Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
March 7, 2015

Together for Peace – Morocco
Friday 6 March 2015 - Morocco world news By Mohamed Lymani Ksar el-Kebir

The newly established Moroccan Youth Peace Summit (MYPS) held its first instructional camp in Sidi Sliman, from January 25 to February 1, 2015. The purpose of the camp, entitled “Together for Peace Morocco,” was to teach Moroccan youth valuable leadership and conflict resolution skills, as well as the practical application of these skills in their communities. The camp was organized and funded by Sidi Sliman youth under the chairmanship of Julie Ann Hawke and Mostafa Essalai, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, U.S. Peace Corps, and Search for Common Ground. The welcoming committee consisted of a representative from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the U.S. Peace Corps coordinators and youth from all around Morocco. The welcoming ceremony included a tea ceremony and a musical performance by Aebidat R’maa.

The MYPS ship set sail on Monday morning with Ayoub Ait Maalm, a Search for Common Ground leadership-certified coach. In his opening address he spoke about how to be a good leader. He also had the youth participate in activities to enhance communication, leadership skills, and time management strategies. The workshop’s purpose was to encourage the participants to generate ideas about leadership through their experiences, leadership abilities and communication skills, applying the principals of organization of time and hard work.

The following day, Coach Wafae Mobdie held a Conflict Resolution Workshop. She addressed a collection of methods on resolving conflict and drew from her own experiences to give realistic examples. This workshop enabled participants to learn the concept of analyzing conflicts and interacting with people that have differences of opinion, in a peaceful manner, to achieve a conflict resolution and a calm environment.

On Wednesday morning, Peace Corps Volunteer Zach Tilton and his assistant Nabil Kaafi presented a workshop on volunteerism. The participants were divided into small groups. Each worked on a separate volunteerism project and discussed how communities could benefit from volunteers. Each participant received a copy of “Volunteering guide: for effective service,” the Peace Corps’ guide on volunteerism.

Thursday brought with it the Model United Nations (MUN) event, presented by Peace Corps Volunteer Nathan Kuhn. He was assisted by a qualified group of young people from throughout Morocco. The purpose of the MUN is for the participants to gain a sense of problem-solving, strengthen their leadership skills and to contribute to providing solutions for various issues faced by the international community. The general opinion of the participants was that this event was the conference’s most impressive.

Zach Tilton later described this day: “One of the highlights of the Peace Summit was the Model United Nations. The 50 youth leaders represented 15 countries as delegates and participated in four different committees that addressed issues including but not limited to Ebola, HIV/AIDS, police brutality, the Ukrainian Conflict, Tibetan Independence, and ISIS. Delegates modified flawed resolutions and defended revised resolutions for these pressing world issues.”

On Friday morning, Peace Corps Volunteer Anooj Bahandri and his assistant Nabil Kaafi presented a diagram explaining how to develop unique ideas and to share them by using public speaking skills. Also, they presented opportunities for the participants to engage in different intellectual activities. At 5:00pm, Friday, the Technology, Entertainment, Design independent conference (TEDx) speakers delivered inspiring stories to help the exchange of ideas from different fields, and stimulate dialogue to raise the cultural and cognitive awareness in Moroccan society.

The MYPS completed its journey with a certificate presentation ceremony. The ceremony started with recitations from the Holy Quran. Following the recitations, the participants gave performances that highlighted their individual talents. When the talent show concluded, MYPS distributed certificates and held a “tea ceremony” to honor the trainees. Afterwards, the MYPS declared the end of what had been a most wonderful and interesting adventure.

When all of the activities and ceremonies concluded, the participants thanked and showed appreciation for the efforts of the MYPS members and everything they did to develop their leadership skills, learn how to solve problems through dialogue, gain mutual understanding and communicate with others. This MYPS also reinforced the participant’s scientific and practical knowledge.

At the train station, as the participants were saying their goodbyes and preparing to return home, they gathered once more and agreed to lead Morocco towards growth and prosperity. As John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153249/together-peace-morocco/
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Student lends a hand in Morocco and Pakistan: SIT student serves as a youth development volunteer and helped build a school
By Chris Mays cmays@reformer.com @CMaysReformer on Twitter 02/27/2015 BRATTLEBORO

Justin Bibee says life in Morocco is beautiful. "I am still amazed by everything," he said after living there for over a year. "Everyday it feels like I am living in a book. I hear the sound of a horse trotting down my street or the sound of sheep passing my house everyday."

Bibee was enrolled at World Learning SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, earning his master's degree in peace building and conflict transformation in 2013, when he learned of an opportunity to continue his studies abroad with the Peace Corps. He is now serving as a youth development volunteer in Morocco, North Africa, often guest teaching at local middle and high schools and a local language center.

"I began my service as a volunteer English teacher at the 'dar chebab,'" he said referring to a place he likened to a Boys and Girls Club in America.
Bibee said he started English clubs at the African schools and was able to offer free classes. A book campaign was also done under his watch. Used books were collected from members of the community, which then were used to start a library inside of the "dar chebab.""We collected hundreds of books of various topics in English, French and Arabic languages," said Bibee.

His founding of the People's Advocate Council, described as a nonprofit self-advocacy organization in Morocco, will see that more community development projects get done. Bibee said the group recently removed 250 kilos of trash from local schools and playgrounds while 20 trees were planted. "We are committed to community participation and work collectively with the people to create better living standards for all," said Bibee. "Our next project is hosting a gender equality development training in the month of March addressing girls' education locally and globally." Besides cleaning up trash and creating awareness, the council's projects also will include hosting food and clothing drives; restoring and rebuilding playgrounds; feeding and clothing the poor; and offering free classes.

Then there's a project in Pakistan. Bibee was asked to be a director of a board tasked with setting up a primary school in a rural area in the district of Nowshera, Khyber Paktunkhwa. The name, Sabawoon Education Academy, refers to a symbol of a bright future. Construction is nearly complete and the school is scheduled to open in April. Their biggest challenge may be dealing with terrorists in the area.

"On Dec. 16, nine gunmen affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban entered a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 132 schoolchildren, in the same region we are building our school," said Bibee. "Schools are often a target for terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which worried us and left us with moral dilemmas."
He also mentioned receiving direct death threats from the Islamic militant group known as ISIS.

For the school project, more help is needed. The academy is looking to hire a director of studies, teachers, administrative staff and activity specialists. Volunteers to research teaching resources are also being sought. Fundraising information can be found at sabawooneducationacademy.weebly.com.
According to Bibee, Pakistan has a 49.9 percent educated populace and more than half of the students drop out of school after the primary level of instruction. He said inadequacies in the country's education system include lack of qualified teachers, use of corporal punishment, verbal abuse, strict conditions and lack of learning materials. "Only 14 million girls are studying in basic education compared to 18.3 million boys," Bibee said. "And about 23 million children in Pakistan have never been to school."

The academy's curriculum will be designed to produce a culture of tolerance and coexistence, Bibee told the Reformer. "Religious harmony will be one major focus of the curriculum. SEA (the academy) will help students to grow in a peaceful and creative environment contributing toward greater peace both domestically and internationally," Bibee said. "Children will be provided with the best learning environment and physical facility possible. Students from the most vulnerable and deprived segments of the community will be provided with free education. SEA aims to prepare a generation that believes in moral values, humanity, peace, justice and equality."
Contact Chris Mays at 802-254-2311, ext. 273.
http://www.reformer.com/ci_27613354/student-lends-hand-morocco-and-pakistan
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How to Plant Morocco’s Billion Trees.

Now is the planting season.  As the Moroccan people do the best they can to plant trees and herbs that will enhance their future and bring food security, it is also worth asking a question.  How can farming families plant, adding value to their product according to their potential, thus overcoming subsistence practices that trap them in poverty?

The good news is that the practical elements of a solution exist.  Now it is a matter of bringing pilot projects to scale for the nation, as enormous as the challenges are to planting on this magnitude, with their implications for water management and the absorption by markets of far greater quantities of product.

Inbuilt Factors for Success – Plants and Land

Firstly – and thankfully – in the very areas where poverty is most concentrated there also exists a wide range of indigenous tree and plant varieties that flourish without the application of pesticides and other chemicals.  The list includes fruit trees such as walnut, pomegranate, olive, lemon, fig, carob, date and almond as well as medicinal and aromatic plants such as capers, lavender, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme.

Securing the organic certification of these and other species greatly enhances product value.  Moreover, with this wide range of product (and potential for added processing, such as drying or oil extraction) market saturation can be avoided and each region afforded the opportunity develop agriculturally according to their specialized organic pathway. 

Secondly, a Moroccan government agency – the High Commission for Waters, Forests and Combating Desertification (popularly known as ‘Waters and Forests’) – has been notable in its support of pilot projects by lending land on which community tree nurseries have been established.

Bringing the Project to Scale

A great number of these nurseries must be created for the Kingdom to generate the billion plants estimated to be required to lift its inhabitants out of the cycle of poverty.  In addition nurseries should be decentralized in organizational terms; they should specialize in plant varieties native to their particular region and finally they should facilitate the training of local community members in the complete process of establishing and running further tree nurseries.

However, farming families have understandable concerns about risk as they make the transition from the historical barley and corn cycle – even as it keeps them in poverty – to more lucrative cash crops.  The loan of land by Waters and Forests enables farmers to overcome these concerns since, from their perspective, they will not lose the use of their arable land for the two-year period necessary for trees and plants to mature from seeds.

From the project-level perspective, the contribution of Waters and Forests is not only highly commendable but actually essential in the bid to overcome rural poverty.  Moreover, it represents a flexibility on the part of the agency in adapting to include not only regular forestry trees but also, potentially, indigenous, organic fruit tree and aromatic plant varieties.

The successful pilots can now be expanded to between 500 and 600 possible sites throughout the Kingdom, this initiative ideally taking place within the framework of a clear national development strategy.

Leading the Field

The actions of Waters and Forests not only exemplify the vision needed to address fundamental barriers to sustainable growth but also make the agency the leader in terms of contributing land for this purpose in Morocco (the pilot site being a walnut nursery in the Asni municipality in the Marrakesh region that today boasts nearly 250,000 walnut trees).

Where Waters and Forests have led, others are beginning to follow.  The Jewish community of Morocco, with approximately the same number of potential sites, could become another vital large-scale contributor of land for community nurseries throughout the Kingdom.

The cultural background to this is fascinating in itself – and practically unique to Morocco.  The custom of saint veneration entered Moroccan Muslim and Jewish life several centuries ago.  As a result (and in addition to their Muslim equivalents) there are hundreds of Jewish personalities, male and female,  buried in isolation as well as in established cemeteries, typically in rural locations.  Following the diminution of the Jewish population in Morocco during the last century, the tradition has been upheld by the community that remains as well as by a lively diaspora and with the practical and moral support of the Moroccan government and people. 

Aside from the maintenance necessary for these sacred sites, there is potential in the arable land that often lies beside them unused.  The pilot site for what is essentially an intercultural initiative, bringing new hope to local Muslim farming communities from Jewish-maintained land, is at Akrich in the Tamsloht municipality, again not far from Marrakesh.  Thirty-thousand trees have already been raised and distributed in kind from the nursery, which was recently visited by the Governor of El Haouz province, Mr. Younès El Bathaoui.  A total of seven such parcels of terrain have now been made available for loan and the initiative is poised to be launched across the Kingdom.

All of this exemplifies the model, both progressive and practical, that has been adopted in Morocco.  In a developing nation where cultural preservation as an end itself may be viewed as a luxury, it has been decided instead to create a framework to celebrate the Kingdom’s mosaic of cultures while simultaneously advancing human development goals.  Moreover, Morocco may be the only place in Africa and the Middle East where local Muslim and Jewish collaboration through this creative use of cultural resources is promoted and is taking place.

Putting It All Together

It is only right to encourage other contributors to follow suit by lending land for the establishment of community-managed fruit tree and medicinal plant nurseries.  For example, the Ministry of Agriculture has hundreds of agricultural extension centers across Morocco, each potentially a location for a community nursery.  It remains the case that combining all the parcels of terrain available to Water and Forests, the Jewish community of Morocco, and the Ministry of Agriculture and dedicating them to this use would generate between 80 and 100 million plants each year.

With these three contributions alone, Morocco would be well on its to achieving the billion necessary to end the scourge of seemingly relentless rural poverty.  What is more, successful fruit and green growth initiatives can provide the financial basis for investment in a whole host of projects – education, health, women and youth empowerment – where the potential is great and the need for justice urgent.
Now is the planting season – if we are successful in this, opportunities to plant further hope will be boundless.

Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is president of the High Atlas Foundation, a Moroccan-U.S. nonprofit organization that has planted more than 1 million trees in Morocco with community and government partners.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152842/plant-moroccos-billion-trees/
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March 8, 2015, Just Another Women’s Day?
Saturday 7 March 2015 - Abdellatif Zaki Rabat

March 8, 2015, is International Women’s Day, a global celebration recognizing women. To celebrate this day, events are organized in Morocco and all over the world. While Some may not think positively about setting aside days to celebrate women, there are appropriate ways to oppose them. One way is to not participate in the organized events celebrating the day; another is to not show women the respect they believe they deserve or to express support for their struggles for freedom and equal rights. One may even choose to criticize the events and judge them as useless, a waste of time and energy or even describe those who promote them as political opportunists and demagogues.

In a democracy where freedom of speech is a right, one does not even have to understand or sympathize with those who choose to celebrate International Women’s Day but has to accept and respect their choice. Likewise, in a democracy, those who criticize the celebration should be able to voice their opposition, and this opposition must be accepted. Free speech, however, never extends to inciting violence.

In an Islamic culture, such as Morocco, there are those who use religion as a reason for opposing these celebrations. They can go as far as accusing those who celebrate of atheism, apostasy or secularism. They further accuse those involved in organizing such events of immorality and undermining Islam, just short of calling for public lynching and capital punishment of the celebrators. This is an intolerable way to oppose International Women’s Day.

Although critics are entitled to their opinions, because religion is so very personal to Moroccan culture and the majority is extremely passionate about it, making these types of accusations is sure to incite violence and hate crimes. This antisocial and irresponsible name-calling is criminal in the unique situation of Moroccan culture. If it is not controlled, circumstances will escalate, things will get out of hand and irreparable harm will occur.

In fact, some of this language critical to celebrating International Women’s Day could be labelled terrorism. Some Facebook posts have implicitly invited DAESH [ISIS] to Morocco and deal with the “militant women” whom they also call the worst names possible. These attitudes are way beyond misogyny; they are subversive and of a fascist and tyrannical nature.

The discourse around this year’s International Women’s Day has revealed: (1) the extent to which the cultural and ideological gaps have widened in Morocco; (2) the advanced degrees of political insolence upon which social extremism is based; and (3) the height that manipulation of religion has reached.
Intimidation may be but a test, insults a provocation, but accusations of atheism and of apostasy are a crime against those targeted. While the courage of women and the men supporting them, along with their determination to continue their struggle is a good response, a better one would be the legal system protecting society from being taken back to the dark ages.

The myth of tolerance with which Moroccans like to characterize themselves is being assaulted, under hostile fire, and about to give way. Let everyone assume their responsibilities before it is too late.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153289/march-8-2015-just-another-womens-day/
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Aksal Group to Build New Morocco Mall in Rabat
Thursday 5 March 2015 Rabat

A new 6 hectares shopping mall featuring a big screen, a luxury hotel is set to be built in the capital Rabat. Aksal group, a group that holds exclusive rights in Morocco to distribute various fashion brands, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wessal Capital, a Moroccan private equity investment fund with key partners from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for the construction of new shopping mall in Rabat.

A joint-venture company was created on the occasion. The capital will be held jointly by the two groups. The new shopping mall will be located in the Wessal Bourgereg project, a mega project on the banks of River Bourgereg that aims to reinforce the urban development of Morocco’s capital with an investment totaling $1.1 billion.

The Wessal Bourgereg project will include the construction of Rabat Grand Theater (2,000 seats), an Archaeological and Geological national museum, several cultural centers, a residential compound, hotels, commercial and recreational centers, green spaces, and a Marina. The mall will feature 200 international brands of retail and restaurants, a hotel, a cinema, a national library, an Archeological museum, and a house of culture. It will create around 3000 direct and indirect jobs. It will be designed by the same architect of Casablanca’s Morocco Mall, Italian David Padoa.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153104/aksal-group-build-new-morocco-mall-rabat/
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The Importance of Education for Women’s Effective Political Participation
Saturday 7 March 2015 - morocco world news By Abdelhak Ammari Rabat

Different voices call for individuals, both men and women, to participate in the coming Moroccan municipal elections. Unfortunately, no one has pointed out the fact that it is impossible for an illiterate individual to understand the meaning and the purpose of an election.

Joshua Cohen (1996, 95) said, “political citizenship – the right to vote and hold office – is a cornerstone of democratic theory and practice”[1]. Cohen’s words are very clear. They allude to the idea that a society where individuals, whatever their gender, have the right to vote and are free to hold office, is worthy to be labeled democratic. In such a society, individuals can choose a candidate who proffers the most promising program, or they can abstain from voting if they are unhappy with their choices.

Article 30 of the Moroccan constitution states that all citizens, male or female, have the right to vote and that voting is a personal right and a national duty.
Morocco’s upcoming local elections are very controversial. Some tend to say that women have to be present in the coming elections in different ways. For example, some believe that the language used in political campaigns must be reformed when referring to male and female candidates. Others assert that women must participate in working at polling stations and manage electoral processes. These demands seem to be very superficial and cannot contribute to the reinforcement of democracy in Morocco at all.

The rate of illiteracy in Morocco is high, especially in rural areas, and it affects women in particular. Being illiterate, women do not understand the role politics play in human life, and they do not understand the programs proffered by candidates, if there are any.

Equally important, though these illiterate women vote, they often do not freely choose their candidates. This comes from the pressure they receive from their husbands, brothers, and fathers, compelling them to vote for the person the men supports so that they can achieve their own objectives.

