Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
January 30, 2016

Americans have rare excuse to applaud an Arab state given the turmoil in the Middle East. What with ISIS, Iran's dangerous support for terror, the endless violence, and Jihadi threats gripping the region, it is a challenge identifying a strong dependable, and extraordinarily supportive Arab ally in the chaos.
Fortunately, out of the 22 members of the Arab League, there are several good, reliable American friends, notably Morocco. Morocco has earned a particular expression of gratitude lately because of what its government has accomplished just this year alone in our joint battle against radical Islam.

I served as ambassador to Morocco under President Bill Clinton nearly 20 years ago during a more tranquil period in the Middle East. I had the privilege then to work with its government in its acclaimed peacemaking initiatives to help resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, in support of American efforts to end the violence in Rwanda, and providing the U.S. with a continuous flow of reliable intelligence on events affecting U.S. foreign policy.

Morocco has been at the forefront of effective, evolutionary political transformation that has avoided all of the tumult of the failed "Arab Spring." And following 9/11, the cooperation and "below-the-radar" joint-counter-terrorism initiatives against Al Qaeda and its franchise cells in the Arabian Peninsula and in North Africa dramatically accelerated. Morocco's support is proving indispensable in protecting the U.S. homeland (I know, one of the cells Morocco uncovered in North Africa was targeting U.S. diplomatic and military installations. Pull aside any American counter-terrorism official and inquire. I assure you Morocco earns a unanimous "High Five.")

Morocco has eliminated Al Qaeda and ISIS cells in North Africa and has trained and transformed Mauritanian, Chadian, Tunisian and Malian intelligence operations into more effective anti-ISIS success stories. I personally participated in joint anti-ISIS counter-terrorism initiatives in recent months led by Moroccan anti-ISIS social media experts. If Americans only knew how much Morocco has contributed to our nation's well-being in the joint struggle against radical Jihadi extremists they would take heart that there are such shining Muslim stars hovering above those stormy sands.

In recent weeks, Morocco has provided vital counter-terrorism intelligence to U.S. and French authorities on ISIS converts and terrorists plotting attacks from bases in Belgium, Spain, France, Tunisia and Libya. Morocco's Special Forces are deployed with American and French counter-terrorism special forces in Europe working with local security forces to uncover ISIS cells. Morocco has even been supporting the UN, Kenya and Somalia in the fight against Al Shahab.
Yes, Donald Trump, you know not what you speak!! Muslim Morocco is a worthy, historic, dependable ally.

It is a record of serious support and quiet accomplishment from a country that remains one of the few peaceful, violence-free nations in the entire Middle East -- a haven for tourism, and as General Patton once extolled to the then Emir of Morocco in 1943: "It's like the Bible and Hollywood rolled into one!"
Moreover, Morocco is making a vital contribution to peace and stability by promoting economic development in the North and Sub-Saharan Africa. For the second consecutive year, congress included in the recent Budget Act bipartisan language mandating that U.S. aid to Morocco be spent, in part, in Morocco's western Sahara region.

The accompanying congressional report goes further, urging the Obama Administration to actively encourage investment there by the US private sector. The law constitutes an important, well-earned acknowledgement by the U.S. government that Morocco is peacefully integrating the western Sahara into its economy and providing new, important political and entrepreneurial liberties to its indigenous population.

It's a smart move -- because in these turbulent times, when many unemployed youth in the MENA region are restless and seeking answers in the wrong places, it is essential to support economic growth and opportunity for those targeted by terrorist recruiters.

Under Morocco's responsible stewardship, the western Sahara region is achieving remarkable economic growth with a dynamic and pluralistic political culture, a thriving civil society, and an entrepreneurial spirit. US engagement and investment -- girded by a U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement, will help the people of western Sahara make the most of their economic and political freedom.

Moroccan King Mohammed VI has committed some $7 billion more over the next 10 years to facilitate economic growth for its southern lands, recently unveiling a range of development programs for transportation, agribusiness, energy, manufacturing, health, education, and tourism.

Morocco has made real progress to provide these new opportunities in spite of a radical, foreign-sponsored Polisario Front political organization intent on waging a shop-worn Soviet-style socialist struggle to create a jihadi-oriented failed state smack in the middle of Al Qaeda's scope of operations in Sub Saharan Africa.

Rather than place the needs of the region's people above parochial political ambitions, the Polisario Front's continuing interference in the western Sahara region's quest for political and economic stability and growth must be contested.

Now Congress and the Obama Administration are on record to oppose efforts to deny indigenous Moroccan inhabitants the opportunity to transform the region into an economically self-sufficient Western-oriented success story that does not pose a strategic sanctuary for terror or Jihadi machinations. The Polisario's leadership insists that indigenous Sahrawis live in tents and mud huts, captives in camps where they have no work, no opportunity, and no hope. Corruption and trafficking in contraband are rife under such hopeless conditions, leading UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to voice serious concern that the camps could be a breeding ground for terrorism

Under Morocco's regionalization plan, which was put into action this year with a series of local and regional elections in the western Sahara, significant political control has been devolved to local leaders. US technical assistance can help them develop best practices to nurture stable self-government.

