interpreters and notaries have benefited from training sessions, seminars and conferences held by his department. A communication campaign is also planned to tell the importance of this practical guide, he said.

The 219 page practical guide is an accurate and concise manual aimed at highlighting the novelties of the code, enforced three months ago, and explaining the legislation's philosophy and objectives. The document, edited in Arabic by an ad-hoc commission, is a genuine tool for all family judges in the kingdom, the minister said adding that "some provisions are explained by practical cases, especially in the field of testimony and inheritance."

The minister went on that information meetings have been held with members of the Moroccan community settled abroad and practical guides adapted to their situation in their host countries have been issued, including those dealing with mixed marriage.
The new family code mainly puts family under the joint management of the two spouses and promotes women and children's rights, in accordance with the teachings of Islam and universal human rights values. It also makes polygamy almost impossible by submitting it to stringent conditions and the consent of the first wife.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040513/2004051317.html
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Moroccan Jews celebrate Hailoula Festival in Ouazzane.
Religion, 5/11/2004

The Hailoula festival, celebrated every year by the Moroccan Jewish community, started Saturday at the Amran Ben Diwan mausoleum in Ouazzane, north of Morocco. Moroccan Jews from several countries have come to celebrate the religious event. In a statement to the national TV 'TVM', Casablanca's Rabbi, Guessous Gabriel, stressed the need to consolidate ties of brotherhood between Jews and Muslims around the world.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040511/2004051129.html
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Morocco forms council to preserve Islam.
Rabat, , May. 13 (UPI)

King Mohammed VI announced Thursday the Moroccan government's establishment of a council aimed to preserve Moroccan Islam against extremism. Mohammed said the legislation was "a three-part plan designed to overhaul and revamp the domain of religious affairs in order to shield Morocco against the perils of extremism and terrorism. It is also meant to preserve the distinctive Moroccan identity, which is characterized by moderation and tolerance." Mohammed VI's speech described the creation of the Ulema Council, which will oversee religious developments and teachings in Morocco. The council, the first of its kind in the Arab world, will be an open forum. The Moroccan Government also invited women religious scholars to participate in the council, "doing justice to women and treating them on an equal footing with men."
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040513-093405-3397r.htm
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HM King calls for redressing social and sectoral disparities.
RABAT, May 12

HM King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Wednesday called for an integrated and sustainable development, especially in rural areas, and for redressing social and sectoral disparities. In a speech opening the first session of the Supreme Council for town and country planning, the monarch hoped that this body will bring together all national institutions to study and exchange views on the proposal for a national and country planning. "This field is vitally important for the global, integrated and balanced development of our country," HM the King said adding that the goal is "to ensure equal opportunities for all regions of the Kingdom, through a sound and innovative approach, based on local expertise and a sense of national solidarity with all social strata and territorial entities."

The monarch called on the Council to "adopt a rational methodology, show initiative, make concrete proposals and be guided by a forward-looking approach, in order to ensure inter-sectoral co-ordination as well as consistency between economic and social planning, on the one hand, and town and country planning, on the other." He also urged its members to "bear in mind the special importance I attach to citizen participation, close-proximity policies and the role played by local and regional councils."

The Monarch insisted on the setting in motion of "new dynamics to meet the challenge of global, integrated and sustainable development, especially in rural areas, and redress social and sectoral disparities." To that end, he went on, "we must promote productive investment, which generates jobs and ensures a life of dignity for my loyal subjects, particularly young people, who have faith in the present as well as in the future, and who show loyalty and true concern for their country, as well as promising creativity in all fields and circumstances." MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_dep092.htm
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Over 5 pct increase of Moroccan expatriates remittances.
Economics, 5/11/2004

Remittances of Moroccan expatriates increased by 5.7 percent during the first trimester of 2004, reaching 8.57 billion Dirhams (1 US dollar= nearly 9 Dh), compared to 8.1 billion Dh the previous year, figures released Monday by the Office des Changes (Exchange office) showed. In comparison with the average of money transfers over the past five years, i.e 6.41 billion dh, remittances of Moroccan expatriates scored a 33.6 pct increase.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040511/2004051128.html
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Minister: Morocco sugar sector suffers from poor infrastructure.