If we are determined to organize fair elections, all individuals must be aware of these processes. The best way to achieve this is through education. We need to educate all women, and they must understand the importance of participating in politics. I can substantiate my argument with the words of Farzaneh Roudi-Fahimi and Valentine M. Moghadam, who convincingly contend, “educated women are more politically active and better informed about their legal rights and how to exercise them.'[2]

Though the language used during elections says that they exist to serve both men and women, and officials say women are given more opportunities to participate in the management of the coming or any elections, fair and democratic elections can not be reached due to the prevalence of illiteracy of women. Moroccan individuals must be conscious of the meaning of political citizenship, a value that cannot be achieved without education.
End Notes
[1] “Political Citizenship and Democratization: The Gender Paradox”. Eileen MacDonagh. American Political Science Review. The American Political Science Review, Vol. 96, No. 3 (Sep., 2002), pp. 535-552
[2] “Empowering Women, Developing Society: Female Education in the Middle East and North Africa”. Farzaneh Roudi-Fahimi and Valentine M. Moghadam. Population Reference Bureau
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153291/importance-education-womens-effective-political-participation/
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The Story of Moroccan ‘Mule Women,’ the Disgrace of Morocco, Spain and the EU
Saturday 7 March 2015 - Mohamed Chtatou Rabat

Every year, on March 8th, the whole world celebrates the Woman Day with speeches, marches, protests, etc. and Morocco is no different in that regard. But, alas, celebration is one thing and reality is another.

In many countries of the world, women are still treated harshly in their lives: victimized, raped, imprisoned, discriminated against, forced to do slave work, and cater for everyone’s need without any recognition, whatsoever. They are used and abused, at will, and family members will only realize their importance and worth when they are sick, gone somewhere else or deceased. Everybody needs their work, their love, their affection, their smile and their womb and nobody does anything to improve their lot. So, women continue to exist and to suffer stoically without a single twitch or moan, for fear to bother the rest of the world, as usual, but the rest of the world does not care about them, in the least.

Equality but not equity
In 2004, King Mohammed VI revamped the Moroccan family code moudawwana, in a revolutionary and avant-gardist fashion, in the Arab world, giving women more rights and more freedom on their lives, in spite of resistance from Islamist parties and forces. This new code is considered, in many ways, to be a revolutionary legal document in the Arab-Islamic world, especially, at a time, when orthodox currents are calling to, somewhat, negate the acquired rights of womenfolk, in the name of religion and for the sake of their salvation.

The Moroccan moudawwana is certainly a tremendous revolution, especially when reactionary religious forces are using Islam as a pretext to deny women their basic rights. The new family code is an important step forward towards modernity, because, in a way, it liberates women from the shackles of subservience, through the following pivotal changes:

• Minimum age of marriage raised;
• Sharing of property between married couples;
• Polygamy strictly controlled;
• Repudiation and divorce can be initiated by women and are subject to judicial supervision;
• Possibility to retain custody of children;
• Inheritance rights improved;
• Recognition of children born out of wedlock and simplified proof of paternity procedure;
• Removal of degrading language in the family code; and
• Provisions on children’s rights in accordance with the international instruments ratified by Morocco.

But, alas, the family code, in spite of its social revolutionary advances and achievements is unable to free women from poverty and modern slavery. Indeed, in rural areas, women suffer greatly from lack of education[i] and, even in some cases, a rise in illiteracy. According to Vital Voices, the women reality in Morocco is dramatic:[ii]…underneath all of the positive publicity lies a rather heartbreaking reality for many Moroccan women: recent surveys in Morocco estimated the country’s illiteracy rate to be approximately 55% of all women. Fully 90% of rural women in Morocco are illiterate.

In northern Morocco, the high poverty rate resulting from the high illiteracy rate has pushed women to work on a daily basis in the fields, either growing crops or growing illegal herbs (kif), in the most inhuman possible conditions, from 6 o’clock in the morning to 6 in the early evening, not forgetting of course that these very women when, home, have to cook for the family and take care of the children. After a long tiring day, women on the way back home will act, also, as mules carrying huge loads of grass for the domestic animals and wood for cooking.

In rural areas, near the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Mellila, women are shamefully exploited, jointly by both Morocco and Spain, as means of transportation of contraband goods, and are referred to as mule women. This misnomer is doubly insulting because it considers women as stupid animals, good only for transportation, and, also, as second class citizens devoid of any human feelings.

Sadly, this inhuman treatment of Moroccan women is the direct responsibility of Morocco, Spain and, also, indirectly, the EU.

Morocco, in the first place, because it has not enacted robust literacy policies in rural areas, especially in the north, to empower women economically. As for Spain, a European country that prides itself in gender equality, it, somewhat, ought to try to find an honorable solution within EU framework to empower these women. As for the EU, it strongly considers the two enclaves as the outpost of its territory and the strategic frontier for stopping illegal migration from entering the European mainland. It wants Morocco to serve as the parking lot of the thousands of illegal migrants, with the intention to enter the European Eldorado, and is not ready to help solve the poverty the 8,000 women who serve as mules to contribute to the economic prosperity of the enclaves. So, the EU wants its cake and wants to eat it too, unashamedly.

On the other hand, the EU does consider the enclaves of Ceuta and Mellila as an extension to Europe and any Moroccan military action, if ever, to free these territories from Spanish domination will certainly be considered as an act of war on Europe and would lead to military retaliation as part of common European defense action. If that is the case, one wonders why does not EU help both Morocco and Spain set up empowerment programs for women in the Rif area to stop this painful expolitation of women in the 21st century at the gates of Europe only, and nowhere else.

The trade of shame
The mule women, known in Spanish language as porteadoras, are Moroccan illiterate and divorced women from the city of Nador and the Rif hinterland, who are used by merchants on the Moroccan territory to smuggle, through official entry points, bales of over 60 kilos of goods, on a daily basis for a meager pay varying from 50 to 100 dirhams according to the nature of the goods, whereby electronics are, of course, more valued than clothing or toiletries.

It goes without saying, of course, that the merchants on the Spanish side, and by extension, the cities of Melilla and Ceuta thrive from this inhuman commerce, without any regrets or feeling of compassion, in the least. Actually, these two Spanish enclaves do indirectly encourage this kind of trade, whithout which the cities will economically stifle and loose their geostrategic importance for both Spain and Europe and lead the former to a forced decolonization.

Melilla, in spite of the high electronic fences, also, serves as the entry point to a tolerated trickling of cheap African labor for Europe that is called officially “clandesine,” but that serves the purpose of providing continental Europe with cheap labor, previously security-cleared by the Spanish authorities in the premises of this city.

This trade of shame nurtured by Both Morocco and Spain is remindful of another trade, in the annals of history, referred to as the unfair trade, undertaken, yet again, by the very same two countries, under the rule of the Amazigh dynasties of the Almoravids (1040-1147) and the Almohads (1121-1269), with Africa through the Malian city of Timbuktu, whereby Moroccan caravans laden with salt were exchanged against African caravans transporting gold and ivory.
In this modern trade of shame, regrettably three sides share equally the responsibility: Morocco, Spain and the EU.

Moroccan maltreatment:
For the Moroccan establishment, the north i.e. the Rif has always been considered in the political terminology as bled siba, “land of dissidence,” that rejects the political leadership of the center, but not its religious mantle. Indeed, from 1885 to 1910, the whole area was in total dissidence against the sultan refusing to pay taxes to the Makhzen and to acknowledge the authority of his governor ‘amel. This period of total lawlessness and vendetta was referred to as Rifublic, a nativization of the word “republic,” which reflects the desire of the Amazigh people of the region to break away from the central government and rule themselves by themselves.

This wish was made come true by Mohamed ben Abdelkrim Khattabi, who set up the Republic of the Rif between 1921 to 1926 and inflicted shameful defeats on colonial Spain. In the early years of Moroccan independence, there was an uprising in the Rif, in 1958-1959, that was quelled in blood by the central government. When Mohammed VI came to power, he showed his willingness to reconcile the monarchy with the ebullient Rif and launched a massive development program, but in spite of this important effort, yet women are not empowerd to face the diffculties of life and the challenges of monoparental responsibilities. So, these women, forgotten by the state, divorced by their husbands, undertake this shameful and exploitative trade to feed their family and continue to survive.

Spanish sin:
For the Spanish economy of the two enclaves, this inhuman practise is tolerated, not to say encouraged, because it allows the economy to thrive and these cities to prosper and the colonization to continue. However, the issue at hand is that, Spain being a democratic country that upholds the human rights and the rights of women to a fair treatment in life, must be ashamed to allow such a practise on its territory. Maybe Spain does not feel compelled to uphold the human rights in its territories for “timed migrants,” meaning people that enter the territory for a short period of time and a specific purpose.

Linda Pressly, in an article contributed to the BBC electronic publication on October 30, 2013, entitled: “The heavy-lifting ‘mule women’ of Melilla”[iii] points out that according to Melilla’s business advisor for the local government, Jose Maria Lopez, the city earns the equivalent of £ 300 million a year from this commerce. She goes on say that: There are very positive outcomes of this commercial activity. For some of the porteadoras it’s the only chance they have of making a living. Sure, it’s really hard work, but some of them get an income that’s larger than the average income of workers in Morocco.
Linda further reports that Lopez estimates this trade « atypical » and that the city must think of other alternatives to this for making money. However, he does not condemn, in anyway, this 21st century human slavery and female exploitation by a European nation that prides itself at home in gender equality and women empowerment.

Europen Union’s crime:
In all its laws and budgets, EU considers the two Spanish enclaves Ceuta and Melilla as European territory, when it comes to defense and poltical issues and has never showed any sympathy or support for the rightful claim of Morocco to recuperate its territories, still under Spanish rule after 6 centuries of uninterrupted colonization. However, EU has not showed any interest for the abject exploitation of women by both Moroccan and Spanish merchants, who make a lot of money from these fragile human beings pushed by poverty, to submit to the inhuman pratises of economic slavery. The irony of this situation is that the EU that defends human rights left and right when its concerns its interests, turns a blind eye to this gross violation of women rights and rather than trying to find a solution to this predicament puts pressure on Morocco, instead, to serve as the European gendarme, to stop illegal famished African migrants from scaling the huge deadly fences surrounding Melilla, to enter “Fortress Europe.”

Enough hypocrisy
Rather than think of a lasting social solution to the predicament of the mule women through education and micro-credits to create coops and small businesses, the Spanish are offering to create a bigger border crossing, as reported by Suzanne Daley in an article entitled: “A Borderline Where Women Bear the Weight” published by The New York Times on March 30, 2014:[iv]Juan José Imbroda, Melilla’s chief executive, says he has offered to create a bigger border crossing to relieve the pressure, but the Moroccan government has not agreed. Right now, he said, the Moroccan government is in control, opening the borders to this activity and closing it at will, fueling the need to hurry through the turnstiles while they are open and creating dangers.The only thing Spain could do is simply eliminate the practice, he said, which could leave the women destitute.“This is purely a socioeconomic problem,” Mr. Imbroda said, one “that is not easily solved.”

Such a “humanitarian” solution from a Spanish official, shows quite clearly the hypocrisy of the Spanish govenment and its lack of cultural sensitivity. Making the border bigger will attract more cut-throats merchants from both sides, who will engage more “mule women” to make more profits and obviously the balance will tip in favor of the two enclaves Ceuta and Melilla and thus double their profits.

To disengage the responsibility of the Spanish local government, Imbroda says that the Moroccan gvernment refused his “ideas and suggestions,” of course he did not point out that this shameful trade while it is bountiful to the city’s wealth, it bleeds dangerously the Moroccan economy and kills local job-creating businesses and spawns local unrest and increase pauperization and impoverishment.

The local governments of Ceuta and Melilla, when it comes to issues related to checking illegal African migration or terrorism will put pressure on Morocco to cooperate to secure their welfare and safety on the spot, but in the cases of this “economic violence” inflicted on poor unempowered women, they tergiversate or offer ridiculous and laughable solutions.

That is undoubtedly the ultimate degree of European hypocrisy. Europe often gives lessons to and sermons the Arab and Muslim countries for non-respect of human rights, but in the case of this shameful trade in Ceuta and Melilla it keeps quiet and even, somewhat, endorses the following two major breaches :
1- “Economic violence” inflicted on Moroccan mule women whose shameful exploitation contributes to the wealth of the the two enclaves and the perpetuation of the colonization; and
2- The unashamed continuation of the colonization of Ceuta and Melilla that creates an environment propitious for exploitation and “economic violence.”
Mafia Practices

If this trade survives today, in spite of the many criticisms levelled against it and oppositions expressed, it does so, defiantly, for the following main reasons:

• Extreme poverty of the womenfolk of the Rif area;
• Total lack of female empowerement programs either from the governments concerned or international organizations ;
• Total absence of moral values among the proponents of this human tragedy and their indirect violation of human rights i.e: Morocco, Spain and the European Union;
• Perpetuation of this practise by a mafia on both sides of the border ; it finances the commerce and organizes the minute details of the operation from the choice of the goods, the preparation of the bales, to the pick-up and the delivery; and
• Both involved countries draw indirectly benefits from this immoral trade; for Spain, the enclaves prosper financially and economically, for Morocco, unable or unwilling to develop the Rif area, this commerce provides gains to the merchants and the rich and subsistence to the poor and marginalized.

In a way, both the two governments and the trade mafia, involved in this, are on the same side; they are making the most of this given situation without having to invest much, in the least. However, the loosers are, unfortunately, the women and men of the Rif who, are exploited in this shameful trade and who have no gain in the long run, since they benefit neither from any form of health insurance nor from any pension scheme, sot they are no more than cannon fodder that is used and abused to fortify the ego of the mafia and build its wealth unashamedly.

The women porteadoras explain to the journalists Beatriz Mesa and Jordi Pizarro, in the « Vice » of February 1, 2011 (The Lady Mules of Morocco), how they are regimented and directed by the trade mafia, which is, somewhat, protected by local police in both countries:[v]They also explain the logistics of the operation: Workers on the Spanish side prepare bales of goods, runners drive them to Barrio Chino at the border, distributors separate them, marcadores number them so they can be counted upon receipt, and finally the porteadoras haul the bales back to Morocco. The wholesalers and warehouse owners, like every Mob-based enterprise in every country, stuff bags with money to pay everyone so that in the end nothing stops the flow of cash from returning to them.

Where this awful practise, however, hurts the most is that the European human rights organizations and women associations that are quick to condem any other such phenomena, have turned a blind eye to it, though the international press: New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and Vice and such media as the BBC and Deutsh Well have duly dealt with the problem extensively through investigative journalism and shocking photography.

This inhuman treatment inflicted on poor Moroccan women and this “economic violence” is, further, highlighted by the two above-mentioned journalists, in no doubtful terms:[vi]Once they’ve made their way to the Melilla side of the Barrio Chino, groups of female mules quickly organize themselves and begin loading up. I see a wrinkled woman with a grimy scarf wrapped tightly around her neck to soak up the sweat. She bends herself at the waist and another 110-pound bale is plopped on her back. I can hear her spine cracking and her teeth chattering, and I seem to be the only one impressed by this. There are other things on people’s minds, obviously: bags of sunflower seeds, spare car parts, bottles of booze, boxes of shoes, all sorts of clothes.

Violence inflicted on women
Northern Morocco is a mountainous and rugged terrain. This roughness of the environment is reflected on the behavior of the man and his belief. The society there is very tribal and is religiously orthodox, its main concern is survival in the face of scarcity, adversity and roughness. Agriculture has always been the means for survival, but agriculture is dependent on the rain and rain is not guaranteed. So one year is plentiful in rain and many others are not.

In the 20s, 30s and 40s of the last century, people of the Rif used to migrate to French Algeria, they referred to as “lanjiri,” to work in agriculture in the Mitidja plains to feed their families, but in the early 50s independence war started in Algeria and the migrants returned home until the beginning of the 60s when there was a mass exodus to Europe that was in full need of able hands for construction and economic development, after 2WW. Today, thousands of Rifian migrants live in Spain, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Sweeden, Norway, etc., with their families.

Since the mid 80s of the last century, Europe, however, stopped immigration and, as a result, the people of the Rif reverted to two illegal occupations : goods smuggling from the Spanish enclaves and kif-growing and exporting to Europe. To avoid social unrest, the government turned a blind eye to these illicit practises. Nevertheless, at the beinning of this millennium, as a result of pressure from Europe, the Moroccan government cracked down on the kif-growing, burning crops and encouraging farmers to turn to legal farming, but this has proved extremely difficult because of the nature of the land and the quality of the soil.

In this harsh and difficult environment, life is even harsher on women, who are the victims of many forms of violence : the patriarchal tribal system that puts them at the bottom of the social ladder, their femininity which commits them to marriage at an early age and, last but not least, the lack of education and consequently empowerment.

When men find themselves unable to feed their family, the way out is very simple for them, they divorce the spouse and leave her to struggle alone with the feeding and upringing of the children, or just leave and disappear in the thin air. This psychological trauma violence is, somewhat, more painful than corporeal violence because it leaves long-lasting scars on the person.

So, women, left on their own, with a family to feed, have only two choices : sell their bodies through prostitution, which is an alternative rejected by most women due to the weight of religion and society in the area, or work as a human delivery system for smuggled goods from Spanish enclaves.
The work is harsh and arduous in a difficult and challenging environment, but it is accepted and even encouraged by traditional society, and it is undeniably a form of violence : « economic violence » on fragile women. In fact, as head of monoparental families, they have either to work in these conditions or die, no other possible choice.

Mona Badri, in an article entitled: “Moroccan “Mule Ladies:” a Sisyphus Curse for Few Dollars,” published in Morocco World News on April 3, 2014, uncovers the reasons that push women to become porteadoras, mainly poverty, divorce and widowhood:[vii]Poverty, widowhood, divorce, disabled husbands are common stories that connect these women, filled with smiles of both gratitude and remorse. Zehra Khechach, is a 65-year old asthmatic, and earns $12 a day for carrying a bundle as big as a fridge on her fragile body, often failing her so that she must roll her packs instead. She is a mother of eight children. “After marrying, my husband lost his sight, so I had to start working to feed my family,” she said.

She goes on to highlight the other main reason that compels women to engage in this difficult and poorly-rewarding occupation : ignorance and lack of proper education and knowledge:[viii]Another woman who is Zehra’s daughter is a victim of ignorance. After a marriage that lasted 16 years, Maria, 37-years old, felt a lump in her left breast and was forced into divorce by her in-laws who feared that she would contaminate them with her illness. She felt obliged to feed her daughters by working hauling bales for four to seven dollars per trip. Her only wish is that her daughters “finish school, so it helps them find a good job. I pray to God that the men they marry can offer everything, so they don’t have to work where I do. This workplace is sure death.”