Morocco has earned a strong, vocal vote of confidence from the American people at a time when we need all of the Arab support we can muster in the struggle against ISIS in North and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Follow Amb. Marc Ginsberg on Twitter:www.twitter.com/@ambmcg
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/moroccos-dependable-frien_b_9092320.html
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900 children sexually assaulted in Morocco
Tuesday, 26 January 2016

Approximately 900 Moroccan children have been sexually assaulted, the Huffington Post reported an official saying yesterday. Head of Moroccan Coalition against Sexual Harassment, Khalid Al-Sammouni said: “The real number is far greater than 900, mainly in the poor areas,” noting that there have been 900 complaints registered by the coalition.“There are a lot of families who prefer not to report sexual abuse due to their fear of social stigma.” He called for a new police division to be setup to specialise in fighting such crimes against children. Adding that Moroccan police do not currently have the skills needed to deal with vulnerable children, especially as children are often too shy to report such events.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/23558-900-children-sexually-assaulted-in-morocco
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U.S. Music Producer Helps Moroccan Immigrant Reunite With His Family After 25 Years.
Friday 29 January 2016 - Karla Dieseldorff New York

Seth Jones, a young American music producer and songwriter, tells the touching story of his friend Larbi Assaoui, an elder Moroccan immigrant, whom he helped reunite with his family in Morocco after 25 years. The love and compassion of two men from two different worlds bring ultimate joy, peace and satisfaction to their lives. “Days like today might come along once in a lifetime,” Jones wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.

Four years ago, the U.S. composer was watering his rose garden in Nashville, when he met Assaoui as he walked by in front of his home.“Larbi was quick to let me know I was doing a terrible job at watering and that I would kill my roses if I kept it up. We struck up a conversation and he asked me if I liked vegetables,” Jones narrated their first encounter. Although Assaoui was basically living off the streets as remembered by Jones, the Moroccan man showed him his generosity and hospitality by gifting him vegetables for which he accepted no remuneration.

The two men became good friends and even though Assaoui, had no belongings and no family, except for a little dog, he was kind enough to dig Jones a proper vegetable garden.

On Monday, while visiting Rabat with Assaoui, Seth Jones recounted his Moroccan friend’s heartbreaking story that led to ultimate happiness. Larbi Assaoui was born in Taza, Morocco. Abandoned by his wife who ran away with their two-year-old son, Assaoui’s father died of stomach cancer, Jones revealed. The Moroccan man was depressed and decided to go to the U.S. and visit his sister in Kentucky in 1989 to celebrate Thanksgiving.

While in the U.S., Assaoui met an evil man who offered him a job in Nashville but never paid him for his work, prevented him from getting a work visa. He eventually stole his identity and committed crimes that landed the Moroccan in jail for nine months. After learning Assaoui’s hardships, Jones tracked down his family in Morocco and promised to bring him home to them after 25 years of hardships.

He said nothing was easy for them to get the paperwork together to fly back home. “His ID and passport were destroyed in a house fire… After two years, immigration attorneys, a trip to New York, and bribing Moroccan officials, Larbi’s passport finally arrived,” Jones said.

“On Sunday afternoon, after over 26 years in the US, Larbi got on a plane to Morocco. Today I watched him walk out of the doors of the airport and into the arms of his sister who hadn’t hugged him since that Thanksgiving in 1989,” he added. Overtaken by emotion Jones, highlighted the moment Assaoui saw his mother and the rest of his family.“I watch him cry in his mother’s arms who for years said her only wish was to see him again before she died. I watched him meet nephews and nieces…It was overwhelming… to say the least,” the music producer wrote from Rabat.

“I’ve still got a lot of processing to do, but right now I’m going to bed thanking God that I was such a shitty rose gardener,” he concluded.

Jones’ post has gone viral on social media garnering nearly 5,700 likes, over 1,100 shares and hundreds of comments. According to a post on Thursday, American celebrity George Clooney has read the Moroccan man’s story.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178500/u-s-music-producer-helps-moroccan-immigrant-reunite-with-his-family-after-25-years/===================================================================================

WHO: 14 Percent of Moroccan Children Are Obese
Friday 29 January 2016 - Karla Dieseldorff New York

According to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity, approximately 14 percent of children in Morocco suffer from obesity. The WHO conducted a two-year study published on Monday, during which the organization researched over 100 WHO member countries worldwide regarding the dangers of childhood obesity and laid out a set of recommendations for its prevention and treatment. There has been a significant rise in childhood obesity across the world in the last few years, affecting life expectancy, “reaching alarming proportions” and posing “serious challenges” to control of the condition.

According to the study, Morocco is ranked among the top countries suffering from this phenomenon with 14 percent of Moroccan children suffering from obesity.
Other countries in the MENA region ranked similarly. Algerian and Tunisian children suffering from obesity ranged from 10 to 14.9 percent, while Egyptian children ranked higher, with between 15 and 20 percent of children overweight. The North African country with the highest percentage of obese children was Libya, with over 20 percent of children under five years old overweight.

Obesity in Africa has become a major problem, mostly affecting children of wealthy families living in poorer countries, due to cultural views that hold excess body weight in children as a sign of health. “In Africa, the number of children under five years old who are overweight or obese has almost doubled between 1990 and 2014, increasing from 5.4 million to 10.3 million,” the WHO report revealed.

According to AFP, Dr. Sania Nishtar, Co-President of the WHO Commission highlighted the alarming results of the study during a press conference on Monday in Geneva. “Overweight and obesity affect the quality of life of a child,” Dr. Nishtar said, adding that “obesity can also have an impact on student achievement”.
She went on to add that if these children remain obese as they grow up, the problem poses “major economic and health consequences for them, their families and society as a whole.”