Moroccan agriculture and rural development minister, Mohand Laenser, has recently said that the Kingdom's sugar production meets half of the population needs. In an address read out on his behalf at the opening of a study day on agricultural development, Laenser stressed that efforts in agricultural research and supporting farmers have allowed a significant rise in sugar production estimated at over 500,000 tons annually. However, noted the minister, the sector still suffers from poor infrastructure, limited capacity of processing plants and the delay in the sector liberalization. In this regard, he argued, according to MAP, for a new approach that is likely to create favourable conditions to improve the competitiveness of Morocco's sugar.
http://www.menareport.com/story/TheNews.php3?sid=276453&lang=e&dir=mena
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Italian company to assist children of Moroccan war veterans.
Local, 5/11/2004

Italian company "Asia" will be providing assistance to social and economic projects carried out to the benefit of children of Moroccan former resisters and war veterans, under an agreement signed this Monday between the company and the high commissioner for former resisters and members of the liberation army. The car-assembling company which has offices in Morocco will be supporting the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises by descendants of former resisters and war veterans. It will also organize information and training programs in agriculture, industry and services in order to reinforce recipients' capacities in various specialities while encouraging them to set up their own enterprises, cooperatives and associations. The agreement also provides for the promotion of the car-assembling activity through the creation of specialized associations.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040511/2004051127.html
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Italy cancels 20 million Euro debt owed by Morocco.
Economics, 5/11/2004

Italy has cancelled 20 million Euros of debts owed by Morocco, announced this Monday Moroccan delegate-minister for foreign affairs and cooperation, Taib Fassi Fihri, following a meeting with an Italian official. Italy decided to write off this debt in solidarity with Morocco, following the earthquake that rocked last February the northeastern region of Al-Hoceima, Fassi Fihri told MAP at the end of a session with under-secretary of state at the Italian foreign ministry, Alfredo Mantica. Morocco and Italy have also signed the 2004-2006 program of cultural, scientific and technological cooperation, outlining joint activities in sports, youth, telecommunication, scientific research and culture areas, added the Moroccan official.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040511/2004051123.html
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Morocco's hard currency reserves exceed $12.5 billion by end of March 2004.
Economics, 5/12/2004

Morocco's foreign assets amounted to 125 billion Dirhams (over US$$ 12.5 billion) by end of March 2004, which represents more than one year of imports, the Moroccan central bank 'Bank Al Maghrib' said.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040512/2004051226.html
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Religious extremism harms Islam, experts.
Religion, 5/12/2004

Experts meeting here in a seminar to discuss "extremism and its manifestations in the Moroccan society," were unanimous in underlining that religious extremism harms Islam and its humanitarian values. The seminar is organized by the Commission of Intellectual and Spiritual values of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. Pr. Abbas Jirari, member of this academy said this meeting, held a year after the terrorist attacks in Casablanca (May 16), aims to shed light on the causes and consequences of religious extremism " particularly in light of false allegations against Islam." The Casablanca blasts killed 45 people including the 12 suicide bombers and injured many others.

Quoting excerpts from the Hadith (Prophet's teachings), Jirari said Islam banishes all sorts of extremism. Echoing him, Pr. Abdelhadi Boutaleb said extremism climaxes when it changes into violence and resorts to terrorism. For Said Bensaid Alaoui, Dean of the faculty of Letters (Mohammed V university), extremism is "linked to ignorance" and is bred by other factors such as poverty, exclusion and deprivation. Mohamed Kettani, also member of the academy, blamed most of the Islamic countries for not having, after their independence, well managed religious matters and by not referring to the genuine teachings of Islam.  Other experts focused their presentations on the role of the media in dealing with religion and also on the "misuse of the freedom of speech, provocations, morale and corruption."
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040512/2004051223.html
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Senate passes draft law on orphans in state care.
Local, 5/12/2004