What is the way out ?
The culprits of this « economic violence » on Moroccan women i.e. Morocco, Spain and the European Union, must, at once, stop burrying their heads in the sand like ostriches, to avoid dealing with this horrible situation that is totally unacceptable in the 21st century.

All these parties ought to stop this form of human slavery and female exploitation and if need be prosecute and ultimately punish the mafia that is behind it.
The only way out of this inhuman situation is, probably, by enacting urgently the actions stated bellow and probably much more:

• Empower fully women through the following necessary and urgent educational acts :
• Functional literacy ;
• Grants for families to send their daughters to school ;
• Provide rural school transportation ; and
• Build nearby boarding schools.
• Provide micro-credits for women to become entrepreneurs on their own ;
• Help women start commercial coops ;
• Give cash handouts to widowed and divorced women with children ; and
• Prohibit child labor.

End notes
[i]http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/morocco_statistics.html#80
[ii] http://www.vitalvoices.org/blog/2011/09/moroccos-future-depends-women
[iii] http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24706863
[iv] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/world/europe/a-borderline-where-women-bear-the-weight.html?_r=0
[v] http://www.vice.com/read/the-lady-mules-of-morocco-702-v18n2
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/127432/moroccan-mule-ladies-a-sisyphus-curse-for-few-dollars/
[viii] Ibid.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153271/story-moroccan-mule-women-disgrace-morocco-spain-eu/
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Where the wild vegetables are: Moroccan food from the forest.
7 Mar 2015 BY Bronwen Powell and Abderrahim Ouarghidi

Winter has arrived here in Morocco. From December to March, there is a lot of rain (more than the rest of the year) – and widespread availability of wild vegetables. Although wild foods, especially wild vegetables, have held an important place in Moroccan culinary practice for generations, up until recently, they have been largely overlooked by research and policy initiatives. But, two recent publications have changed this. In one recent publication, Nassif and Tanji, reported almost 80 species of edible vegetables in Morocco.

A study that we published last April showed that in a community in the Rif Mountains, 84 percent of households had used wild vegetables in the last seven days and wild vegetables were eaten up to four times a week. This work suggests that rural Moroccan communities are using their agricultural landscapes in diverse ways. Wild vegetables are collected from fields, field margins, roadsides and streambeds: diversity within the landscape ensures local communities have access to more than just staple crops.

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, DIETARY DIVERSITY
Our study also looked at the geographic distribution of knowledge and use of wild leafy greens across three sites in Morocco and found significant variation, not only between regions, but also between villages in the same region. For example, in the north, Calendula arvensis and Erodium moschatum are regularly consumed, while women in the High Atlas Mountains to the south say these species are not eaten, even though they grow there as well.
In the north, women in one village call the genus Calendula “Karn kebsha,” while in a village only 40 kilometers away, it is called “Mesk azara.” There was a greater overlap in the knowledge of wild vegetables among villages that use the same market. We think that this is because markets act as a site where knowledge is transmitted and a place where social and cultural values, tastes and dietary habits are shaped. We conclude that markets could have an important role in preserving the diversity of rural agricultural systems and landscapes in Morocco.

Markets act as a site where knowledge is transmitted and a place where social and cultural values, tastes and dietary habits are shaped
In a country like Morocco, where there is great ecological variation across the landscape, markets allow farmers to specialize in production of crops best suited to the ecological setting of their farm. Rural markets act to pool together local food diversity, allowing communities to maintain their dietary diversity, as long as agrobiodiversity is maintained across the landscape. Data presented in another recent paper highlights the fact that rural markets in Morocco are a source of a greater variety of foods than what is produced on most farms and that local markets include a greater diversity of foods than what is tracked in national statistics.

In our research site in the Rif Mountains, 25 percent of the different types of foods consumed by households were produced by the family itself, while 27 percent were purchased at the market but produced locally, and 41 percent are imported items such as tea, salt, sugar, oil and spices (unpublished data). These findings suggest that in rural Moroccan context, the diversity of foods produced locally (i.e. the landscape-level agrobiodiversity) can have a direct impact on local people’s dietary diversity.

Read the research

• Wild leafy vegetable use and knowledge across multiple sites in Morocco: a case study for transmission of local knowledge?     http://www.cifor.org/library/4880/wild-leafy-vegetable-use-and-knowledge-across-multiple-sites-in-morocco-a-case-study-for-transmission-of-local-knowledge/
• http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/10/1/34

Growing evidence from developing countries is spurring attention to the importance of the food environment (including the availability, affordability, convenience, and desirability) in developing countries. If traditional markets in rural Morocco are indeed sites where the transmission of knowledge and culture about traditional and wild vegetables occurs, they may play an important role in shaping and reshaping perceptions, preferences and desirability of healthy components of local diets. The fact that this week we found wild Malva spp. for sale in one of the major supermarkets here in Marrakech may have important positive impacts on dietary preferences and therefore, dietary habits.
Bronwen Powell is a post-doctoral researcher with the Center for International Forestry Research. Abderrahim Ouarghidi is a researcher affiliated with Global Diversity Foundation and the Programs and Training Manager for the High Atlas Foundation. For questions about this research, contact Powell at b.powell@cgiar.org.
http://blog.cifor.org/26990/where-the-wild-vegetables-are-moroccan-food-from-the-forest
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Morocco: $ 200 million loan from the World Bank to support competitiveness
The World Bank has announced in a statement on March 3rd , that its Board of Directors have approved a US$200 million loan to support Morocco’s competitiveness strategy and encourage reforms for productivity and growth.“The Development Policy Loan (DPL) reform program addresses critical needs to simplify procedures for business and enforcing rules for competition to create a more enabling and transparent business environment.” Said the statement.
According to the World Bank, These reforms are expected to energize investment and trade, and help create high-value jobs and a more vibrant private sector in Morocco.

“Morocco made good headway in improving its overall competitiveness framework and carrying out business environment reforms,” said Simon Gray, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb. “Yet bolder reforms, and further diversification of the Moroccan economy, will help set the country on a stronger path to join other emerging countries.” The same statement has added that, the operation focuses on cross-cutting reforms and actions linked to the trade and investment constraints, identified by public and private sector stakeholders as limiting the impact of government efforts on the performance of various economic sectors.
http://medafricatimes.com/4953-morocco-200-million-loan-from-the-world-bank-to-support-competitiveness.html
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Moroccan Education: Commission Retracts Recommendation to Replace French by English
Friday 6 March 2015 - Morocco world news Rabat – Despite all the media hype, it seems that English will not replace French in the Moroccan curriculum after all.

Will Morocco ever escape from the francophone influence?
The switch of the Moroccan education system from French to English seems to be heading towards a dead end. According to news website Hespress, the Supreme Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research is reconsidering earlier recommendations to replace French with English in the Moroccan curriculum in its Strategic Report to be submitted to King Mohammed VI.

The council headed by Omar Azziman, an advisor to King Mohammed VI, is said to have ordered the formation of a sub-committee to review the proposal of replacing French with English, a proposal already hailed by many members of the Council’s Permanent Committee on Curriculum, Programs, Training and Teaching tools in earlier sessions.

The same source said that voices within the Council pushed for French to be kept as the first foreign language of the country mainly because of the French-Moroccan relations recently restored after a year-long diplomatic row.

The Arabic-speaking news website added that Council members who are against the replacement of the French language with English are playing the card of Morocco’s strategic interests to further their claims.

They are justifying their choice by saying that French holds a leading position in the Moroccan educational system and that French is the language of many African countries with whom Morocco tries to maintain strategic ties, Hespress added.

Many Moroccan ministers issued statements on numerous occasions favoring the adoption of English over French within the Moroccan educational system.
Even the Head of the government Abdelilah Benkirane highlighted the importance of adopting English and using it in Moroccan schools during a party meeting last month. “We all agree on teaching languages, and we have to teach our students to be excellent in both English and French,” he said. “If we have to choose, we will choose English because it is the language of today’s science, technology and commerce.”
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153257/moroccan-education-commission-retracts-recommendation-replace-french-english/
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The Nightlife in Marrakesh, Morocco
03/06/2015

Marrakesh, one of Morocco's most memorable cities, sits on the far western edge of the Sahara desert and at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Spending a night in Marrakesh will produce experiences to be remembered long after you've arrived back home--here are top 3 suggestions for what to do when the sun goes down.

Try your luck at the Le Grand Casino
The Mamounia Hotel was one of Churchill's haunts during his many visits to Marrakesh. The adjacent casino here opens in the evening at 7:30 p.m. and is a great place for a late night snack or cocktail. For adrenaline-seeking night owls, the casino stays open until 6 a.m. If a casino visit isn't your thing, check out the grounds and gardens around the complex for a colorful walk through eight acres of orange blossoms and roses.

See Djema el-Fna after dark
Chances are you'll visit this bustling market square during the day, but the atmosphere and action change dramatically at night. Djema el-Fna translates to the "assembly of the dead," owing to the public executions that took place here nearly 1,000 years ago. Now, it's a bustling spectacle each night after sunset.
Considered by UNESCO to be a Masterpiece of World Heritage, the square is home to everything from snake charmers to water-sellers and sidewalk dentists during the day. Come dusk, the action livens up with musicians, acrobats and fire-breathers--creating a veritable circus-like atmosphere. Throw in some street food at next-to-nothing prices and you'll leave with the evening firmly embedded in memory.

Dine and dance at Le Comptoir
Le Comptoir has long been a nighttime hotspot when in Marrakesh. Part restaurant, part nightclub and lounge, the food here is a mix of French and Moroccan with some decidedly Asian influences. Belly dancing begins at 9:30pm and the action spreads to the different floors of this large Art Deco villa, with live music or DJs most nights.
Have you ever spent time in Marrakesh? What's your favorite thing to do at night?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/go-ahead-tours/the-nightlife-in-marrakesh-morocco_b_6809664.html
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Photos Displaying Diverse Amazing Landscapes in Morocco
Friday 6 March 2015 - Larbi Arbaoui Taroudant

Some people have enough money and time to visit some of the wonderful places on earth, but some do not have the same privilege.
Yet, photos, videos and virtual tours, though they don’t offer the same experience, can give people and idea about these places. We offer our audience a set of photos displaying various pleasing places in Morocco, one of the world famous tourist destinations.
The photos were taken in various amazing landscapes in Morocco, ranging from the coldest snowy places, to flowery and green landscapes to one of the hottest places on earth.
Check the photos here: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153215/photos-displaying-diverse-amazing-landscapes-morocco/
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Morocco Earned $120 Million From Foreign Films in 2014
Saturday 28 February 2015 - morocco world news Rabat-

2014 was a record year for film production in Morocco with a combined budget of $120 million, according to Sarim Fassi Fihri, the general director of the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (CCM). This figure represents a six-fold increase in comparison with 2013 when the budget of foreign films production reached $22 million. Speaking at the close of Morocco’s National Film Festival in Tangiers on Saturday, the head of Morocco’s film commission said this increase was made possible to the country’s political stability compared to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Last August, the Moroccan national highways company (Société Nationale des Autoroutes du Maroc) decided to close the highway bypass section of Marrakech between the junction towards the city of Agadir and the Tamansourt exchanger starting Sunday 08/30/2014 until Friday 09/12/2014 in order to leave space for the shooting of “Mission Impossible.”

Highly acclaimed by Hollywood producers, Morocco is one of the most popular filming destinations and home to many successful international films. The most recent movie filmed in Morocco is the American film “Son of God,” produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, released in February 2014.
In addition to the professional cinema centers like Oscar in Ouarzazate, Morocco started offering public scenes such as neighborhoods and highways for filming.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/02/152760/morocco-earned-120-million-foreign-films-2014/
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The taste of Morocco: Preserved lemons, stuffed aubergines, chicken tagine
TAKE a trip to North Africa this spring with these subtly spiced recipes
02:01, Sun, March 1, 2015 By Victoria Gray

Preserved lemons

Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 0 minutes
Makes: 1x750ml (1 pint 6½fl oz) jar

Ingredients
Preparation:

• 6 lemons, 5 for preserving plus the juice of 1
• 250g (9oz) sea salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 red chilli (optional)

Preserving time: 8-10 weeks
Sterilise a 750ml (1 pint 6½fl oz) preserving jar with a sealable lid and dry it thoroughly.
Top and tail three of the lemons and slice them in half lengthwise. Slice the halves into quarters and then into eighths.
Pour a 1cm (½in) layer of salt into the bottom of the jar. Toss the lemon slices in some of the salt to coat them and press a layer of lemon slices into the jar. Add a little salt, a bay leaf and a few crushed coriander seeds.
Repeat this process 2 more times to bring the lemons up to the top of the jar, then top it off with the remaining coriander seeds, salt and the whole chilli, if using.

Pour the juice of 1 lemon over the whole thing. Seal the jar and store it in a cool dark place.
The lemons will shrink every 2 days or so. As they do, add a few more lemon slices and push them down into the liquid that will build up. Keep for 8-10 weeks and they are ready to use.
Handy hint: When using these for cooking, cut away the flesh and pith then use the rind as a flavouring. You can use the whole slices but they are not meant to be eaten this way – they are there to lend a salty, zesty zing to your dish.


Stuffed aubergines

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 2 people

Preparation:

• 2 small aubergines
• 4 tbsps olive oil for brushing the shells plus 2 tbsps for frying
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 tbsps flaked almonds
• 8 soft dried apricots, cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander plus 2 sprigs for decoration
• 2 tsps rose harissa paste mixed with 2 tbsps olive oil

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7.
Slice the aubergines lengthwise and, using the tip of a sharp knife, score a small border around the inside edge of the flesh.
Using a spoon, scoop out the centre of each aubergine and roughly chop the flesh.
Brush the aubergine shells inside and out with the olive oil then lightly season the flesh sides with the salt and pepper. Cover these loosely with foil and bake them for 20-30 minutes or until just tender but not collapsed.
While these are baking, pan-fry the aubergine flesh in the olive oil on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until it is tender and cooked.
Add the onion, red pepper and garlic then continue to fry for another 6-8 minutes to cook everything through.
Add the almonds and apricots then cook for 2 minutes.
Add the chopped herbs and ½ of the harissa oil then stir them through.
Remove the aubergine shells from the oven when ready then reduce the temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
Spoon the filling into the aubergine shells and return to the oven to heat through for 15-20 minutes.
Serve drizzled with the remaining harissa oil and coriander sprigs.


Fish and tabbouleh

Handy hint: This recipe would work well with almost any fish fillet, such as salmon, haddock or even tuna steaks [S MAG] Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes
Serves 2 people

Ingredients
For the tabbouleh:

• 100g (3½oz) bulgur wheat
• 25g (1oz) fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 25g (1oz) fresh mint, finely chopped, plus sprigs to decorate
• 2 large or 4 small spring onions, finely chopped
• 200g (7oz) or 2 medium-size tomatoes, quartered, deseeded and finely diced
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper

For the fish:

• 2 cod fillets, skin on
• 1 tsp rose harissa paste mixed with 2 tbsps olive oil
• 2 tbsps olive oil, for frying
• 2 lemon wedges, to serve

Cook the bulgur wheat as instructed on the packet, rinse in cold water and drain.
Once cooled and drained, add it to a bowl then add the parsley, mint, spring onions, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch each of the salt and pepper. Mix to combine the flavours then keep covered in the fridge until needed.
Place the cod, skin side up, on a board and score a few cuts along the centre of each fillet. Lightly season with the salt and pepper. Place the fish in a bowl and add the harissa oil, spreading it around the fillets with a spoon or by hand.
Get a non-stick pan hot on a medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
Place the fillets, skin side down, in the pan and hold them flat with a spatula for 30 seconds – this will keep a flat, crispy skin on the fish. Leave these to fry untouched for 2-3 minutes or longer if they are thick fillets but take care not to burn them, reducing the heat a little if necessary.
When the skin is a lovely golden-brown colour and the flesh is opaque at least halfway up the side, carefully flip the fish over and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes until done.
To serve, spoon some of the tabbouleh on to each plate and top with a fish fillet. Serve with the lemon wedges and decorate with the sprigs of mint.

Chicken tagine

Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 2 people

Ingredients
Preparation:

• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 4 chicken thighs, skin on
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tsps cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsps turmeric powder
• 2 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into good-sized chunks
• 500ml (17½fl oz) chicken stock
• 8 soft dried apricots
• A pinch of saffron
• 2 small preserved lemons or 4 slices of larger preserved lemon
• 2 tsps honey

A heaped tsp of rose harissa paste
Add the oil to a large saucepan on a high heat and fry the chicken on both sides until you get a golden colour.
Remove the chicken and add the onion. Fry it for 2 minutes then add the garlic and ginger.
Add the cumin, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick and turmeric then fry them for 1 minute.
Add the carrots, stock, apricots, saffron and lemon. Return the chicken to the pan and add the honey. Stir everything together and reduce the heat to its lowest setting.
Let it simmer for 1 hour then check the chicken – it should be starting to fall off the bone and the sauce should not be too watery. It does not thicken up too much but will reduce and intensify.
If the lowest setting on your cooker is a bit high, it could reduce too much over time. If this happens, just add a little water.
Stir in the harissa paste to finish the dish off and serve with couscous.
Handy hint: You could use butternut squash instead of the carrots if preferred, but add them halfway through the cooking as they fall apart faster than carrots and you want them whole when serving.