The same study noted that 81 percent of adolescents around the world do not exercise enough to get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
According to a 2014 report by the McKinsey Global Institute titled “How the World Could Better Fight Obesity,” obesity is one of the top three social burdens worldwide, costing $2 trillion annually, after smoking and terrorism, which cost $2.1 trillion.

McKinsey noted that if obesity continues to grow at its current rate, half of the world’s adult population will be overweight or obese by 2030.
Obesity in Morocco is an economic and social problem costing nearly MAD 24 billion per year, nearly 3 percent of the country’s GDP, the study revealed.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178562/who-14-percent-of-moroccan-children-are-obese/
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Volubilis, Morocco’s Magnificent Roman City
Friday 29 January 2016 By Aine Marsland Marrakech

Continuing on my road less travelled: We journeyed to the plains of ancient Mauretania. It’s impossible to adequately describe the magnificence of the area, but let’s try!

Originally a Berber settlement before the Romans arrived, conquered, and renamed the area Mauretania Tingitana, was a fertile triangle between Meknes, Fez and Rabat, with direct connections to the ports of Tangier and, thus, the rest of the Roman Empire. Volubilis began its story in Neolithic times, with remains found dating back some 5000 years. Settled between the Zerhoun mountain and its river valleys, it was a fertile area for growing crops. Fast forward to the Romans arrival in around 150 BC and its rule under a descendant of Cleopatra. This site ticks all my boxes: prehistory, romance and famous folks.

By the 2nd century, Volubilis had approximately 20,000 inhabitants. It was surely one of the most majestic cities in North Africa. In only another hundred years, the Romans were defeated and control of the plain returned to the original tribes of the area. History tells us it was here where Moulay Idriss (787) established the Idrisid dynasty of Morocco. After the capital moved to Fez, archaeologists tell us people lived here until the 14th century. Thereafter, it seems to have been slowly deserted. By the 17th century, Moulay Ismail demolished parts of the city to build his new palaces in the area, most notably the city of Meknes.

This beautiful city was in the midst of destruction from all sides, being demolished stone by stone and recycled into newer palaces. Humans, however, were not the only things to cause destruction to Volubilis; it’s tallest buildings were flattened by an earthquake in 1755.

It seems to have remained dormant until the early 20th century, when archaeologists rediscovered it and excavations began in earnest. In the 1960s, several of the arches were restored and rebuilt, something that is frowned on today. But look at the beautiful pictures of the Triumphant Arch of Caracalla!

Now we jump into modern times. In 1997, UNESCO listed the area as a World Heritage Site. In 2000, another area was discovered by INSAP and said to be the headquarters of Idriss I. Many of the objects found have been taken to the Archeological Museum in Rabat. There is also a small Museum on this site that you can visit.

I am fascinated by the rich history of this site, inhabited for a 1,000 years, only to be cast aside for the new imperial cities of Fez and Meknes. I really recommend a guided tour, who can explain the complex history of North Africa’s conquest, the discipline of Roman architecture, as well as its being one of the founding sites of Morocco’s history as a nation. I can’t possibly cover its history in a few words and pictures, but please take the time to look it up online or even in a book!
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178423/volubilis-moroccos-magnificent-roman-city/
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Is Morocco a Model of Peaceful Coexistence Between Jews and Muslims?
Thursday 28 January 2016 - Samir Bennis New York

Morocco hosted an international conference this week on the “Rights of Religious Minorities in Muslim Countries.” Convened in Marrakech on January 25-27, the conference could not have come at a more opportune time against the backdrop of terrorist attacks perpetrated by the so-called Islamic State and its affiliate organizations. From Tunisia, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt, to France and Burkina Faso, terrorist attacks committed by ISIS are playing right into the hands of bigots, who use these acts to demonize a whole religion and its people.

With the horrible crimes perpetrated by ISIS against non-Muslim minorities living under its rule, especially the Yazidis, it is of paramount importance to understand the Islamic principles that govern the treatment of minorities in Muslim countries.

Marrakech conference, a reminder of Islamic principles of coexistence
With this in mind, the Marrakech conference seeks to set things straight. As King Mohammed VI said in his message to the conference participants, the core message of Islam is the respect of religious minorities, especially Christians and Jews, referred to in Islam as “People of the Book.”
“The Almighty also ordered that the People of the Book were to be treated fairly, in all circumstances, and that hatred, which can influence the way one behaves towards them, was to be renounced,” King Mohammed said.

“The practical teachings of Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, came to explain the Quran. He recommended that Jews and Christians were to be treated well, and that no monk, rabbi or person found praying in a place of worship could be killed in a time of war,” he added.

In today’s world, it is common to read analyses and op-eds, or watch reports where people attempt to argue that there never existed any level of coexistence between Jews and Muslims. Using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as their only frame of reference, a majority of self-described intellectuals jump to quick conclusions and try to imply that the divide existing between Jews and Muslims nowadays is rooted in the very traditions of Islam and its holy book. However, if these pundits and talking heads did their homework, they would find many instances of coexistence between Jews and Muslims in Arab-majority countries.

To solidify the foundation for the future and maintain a culture of peace, respect and religious tolerance, one has to look back to history. While Jews were persecuted in Europe for centuries, their only safe refuge was in Muslim lands. In Andalusia, today’s Spain, for 781 years, Jews coexisted with Muslims and Christians in harmony. Jews were treated as full citizens while Andalusia was under Islamic rule.

While they were required to pay the Jizya tax (an annual tax levied by Muslim states on Christians and Jews permanently on their soils) they were allowed to practice their faith without restriction and to engage in business and other activities.