The House of Advisers (Parliament Upper House) on Monday passed a draft law on the status of "Orphans in State Care" granted early March by Morocco's King Mohammed VI to all children who lost their parents in the earthquake that struck the northern region of Al Hoceima on February 24. Under the status, these children will benefit from the Government's financial and moral support, including education, health care as well as other benefits until they reach their majority. The status of Orphans in State Care will help preserve the dignity of these children, adviser to the monarch, Zoulikha Nasri had said. The tremor of a 6.3 magnitude on Richter scale killed 629 people, injured nearly 10,000 and left tens of thousands homeless.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040512/2004051224.html
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Morocco: 2,000 bombing suspects detained
Wednesday, May 12, 2004 RABAT, Morocco (Reuters)

Morocco has arrested around 2,000 people in connection with suicide bombings in Casablanca that killed 45 people a year ago, the justice minister said. Mohamed Bouzoubaa told reporters that some 2,000 people have been detained in cases linked to terrorism since the five coordinated attacks on May 16, 2003. "...And international arrest warrants for another 30 were launched," he said on Tuesday night, state news agency MAP reported on Wednesday.

Moroccan authorities have blamed radical Islamist militants with links to al Qaeda for the bombings in Morocco -- a strong U.S. ally. The assailants, 12 suicide bombers who killed 33 members of the public, targeted international restaurants, a hotel and two Jewish centres during the raids on Morocco's largest city. Bouzoubaa's figure of about 2,000 people arrested was higher than the 1,200 provided by the head of Morocco's security services in an interview published last Saturday. "As far as I know, only a dozen dangerous elements are still at large. Of course, attacks are still possible. We are not completely safe, even if the cleaning up operation is well under way," General Hamidou Laanigri told French daily Le Figaro. Local human rights groups say many of the trials held in the past year have been flawed and that authorities cast a very wide net in their broad sweep to detain Islamist militants.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/05/12/security.morocco.reut/
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Spanish cultural center in Morocco reopens a year after attack.
Rabat, May 13, 2004 (EFE via COMTEX)

The Spanish cultural center in Casablanca that was the scene of a bloody terrorist attack a year ago will reopen its doors this weekend, Spanish officials here announced.  Casa de Espa[a president Rafael Bermudez said that the decision to reopen the facility and its restaurant on Sunday responds, primarily, to a desire that "this very significant anniversary should not pass unnoticed." Most of the 45 victims of the five May 16, 2003, suicide bombings in Rabat died in the attack against the institution's restaurant. According to Bermudez, the cultural center has been completely transformed with the aim of "improving it in all senses, to make it a transparent space with doors open to all."
"We must try to forget what happened, and at the same time, prove to those terrorists that they're not wanted, that they're not going to win, and that we're going to defeat the scourge of terrorism." Besides the Casa de Espa[a, a hotel, an Italian restaurant, the Casablanca Jewish association and an old Jewish cemetery were also attacked. Twelve of the 14 suicide bombers who carried out the attacks died in the explosions, which killed 33 others and wounded more than a hundred. Moroccan authorities later determined that the perpetrators were linked to the radical Islamic fundamentalist group Salafiya Jihadia.
http://www.efe.es Copyright (c) 2004. Agencia EFE S.A.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=134u9936&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
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Up to 90 pct of road accidents in Morocco due to human factor, Minister
RABAT, May 13

Moroccan equipment and transport minister, Karim Ghellab, revealed, here Thursday, that human errors account for about 84 to 89 percent of road accidents in Morocco. Ghellab, who was speaking at the House of Advisors question-time, noted that according to surveys, the state of roads network and other circumstances are only responsible for 2 to 3 percent of the total number of accidents that are mainly due to the non-respect of the road code and the inadvertence of drivers.