Lamb with dates

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 2 people

Ingredients
Preparation:

• 400g (14oz) lamb neck fillet, sliced into 5cm (2in) chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsps ras el hanout spice powder
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsps ground coriander
• 8-10 good-quality pitted black olives
• 500ml (17½fl oz) lamb stock
• 40g (1½oz) pitted dates
• 200g (7oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm (2in) chunks
• 2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander leaves, plus 2 sprigs for decoration
• 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
• 2 tsps cinnamon

Lightly season the lamb chunks with the salt and pepper then do the same with the ras el hanout spice powder.
Get a saucepan hot and add the olive oil.
Fry the spiced lamb pieces for a few minutes to brown them nicely on all sides. Do it in 2 batches if needed – you don’t want to crowd the pan.
Remove the lamb, add the onion and fry until it’s softened.
Add the cinnamon, coriander and olives then fry for 1 minute to release the flavours of the spices.
Add the stock, reduce the heat and add the dates.
Return the lamb to the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes and continue to simmer for 40-50 minutes or until the lamb is tender and the sauce has reduced and intensified.
Stir in the fresh coriander and mint then serve.
Handy hint: You could serve this delicious dish with rice or couscous, or even a few simple flatbreads.
Recipes written by home economist Gavin Woods
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/560663/Recipes-from-Morocco
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What Constitutes a Woman’s “Honor”?
Sunday 1 March 2015 - morocco world news By Ferdaws Aharrar Rabat

Three women were sitting in the local hospital discussing something that sounded controversial to me, and as I happened to eavesdrop, I could not help but state my opinion and say, “The same weight that is laid on a woman who committed adultery must also be laid on the man.” The conversation seemed to suggest that men’s adultery is something women can do nothing about. One of the women, a mother, argued that “one could never tell if a man has committed adultery; unlike women, he has nothing to lose.” She was referring to losing virginity. But actually, both men and women can lose their virginity, but a women’s virginity is held in higher regard due to her biological differences.

The other woman, also a mother, complained, “Girls these days are out of control! They would let anyone approach them. The real woman is the one who can preserve herself and protect her and her family’s honor.” This triggered the thought: what constitutes a woman’s “honor”?

I was muted in shock until the third participant, also a woman, decided to contribute: Lucky is the women who managed to find a man to conceal her”. Although the verbatim translation may not quite embody the idea, she implied that a woman needs a man above all else, not to protect her, not to love her, nor appreciate her, but rather to keep her “honor.” Lucky is the woman who has a man to hide and conceal her body, as if he is doing her a favor, as if he is saving her life. This conversation bothered me enough that I had to state my own opinion.

I am completely aware of the cultural and religious situation in Morocco, as I am also part of women’s struggle to earn dignity and basic human rights. However, men and women must be treated fairly.

I addressed the three women and shared my opinion about the matter: adultery needs two – a man and a woman – to happen. What we already know is that Arab society is generally stained with a great deal of patriarchy. In Islam, God has forbidden adultery for both men and women, but society has taught us that men are privileged, flexible, and more easily exonerated of adultery.

Some men came to believe that they could get away with adultery. Society allowed them this luxury; or rather they allowed themselves the false privilege of doing so. A patriarchal society is one that is “ruled by the male head of a social unit. The patriarch is typically a societal elder who has legitimate power over others in the social unit.”[1] In everyday conversation, a patriarchal society means one where women are dominated by male power. Thanks to the great efforts of women who lead the war against this social inhumanity and injustice, monumental changes have been made concerning women’s rights and the family code in Morocco.

However, the problem is not the laws and regiments. Rather, it is the social beliefs and behaviors that legitimate adultery for men and place all its weight on women. It is not only adultery to which we can apply this theory, but to several aspects of the Moroccan society as well, such as divorce and other family issues.

Why do some women accept and reinforce those ideological traits of patriarchy by blaming their sisters and expecting them to kneel to these dehumanizing beliefs? How can society develop and improve if women are blaming each other for the mistakes that are made in a partnership between a man and a woman? How can adultery or any other misbehavior be genuinely and solely attributed to women?

My hope is to bring greater awareness of the effects society has on us, because it is not always correct. The social judgment in this matter discriminates against women and gives plenty of misused freedom to the other sex. Mothers ought to teach their children that the same weight is laid on them. A girl should not be raised to fear and shame. On the other hand, there must be a confinement to the way adultery is socially treated as a sexual privilege for men. Society needs the collaboration of all its members to demolish those mistaken social behaviors. Whether consciously or not, many submit to those beliefs and values blindly, and speak the patriarchal mind that is deeply embedded within. The incident that I had encountered was one of which I hope to never revisit.

The women with whom I happened to have this conversation could not understand my point of view because they were deep in the dark hallows of outdated customs and social beliefs. They honestly thought that I was seeking chaos with my opinions, because some believe that when a woman speaks her mind, she is planning a mischief.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152834/constitutes-womans-honor/
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Moroccans Consumed Around 6 million Viagra Pills in 2014
Sunday 1 March 2015 - morocco world news Rabat

More than 5.6 million tablets of Viagra, drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension, have been reportedly sold in Morocco in 2014, according to the Moroccan Association of Pharmaceutical Industry (MAPI). Statistics from the MAPI reported a total consumption of 2,981,000 boxes of aphrodisiac pills in 2014, (some 5,567,000 tablets). Each box usually contains 1 or 2 tablets. The annual consumption in the male population is about 1/2 tablet average per person in a year.

The sale of Viagra and similar sexual stimulators reached a revenue estimated at MAD 248 million in 2014, according to a report published on Yabiladi. A health expert, quoted by Akhbar Al Ayoum, said that since the blue pills made its way to Morocco for the first time in the late nineties, the Viagra had a huge success in a country male sexual impotence is taboo. In addition to Viagra, there are about 20 types of low cost sex drugs in Morocco, mostly produced in India.

According to Dr. Abdelmajid Belaiche, sexual impotence in Morocco is undiagnosed in most cases. “The problem is that people take these medicines without medical checkup,” he said. The doctor added that these medications should be consumed by prescription.

According to a survey conducted by the Endo-Urologie Maroc Association, released in September, 45 per cent of Moroccan suffer from erectile dysfunction.
The survey, which analyzed data from 202 married women, aged 20 and older, who engaged in regular sexual activity, revealed that 45.05% of their male partners have erectile dysfunction, including 13% representing severe cases.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152791/moroccans-consumed-around-6-million-viagra-pills-2014/
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Trekkers wanted to scale the heights
Heather Jan Brunt heatherjan.brunt@jpress.co.uk  Sunday 01 March 2015

Adventurers keen to learn about a fundraising trek to Morocco can attend a special open evening on March 10. Located in the High Atlas Mountains, three spectacular peaks await climbers who take on the seven day challenge that will take place September 19 -27. The trek is being done in aid of Rennie Grove Hospice Care and events fundraiser Jo Hunt said: “An ideal candidate for the trek would be someone who enjoys being out of their comfort zone and trying something new.”

Jbel Toubkal,Jbel Ouanoukrim and M’Goun are Morocco’s three highest peaks and offer a tempting challenge to adventurous and fit trekkers. All the peaks are over 4,000m altitude and offer great trekking in the rugged and dramatic landscapes of Toubkal National Park and the Central High Atlas.

A £270 registration fee is payable at the time of booking and once registered, participants must commit to raising at least £1,500 sponsorship. Ms Hunt said: “The fundraising team will fully support participants and help with ideas on how to raise funds. “The money raised will help to fund the work of our Hospice at Home nurses and family support services.” The trip includes flights from London, all transfers and transport in Morocco, accommodation, tents and sleeping mats on trek, all meals, local expert English speaking guides, porters/mules and cooks, trekking permits and a UK Different Travel tour manager as well as a representative from Rennie Grove.
http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/more-news/trekkers-wanted-to-scale-the-heights-1-6593125
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Soak Up Some African Culture And Sun In Morocco. 
By @Marie Madden

If you're looking for a holiday destination with a difference, then Morocco is a great choice. This is one of the most interesting countries in Africa and offers everything from jawdropping landscapes to diverse markets to the curious traveller. Morocco describes itself as "the country that travels within you" and it is definitely a trip that will leave you with memories for years to come.

If you want to see the true culture of the country, head for remote areas like the Atlas Mountains, which is home to ten summits over 4,000 metres, where you may have the opportunity to meet some local farmers and engage in some bartering. The High Atlas of Azilal also offers great opportunities to those who crave adventure, which hiking, riding, mountain-biking and white-water sports all on hand in the area.

The go-to location for anyone looking for a beach break is Agadir, which was completely rebuilt following an earthquake in 1960. The city itself isn't the most picturesque but the beachfront promenade is a firm favourite with those looking for some off-season sun. If you want to check in to a nice resort and enjoy a chilled out break or an escape with the kids, this is a great choice.

Those looking for a tranquil yet culturally rewarding holiday should consider Essouaria, where you can take a camel ride along the beach before enjoying the buzz in Moulay El Hassan square in the evening. This town is home to many artists and has a bohemian vibe, which is perfect if you just want to kick back and take a break!

Marrakesh is one of the biggest cities in Morocco and the old city or Medina is now a Unesco World Heritage site, home to the souks (markets) that tourists association with the country. This is also a great spot to indulge in some relaxing spa treatments, as the locals enjoy a trip to thehammam or Turkish bath every week. For the ultimate treat, enjoy an argan oil massage at one of the city's high-end spa hammam to wind away the exhaustion after a day in this hectic destination.

If you're looking for a budget break, then package deals can be the way to go and Sunway is offering a seven-day break at the Agadir Beach Club Hotel (leaving on March 14th) for €494. This includes return flights from Dublin and bed and breakfast at the four-star resort for seven nights, including airport transfers and checked baggage.

To get off the beaten track a little bit, you can fly into Marrakesh from Dublin (via Madrid) for about €470 return in April but if you want to avoid a long stopover, you're looking at a pricer flight. Skyscanner has return flights with Iberia for €614 on April 6th and Hotels.com have a great offer on a six night stay at the five-star Es Saadi Gardens & Resort - Hôtel for €538 so you could have a trip for two to this magical spot for less than €600 a head.
http://www.her.ie/life/travel-soak-up-some-african-culture-and-sun-in-morocco/220729
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Goats really can climb trees: No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. These goats are balancing themselves on thin tree branches.
By: Michael Graham Richard Mon, Mar 02, 2015 at 11:39 AM

Goats are fascinating creatures. Unfortunately, they are too often overlooked, probably because they are not as iconic as other domesticated animals like horses and cows, and not as exotic as the creatures usually featured in nature documentaries (crocodiles! lions! scorpions! honey badgers!). Yet the humble goat can do very impressive things, like climb up mountains via sheer cliffs that would leave all but the most expert human climbers — with all their high tech equipment — calling out for their mamas:

A lesser-known talent of some goats is the ability to climb trees, even fairly tall ones, and stand on small branches that look like they can barely hold their weight. This is particularly common in Morocco, where food can be scarce and argan trees produce a fruit that is particularly appealing to goats.

See for yourself! These goats will easily climb to the top of 30-foot tall trees like it's nothing!

You might recognize the name of the argan tree from the current trend in cosmetics. Argan oil is quite popular these days in skin and hair care products, but this is nothing new. Indigenous Berber tribes in the region actually did something similar, though they didn’t get the argan oil out of a bottle that they bought in a store; goats would climb up argan trees and eat the fruits, swallowing whole the core which looks a bit like an almond.

This nut would pass through the goat's digestive system and end up in goat droppings, where it would be collected. To get at the oil inside, you would then have to crack it open with a stone, and grind the seeds inside. The resulting oil was then used for cooking and as a skin treatment.

If you still think someone has been having fun in Photoshop, have a look at these videos:
And it's not just Argan trees! But how can goats climb so easily? The obvious answer is that they've evolved for it these types of difficult climbs and precarious jumps, and have an innate sense of balance that clearly surpasses ours, or that of most other species. These talents probably evolved primarily to climb mountains, where large population of mountain goats can evade predators and move around quickly to find spots where food grows or where there is salt to lick. They are helped by their hoofs, which have two toes that can spread out to create a more secure footing, and two vestigial toes higher up their legs, called dewclaws, that can be used as leverage to climb up a mountain side or a tree branch.

Read more: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/goats-really-can-climb-trees#ixzz3Tip4zHQ0
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Morocco promotes role as mediator of moderate Islam
TelQuel (Morocco) Posted March 1, 2015

For several years, Morocco has been positioning itself as the champion of “moderate” Islam in order to emphasize its role as mediator in the Sahel and West Africa. Rabat is working to extend its sphere of influence in the Sahel by a promoting a form of Islam embraced by Western states.
Author Posted March 1, 2015  TranslatorSahar Ghoussoub Original ArticleLire l'original en français

Mbarka Bouaida, minister delegate of Foreign Affairs, headed the Moroccan delegation at a White House summit that explored ways to counter violent extremism from Feb. 18-20 in Washington. It was an opportunity for Rabat to confirm a long-standing diplomatic position, whereby it tried to place itself at the forefront of “moderate” Islam or tolerance in order to serve as a better mediator in the pacification of the Sahel, and thus extend its sphere of influence by playing the religious card.

The NIHD and mourchidats in Washington
Bouaida notably recalled in Washington — as summarized on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — the 2005 launch of the National Initiative for Human Development and the Moroccan administration of the religious field. He praised “the importance of the role of the institution of the commander of the faithful,” most notably “in granting religious services to citizens, removed from any ideological ends.” Bouaida went so far as to talk about “the continuing education of young imams and 'mourchidats' [female Islamic scholars] as well as the rationalization, rehabilitation and modernization of traditional education.”
On Sept. 25, 2014, Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane raised Morocco's approach to the issue before the UN General Assembly. This approach consists of religious cooperation programs with Arab and African countries. Benkirane specified at the time that Morocco was ready to share its experience in the fight against terrorism, in the framework of bilateral cooperation with its allies.

Religious cooperation across Africa
The list of countries with which Morocco has committed to religious cooperation is on the rise: In addition to Mali, there is Guinea, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Gabon, the Maldives, Tunisia, Libya and even Egypt. Morocco witnessed the culmination of the diplomatic strategy that it has been working on for several years at the Washington summit held last week in response to the various religious extremism crises plaguing the international scene (the Islamic State in Syria, Iraq and Libya, Boko Haram in Nigeria, AQIM [Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb] in the Sahel, etc).

In July 2013, Morocco benefited from the visit of Dominique Reveyrand-de Menthon, EU special representative for the Sahel, to position itself as part of the so-called moderate Islam movement. One can thus read in the visit’s program, which was published by the anonymous Twitter account Chris Coleman, this message aimed at the European diplomat: It should be emphasized that Morocco can assume a key role in the spread of moderate Islam in the region, to dissipate the radical ideology of a strict Islam advocated by AQIM. A Morocco-Mauritania-Senegal axis to represent a tripartite force in this direction.

Morocco, a bulwark against intolerance?
In September 2013, a parliamentary delegation told European MPs in Strasbourg that “Morocco is establishing itself in the region as a democratic Arab and Muslim country integrating several civilizations … a role that makes Morocco a unique political and economic development model that answers the problem of absolutism and intolerance that has arisen in other Arab and Muslim countries.”

Again, in December 2013, during the 11th session of the Morocco-EU Association Council, Rabat defended its “comprehensive approach in the security and development fields," as mentioned in the meeting’s report and as revealed by Chris Coleman. This meeting was an opportunity for the kingdom to welcome the more than 3 billion euros [$3.36 billion] (32 billion dirhams) released by the EU for the Sahel (Morocco had already mobilized a budget of $5 million (47 million dirhams) and to say it is “totally ready to continue and strengthen this cooperation through the implementation of tangible actions, particularly as part of a triangular approaches (EU-Morocco-Sahel).”

The two most important moves were the king's visit to Mali in September 2013 and the religious cooperation agreement, which was announced on that occasion, and according to which "Morocco will train 500 Malian imams over several years."

Extending this experience to other countries of the Sahel and West Africa
This agreement was approved by Morocco’s Western partners, including the Americans. In January 2014, following a confidential message by the Moroccan ambassador to Washington, Rached Bouhlal, recounting his conversation with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the diplomat in charge of African Affairs, the Americans “expressed appreciation to the US for this kind of cooperation and for the excellent approach by the kingdom to help Mali, highlighting Morocco’s desire to extend this experience to the other countries of the Sahel and West Africa.” The rest of the exchange between the two diplomats, according to the document released by Coleman, has specifically focused on the role of Morocco, which could be accomplished in Africa with the United States (especially in Gambia).

Morocco: 'a launch pad for a rapprochement between Europe and Africa'?
In the confidential documents released by Coleman, religion appears to be a springboard to Morocco's diplomatic ambitions on the continent. On April 22, 2013, a message by the Department of African Affairs at the Foreign Ministry was sent to the attention of Minister [Salaheddine Mezouar] titled “Thoughts on Morocco’s Strategy on Africa.” The letter mentioned “the establishment of a dialogue aiming at protecting religious integrity in West Africa, in the face of the rise of Shiism,” as one of the means for Morocco to play the role of “a powerful representative” with Africa and a launch pad for a “rapprochement between Europe and Africa.”

A few months later, a religious debate was sparked by a senior Moroccan diplomat during his meeting with his British counterpart William Hague on Nov. 27, 2013. The minutes of the meeting were also released by Coleman. [Mezouar] took part in Morocco's efforts to counter extremist tendencies by promoting a tolerant and open Islam, which is in line with what has been practiced in Morocco and traditionally across the region.
Although religion is not the only motor of Moroccan diplomacy in the Sahel, it remains one of the means that allows the kingdom to find its place in the fifth conference of donors for the development of Mali, which was held on Feb. 17 in Bamako.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2015/02/morocco-moderate-islam-sahel-extremism.html##ixzz3TipTl4WI
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Morocco hits the spot for international films including James Bond!
March 2nd, 2015 - 09:22 GMT via SyndiGate.info

Morocco is a beautiful, geographically-diverse country, with mountains, hills, fields and beaches to accommodate tourists from all over the world.
But it's also a great place for shooting movies. That's why it's no wonder that this North African haven has seen a six-fold increase in the amount of money foreign film companies have spent there to make movies, the head of the film commission said on the final day of the National Film Festival in Tangiers on Saturday.

A total of 38 foreign productions had spent a record $120 million in 2014, according to Sarim Fassi-Fihri. The figure is more than the last five years put together. This is a huge deal because foreign film companies only spent $22 million in 2013, according to AFP. One of the biggest factors playing a role in this increase are the presence of experienced film crews and stable politics, said Fassi-Fihri.

"For the Middle East region, we are practically the only one that can guarantee peace and stability," he said, explaining that film companies are avoiding the rest of the region. That's almost true, as the majority of Gulf countries and Jordan also enjoy political stability, and have had many Hollywood blockbusters shot there, such as The Fast and the Furious 7 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Morocco's largest filming operation in 2014 was "Mission: Impossible 5," which at one point closed a major highway between Marrakech and Agadir for weeks during the shoot. The next biggest was NBC's 12-episode biblical series "A.D. The Bible Continues."