In her book The Ornament of the World How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain, María Rosa Menocal, a Professor at Yale University, writes that overall situation of Jews living under the Caliphate was better than that of Jews in Christian Europe where they were persecuted and regarded as heretical.

This coexistence between Muslims, Jews and Christians came to an end when Christians took over Al Andalus in 1492. The first decision made by the Catholic Church was to “clean” Spain from the presence of the Jews. Hence its decision to uproot them and expel them from the country. After this decision, Jews found refuge and thrived in Muslim countries, especially Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Turkey.

This is not to say that coexistence between Jews and Muslims has always been perfect. There are documented instances where there Jews were oppressed in Muslim countries. However, these instances have been the exception to the rule, whereas in Europe the rule was the systematic persecution of Jews.

The Moroccan model of respect towards Jews
Morocco provides the best example of coexistence between Jews and Muslims. Throughout its history, people in Morocco have learned how to coexist with other people of different religions in line with the teachings of the Quran and the Sunna. The best example of the protection of religious minorities in Muslim countries is the late Moroccan King Mohammed V’s protection of Moroccan Jews against the Vichy regime during World War II.

While Jews were persecuted throughout Europe and sent to extermination camps in Poland, Morocco stood up for its Jewish citizens and defended them as did no other country. What is more significant about King Mohammed V’s action was that Morocco was under French rule at the time. During World War II, Morocco was controlled by the pro-Nazi Vichy French forces, who urged King Mohamed V to enact laws discriminating against the Jews. If enacted, these laws would have excluded Jews from working in public service and forced to wear yellow stars as in France and Germany.

Instead of giving in to the pressure placed on him by the Vichy regime, King Mohammed V refused and reminded French forces that all Moroccans were equal before the law, regardless of their ethnicity and religion. Moreover, to demonstrate his determination to protect his Jewish subjects, he routinely invited Jewish rabbis to royal celebrations, such as the Throne Day. King Mohammed V’s heroic move was recognized in a ceremony held in New York last month, where the late king posthumously received the Martin Luther King Jr.-Rabbi Abraham Joshua Herschel Freedom Award.

The long overdue recognition was covered by Israeli media, which highlighted the role played by King Mohammed V in protecting his Jewish subjects and preventing the pro-Nazi Vichy regime from sending them to extermination camps. In its coverage of the event, the Jerusalem Post focused not only on World War II, but also the years following the war, which coincided with the creation of Israel in 1948. “Mohammed V warned Muslims not to hurt Moroccan Jews, reminding them that Jews had always been protected in Morocco,” the Jerusalem Post said.

It is no coincidence that Moroccan Jews, regardless of where they live, still have a strong bond with their country of origin. The tradition of respect and openness towards the Jews was strengthened by the late King Hassan II, and more recently by his son King Mohammed VI, who both appointed prominent Jewish personalities to key official positions. The best example is Andre Azoulay, who was appointed adviser to the late King Hassan II and has kept his position with King Mohammed VI. Another example is Serge Berdugo, who was appointed Minister of Tourism in the mid-1990’s, and is now Moroccan Ambassador at-large.

To further strengthen its model of peaceful existence between Jews and Muslims and its respect towards its Jewish heritage, Morocco launched the “House of Life” program in 2010, which has restored 167 Jewish cemeteries across the country. Additionally, in an unprecedented move, Morocco recognized Jewish culture as one of the major components of the Moroccan identity and enshrined it in the new Constitution adopted in July 2011.

This role Morocco played in fostering religious tolerance and respect towards other religions was emphasized in King Mohammed VI’s message to the Marrakech conference.“Morocco has always been an outstanding model of cultural coexistence and interaction between Islam and other religions, particularly Judaism and Christianity. One of the glorious pages in this history was the emergence of the Moroccan-Andalusian civilization, which brought together various communities and led to the development of trade, industry and the arts, as well as to fruitful exchange in the areas of knowledge, wisdom, philosophy and science.”

The seemingly widespread idea over the past seven decades that peaceful coexistence between Jews, Christians, and Muslims is impossible or that antisemitism is rooted in Muslim culture is a myth that does not withstand historic scrutiny. This myth was created to serve economic and geopolitical interests of a tiny minority that is bent on controlling the destiny of billions of people. To achieve this goal, there is nothing easier than manipulating history and misusing religion.

At a time when the world is falling prey to fear, hatred, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and extremism, there is an acute need to look back to recent history and realize that coexistence between people of different religions is an attainable goal. As long as political leaders, intellectuals, and members of the media have the will to highlight the indicators of unity and harmony among people rather than manipulating history and tailoring it to the needs of a political oligarchy whose main goal is to remain in power, achieving peace is possible.

As King Mohammed VI pointed out, it is time that we, as humans, work together to build a world of peace, love, and prosperity for the coming generations, and open our hearts to a “civilized code of behavior that bans all forms of coercion, fanaticism and arrogance.”
Samir Bennis is the co-founder of and editor-in-chief of Morocco World News. You can follow him on Twitter @Samir Bennis
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178396/is-morocco-a-model-of-peaceful-coexistence-between-jews-and-muslims/===================================================================================

Renewables slice 35% of power generation mix in Morocco.
Jan 28, 2016 17:25 CET by Mariyana Yaneva January 28 (SeeNews)

Renewable energy accounts for 35% of the current electricity generation capacity in Morocco, state officials announced on Wednesday."When adding the projects that are currently under construction in wind, solar and hydro, the kingdom is well set to achieve its target of 42% share of renewables in the generation mix by 2020. In fact, Morocco has already lifted the target to 52% by 2030, Ali Fassi Fihri, general manager of the national power utility ONEE, noted at the opening of the fifth general conference of Arab Union of Electricity which closed yesterday in Marrakech.