On measures to reduce this phenomenon, the minister recalled the outlines of the emergency strategic plan for road safety and the government's approval of the setting up of a ministerial commission for road accidents prevention. Last week, alone, 21 people perished and 812 were wounded in 609 road accidents in Moroccan urban areas.

Authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about road accidents in Morocco. Recent official figures say an average ten people die everyday in road accidents. 3,761 people were killed in 2002. According to these figures, 52,137 road accidents happened in Morocco with annual losses estimated at 11 billion DHs (over US$ 1.1 billion), that is 2.5 percent of the country's GDP.

To reduce the number of road accidents that the Moroccan media call "road war", transport authorities have drawn up a "Road Security Emergency Plan" for 2000-2005 with the aim to reinforce coordination between the various departments in charge of road safety, the implementation of control and prevention measures, the modernization of the driving license system of exam, and the reform of the legislative framework.
Moroccan minister of equipment and transport, Karim Ghallab deplored that Morocco is listed among the countries the most affected by road accidents.© MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_deppar19.htm
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HM King Mohammed VI Chairs presentation ceremony of major Works in Bouragreg Valley
RABAT, May 13

HM King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Wednesday chaired the presentation ceremony of major works in the historic valley of Bouregreg that separates the capital Rabat from millennium-old Sale. The 10 billion DH (around US$ 1.1 billion) project covers 4,000 hectares, starting from the outlet of the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah dam. It also includes modern bridges between the two cities, the widening of Sale's southern beach and a marina. Works will be conducted by a team of expert engineers, geographers, historians and landscape designers, appointed by the sovereign. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_depmay1980.htm
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Morocco Future King turns one.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has continued breaking royal tradition, releasing a touching father-son photo in honour of Crown Prince Moulay Al-Hassan's first birthday. Though protocol once forbade the public release of photos of the monarch's private life, the king has opted to provide royal watchers with a rare glimpse at the young prince as he turns one. The official family photo, released on Saturday, shows a smiling Mohammed VI with an equally content baby Moulay Al-Hassan sitting on his lap. Absent from the family scene, however, is the king's wife, Princess Lalla Salma. The princess has also bucked tradition by taking centre stage at diplomatic meetings and state functions alongside her husband.
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2004/05/10/kingmohammed/
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Festival de Cannes 2004: Two Moroccan movies to be screened.
Local, 5/14/2004

The prestigious Festival de Cannes will be screening two Moroccan movies this year: Hassan Benjelloun's "Derb Moulay Cherif" and "A Casablanca les anges ne volent pas (In Casablanca, angels don't fly) by Mohammed Asli. Derb Moulay Cherif, which is based on true facts, will be screened part of the francophone section while Asli's movie will be part of the International Critic's Week of the, created in 1962, is organized by the Syndicat francais de la critique de cinema.The 57th Festival de Cannes is held from Wednesday May 12 to Sunday May 23.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040514/2004051422.html
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Time has gone by, but Casablanca gets its cafe.
By NICOLAS MARMIE. The Associated Press May 09. 2004 CASABLANCA, Morocco

There's a new gin joint in town, and now everybody comes to Rick's.  In homage to the movie Casablanca, a former U.S. diplomat has opened a Rick's Cafe in this bustling port city. But you won't find Sam at the keyboard - these days, the pianist's name is Issam. The elegant nightclub where Humphrey Bogart's character Rick pined for Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa was just a set on a Warner Bros. sound stage in California. The new Rick's has the same warm atmosphere as the Hollywood original. It's a white villa near the port, with palm trees flanking the door. Inside are arched passageways and traditional hanging lamps of colored glass.