Most recently, scenes for "American Sniper" and "Spectre," the next James Bond film, were also filmed in Morocco.
http://www.albawaba.com/entertainment/morocco-hits-spot-international-filmmakers-including-james-bond-663364
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Becoming the African Hong Kong.
By Laurent Marliere

• Most Moroccan banking players indicate an interest in the opportunity but don't have a strong command of relatively complex market.
• Culturally... they associate Islamic banks to nonprofit institutions, which is obviously not the case 70% Murabaha products in the Middle East What is your point of view on the development potential of the Islamic finance in Morocco?

Morocco can become the Hong-Kong of Africa! Islamic Finance should be developed in close conjunction with the Islamic economy, as Islamic finance is an integral part of the real economy, without which it would not have reached a plateau in its development. Today, the Islamic economy-also called the Halal-industry- which is a one of the high-growth segments of the global economy finds its niche in a multitude of sectors. These sectors such as tourism, cosmetics, insurance, logistics, transport and food, will enable the African retail market to grow.

The African continent is booming and experiencing a high growth of its Islamic appeal. The Islamic financial system may prove to be an interesting financial backbone. When I talk to a Moroccan banker, I see in him an African banker. The Islamic finance in Morocco must be conceived beyond the Morocco hinterland and throughout Africa.

Morocco can play the role of Hong-Kong with regards to China. Casablanca is considered to be Europe and America's gateway to Africa, a business culture, professionalism of management, a banking fabric is already established throughout Africa with the Moroccan banks network. Political stability, which induces a legal certainty and investment security, foresight of the leaders, ideal geostrategy, good universities, an economy that is not based solely on finance but trade and industry, etc... In short, a whole set of assets which, if they are completed and gathered, can be a historic opportunity for Morocco. Islamic finance is a catalyst of this opportunity.

The reason behind adopting Islamic finance is the modernization of the financial system and the contribution to financial stability. Unlike conventional finance, Islamic finance is very modern due to the fact that it only goes back to forty years, it conveys a strong and necessary ethical content, and it aggregates huge levels of liquidity based in the Gulf and Asia.

The introduction of participatory banks will contribute to the diversification of products and banking relationships and compel the conventional banks to reflect on improving their traditional products. Many banks are rigid and incapable of renewing their products. The Moroccan bank like those of any country will be facing major challenges, namely dematerialization, and immobilization. Nowadays, Facebook, Apple or Starbucks work on their own bank projects!
In this regard, I welcome the foresight of the Moroccan authorities who have taken on board the participatory banks throughout the local financial system.
Morocco is somewhat lagging behind in terms of adopting Islamic finance and introducing participatory banks. There are, in fact, over 500 Islamic banks in 60 countries. However, this delay will allow it to learn from the foreign experience and acquire know-how which will enable it to determine what works and what does not.

How would you take full advantage of the previous experiences in Morocco and elsewhere for a successful implementation of a participatory financial market in Morocco? What lessons should be learned, and which pitfalls avoided?

With regards to the Moroccan domestic market, the legislative progress and the parliamentary and governmental achievements are to be welcomed. Nevertheless, the regulatory framework constitutes a condition for the market access, but it is still far from sufficient to establish a successful Islamic finance. Most Moroccan banking players indicate an interest in the opportunity but don't have a strong command of relatively complex market.

Having closely studied the situation in Morocco, the major pitfalls I have noted are the lack of knowledge of the client's real expectations, the deficient marketing, the poor product segmentation, the banking services fantasy, the lack of agents training and tax treatment of Islamic banking products.
An initial attempt, which has met little success regarding a rough framework, induced the consumers to be vigilant. The Moroccan banks cannot afford to make mistakes, the clients and the market will study closely the products offered. Morocco offers tremendous opportunities, however it is fundamental to implement a suitable marketing plan. The distribution channel, the price and product offerings of different banks will be similar. Therefore, the playing field where things should be happening in this case is marketing and communication.

There is a need today for a complete change of the self-proclaimed trend of the sector and adapting what is on offer to the client's needs. There is a lack of clarity on these products due to the lack of sufficient segmentation, Islamic finance is presented as a sector difficult to access by the market. There is a renewed interest in these Islamic products if they are well 'categorized' (private banking, Bank insurance (bananssurance), mortgage loans, car leasing). In Morocco, as elsewhere the "consumer is mufti".

There are controversial figures showing that 57% of the population has bank arrangements. It is wrong to think that the introduction of Islamic finance will have a significant impact on the remaining 43%. This fact is not only related to Riba. There are several reasons. The impact on the unbanked will be low, because of Riba, a range of 6 to 10% of the Moroccan population and SMEs do not call on the services of conventional banks.

It is important to understand the purchasing behavior of the Moroccan consumer. Are they interested in buying a product based on religion or finance? This is the mistake made by many conventional banks around the world. They think that by creating an Islamic window, they will affect all Muslim consumers or the ultra-religious segment, which happens to be a minority, and then they believe that the market has reached saturation point. Which is not the case, because "less religious" consumers would be willing to buy these products, if they were offered according to an alternative proposal of values such as ethics, safety, absence of risk, service quality...

Today, Islamic banking products in Morocco are targeted in the first place at the elite that is to say to affluent consumers. It is a paradox; the population cannot afford an expensive Islamic finance.

Human resources are a challenge. Being a Muslim banker doesn't mean having sufficient knowledge in Islamic finance. The only major concept of Islam related to money is indeed the Zakat that equates money treated by religion as a gift or benevolence. Culturally, this has an impact on the population in the markets where Islamic finance is emerging. They associate Islamic banks to nonprofit institutions, which is obviously not the case. Banks are companies with objectives and profitability obligations!

I take note of the fact that in the Moroccan banks, the directorate and senior management are aware of the Islamic products, however, few employees in agencies master the knowledge of products and they are the ones who are in contact with customers. There are two particularly sensitive products for the consumer, where he cannot run the risk or accept a lack of clarity: food and banking commodities. Food and money.

The first priority, therefore, is to train the human resources department. It is a big challenge. Even in a more developed market like Dubai, human resources pose a real problem.

Finally, as the cost of initial production of Islamic products will be at first higher than conventional products (investment, consulting, training, control, communication), the purchase price will be higher and inhibit some buyers. The tax treatment of these products could be a hindrance or an incentive to counterbalance an emerging industry.

A good price policy accompanied by a statement of the added value of the product to justify the possible difference in price is useful.

In your opinion, what can this bring to the Moroccan economy in terms of banking, investment, and savings -in the current context?

The economic and social situation has thrust Islamic finance to the forefront of the international scene. The bases of an ethical or participatory finance were revived since the crisis of 2008. In fact, conventional finance is in crisis for over forty years. Islamic finance brings to Moroccan consumers more choice. Providing more choice is always good for the consumer. Both banks will be forced to improve the services and products offered. The entry of foreign banks into the Moroccan market will accentuate this phenomenon and drive the quality of the banking system up.

Participatory and Islamic banks must have three service lines: investment, trade and social impact. Their commitment to these levels will determine the degree of their contribution to the Moroccan economy. It is important to note that in the Middle East, a product such as Murabaha can reach 70%, but these countries have a trade-based economy whereas the Moroccan economy is based on agriculture and crafts. The emerging industry of Morocco and the important trade initiatives will be supported by Islamic finance.

Islamic banks must meet the needs of SME investments and invest in the future Islamic finance will help attract inward investment from other Muslim countries. Products such as sovereign Sukuk will finance public-private partnerships including Morocco needs to continue on the path of development.

BIO: Laurent Marliere is an expert in management of complex organizations and international networks, he is a recognized specialist in the field of strategic marketing, Islamic finance, Islamic markets and economy. Laurent is also the CEO of ISFIN, and an advisory board member and country correspondent of Islamic Finance News. Laurent lectures on strategic marketing and marketing for the Islamic markets. He speaks English, French, German, Italian and Dutch. He can be contacted at LM@isfin.net. © Business Islamica 2015
https://www.zawya.com/story/Morocco_Becoming_the_African_Hong_Kong-ZAWYA20150302083034/
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Over 62% of Moroccan Women Are Victims of Gender-based Violence.
Monday 2 March 2015 - morocco world news Rabat

Around 62.8% of Moroccan women have suffered from gender violence, a new report has revealed. A group of 38 women’s groups presented a report on violence against women in Morocco last week in the capital Rabat. The report, whose content has been reported by news website Hespress, has found that 55% of these women have suffered or are still suffering from domestic violence.

The report also addressed the issue of education of young girls in rural areas. The document has found that illiteracy is more widespread among girls than among young men in rural areas, with 47.6% against 25.5%, according to 2012 figures quoted by the collective.

In addition, the report highlighted the economic situation of Moroccan women. According to the document, women’s access rate to the labor market fell by 25 percent, while unemployment affects 10.2% of women in urban areas against 8.4% of men.

The report also said that few decision-making positions within the state are available to women, adding that women are under-represented in the current cabinet.

The report acknowledged that Morocco has introduced reforms to the situation of women such as the Family Code (2004) and the ratification of the International Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

However, the report criticized the gaps in the criminal code, which they said does not guarantee that women enjoy their rights and freedoms, as well as the discrimination against women in the society and certain gaps in the Nationality Law and the Code of the Family.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152882/62-moroccan-women-victims-gender-based-violence/
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The forgotten beauty of North Morocco
By Nicholas Norbrook Monday, 02 March 2015

Morocco's government has poured billions of dirhams into giving the North a facelift – new bus routes, better roads, better security. When you add this to an economic boom driven by the huge Tanger-Med port complex and car factories, you have a new dynamic in a once decrepit region.

Under the heel of the Spanish and then the French, surviving a ferocious colonial war (the Rif War), the Tangier area still retains an independentist feel – this was a region that still stamped its own currency a little over a century ago. Shunned by the previous king, it has become a favourite of King Mohammed VI, and its unprepossessing charm is yet to be flooded with EasyTourists.

A rooftop oasis in Rabat's ancient centre - Riad Kalaa, Rabat
Touching down in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, visitors can hop on one of the regular trains to the North. But you might like to break the journey in Riad Kalaa, a boutique bolthole in the city's medina. Built into the ramparts, it has an emerald rooftop pool, its own hammam and open fires in five of the 11 rooms. riadkalaa.com

The bliss of rolling waves on an empty beach- Rmilate beach, Asilah
Those in search of a tranquil beach, away from the millionaire mansions that are creeping across Morocco's shorefront, should head to Asilah in spring or autumn. This small Atlantic coast town with a Spanish flavour has an abundance of stunning beaches that are largely deserted except in summer.

Tea and tumbledown buildings in a laid - back medina - Medina, Tangier
The northern port is quickly becoming Morocco's second business hub, but step into the medina and you are lost in time. A refreshing diffidence is on show here – the locals couldn't care less, and tourists will get a lot less hassle than in the medinas of Marrakech or Fez. It may not last. The beautiful tumbledown buildings are slowly being bought up by French retirees.

Nature's lush bounty in the Rif Mountains - Akchour waterfalls, Chefchaouen
Thigh-deep in cold water may not be your idea of fun, but the simple beauty of a waterfall can move the hardest heart. When added to the genuine hospitality of Chefchaouen, the walks around the cascades can sway the mind from the thrill of totting up a balance sheet.

Read the original article on Theafricareport.com : Travel: The forgotten beauty of North Morocco | North Africa
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http://www.theafricareport.com/North-Africa/travel-the-forgotten-beauty-of-north-morocco.html
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Moroccan University Students’ Basic Struggles
Monday 2 March 2015 - Morocco world news By Abdelhak Ammari Rabat

As Moroccans, we frequently say, “the one who lacks something cannot give.” Students currently lack something very basic. If given to them, that something could make a brighter future for Morocco and its people.

Comparing Morocco to many other places in the world, it is a common feeling that many of Moroccan university students live more miserably and insecure. Moroccan students continue to demand rights and push for a better educational system, partly because they feel that the Moroccan government marginalizes students and their plight. My experiences support that feeling.

I have been studying at university over 5 years and have experienced the university lifestyle in both Oujda and Fez. During that time, I have interacted with a variety of people, many of whom are successful and intelligent. What I have noticed is that a large number of students have something in common. That common thread is suffering from, among other things, financial and psychological problems.

Many students are enrolled in graduate programs and some deprived of scholarships. One student informed me that to continue his education, he has spent the past year borrowing money from friends. He said that his father could barely afford to give him any money because he has his own difficult financial circumstances. Due to these struggles, he is now experiencing a large amount of debt.

Another student experienced the same funding issues. Occasionally, his father would lend him money, but at other times, he borrowed from friends. He was happily surprised when granted a scholarship at the beginning of April last year. He accepted it and was able to distribute the money to those who had graciously helped him continue to pay for his education.

Opinions and attitudes may differ about financial aid and the educational system. Many believe that students must struggle and overcome obstacles in order to become strong individuals. There are many stories about successful people from all over the world that came from nothing and then achieved great things.
Another big problem a student can experience in attending university is suitable housing. As they attempt to move away from home, they find themselves astounded by the high rental prices for low quality living. This situation is unfortunate because it may keep the student from continuing the education or at a minimum make it more difficult.

All of these financial burdens create stress on the students and their families. The student wants to better himself, but then finds roadblocks to his education. Morocco’s priority must be its students working towards their educational goals.

Furthermore, students in Morocco deserve to receive their scholarships on time but this does not always happen. It appears that officials have become irresponsible and/or indifferent to the financial needs of students.

Students need security. They aspire only to live in a safe and decent residence, with a private room, desk and internet where they can study and live with relatively low stress. These bare requirements are not always able to be met. Last but not least, students should have reliable healthcare – an undisputable human need which needs to be addressed and understood.

I say to the Moroccan government, if you want something precious and better for this country then give students the basic necessities to succeed. If we can get enough help to meet educational goals while feeling financially and psychologically secure, we will fulfill our moral obligation to make our communities better. We will work responsibly and professionally to have a better Morocco, and to make a better future for our children and our children’s children.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152885/moroccan-university-students-basic-struggles/
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ONCF Launches Online Tickets Service
Monday 2 March 2015 - morocco world news Rabat

The Moroccan railways company known as ONCF announced the launch of the service of online tickets that will allow travelers to buy train tickets online. After installing Ticket Vending Machines (TVM) in most of the train stations in the kingdom, ONCF has made it possible to buy train tickets online, starting from today. The tickets can be purchased online with the same price ahead of time via the website oncf-voyages.ma. The service, which will help travelers buy their tickets from the comfort of their homes, relies on the online payment platform Telecommerce Morocco. The new online service is expected to help alleviate the problem of the crowding queues at the train stations.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152909/oncf-launches-online-tickets-service/
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Three Moroccans in Forbes Magazine’s List of Billionaires
Tuesday 3 March 2015 - Tarik El Barakah Rabat

Forbes Magazine has released its list of the world’s billionaires. The list included three Moroccan billionaires, and despite plummeting oil prices, weakened Euro, it was still a pretty good year for billionaires overall, said the magazine.

In Morocco, the richest person is, once again, Othman Benjelloun. The CEO of BMCE Bank, one of Morocco’s largest banks, is ranked 810 globally with an estimated fortune of $2.3 Billion. The 82-year-old has additional interests in insurance and telecom through his holding company, FinanceCom.

The second richest Moroccan is Aziz Akhnnouch. The current Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries is ranked 1118 in the global billionaires’ list with a net worth estimated at $1.7 Billion based on his ownership and control of Akwa group, a multi-billion dollar conglomerate with interests in petroleum and chemicals through its publicly-traded subsidiaries Afriquia Gas and Maghreb Oxygene. The conglomerate has also businesses operating in media, real estate development and hotels.

Third in line is Miloud Chaabi, 86, who is ranked 1415 overall with a fortune estimated at $1.3 billion. Miloud Chaabi’s Ynna Holding develops real estate, operates hotels and supermarkets, and is the majority owner of SNEP, a chemical manufacturer in Morocco. The magazine says that Chaabi’s net worth is down due to lower multiples for comparable publicly-traded companies.

According to FORBES’ latest ranking, this year’s world billionaires are worth $7.05 trillion, besting last year’s record breaking $6, 4 trillion.

Globally, Bill Gates, the founder of tech giant Microsoft, is once again the richest person on the planet. He has held the title of the richest person in the world for 16 of the past 21 years. His fortune grew $3.2 billion since last year to $79.2 billion.

Mexico’s telecoms magnate Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico comes in second place, with $77,1 billion, while American investor Warren Buffet took the third spot with an estimated fortune at $72,7 billion.

Forbes said that this year’s biggest loser in dollar terms is Aliko Dangote of Nigeria. Currently Africa’s richest man, Dangote’s fortune dropped to $14.7 billion from $25 billion last year, mainly due to a weaker Nigerian currency and shrinking demand for cement, his largest asset.

Prince Al Walled Bin Talal Alsaud is again the richest man in the Arab world with a net worth estimated at $22.6 billion. The Saudi prince owns stakes in private and public companies in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152927/three-moroccans-forbes-magazines-list-billionaires/
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Morocco, Most Indebted Arab and African Country: McKinsey
Tuesday 3 March 2015 - Tarik El Barakah Rabat

According to a new report by McKinsey Global Institute, Morocco is the most indebted among Arab and African countries. The kingdom’s debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 136 % or an increase by 20 percentage points of GDP. Morocco is ranked 29 in the McKinsey’s new report which “examines the evolution of debt across 47 countries, 22 advanced and 25 developing, and assesses the implications of higher leverages in the global economy and in specific sectors and countries.”

The analysis focuses on the debt of the “real economy”: governments, nonfinancial corporations, and households. The report has revealed that debt-to- GDP ratios have increased in all 22 advanced economies reviewed by the study, and in many cases, they have increased by more than 50 percentage point.
Morocco comes ahead of both Egypt and Saudi Arabia which have actually succeeded in reducing their debts.

The Moroccan government debts have jumped by 8 percentage points of GDP, while corporate and household debts have increased by 7 and 5 percentage points of GDP respectively. The report has also found that global debt has grown by $57 trillion or 17 percentage points of GDP since 2007, to stand at $199 trillion, equivalent to 286% of GDP.