Morocco is uncontested leader in renewable energy in the Arab world. According to data presented by Essa Bin Hilal Al Kuwari, president of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation – Kahramaa, clean power currently accounts for just 0.7% of the electricity generation capacity in the Arab world with a goal of reaching 5% by 2020.

In contrast, Morocco plans to add about 10,100 MW of renewable power capacity between 2016 and 2030. Of these, 4,560 MW will come from solar, 4,200 MW from wind and 1,330 MW from hydro power resources. If the goal is fulfilled, in 2030, wind and solar will each represent 20% of the generation mix in Morocco and hydro power will contribute about 12%. Energy Minister Abdelkader Amara noted that this capacity build-up will require an investment to the tune of USD 30 billion (EUR 27.5 bn) and also present excellent opportunities for investments in the private sector. (USD 1 = EUR 0.916)
http://renewables.seenews.com/news/renewables-slice-35-of-power-generation-mix-in-morocco-510884===================================================================================

8 Percent of Deaths in Morocco Caused by Smoking
Thursday 28 January 2016 -morocco world news Rabat

Cigarette-related diseases cause 8 percent of overall deaths in Morocco, Health Minister Houciene El Ouardi said Wednesday. 75 percent of smoking-related deaths are due to lung cancer, while 10 percent are caused by respiratory diseases, El Ouardi pointed out in a seminar on smoking held in the House of Representatives.

The Health Minister revealed that Morocco has one of the highest number of smokers in the MENA region, warning against this “world epidemic” and “real danger for global health.”“Cigarette smoking is one of the main causes of deaths that we can avoid. Every year, it claims the lives of up to 6 million people worldwide,” he concluded.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178428/8-percent-of-deaths-in-morocco-caused-by-smoking/
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Recipe Of The Week: Moroccan Chicken
By Jessica CerraPublished Jan 22, 2016

Load up on endurance athlete nutrient essentials Vitamin B, zinc, and iron with this dark meat chicken preparation*. Warm, spiced flavors marry together in a simple one-skillet meal. Easy enough for weeknight fare, yet creative enough for a dinner get-together. Serve up with garbanzo beans, potatoes, or couscous and the meal is complete. *There is a negligible amount of extra calories and fat in dark meat, which is well worth the extra vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients

4 whole chicken legs (thigh and leg attached)
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp fresh cracked pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper, optional for spice
1 cup white wine
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp flour
1 heaping cup pitted green olives
1/3 cup golden raisins (or sliced dried apricots or dates)
2 lemons sliced
8 sprigs thyme
¼ cup toasted chopped or slivered almonds

1. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, ginger, cumin, salt, pepper and optional cayenne.
2. Pat the chicken legs/thighs dry with paper towel. Lifting the skin, rub the meat of the chicken and then the outside of the skin with the spices. Let the chicken sit for 20 minutes, or cover and let sit up to overnight in the fridge.
3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
4. Heat a large skillet, with one-tablespoon oil, over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 7-8 minutes until golden. Remove from the pan to a plate.
5. Turn heat to medium high, add the other tablespoon olive oil to the pan and let the oil get hot. Place the chicken legs/thighs into the pan and let sear until a golden crust forms, about 90 seconds per side. Remove from the pan to the plate with the onions.
6. Immediately turn heat to medium low, and whisk the one-tablespoon flour, with the oil and bits in the pan, for 30 seconds until the mixture turns golden (do not burn).
7. Whisk the white wine into the flour mixture in the pan. Let bubble on low for one-minute.
8. Add the chicken back to the pan with the meatier part face down. Scatter the olives, golden raisins, thyme sprigs and lemon slices into the pan. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
9. After 20 minutes, turn the chicken legs/thighs over. Give the mixture in a pan a stir with a spoon and pour it over the chicken to keep it moist. Rearrange the thyme and lemon slices to decorate the top of the chicken.
10. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes longer. Uncover, turn oven to Hi Broil and broil the top of the chicken/lemon slices until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven, let sit 10 minutes before serving. Serve with olives, raisins and juices from pan poured over the chicken. Top with toasted almonds.
Jessica Cerra is the owner of Fit Food by Jess, a private chef and catering company in Encinitas, Calif., and the co-founder of Harmony Bar. A former professional XTERRA triathlete, Cerra now races for Twenty16 Women’s Professional Cycling Team.

Read more at http://triathlon.competitor.com/2016/01/nutrition/recipe-moroccan-chicken_127596#bZlc7QvbChGba1c6.99
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Morocco Allocates over MAD 5 Billion to Face Delayed Rain Effects
MENAFN - Morocco World News - 29/01/2016 (MENAFN - Morocco World News)

Moroccan government has allocated more than MAD 5 billion to a three-point plan to face the delayed rain effects Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry said Friday.
The implementation of this plan will require MAD 4.5 billion in addition to a potential MAD 1.25 billion by the insurance operation the ministry pointed out in a statement which was issued following a meeting chaired by Head of Government in application to King Mohammed VI’s instructions to provide support to farmers.

The first point related to protecting livestock provides for providing subsidized barely supply nationwide building facilities to water the cattle and monitoring livestock health through an additional vaccination program.