And there's not a single photo of Bogart on the walls. "Rick's Cafe is no longer just a film, it's not a museum, it's a reality," said founder Kathy Kriger, sipping a glass of Moroccan cabernet. Nearby, waiters in traditional fez caps and wide-legged pants serve customers at candlelit tables. The elegant restaurant, which debuted in March, is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. A typical meal costs around $30.
Pianist Issam Chabaa, who is from the capital, Rabat, plays songs from the 1940s and '50s. On Sunday nights, Kriger serves popcorn and chili con carne and screens Casablanca. Kriger, 57, says she watched the classic film hundreds of times to study the atmosphere, lighting and lines. "I'm surprised my tape didn't wear out," she said. She left her job as a commercial attache at the U.S. consulate in Casablanca when she was supposed to transfer to Tokyo in 2002. She'd become too attached to her new home.  She scouted for locations and decided to open the restaurant in Casablanca's medina, a bustling labyrinth of narrow streets and shops. It took months to get the various authorizations, including a liquor license - no small task in this mostly Muslim nation. Kriger said she wanted to promote American-Moroccan dialogue in the North African kingdom, which stretches from the Mediterranean to the Sahara.  "After Sept. 11, I realized that maybe certain authentic American values were no longer understood in the Muslim world," Kriger said. "I wanted to show how Americans can be: open, determined and persevering."
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040509/REPOSITORY/405090367/1013/NEWS03
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Morocco Offers Helping Spain 'Monitor Mosques'
By Abdul Salam Basha, IOL Correspondent BARCELONA, May 10 (IslamOnline.net)

Morocco has offered to help Spain monitor mosques and picking imams in a bid to end "internal problems of extremism" in the neighboring European country, a Moroccan official said. "Morocco could prove a benefit to Spain with respect to selecting moderate imams, and Rabat is also ready to help monitor mosques," Moroccan Minister of Waqfs and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq told El Periodico newspaper on Sunday, May 9. Toufiq suggested setting up a joint Moroccan-Spanish body for this purpose. "We are ready to do this," the Moroccan official said, stressing his country has no intention to interfere into Spain's internal affairs. The proposal came a few days after the Spanish government announced plans http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-05/04/article08.shtml to monitor imams and censor mosque sermons. The move was denounced by several politicians and rights groups Muslims in the country as a violation of religious freedom.

Exchanging Ideas
The Moroccan Minister has proposed setting up a body for exchanging ideas between both Morocco and Spain, which will not be binding on either country, to provide assistance in Madrid's efforts to crack down on "fanatics". Toufiq has offered to hold a dialogue between Morocco and Spain, making use of thaw in relations after the visit of Spanish Prime Minister to Morocco on April 24. According to the figures released by the Spanish Islamic Center, between 700,000 and 800,000 Arabs and Muslims live permanently in Spain, half of them are Moroccans. Asked whether he supports the decision of the Spanish government to monitor mosques and select imams, the Moroccan official refused to give a direct answer.
"We are against radical trends in Islam, ... there should be imams conveying a culture of co-existence with the other and accepting it," he said.
Moroccan King Mohamed VI announced in April a reform plan aimed at improving the highly-tarnished image of Islam and avoiding any shapes of "extremism and terrorism".

Respectable
The Spanish paper described Toufiq as respectable and cultured intellectual taking up reforming the Ministry of Waqfs after losing control of the country's 35,000 mosques, thus leading to "spread of extremist trends". Morocco's proposal came one day after the Spanish government offered to fund mosques and Islamic cultural institutions, provided they abide by the line moderation. Several Spanish towns have witnessed limited assaults on Muslims, following the Madrid blasts http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-03/11/article02.shtml on March 11, which left 200 dead and 1500 wounded and were attributed to Muslim Moroccans.

A number of Moroccans have been arrested as suspects. And Morocco has sent a security team to assist Spain through the investigations. The censorship proposal was initially tabled by Spanish Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso to control "Islamic radicals". His proposal was later backed by Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, who said Friday sermons should be placed under close scrutiny. "It is important that we know what is said in the Friday sermon. Mosques have sprung up in Spain in a completely uncontrolled fashion," Moratinos has said.
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-05/10/article08.shtml

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