The biggest contributor to the rise of global indebtedness is government debts? which have increased by $25 trillion between 2007 and 2014. The study says that countries starting the process of decreasing the percentage of debts (deleveraging) would require implausibly larges increases in real GDP growth or extremely deep fiscal adjustments.

It added that to reduce government debt, countries may need to consider new approaches, such as more extensive asset sales, one time taxes on wealth, and more efficient debt restructuring programs. “Debt will remain an essential tool for the global economy, funding needed investments in infrastructure, business expansion, and urbanization. But high debt levels, whether in the public sector or private sector, have historically placed a drag on growth and raised the risk of financial crises that spark deep economic recessions,” the study said.

The report calls on Moroccan policy-makers and their counterparts in countries with high percentage of debts to consider more ways to reduce government debt and reevaluate how incentives in the tax system encourage the amassing of debt. “When there are signs of credit bubbles, regulators can seek to cool markets with countercyclical measures, such as tighter loan-to-value rules and higher capital requirements for banks. Debt undoubtedly remains an essential tool for financing economic growth. But how it is created, used, monitored, and (when necessary) discharged still needs improvement,” Mckinsey added.

The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the business and economics research arm of McKinsey and Company, was established in 1990 to develop a deeper understanding of the evolving global economy. They provide leaders in the commercial, public, and social sectors with the facts and insights on which to base management and policy decisions.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152940/morocco-indebted-arab-african-country-mckinsey/
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World Bank approves US$200 million to spur Morocco’s competitiveness and productivity
Washington, March 2, 2015

The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a US$200 million loan to support Morocco’s competitiveness strategy and encourage reforms for productivity and growth. The Development Policy Loan (DPL) reform program addresses needs critical for simplifying procedures for business and enforcing rules for competition to create a more enabling and transparent business environment. These reforms are expected to energize investment and trade, and help create high-value jobs and a more vibrant private sector in Morocco.

Over the past decade, Morocco has carried out a series of reforms to update its regulatory framework and attract more foreign investment. The reforms have made a significant impact on Morocco’s business environment. By modernizing its commercial framework, and easing regulatory procedures over the past few years, Morocco has made a significant leap in the 2015 edition of Doing Business, ranking 71 out of 189 economies, compared to 94th in 2012.

“Morocco made good headway in improving its overall competitiveness framework and carrying out business environment reforms,” said Simon Gray, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb. “Yet bolder reforms, and further diversification of the Moroccan economy, will help set the country on a stronger path to join other emerging countries.”

The second economic competitiveness DPL is designed precisely to boost Morocco’s efforts. The loan approved today will continue to support reforms launched under the first loan in 2013, aimed notably at simplifying procedures for creating and running a business. It will also support the upgrading of Morocco’s trade policy framework to put them in line with the country’s international commitments. The DPL supports economic governance reforms, too, by strengthening the role and prerogatives of the Competition Council and National Commission for the Business Environment—two key Moroccan economic agencies.

“The operation is crucial to developing an investment climate that responds to the needs of all types of companies, in particular small and medium ones, to improve Morocco’s diversification and export capacity,” says Philippe de Meneval, World Bank Project Team Leader. “Furthering these reforms through sustained support for their implementation will give Morocco the potential for greater competitiveness in the medium to longer term.”

The operation focuses on cross-cutting reforms and actions linked to the trade and investment constraints, identified by public and private sector stakeholders as limiting the impact of government efforts on the performance of various economic sectors. Improvements to transparency and governance is another cornerstone of the current DPL: These should create a more level playing field, especially for smaller enterprises, by reducing the amount of discretion available in how procedures are applied to businesses, and by lifting barriers to investment.

Washington, March 2, 2015 – The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a US$200 million loan to support Morocco’s competitiveness strategy and encourage reforms for productivity and growth. The Development Policy Loan (DPL) reform program addresses needs critical for simplifying procedures for business and enforcing rules for competition to create a more enabling and transparent business environment. These reforms are expected to energize investment and trade, and help create high-value jobs and a more vibrant private sector in Morocco.

Over the past decade, Morocco has carried out a series of reforms to update its regulatory framework and attract more foreign investment. The reforms have made a significant impact on Morocco’s business environment. By modernizing its commercial framework, and easing regulatory procedures over the past few years, Morocco has made a significant leap in the 2015 edition of Doing Business, ranking 71 out of 189 economies, compared to 94th in 2012.
“Morocco made good headway in improving its overall competitiveness framework and carrying out business environment reforms,” said Simon Gray, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb. “Yet bolder reforms, and further diversification of the Moroccan economy, will help set the country on a stronger path to join other emerging countries.”

The second economic competitiveness DPL is designed precisely to boost Morocco’s efforts. The loan approved today will continue to support reforms launched under the first loan in 2013, aimed notably at simplifying procedures for creating and running a business. It will also support the upgrading of Morocco’s trade policy framework to put them in line with the country’s international commitments. The DPL supports economic governance reforms, too, by strengthening the role and prerogatives of the Competition Council and National Commission for the Business Environment—two key Moroccan economic agencies.

“The operation is crucial to developing an investment climate that responds to the needs of all types of companies, in particular small and medium ones, to improve Morocco’s diversification and export capacity,” says Philippe de Meneval, World Bank Project Team Leader. “Furthering these reforms through sustained support for their implementation will give Morocco the potential for greater competitiveness in the medium to longer term.”

The operation focuses on cross-cutting reforms and actions linked to the trade and investment constraints, identified by public and private sector stakeholders as limiting the impact of government efforts on the performance of various economic sectors. Improvements to transparency and governance is another cornerstone of the current DPL: These should create a more level playing field, especially for smaller enterprises, by reducing the amount of discretion available in how procedures are applied to businesses, and by lifting barriers to investment.
http://investinbrazil.biz/news/world-bank-approves-us200-million-spur-morocco%E2%80%99s-competitiveness-and-productivity
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Korean Rice and Its Economic Lessons for Morocco.
Tuesday 3 March 2015 - Driss El Machkour Toronto

Let me start by clarifying some of the confusion this article’s title may create. What follows is not policy advice for Moroccans to substitute rice for wheat as their diet staple! Rather, the topic covers the economic part of political economy, my other passion.

Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz, a true Keynesian, once warned against neo-conservative policy advice for developing nations; namely, encouraging countries to stick to their core strengths and their comparative advantage in international trade. Put simply, if Morocco produces good citrus fruits, it should find ways to increase the production and the commercialisation of oranges and tangerines. The same goes for phosphates and tourism, Morocco’s other high-income earners. As good disciples of the Washington Consensus (the International Monetary Fund and World Bank), Morocco’s successive governments since independence have followed this advice in letter and spirit, so effectively that I have often looked forward to Christmas as the only time to get delicious Moroccan clementines purchased right here in Ontario.

At first, it seems rather foolish to argue with the sensible advice to focus on a country’s economic strength. But Stiglitz, the former World Bank Chief Economist, nevertheless described this policy advice as reckless. He said “That is wrong…forty years ago, South Korea had a comparative advantage in growing rice. Had it stuck to that strength, it would not be the industrial giant that it is today. It might be the world’s most efficient rice grower, but it would still be poor.”

This may come as a surprise to some, but back in the early 1960’s, South Korea, much like Morocco, was largely dominated by an agricultural economy and an oppressive political environment. But this is where the similarities ended, and both countries diverged on different paths. General Park, who took power in a military coup in 1960, held a deep desire for economic participation driven by a nationalist agenda, despite being an undisputed dictator. King Hassan II was a shrewd political leader, but his economic record was weak, and he was less keen to involve the masses in a participatory economy. He favoured a handpicked crony elite to run a rentier economy.

Some would argue that this analogy is not fair, since General Park came to power by a military coup while the King legitimately inherited his power through his lineage. I would argue that the analogy is rather unfair to General Park, who needed to cling to power after the coup for his own survival and did not have to do much else, as other military dictators have. He chose, however, to redeem his dictatorship with strong economic performance. Ironically, despite all his economic feats, he was later assassinated in 1979.

Speaking of Generals who lived-and-died by the gun, General Oufkir comes to mind. Had that president-wannabe succeeded in overthrowing King Hassan II in his failed coup, Morocco would almost certainly be in far worse shape today. The man was notorious for being personally involved in the torture and execution of the regime’s opponents. He showed a clear lack of patriotism and career opportunism when he served in the French army. A nationalist economic revival under him would have been highly improbable…Again, it is hard to keep with the traditional civility not to speak ill of the dead!

Back to the economy. Ever since its independence, Morocco has remained culturally and economically tied to its former colonizer, France. Morocco faithfully pursued France’s economic agenda and stuck to its so-called economic strengths. Of course, as Morocco’s first trading partner, France has every interest not to disturb the balance of its trade surplus.

Fast forward some 50 years and the results could not be clearer. Morocco is still an excellent producer and exporter of citrus fruits, the third largest phosphates exporter, and a respectable tourist destination. Sadly, however, according to World Bank data, Morocco finds itself at the lower end of middle-income countries. South Korea, on the other hand, has one of the highest incomes per capita in the world.

How Did This Happen?
In his early days after the coup, General Park’s obsession with his economy-first, democracy-later philosophy drove him to diversify the country’s economic sectors. He incentivized home-grown companies to compete with the dominant southeast Japanese neighbours on their own turf, ranging from ship-building and electronics to manufacturing and transportation. As a result, South Korea managed to decrease its high-cost technology imports and tip the trade balance in its favour. Not long before, Korean rice farmers took months to grow a ton of rice to export to Japan. In exchange, they were getting back the equivalent in value of a Sony TV set, which took only couple of days to assemble. A formidable trade imbalance in hindsight!

The Here-and-Now
The Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (ESEC), as the Kingdom Advisory Council par excellence, in its latest annual report of 2013, recgonized Morocco’s economic challenges and offered some sound policy advice. Namely, the need to stabilize the country’s public finances in light of stagnating tourism and MRA (Moroccans Residing Abroad) remittances, along with tackling the ominous pubic deficit and public debts. The ESEC also called for an industrial technology transfer under a new sector-wide strategy, with efforts to prop up SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). Some of its other policy advice, however, was not so sound, such as cutting public services and subsidies in an already weakened conjuncture to balance the budget. It also failed to address the rampant problem of tax evasion, much less the call for a progressive tax code, in which high earners are proportionally taxed on their income. By and large, the report was generous in identifying the challenges and naming general remedies, but came short on delivering tested methods to achieve them.
As I was skimming through the 119-page report, I was astounded to learn that the advisory council has a whopping 99-members for a relatively small country. This is when the White House Council of Economic Advisers runs with three senior advisors supported by 29 staff charged with the daunting task to manage the largest economy on Earth!

Jobs, Jobs and Jobs!
Officially, Morocco’s unemployment hovers below 10%. This figure is highly misleading. It does not account for the under-employed and the unregistered unemployed, not to mention those who often find themselves in precarious jobs with no social protection without union representation. Morocco needs to rethink its strategy to make headways in the area of job creation and jump-start the economy. To this effect, policy makers need to break the cycle of relying mainly on traditional economic drivers such as agriculture, mineral extraction, and tourism. All these economic activities are prone to elements difficult to harness, such as the weather for agriculture, fluctuating international markets for phosphates, and perceived safety concerns for tourism. While economic sectorial diversity may not be the immediate panacea to Morocco’s economic ills, it should offer a medium-term relief of sorts.

Monetary and Fiscal Policy
La Banque Du Maroc needs to embark on a systematic lowering of interest rates for a couple of reasons. When interest, being the cost incurred when borrowing money, is low, it allows affluent private citizens and commercial entities to seek other ways to maximize their profits through investment in the real economy instead of hording in banks. Interchangeably, interest is also the profit made by lending money. With a government-targeted production strategy, the banks should in turn lend money to SMEs. The borrowed funds should be aimed at the production of goods and services and steer away from the punishing consumption loans that most Moroccan households have been increasingly using to buy imported goods.

Along with this monetary policy, the government needs to introduce a transparent fiscal policy. This could be done by increasing enforcement mechanisms to fight against tax evasion. Corruption has always been a problem as a cheaper cost for paying taxes. It allows taxpayers to bypass the tax authority by paying a fraction of the due tax in form of bribe to corrupt officials. The solution that has been tried and tested is also market-based: increase the cost of corruption as way of doing business for both parties. Namely, with prohibitive costly fines that exceed the taxable amount and the dismissal of those found guilty of receiving bribes, in addition to stiff criminal charges. The government also needs to accelerate its efforts to incentivize Moroccans to repatriate assets horded abroad. I understand this step has already started, with some success.

Private-Public-Partnerships (PPP)
For a country such as Morocco, where local investor confidence needs some assistance, it is imperative for public stakeholders to engage in partnerships with the private sector to target certain sectors of the economy. This formula has worked elsewhere. Economic agents act rationally. Therefore, they will not invest in sectors in which the government has not shown confidence by putting a dog in the race, per se. If, however, the government is willing to provide infrastructure, tax breaks, and share risk as part-owner of new start-ups, it should alleviate some of the psychological barriers for potential investors. A good business idea is a viable idea in that it responds to customers’ needs.

To this effect, the PPP ventures do not need to create new needs, but rather respond to existing market demands. This could be done by manufacturing goods that respond to viability criteria. Specifically, these products have to be locally manufactured, not only assembled. In addition, these products should substitute imports with local alternatives. This formula would have the dual benefit of tackling unemployment and the trade deficit by decreasing imports. For a start, these goods do not have to be cutting edge like electronics or cars, although that might follow once a learning curve is reached. The focus should be placed on basic household appliances like stove ranges, water heaters, basic solar panels, bicycles, three-wheel scooters, etc. I am confident Morocco has enough talent within its borders and from its diaspora to harness the necessary technical know-how. All these appliances are currently imported either from China, Turkey, or Europe, which creates a debilitating trade deficit for public finances.

One would argue the wisdom of such advice, noting that Made-in-Morocco products will not be able to compete with the imports on the price-quality scale. That may be true at first, but with enough time, the economies of scale rule will prevail. In other words, the increase in volume of units produced should decrease the production cost of each unit. Quality should follow as competition grows between local manufacturers. This is how Turkey became another manufacturing giant and a solid exporter.

But what would prevent Moroccans to continue buying imported goods? As a response, the government could increase import taxes to prop up local manufacturing. The World Trade Organization may not like what could be perceived as protectionism, but that is too bad! Morocco could rightfully claim its right to develop and declare these sectors vital. A similar strategy is already in place with regard to imported vehicles, although the motivation was never about a local car manufacturing, but the protection of the local dealerships of imported vehicles, another aspect of the ubiquitous rentier economy.
Of course, change will not yield the anticipated results if it not part of a comprehensive national strategy, which would include much-needed education reform towards an education-for-employment model.

Have I mentioned that all the above needs a solid political will? You bet!
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152958/korean-rice-economic-lessons-morocco/
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Clinton: King Mohammed VI Leads Model Country Of Coexistence Between Jews & Muslims.
Tuesday 3 March 2015 - Washington

King Mohammed VI, descendant of the Prophet, leads a model country of religious tolerance, otherness and coexistence as shows the concord between Moroccan Jews and Muslims, said former US president Bill Clinton, according to Maghreb Arab Press (MAP). “The King of Morocco, a direct descendant of the Prophet, ordered the revamping of cemeteries and synagogues in Morocco,” said the founder of the Clinton Foundation in a speech before the Hope Global Forum, which was recently held in Atlanta, State of Georgia. Recalling the Moroccan model, under the audience’s applause, Clinton noted that, after Paris shootings, young people are in quest for positive and unifying examples. Clinton also alluded to the restoration of Jewish cemeteries in Morocco, which was launched in 2010 at the initiative of King Mohammed VI and which involved 167 sites in 14 Moroccan regions.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152950/clinton-king-mohammed-vi-leads-model-country-coexistence-jews-muslims/
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Morocco among Best Destinations For Muslim Travelers
Saturday 7 March 2015 - Tarik El Barakah Rabat

Morocco has been ranked among the best destinations for Muslim travelers within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, according to the MasterCard and CresentRating’s 2015 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI). With a score of 64.4 out of 100, the results saw Morocco take the ninth place on the list for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) destinations, right between Jordan (8th) and Brunei (10th). However, the kingdom had better results. It was ranked in the sixth place in the 2014 edition of the GMTI.

Malaysia topped the list with a score of 83.8 out of 100 in the Index jointly conducted by US payment company MasterCard and CresentRating, the world’s leading authority on Halal-friendly travel.

It is followed by Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Indonesia, and Oman. Singapore topped the list for non-OIC countries ahead of Thailand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, France, Belgium, Hong Kong, the United States, Spain and Taiwan.

The ranking took into account several criteria to choose Muslim-friendly destinations including, suitability as a family holiday destination, safety for Muslims, the number of Muslim visitor arrivals, the level of services and facilities it provides for Muslim travelers (Halal dining options, availability of prayer spaces, accommodation, airport services), and the ease of communication.

In 2014, 108 Muslim travelers spent an estimated $145 billion, according to the two companies. They represent 10% of the global travel economy and the numbers are expected to grow to 150 million travelers by 2020 and spend nearly $200 billion per year. The study aims to provide travellers, Governments, travel services and investors with comprehensive benchmarks across a number of important criteria to enable them track the health and growth of the Muslim travel segment.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153318/morocco-among-best-destinations-muslim-travelers/
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Salwa Akhannouch Tops List of Most Powerful Moroccan Women
Tuesday 3 March 2015 -morocco world news Rabat

Salwa Akhannouch has topped the list of the most powerful Moroccan women. Akhannouch is listed among the world’s 100 most influential Arab women in the fifth edition of a ranking published by UAE website “Arabian Business.” Head of Akwa Group made it to the 8th place, “and despite being born into privilege, Akhannouch decided to take the harder route to wealth and success,” says the website. Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch is one of Morocco’s wealthiest female entrepreneurs. She holds exclusive rights in Morocco to distribute various fashion brands such as Zara, Banana Republic and Gap, and has built an impressive real estate portfolio, including 50 percent of Morocco Mall – Africa’s largest shopping center, which attracts 15 million visitors each year.

At the top of the list is HE Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister for international cooperation and development of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), retaining the position she has held for the past four years. She was followed by Amal Clooney, a Lebanese international human rights attorney and wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, and Saudi feminist Loujain al Hathloul in third place.