The second point related to protecting plant resources provides notably or guaranteeing irrigation to rain-dependent agriculture (93000 ha) and safeguarding cereal seeds for the next crop year.

As for the third point related to maintaining balances in rural areas priority will be given to supplying drinking water for people living in remote areas.
A particular attention will also be paid to the implementation of projects of solidarity-based agriculture as it represents a challenge in terms of income and employment generation.

The meeting was attended by ministers of Interior Economy and Finance Agriculture and Fisheries Energy Mines Water and Environment.
According to the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry 2015-2016 crop year has been marked by delayed rainfall since November amounting to a rainfall deficit of 63 pc compared to a normal year.

http://www.menafn.com/1094564138/Is-Morocco-a-Model-of-Peaceful-Coexistence-Between-Jews-and-Muslims
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Between despondency and hope in Morocco’s Oriental Region
THE HANS INDIA | Jan 30,2016

On the fringes of the Saharan desert, skirted by the rocky coastline of the northern Maghreb where it meets the blue Mediterranean, lies the Oriental region of Morocco. Nestling within an often verdant, predominantly mountainous terrain is Oujda, the largest city in the northeast of the Kingdom and the region’s administrative capital, with a population of around 550,000.

Oujda has known prosperity under a variety of rulers over the centuries, owing to its strategic location at the crossroads of an intricate web of trans-Saharan caravan routes, near the border with Algeria, and at the meeting point of the Moroccan and Algerian railway systems. In consequence, the city has developed a cosmopolitan, progressive, and adaptable character.

It remains a bustling metropolis despite hardship-- the Rif is the most economically disadvantaged area of Morocco, with the closure of the Moroccan-Algerian border in 1994 making a particular impact. Since 2003, there has been official encouragement to revitalize the region; with the increase of tourism along the Kingdom’s northern coast, promising mineral deposits and agricultural prospects to the south, and the improvement of regional transport infrastructure, there is clear potential for Oujda’s economy to flourish.

Forests constitute one of the many local economic and natural resources, with the Rif region receiving more rainfall than any other in Morocco. Yet the ecology is endangered due to wide-scale deforestation that has taken place over the large century due to overgrazing, forest fires and land clearing for agriculture, particularly for the creation of illegal but highly lucrative cannabis plantations. The process is part of a vicious circle of soil degradation and the washing away of topsoil that not only threatens a unique area of the Kingdom but also has wider ramifications.

Similarly, the youth of the Oujda Child Protection Center (OCPC) represent a microcosm of the potential for growth and opportunity and sadly, too, for the opposite not only in the Rif and in Morocco, but far beyond. The Middle East and North Africa region is home to the highest rate of youth unemployment in the world, but for the eighty young men, aged 12 to 18, who find themselves at OCPC, a new partnership with the High Atlas Foundation means growth and opportunity could be just on the horizon.

They find themselves at OCPC for a multitude of reasons, but share two things in common. “The children’s presence in protection center is court-ordered, as they have committed a felony punishable by law,” OCPC Director M. Ali Baidou explains. “However, they all desire to be reintegrated with the rest of the world, with access to the labor market to help themselves and their families.” To ensure that the youth of the center do not fall into harmful behavior patterns upon release, they require opportunities at OCPC to make time spent there, a more positive and productive experience.

Activities associated with the land, such as gardening, have long been appreciated for their therapeutic effects and incorporated into healing programs. Similar, progressive schemes are taking place in prison settings, with preliminary research indicating a clear correlation between participation in the program and a lower rate of recidivism. As well as plant raising, activities may include preparing and consuming the fruit and vegetables (resulting in an improved prison diet) or in a powerful and indeed potentially empowering form of social justice distributing them to local disadvantaged families, often with backgrounds similar to the prisoners’ own.

The transformative power of seeds is something that the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) knows well. Founded in 2000, HAF aims to be a catalyst for grassroots development in vulnerable communities throughout Morocco, by facilitating participatory development projects, of which one of the most commonly identified is fruit tree agriculture. Since its inception, HAF has planted over 1.3 million organic, indigenous fruit trees and medicinal plants in 13 Moroccan provinces. In 2014, it embarked on its One Billion Tree Campaign that embraces Sami’s Project, a junior educational initiative. As a whole, the scheme aims to support the Kingdom in its bid to overcome subsistence agriculture, which lies at the root of rural poverty, and to offset severe environmental challenges including soil erosion and deforestation.

In keeping with standard HAF practice, OCPC youth were fully involved from the outset, participating in community meetings under the aegis of HAF trained facilitators and deciding on a project that included vocational skills and agriculture. Through the establishment of a fruit tree nursery producing a total of 400,000 almond, fig, olive and pomegranate seeds, OCPC youth will learn the intricacies of arboriculture through the entire value chain from seeds to sales. In this way, they will be provided with an immediate outlet and tangible sense of accomplishment as well as an enhanced employment skill set in the long term.
Upon asking HAF President Dr. Yossef Ben Meir “why trees?”, the response contains an unmistakable passion, stemming from the conviction of experience. “Morocco needs to grow a billion trees and plants and to empower its disenfranchised youth. We can do both at once,” explains Ben Meir from HAF’s southern home base in the ochre city of Marrakesh. “Establishing nurseries at youth centers and equipping our young with the skills necessary to comprehend and participate in the entire agricultural value chain assures their best chance of a successful future and meets the essential needs of rural Moroccans.”

For the eighty young men at OCPC, an organic tree agriculture project in their backyard may not solve everything, but it’s a highly promising beginning. Further, if this pilot scheme, successfully implemented, were to be replicated on a national scale, it would have the capacity simultaneously to bring vital benefit to the economy and the ecology of the region and stimulate an unprecedented level of change among Moroccan youth, breaking through the outer husk of despondency and allowing hope to flourish and prevail.
By Elle Houby The author is from Denver, Colorado, living in Marrakesh, Morocco and is a Report and Public Information Officer at the High Atlas Foundation.
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/News-Analysis/2016-01-30/Between-despondency-and-hope-in-Moroccos-Oriental-Region/203659
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Morocco Takes Set of Measures to Mitigate Effects of Drought on Rural World
January 29, 2016

Morocco took a number of measures worth over $5 million to help farmers and mitigate the impact of the current drought on the rural world. The measures were announced on the morrow of the meeting King Mohammed VI convened on Thursday with the Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Aziz Akhannouch to discuss ways of supporting farmers in this difficult junction.

In this vein, the King urged the cabinet to supply drinking water to remote areas most severely affected by rain shortfalls, to supply animal fodder and water to cattle breeders while ensuring veterinary checkups and immunization to livestock, and to protect solidarity-based farming, which plays an outstanding role in income and job generating. The King stressed the need to assist farmers in getting ready for the coming agricultural campaign and to promote spring crops.

Part of the measures announced Friday by the Ministry of Agriculture, barley will be available throughout the country for 2 DH/KG (less than 50 cents) to safeguard livestock. Distribution and transportation of the subsidized barley will be ensured by the State. Many water points will be adjusted, developed or constructed to secure water to the cattle and immunization campaigns will be launched.

To protect plant resources, some 93,000 hectares in rainfed areas will be irrigated part of a program seeking to optimize the use of water resources and moves will be made to store cereal seeds for the next season. The measures also provide for an agricultural insurance system that secures farmers’ products. This 2015-2016 agricultural season is marked by a rainfall deficit of 63% compared to a normal rainfall year.
http://northafricapost.com/10732-morocco-takes-set-of-measures-to-mitigate-effects-of-drought-on-rural-world.html
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Morocco Schedules Parliamentary Elections for October 7
Friday 29th January, 2016 RABAT, MOROCCO

Morocco's government said Thursday that parliamentary elections would be held October 7, the second ballot since the kingdom adopted constitutional reforms designed to calm protests during the Arab Spring uprisings.

The Islamist Justice and Development party, known by its French acronym PJD, won elections in 2011 and has led the government since then. It was the first time King Mohammed had allowed an Islamist group to take power.

The reformed constitution has shifted some powers to the elected government but Mohammed still retains ultimate authority.

Analysts believe the PJD could win a second term in the October vote, although austerity measures that the government launched to revive public finances have started to weigh on Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane's popularity. Benkirane's government may face even further pressure this year as weak growth is expected, with a drought looming after an exceptional cereal harvest in 2015. Agriculture accounts for more than 15 percent of the Moroccan economy.
The government sees gross domestic product growing by only 3 percent in 2016, down from 5 percent last year, as agricultural output is expected to drop sharply. The central bank is forecasting only 2.6 percent this year.
http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/240756377/morocco-schedules-parliamentary-elections-for-october-7
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Morocco’s Economic Growth Reached 4.4% in 2015
Friday 29 January 2016 - Rabat

Morocco’s economy grew at a pace of 4.4 percent in 2015, compared to 2.4 percent in 2014, High Commissioner for Planning Ahmed Lahlimi Alami said Wednesday. This performance is the result of the favorable agricultural campaign and the significant fall of the prices of most commodities, particularly oil, Lahlimi pointed out at a press conference on the national economy in 2015 and its prospects in 2016.

Lahlimi noted that the slowdown of domestic demand, spurred by a moderate growth of exports due to Europe’s sluggish economy, affected the recovery of non-agricultural activities, which grew at a pace of only 1.7 percent in 2015 compared to 2 percent in 2014 and 4.4 percent on annual average between 2010 and 2013.

According to the same source, the secondary sector recorded an estimated growth of 1.4 percent in 2015 compared to 1.7 percent in 2014.
This decline lowered the sector’s contribution to GDP to 0.4 points, Lahlimi pointed out.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178565/moroccos-economic-growth-reached-4-4-in-2015/ ===================================================================================

Why Morocco Has Remained a Safe Country for Tourists
Wednesday 27 January 2016 - morocco world news By Cindy Basha Toronto

Across the globe, 2015 saw the highest number of people killed by terrorism. Morocco, luckily, has remained a very peaceful country, especially for tourists. Despite threats of terrorism, Morocco has not had a terrorist attack since 2011. More people in the United States, France, and Indonesia have been killed in the past year from terrorist attacks than Morocco. However, Morocco does share the same region with nations that have witnessed violence during this same period, including Egypt, Tunisia, and Lebanon. This has many concerned that Morocco’s tourism industry will be hurt by the unrest in neighboring countries.

The effects of terrorism have a broader impact than violence. Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa have witnessed the decline of their tourism industries since the Arab Spring and the growth of ISIS.

North Africa has deeply felt the economic impact of terrorism. The Egyptian government projects it will lose upwards of 70% of its tourism because of 2015’s terrorist attacks on the country. Also, Tunisia’s government predicts the tourism industry’s loss of $384,000,000 in 2015, following June’s terrorist attacks.
France has also suffered a decline in all tourism related industries since the terrorist attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices. Ten days after the attacks, industries related to tourism saw a 26 percent decline in revenue. This has had a strong impact on France’s economy, because seven percent of the country’s GDP comes from tourism. Lebanon has been similarly impacted by a terror-induced decline in tourism.