The depth and breadth of achievement among Arab women, not to mention the influence they exert in various different fields. Arabian Business said it ranked the women through a number of different criteria. For companies they have looked at revenues, the number of staff, innovation and strategy. For artists such as musicians, the website has taken into account record sales, tours, followers on social media and the like.

With actresses, they have considered total audiences that have watched their movies. In other fields, such as science, the list considered the total number of people likely to have been affected by an individual’s work, their prominence on social media, as well as other outlets like YouTube.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152972/salwa-akhannouch-tops-list-powerful-moroccan-women/
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Four Moroccans Among Arabian Business Magazine’s Top 100 Most Powerful Arab Women
Tuesday 3 March 2015 - Larbi Arbaoui Taroudant

The Arabian Business Magazine listed four Moroccan women on its “CEO Middle East” list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Arab Women released on March 1.
The top Moroccan woman, ranking number 8 on the list, is the CEO of Aksal Group, Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch. She is followed by the founder of Teach4Morocco, Maha Laziri (ranked at 27), sociologist Fatema Mernissi (ranked at 81) and scientist Ismahane Elouafi (ranked at 91).

Head of Akwa Group, a distributor of petroleum products, Salwa Akhannouch is a prominent Moroccan businesswoman who heads the franchise group Aksal, founded in 2004. Her ambitious project, Morocco Mall, is the largest shopping center in Africa and the Middle East and among the world’s top five. Her father, the famous Berber businessman Ahmed Haj Belfiqih, made his fortune in the tea trade. She is married to Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture.

As a young woman coming up in an emerging country, Maha Laziri found her passion as an education activist in Morocco. Laziri and her NGO’s small team have built schools in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, the village of Ait Hamza, and the Tassaout Valley.

The author of numerous books on social, cultural and religious issues, Fatema Mernissi, a Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist, has been on the forefront of the critical dialogue about the position of women, and civil society since 1975.

Ismahane Elouafi, director general of International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai since 2012, holds a PhD in genetics from Cordoba University, Spain, and has over 15 years of experience in agricultural research. Last year, Elouafi, a food safety champion, was among the eight scientists listed under “the shapers” category in the list of the top-20 most influential women scientists in Islamic World, and the only North African woman included in the ranking.
For the fifth year in a row, Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi, the UAE Minister of International Cooperation and Development topped the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women list, followed by Lebanese attorney Amal Clooney, wife actor George Clooney.

Last year, three Moroccan women made it to the list namely Ismahane Elouafi, Fatema Mernissi and Maha Laziri. The Middle East leading magazine ranks the Arab women according to the influential role they play in their societies and the impact they have in their field of work.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152963/four-moroccans-among-arabian-business-magazines-top-100-powerful-arab-women/
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Don’t Leave Morocco
Tuesday 3 March 2015 - Anouar Mzoudi Maryland

Don’t immigrate. Stay in Morocco. Life is difficult around here. These kind of statements are heard a million times by the Moroccan youth who are considering trying their luck out of the country. But who is giving them the advice? A fellow Moroccan who was once like them! Should you listen to this advice and hold on to whatever you have got in Morocco?

After living abroad for 8 years, mainly in USA, I feel very compelled to reject the advice that people shouldn’t immigrate. People who try to dissuade you from immigration might do so because of their particular circumstances.

Immigrants who spent most of their life doing nothing in Morocco seem to think that their life in the new country is difficult because they have to work all the time. Some other immigrants might have a negative experience because their social status deteriorated – from being a professional in Morocco to a semi-skilled worker in USA or Europe. Others expect free and quick benefits upon arriving in the host countries, but when their expectations aren’t met, they curse the world!
My experience as an immigrant in USA has been riddled by ups and downs, but mainly because I frequently moved abroad and within USA over the past 8 years. The experience of immigration itself has mostly been positive. Being married to a US citizen has made life a little bit easier as I didn’t face any language barrier and has had firsthand experience of the American culture and mindset.

Understanding how your new society works is key to survival! When immigrants come to a new country and spend most of their time with immigrants from their own country, they miss many opportunities to develop their language skills – immigrants usually communicate with one another in the mother tongue-. They also get stuck in the same jobs that other immigrants recommended to them.

In addition, living in a capitalist society, where generosity is a rare commodity, is a challenge that creates lots of problems within immigrant communities. Moroccans expect to get help from fellow Moroccans (friends and family), and when they don’t get it, relationships turn sour. What kind of advice will you get from immigrants who have gone through these or similar experiences?!

My advice is: travel and experience the world! Life is too short to spend in the same city or country. If you are financially secure in Morocco, you are probably already taking advantage of access to international travel. If your situation is unclear, you should definitely try your luck elsewhere if you can. There are a few things to consider, of course, before making the move…this is going to be the subject of my next article
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/152983/dont-leave-morocco/
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Morocco: Two Sentenced on Homosexuality Charge: Prosecuted Despite Constitutional Right to Private Life
March 4, 2015 Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director (Rabat)

The combination of a state that enforces sodomy laws, a justice system that denies a fair trial, and the social stigma attached to homosexuality is a formula for damaging people’s lives. Two men accused of consensual homosexual activity are serving prison terms after a trial that seems to have been unfair, Human Rights Watch and the Aswat Group for Sexual Minorities, a Moroccan group, said today.

The First Instance Court in the Mediterranean city of al Hoceima convicted the two defendants of sodomy in a very brief trial held only five days after their December 13, 2014 arrest. They were convicted based on “confessions” the police said the defendants made in pretrial detention but that the defendants repudiated before the judge. The court called no witnesses to testify. An appeals court upheld the sentence on December 30.

“The combination of a state that enforces sodomy laws, a justice system that denies a fair trial, and the social stigma attached to homosexuality is a formula for damaging people’s lives,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director.

The al Hoceima Appeals Court upheld the conviction for committing a “deviant sexual act with a member of the same sex” (penal code article 489) and “public indecency” (article 483), but reduced the sentences for both men from three years in prison and a fine to six months for one and one year for the other, who was also convicted of attempted bribery (article 251).

Human Rights Watch has documented a pattern by which Moroccan courts violate the right to a fair trial by relying on confessions to convict defendants and by failing to investigate seriously or at all when defendants repudiate those statements as either coerced or falsified. Defendants in many cases or their lawyers have repeatedly told Human Rights Watch that the police either forced or intimidated the defendants into signing their statements without reading them.

Moroccan law penalizes what it refers to as acts of “sexual deviancy” between members of the same sex, a term that police reports and court documents use to refer to homosexuality more generally.

Morocco’s 2011 Constitution states, in article 24, “All persons have the right to protection of their private life.” This right, absent in the previous constitution, should lead to the abolition of the law criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct, Human Rights Watch and Aswat said.

At about 11 p.m. on December 13, a group of gendarmes stopped a car they observed to be driving erratically on a coastal road in al Hoceima province, the police report of the incident says. As the gendarmes approached the car, the younger passenger waved his arm as if he wanted to tell them something.

When the gendarmes separated the two men in the car to question them, the report says, they observed that the younger man “showed signs of homosexuality (sexual deviancy) in his movements, manner of speaking and behavior.” He said the older man had tried to rape him. The driver denied it and said that they had only been “caressing,” the police report states. It then notes that the older man offered the gendarmes the 970 dirhams (US$100) he had in his pocket if they would agree to let the men go. The gendarmes took both men to a police station in Imzouren for more questioning.

The older defendant is an elected local official in his 50s and the other a student in his 20s.

The police questioned the two suspects separately and obtained signed statements from both (al Hoceima Police statement no. 276, December 13, 2014). The younger defendant, according to his statement, acknowledged that he was “a homosexual (sexual deviant)” who “will have sex with anyone who pays [him],” and that he had had “sex with his co-accused in his car for money on six occasions.” The older defendant, in his statement, acknowledged that he paid his co-accused for sex that evening, described the sex acts that they had performed, admitted attempting to bribe the gendarmes, and described the car he was driving when arrested as “the same car I use when hunting for homosexual victims, and in which I satisfy my desires.”

Two days after their arrest, when he appeared before the prosecutor, the younger defendant denied the charges and that he had ever engaged in homosexual activity, according to the minutes of that hearing. At trial, his co-defendant also repudiated his “confession.”

Nader Yahiaoui, a lawyer who defended the younger man, told Human Rights Watch he could not say for certain if the police statements were coerced because – as is legal and common practice in Morocco – no lawyer was present when the police interrogated his client or asked him to sign his statement. However, the defendant’s father told Human Rights Watch that during a prison visit, his son said that he signed his police statement without reading it because the police scared him by shouting and banging their fists on the table. It is not known whether the defendant informed the court about this alleged intimidation.

Morocco’s code of penal procedure (CPP), article 293, states that any confession obtained through “violence or coercion shall not be considered as evidence” by the court.

In this case, the First Instance Court seemingly made no effort to investigate so that it could weigh the credibility of the defendants’ “confessions” against their repudiation in court. With Judge Nabil Wahyani, presiding, the court called no witnesses and concluded the trial in 10 minutes, the younger defendant’s father, who was there, told Human Rights Watch.

The court, in its written judgment (ruling number 574/14), acknowledged that the defendants repudiated their police statements but opted to accept them as evidence anyway. It cited CPP article 290, which presumes the credibility of statements prepared by the police, “save proof to the contrary,” thereby placing an unfair burden of proof on defendants to show when such statements are false.

Before the Appeals Court, the defendants again denied the charges. Their lawyers pointed out that no one had observed the sex act that constitutes the offense in the penal code. The appeals court, with Judge Mohamed El-Andaloussi presiding, called no witnesses and, like the lower court, convicted the defendants on the basis of their contested “confessions,” invoking the above-mentioned principle from the CPP that statements prepared by the police are to be deemed trustworthy until proven otherwise. (Ruling 436, Case 364-2601-2014.)

The defense lawyers told Human Rights Watch they planned an appeal to the Court of Cassation, which does not re-try the facts but can send a case back for retrial if it determines that the courts misapplied the law. One issue that arose at trial was an unsuccessful challenge by the defense to the court’s handling of the case according to the expedited procedures that apply in flagrant délit (“caught in the act”) cases. In this case, the application of these procedures resulted in the conclusion of a first-instance and appeals trial within 17 days of the alleged offenses. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states in article 14.3(b) that an accused party shall “have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his defense.”

In 2014, an appeals court in Beni Mellal upheld the imprisonment of two men convicted under article 489 on the basis of “confessions” to the police that the defendants repudiated at trial.

Human rights activists in Morocco say that similar prosecutions on sodomy charges occur and go unreported due to the social stigma felt by the defendants and their families and the reluctance of most activists to rally to their defense.

“The shame attached to homosexuality in Morocco intimidates many of those who might otherwise defend people they believe to have been wrongly convicted,” said a member of Aswat. “That’s something that should worry not just homosexuals but all Moroccans.”

Criminalizing consensual, adult homosexual conduct violates international human rights law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Morocco has ratified, bars interference with the right to privacy. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has condemned laws against consensual homosexual conduct as violations of the ICCPR. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has held that arrests for consensual homosexual conduct are, by definition, human rights violations.

“If Morocco truly aspires to be a regional leader on human rights, it should lead the way in decriminalizing homosexual conduct,” Whitson said.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/03/04/morocco-two-sentenced-homosexuality-charge
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Morocco jails two men for gay sex: Human rights group says the trial seems unfair
05 March 2015 By Darren Wee

A Moroccan court has jailed two men for gay sex in what a human rights group says seems like an unfair trial. An elected local official in his 50s and a student in his 20s were arrested in al Hoceima province on 13 December. Only five days after their arrest, a court convicted the men of sexual deviancy and public indecency based on confessions they made to police then repudiated in court. No witnesses were called to testify.

An appeals court upheld the conviction on 30 December but reduced the sentence from three years in jail and a fine to six months for the younger man and one year for the older man, who was also convicted of attempted bribery. 'The combination of a state that enforces sodomy laws, a justice system that denies a fair trial, and the social stigma attached to homosexuality is a formula for damaging people’s lives,' said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

At about 11pm on the day of the arrest, a group of gendarmes stopped a car driving erratically on a coastal road, according to the police report. The passenger said the older man had tried to rape him, the driver said they had only been 'caressing' and offered the gendarmes the 970 dirhams (US$100) he had in his pocket if they would let them go.

The gendarmes took the men to a police station in Imzouren for questioning and obtained signed statements from both. The police report says the younger man 'showed signs of homosexuality (sexual deviancy) in his movements, manner of speaking and behavior.' The younger man acknowledged in his statement that he was 'a homosexual (sexual deviant)' who 'will have sex with anyone who pays [him],' and that he had had 'sex with his co-accused in his car for money on six occasions.'

The older man acknowledged that he paid for sex that evening and described the sex acts that they had performed. He admitted to attempting to bribe the gendarmes and described the car he was arrested in as 'the same car I use when hunting for homosexual victims, and in which I satisfy my desires.'

The younger man's father said his son told him during a prison visit that he signed the statement without reading it because police scared him by shouting and banging their fists on the table. Confessions obtained through violence or coercion cannot be used as evidence in Moroccan courts.

Human rights activists in north African country said that similar prosecutions for gay sex occur and go unreported due to the social stigma felt by the defendants and their families.

'The shame attached to homosexuality in Morocco intimidates many of those who might otherwise defend people they believe to have been wrongly convicted,' said a member of the local Aswat Group for Sexual Minorities. 'That’s something that should worry not just homosexuals but all Moroccans.'
See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/morocco-jails-two-men-gay-sex050315#sthash.K4hLnp2D.dpuf
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Solving the Literacy Gender Gap in Morocco.
by Amanda Mouttaki March 4, 2015

Morocco has long been touted as a beacon for progress in the Middle East and North Africa, especially since 1999, when King Mohammed VI ascended to the throne. Over the last 15 years, the developing country has seen the advancement of women’s domestic rights via the Moroccan Family Code, the ratification of the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and a variety of innovative educational reforms. In fact, the first 10 years of Mohammed’s reign were dubbed the “Education Decade,” resulting in impressive increases in literacy. UNESCO estimates that just 41.6 percent of the Moroccan population was literate in 1990; by 2010, that figure had spiked to 56 percent.

But despite this long-term commitment to education and human rights, there remains a startling division in literacy rates between Morocco’s urban and rural populations—with an even more significant gap between men and women. In many ways, the urban/rural achievement gap may not be so surprising: Rural villages can be many miles away from schools; temperatures are sweltering in summer and can be freezing in winter; main roads are often crowded and in poor shape; and alternative transportation is out of reach for many poverty-stricken families.

But the unique obstacles faced by many rural women and girls—who enroll in lower secondary education at a rate of 26 percent compared to 79 percent for rural boys—are considerable. For traditional Moroccan families, it’s simply not acceptable for young girls to walk to and from school alone, or to live away from home to attend school if a daily commute proves taxing. While illegal, underage marriage remains a reality for many Moroccan girls, and often eliminates any potential for a secondary education. Some estimates claim that even five years post-“Education Decade,” illiteracy rates for rural women and girls in Morocco remain as high as 90 percent (though official sources put the figure at 54.4 percent).

Still, a pragmatic optimism lingers in Morocco, as a variety of policies and programs actively target illiteracy to this day. The nation’s longest-established literacy program—mahou al omiya (Erasing Illiteracy)—directly tackles the rural gender gap each night in the classroom. This free program, held in the evenings at nearly every public school in the country, is geared toward adults who never had the opportunity to attend or complete school. Open to attendance by both men and women, it’s women who are most in need of literacy support—so it’s women who most often attend.

Mahou al omiya has been a particular boon to parents of school-age children, who in addition to receiving literacy instruction, are put in direct contact with school administrators—easing any tension they may have about enrolling (and keeping) their children in school until matriculation. The program counteracts one of the biggest causes of intergenerational illiteracy by giving parents who attend the knowledge and skills to help their children with their own studies.
Though awareness of mahou al omiya is unparalleled, it isn’t a blanket solution for every situation—it’s just as much of a challenge for rural adults to attend distant public schools as it is for their children. To counter transportation difficulties, King Mohammed VI recently launched a literacy program delivered 24 hours a day online and on television via Assadissa (Channel 6), as well as through tutors and support classes at mosques throughout the country. His Majesty’s program includes basic Arabic reading and writing, mathematics, and Qur’an and religious studies. When the program launched in 2000, there were 200 participating mosques. By 2013, that number had sky-rocketed to 4,800. Perhaps because religious studies are such an important part of the Islamic faith, combating illiteracy through mosques has gained a great deal of traction.

The Moroccan government has also leveraged the nation’s religious infrastructure through the murchidates, or female spiritual guides. Interested women are given the opportunity to train, then are free to advise other women and girls within their communities on a variety of civic and spiritual issues—whether that means informing them about their equal marriage, divorce, and property rights under the Moroccan Family Code, or providing literacy education and religious guidance. The murchidates have been empowered to do everything that male clergy do, other than lead prayers—allowing them to seamlessly integrate themselves (and their progressive ideas) into their communities, while addressing knowledge gaps between the privileged and disadvantaged.

Over the course of 300 hours, women at one of the country first adult education centers—The Maison de Citoyenneté (Citizenship House)—develop basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills. Along the way, they pick up social and civil rights knowledge and have the opportunity to take part in income-generating activities like weaving and beekeeping. Since its inception in 2007, The Maison de Citoyenneté has benefited over 20,000 women and girls, whom UNESCO has praised as beeing exceptionally “liberated” and “highly motivated,” many of them eager to send “their out-of-school daughters back to school” and subsequently provide them with solid educational support.

Far from a failure, Morocco’s “Education Decade” has proven to be the beginning of a very long journey. Change never happens overnight, and the nation’s commitment to education should serve as an example of astonishing progress. Of course, it’s also living proof of the considerable hurdles faced by illiterate individuals all over the world. There are 800 million of them, by the way—two-thirds of them women and girls. But by following Morocco’s lead—making women and girls a central focus of our efforts around the world—we can all be well on our way to eliminating illiteracy everywhere.
Photo © BTC / Zoubida Charrouf
http://magazine.good.is/articles/morocco-women-girls-parents-literacy
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Here's where 'Game of Thrones' was filmed
Published 6:12 AM EST Mar 05, 2015 (CNN)

In "Game of Thrones," Yunkai might be a fictional city ruled by an oligarchy of slave merchants, but the scenes had to be filmed in the real world.
The citadel of Ait-Ben-Haddou in Morocco near Ouarzazate (pronounced Wa-za-zat) was chosen as the location, and is one of the most popular film-making destinations in the region.

And scenes set in the ancient city of Astapor, which was a big part of the final episode of season three, was filmed in Essaouira -- also in Morocco.
But the creators of "Game of Thrones" were not the first to use the region's beauty as the backdrop for a major international production. More than a decade before them, Ridley Scott chose the North African country to film the gory glory of ancient Rome in his epic "Gladiator" starring Russell Crowe. And so did the producers of "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" which starred Jake Gyllenhaal.

Indeed, big foreign productions seeking a Middle Eastern backdrop (and possibly an academy award) have long chosen Morocco for its relatively cheap price tag and safety -- and nearly half of the films shot in the kingdom are made in Ouarzazate.

According to Amine Tazi, who runs two of the town's biggest studios, foreign directors come for the dramatic light as well as the wide variety of landscapes.
But Morocco's appeal goes far beyond the beautiful vistas. Filmmakers can find experienced local crews that help productions save half the cost they'd pay in Europe or the U.S.

"Logistically, [Ouarzazate is] very good," says Tazi, general manager at Atlas & CLA Studios. "Everything is very close by. Hotels are close by. People are very movie friendly and very efficient." Tazi's studios also offer dozens of set options -- from Styrofoam Egyptian temples to plaster-cast Tibetan Palaces. National Geographic used one of his sets in the mini-series "Killing Jesus" -- the seven-week production was filmed by a crew of 250 people and included 4,500 extras.

Bargain Hunting
Atlas Studios opened in 1983 to host the Michael Douglas classic "The Jewel of the Nile." Since then, around 200 TV shows and films have been shot there, including "Babel," starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

"Morocco is one of the countries that goes out of its way to welcome film makers," says Tony Reeves, writer of the Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. "Technical crews in Morocco are well sought after -- builders, painters, extras, electrical resources." But in recent years productions have been hit by the global financial crisis and the uncertainty following the Arab Spring which ripped through North Africa. Between 2008 and 2013, Tazi's revenue dropped by 50%.

Such a slowdown hit Ouarzazate'seconomy, where many of the 100,000 citizens rely on the cinema industry from employment. "The city is poor. There [are] few job opportunities," says resident Abdelaziz Bouydnayen, who once played Osama Bin Laden in a National Geographic documentary. "We are all just waiting...There are millions of dollars that come into this city, but the city is still poor." In the past decade, both of the town's theaters have closed leaving residents without a place to watch the films shot in their back yard.

Changing Times
Yet, a series of recent developments have started to show the start of a revival. Last year, 22 films used Tazi's studios -- up from 12 in 2013. Foreign film projects spent $120 million in 2014, according to the country's film commission -- up from $23 million the previous year. And part of the reason filmmakers keep coming to Morocco are the tax-incentives -- foreign crews are exempt from paying value added tax. But the other reason is the experience of Moroccan talent.
"Making stories of biblical proportions requires that there be casts of hundreds" says Roma Downey, who is producing the upcoming TV series "A.D." in Morocco. "To wrangle that many people and have them be so focused and understand what they're doing is a big part of what they're doing. It save time, saves money."
Tazi is so confident that the current boom will continue that he plans to build a brand new Roman-themed set this year. He's hoping to keep the cameras rolling and action going in Morocco's Hollywood.
http://www.wptz.com/money/heres-where-game-of-thrones-was-filmed/31624958
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Greg Johnson: From one mountain to another
Mar 4, 2015

The medina in Casablanca, Morocco on a recent morning. The columnist encountered Berber mountain folk in one of the small shops ("souks") in the old town center. (Greg Johnson / Special to the News Sentinel)

CASABLANCA, Morocco — Hassan accosted me, beguiled me and led me through the Moorish arch into the medina, distracting me with small talk. He led me past souks — small shops — and a small mosque into a room.
For more details: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/columnists/greg-johnson-from-one-mountain-to-another_91189913
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New Children’s Library Opens in the Heart of Fez
Thursday 5 March 2015 - Amjad Hemidach Fez

Many reports indicate a poor reading average in the Arab world. Morocco is no exception; thirty-three percent are illiterate. Adding injury to insult is the lack of public libraries (only 313 in the entire country), a detriment to the Kingdom’s project to fight illiteracy and increase economic opportunities.
The New Page Foundation conducted a survey in 2007, and found that fifty-one percent of Moroccans are nonreaders and seventy one percent of them never entered a library.

In Fez, libraries are nearly non-existent, though youth desperately need them to brush up their knowledge and also quench their thirst for science. To fill this void, The Fez Association of the Children of the Medina (Association) has created a children library (Check their Facebook page here) in the medina’s heart to encourage and create awareness about the importance of reading and providing activities, such as art workshops.
Suzanna Clarke, the author of “A House in Fez” is the library’s co-founder. She has spared no energy in bringing the project to life in hopes of benefitting many children and brightening their future. “Reading will open their minds to other possibilities and ways of living and will enable them to find out how they can get information,” said Clarke in an interview with Morocco World News.

The original idea came from Cathy Bellafronto, co-owner with her husband of Riad Laaroussa. The couple noticed a lack of green spaces and playgrounds in the old Medina where children could spend time. She wanted to help children find alternative outlets, outside of the tedious routine of going to school and then watching TV at home.

Cathy discussed the idea with Suzanna Clarke who did not hesitate to get on board with the project although initially she had some concerns like whether children would be interested in coming to the library and read stories. When the library opened, many children wanted to take part, and families were thrilled.

Safae, the librarian, said that the children are very enthusiastic to have a way to unwind. Children sit in a circle and listen to stories told by the librarian and want more. Khadija, 8, who comes daily to the library, said that she is happy to be there because she can read and listen to stories which will help her get good grades in school.

The library is mostly financed by the owners of Riad Laaroussa and The View From Fez, and the Association hopes that many people will contribute to keep the project ongoing and expanding.Currently the library cannot cater to the large number of children who want to attend. “Right now we are turning away many children and only 10 are given access in a time, said Bellafronto. “They stay only for one hour to give other children a chance to benefit.”The children also take part in workshops and draw beautiful portraits inspired by the stories they read and hear.

The library is just a start for the Association, which plans to help the Medina become cleaner by turning empty lots into public spaces and playgrounds. But it needs financial support from both citizens and the city council. According to Bellefronto, if people help each other in cleaning the medina and creating projects for children, more people will go back to live there, and the significance of the medina of Fez will be revived
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153083/new-childrens-library-opens-in-the-heart-of-fez/
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Morocco Ranks Third Among Developing Countries in 2014 Internet Index
Thursday 5 March 2015 - Tarik El Barakah Rabat

With a score of 50.83 out of 100, Morocco is ranked third among developing countries in the 2014 Internet Affordability Index released by the Alliance for Affordable Internet, a coalition of private sector, public sector and civil society organizations whose objective is to make internet more affordable around the world. According to the report, although Rwanda secured the top spot among developing countries, Morocco has the top score among all developing countries in the infrastructure sub-index. The study praised Morocco’s growing investments in fiber optic national backbone networks which have had a “dramatic impact on prices.”

The report said that the price of a monthly entry level mobile broadband package in Morocco dropped fourfold from US 49.4 in 2013 to US 11.9 in 2014, and mobile broadband penetration currently stands at 15 percent, while fixed broadband penetration remains at 10 percent. Quoting data from to the Moroccan telecommunications regulatory agency (ANRT), the report said that 88 percent of the country’s 8.5 million mobile users are also mobile internet subscribers, but the majority of Internet users are in urban areas.

The Internet Affordability Index is composed of two sub-indices that measure the impact of two critical drivers to affordability: infrastructure and access.
The Infrastructure sub-index in which the kingdom scored the highest among other developing countries, measures the current extent of infrastructure deployment and operations, alongside the policy and regulatory frameworks in place to incentivize and enable cost-effective investment in future infrastructure expansion. The access sub-index, however, measures current broadband adoption rates and the policy and regulatory frameworks in place to encourage growth and ensure provision of affordable and equitable access.

The 2014 edition of the Internet Affordability Index looked into the policy and regulatory environments in 51 countries, and analyses the effectiveness of government programmes in addressing the divides and barriers that prevent affordable access to the Internet. The study has also found that 70 percent of the households in the developing world do not have Internet access. It added that women are far less likely to be able to access the Internet affordably than men especially that research has shown that women, on average, earn 30% – 50% less than men. “This income disparity diminishes the ability of women to afford to access, adopt, and benefit from a broadband connection. The Internet access gender gap is apparent throughout the world, although the extent of the gap varies from region to region,” the study said.

This year, Costa Rica tops the overall rankings, followed by Colombia, Turkey, Malaysia and Peru. Rwanda topped the ranking among developing countries, followed by Nigeria, Morocco, Uganda and Kenya.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153099/morocco-ranks-third-among-developing-countries-2014-internet-index/
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Living Abroad: Morocco.
By Ruthie Aldrich /// Staff Writer

“ So, why did you choose Morocco?”

This is a question I have received often, from my extended relatives at Thanksgiving dinner and Moroccan students at my school. People seem perplexed at my selection, but to me, Morocco was a clear choice. I wanted to go somewhere challenging and enriching, a place I might not easily be able to visit on my own.
While preparing to come to Morocco, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was anxious for all the unknowns ahead, stocking up on everything I might possibly need — from sunscreen to Pepto-Bismol. Little did I know, an amazing place awaited me. When we arrived, my first encounter was with the bustling city of Marrakech, a vibrant juxtaposition of old against new. Walking amongst the burnt orange buildings and towering palm trees, I saw a donkey cart making its way past an H&M while fashionably dressed Moroccan women whizzed by on motorbikes. The sensory overload of sounds — cars endlessly honking and people speaking in rapid-fire Darija (the Moroccan dialect of Arabic) — was at first almost too much to bear.

Marrakech was my introduction to Morocco, and it was love at first sight. I quickly found a home in this wonderful place filled with delicious food, friendly people, beautiful architecture, and a rich culture and history.

Living with Moroccan host families has made my study abroad experience even more remarkable. This aspect of the program, which I originally found the most nerve-wracking, has ended up being the most enriching, as it facilitates much deeper immersion into the culture.

Without my host families, I probably would have missed out on numerous valuable experiences, such as visiting a hammam (a public bath house), exploring hidden nooks and crannies of the medina (the old city), learning how to make Moroccan mint tea, and many more.

With all these rewards, there are also many challenges. The biggest one I face on a daily basis is communication. In Morocco, I am linguistically incompetent in a way I have never experienced. In a country where most people speak two or three languages (sometimes four or more), I am trying to get by on English and a broken mixture of Darija and French. I realize that I have taken for granted the ability to communicate with strangers or friends in simple daily interactions without a second thought.

Nevertheless, this is a challenge that I embrace and confront head on every day. I leap out of my comfort zone by practicing the Darija I have learned in my classes on a regular basis, whether it takes the form of bargaining with a shopkeeper or telling my host mom what I am doing after school. These types of initially intimidating yet fulfilling endeavors are exactly why I wanted to study in Morocco. I learn something new every day, about both Morocco and myself. This experience has allowed me to leave my comfort zone and grow as a person in every way possible. So far, it is the most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever done.
http://www.piolog.com/?p=2510
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El Othmani ignites the forbidden abortion topic in Morocco
March 6, 2015

El Othmani, number 2 of Justice and Development Party in Morocco revealed in an interview that he will side with a bill in favour of abortion in some cases in Morocco. Abortion is a forbidden topic in Morocco, a country with a deep rooted Islamic civilisation. El Othmani, a psychiatric by profession, Chairman of the National Council, and second in command of Justice and Development Party declared in Al-Massae, an Arabic daily, he was favourable for change in the law on abortion, but only in some special cases.

It is reported that 600 to 800 unofficial abortions take place every day in Morocco. Morocco is among countries in the world with harsh laws on abortion. El Othmani is the first in his party to support a shift the law on abortion. He is supporting his position with the bylaw 453 of the law, the only bylaw that allows if well interpreted abortion on the condition that the pregnancy endangers the health of the bearer.

Mr Othmani explains his position with the Islamic jurisprudence laws that allow abortion in some special cases. As a matter of fact, he says that Islamic jurisprudence identifies 3 phases of pregnancy: pre-foetus period (6 weeks), the period the foetus starts breathing (less than 18 weeks) and the period after. According Dr. Othmani, in the malékite tradition, the largest religious canon in North Africa, interruption of a 40 day (6 weeks) pregnancy is forbidden, except in very critical cases but must authorised.
http://northafricapost.com/7150-el-othmani-ignites-the-forbidden-abortion-topic-in-morocco.html
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US Development Finance institution OPIC to Invest MAD 5 billion in Morocco.
Friday 6 March 2015 - Morocco world news Rabat

For U.S. investments, Morocco is the gateway to the African continent. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution specializing in investing in the private sector abroad, has announced this week that it will double or even triple its $200 million of projects already in the study phase in Morocco, reported business daily L’Economiste.

On the sidelines of a meeting with the General Confederation of Moroccan Businesses (GCEM) on Wednesday, OPIC said that its objective is to reach $500 to $600 million in engaged capitals. This is a little above MAD 5 billion and the Americans are eyeing several strategic sectors in the kingdom, including renewable energy, infrastructure, and tourism. “We intend to diversify our portfolio in Morocco with priority sectors,” said Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO of OPIC. “We are very responsive to the funding requests by investors.”

According to L’Economiste, OPIC is supporting the financial offer of several American companies bidding for large governmental projects in the Moroccan renewable energy sector. “This is a priority sector for US private investors,” Littlefield said, adding that the American financial institution is also accompanying many American companies in other Sub-Saharan countries, mainly in Kenya where it is supporting an American company on a geothermal plant project with a loan of $310 million. “We have also provided a loan of several hundred million dollars to build a power tri-fuel power plant in Togo, a large solar plant in South Africa and the wind power industry in Senegal,” she added.

In Morocco, OPIC is studying investment projects primarily funded by fully-American capitals or in joint ventures with Moroccan ones. “We also fund several projects in the SME sector, in partnership with private banks. The objective is to ensure the risks for banks to encourage them to lend more to SME’s, especially in rural areas and to businesswomen,” Littlefield was quoted by the French-speaking daily as saying.

Last August, OPIC has finalized an agreement with Attijariwafa Bank Group on the sidelines of the first US-Africa Leaders Summit that saw the participation of nearly 50 African nations in Washington, D.C. The agreement should be extended to other African countries where the Moroccan group is already established.
Established as an agency of the U.S. Government in 1971, OPIC is planning to strengthen its presence in African economies with high potentials such as Morocco. “We are still very low on the ground, if not through the network of US embassies. We are very important in terms of mobilized capital, but still very limited in terms of human resources, said Littlefield.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/03/153177/us-development-finance-institution-opic-to-invest-mad-5-billion-in-morocco/
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Use locally caught Gurnard for Moroccan fish with couscous.
RECIPE by ANDY SEWELL: By Herald Express March 04, 2015

THIS dish was inspired from a trip to Marrakesh in Morocco where the colours, flavours and smells are a onslaught on all your senses.

I am using Gurnard fillets for this and if you haven't heard of Gurnard before, you are in for a surprise! Gurnards are a wonderful meaty fish with a robust flavour. It's a fish that is landed a lot in Brixham and is really sustainable. It also makes great fish and chips!

You probably won't find it in the supermarket so do go to your local fishmonger and as always buy the freshest fish you can. The skin should have a beautiful red colour, the flesh should be creamy and it should smell of the sea.

Ideal as a light lunch or add in a green salad for a more substantial supper. Serves two.

4 small Gurnard fillets
100g flour
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon mint sauce
1 spring onion
¼ red pepper
1 x tomato
½ courgette
Small bunch coriander
1 cup cous cous
salt and pepper
1 tub yoghurt
Oil for frying

FINELY dice all the vegetables and chop the coriander into a bowl, then take half pint of boiling water and pour over, add salt and pepper and leave for two minutes, then pour into the cous cous, cover and leave to soak for five minutes.
Take a wooden spoon and fluff up the cous cous, then cover again and set aside.
Add the paprika and turmeric to the flour, then rub in to the skin of the fish.
In a heavy based pan, heat up a little oil and fry the fish, skin-side down, for five minutes and then turn over and cook for a further two minutes.
Mix the yoghurt and mint sauce together.
Arrange cous cous on the plate, place the fish on top and serve with the yoghurt.
If you can't find Gurnard, try red mullet or sea bream.
http://world.einnews.com/article/252979168/5L-AW7jGtYWqWJqj
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Big batch Moroccan chili
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
750 g lean ground beef, or lamb
2 796-mL cans diced tomatoes
fresh pepper, to season
2 diced zucchini
2 540-mL cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped chives

Instructions

HEAT a large pot over medium. Add olive oil, then thinly sliced onions. Cook until onion starts to soften, about 2 min. Add cumin, coriander, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Cook 1 more min. Crumble in beef or lamb.

DRAIN one can diced tomatoes. Add to beef, along with second can diced tomatoes, not drained. Season with fresh pepper. Boil, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered,until beef is cooked through, 12 to 15 min. Add zucchini and chickpeas. Cook until zucchini is tender, 15 more min.

SCOOP half of chili into 4 bowls. Serve with sour cream, grated cheddar and chives. Cover and refrigerate remaining chili for Moroccan Shepherd’s Pie.

http://world.einnews.com/article/253475202/hRW4PMfDiIDBTY4x
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Moroccan shepherd’s pie

Ingredients
6 1/2 cups
leftover Moroccan chili, recipe link below
1 cup couscous
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

PREHEAT broiler. Heat a large frying pan over medium. Add reserved Moroccan Chili (about 6 1/2 cups). Boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, 10 min. Scrape into 1 large or 4 individual casserole dishes.

COOK couscous, following package directions. Fluff couscous gently with a fork.

SPREAD couscous over chili. Broil in centre of oven until couscous is warmed through, about 3 min. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

http://world.einnews.com/article/253475179/EiYmbIC-LzgwYFlT
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