Beirut was known as “The Paris of the Middle East” because of its popularity among tourists, however the country’s tourism industry has seen a strong decline since 2010. According the country’s ministry of tourism, the annual number of tourists had dropped by more than 800,000 between 2010 and 2014. Experts predict this number will be even lower in 2016, especially after the November 12 attacks on Beirut.

This raises concerns about Morocco’s tourism industry. Though there has been very little violence in the country, there is a danger that its location could mean a decline in the number of tourists. The country’s tourism industry has seen growth in recent years. Still, its proximity to countries attacked by ISIS may cause many to assume it is vulnerable to similar attacks. Tourism is a mainstay of Morocco’s income, with 18.7% of the country’s GDP in 2013 coming from this industry.

Morocco World News interviewed nine people from all over the world to understand if they would or wouldn’t visit Morocco given the current climate in the Middle East and North Africa.

In light of recent violence, are travellers willing to visit Morocco?
Dixon is a 30 year-old artist and Chinese traveller planning his first trip to Morocco. He admitted his family and friends were concerned for his safety, but the country’s unique culture was too fascinating for him to miss. “I am going definitely for the culture, a combination of Berber, Muslim and French. Plus I’d particularly like to go to the Sahara. It’s so unique and I have always wanted to see it.”

Two other respondents said they would go if they had the chance, even in light of the recent violence. Jerry, a 29 year-old administrative assistant said he was not afraid of travelling to Morocco. “It looks amazing,” Jerry said. “My friends who went had a blast and fell in love with the people.” He added, “From what they told me, they felt very safe and comfortable there. And everything was beautiful there.” Jerry mentioned the lack of alcohol in Morocco in comparison to Canada, but said he does not see it as a crucial element of a good vacation. “People put too much emphasis on drinking. I hear that there is so much to see [in Morocco] that you don’t need to party all the time to have fun. I’ve seen pictures of the different cities and museums and I would check it out.”

Rebekah, a 29 year-old clothing store manager, said she would go tomorrow if she could. “If I had the cash, I would definitely go. I feel like people exaggerate this kind of stuff [terrorist attacks] because of the media. I try not to put too much weight on that.”

Sarah, a 35 year-old Italian who recently moved to Dubai, is planning a trip to Morocco. “Morocco is on my travelling wish list. ISIS haven’t stopped me from wanting to go!” Having studied art and filmmaking, Sarah has always loved the region’s history and architecture. “The historical buildings, the markets and the atmosphere seem charming. I would never want to miss out on such raw beauty”.

Another person who expressed interest in seeing Morocco was Kurt, a 27 year-old filmmaker. “It looks pretty chill. The culture and the stuff you can do. Sometimes it’s nice to chill out on a beach or in a café. ISIS wouldn’t keep me from going if things stayed the same there.”

Those Who Would Not Go
Those respondents who said they would not go had very different reasons for avoiding Morocco.

AJ, a 28-year-old Masters student, stated the country’s legal system deterred him from going. “Their law system seems a little corrupt and strange,” adding, “Their prisons seem a little ridiculous. The Lee Murray stuff from way back. I think he pulled off the biggest bank heist in the UK but he’s a Moroccan citizen so he fled there and they wouldn’t extradite him.” Lee Murray is a dual citizen of Morocco and the United Kingdom who was charged with a major bank heist. Murray is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in a Moroccan jail.

The violence in the region was not a deterrent for AJ. Rather, he referred to the nation as being a “theocracy.” “There are an infinite amount of reasons to not go to an Islamic theocracy,” according to the Canadian student. He elaborated on why he thought Morocco’s “Islamic theocracy” was worse than other countries in the region like Saudi Arabia. “In Saudi Arabia you can still get drunk” according to AJ. But, Saudi Arabia’s liquor laws are much more strict than Morocco’s. Morocco World News reported on a British traveller Karl Andree who was arrested and sentenced to 360 lashes for bringing alcohol in the country. In Morocco, alcohol is sold in bars, hotels, and restaurants. Interestingly enough, he said he has always wanted to go to China. Even though the country a Communist dictatorship, AJ felt the nightlife and the availability of alcohol were worth seeing.

The other individual who said he would never consider a trip to Morocco was Jonathan, a 24-year-media freelance filmmaker. He feels the entire region was too vulnerable to ISIS attacks. “(North Africa) does cause some concern. I don’t know whether ISIS would care to bother with Morocco but if they wanted to it is pretty accessible to them.” He elaborated on this point, highlighting a vacation is not worth the risk of getting hurt. “If my friends were going, I would totally refuse to go. Any day, anything could happen. No one can predict this violence in the Middle East. I feel much safer going to Europe or East Asia.” However, Paris, Madrid, and Bali, which are not in the Middle East, have been victims of several terrorist attacks over the past several years.

The General Risks of Traveling
Media coverage of unrest in the Middle East makes it is easy to forget the violent crimes committed against travellers in other places.

Verity, a 26 year-old engineer, highlighted how tourists are targeted for crime everywhere. “The recent threats and attacks in France and similar countries show that there is chance that something bad could happen wherever you travel or even if you stay home. I don’t think that’s a good reason to not try to see the world.”

Randy, a 30-year-old customer service analyst, mentioned the attacks can occur regularly in other vacation hotspots like Mexico. “Any spot in the world can [have] the same risk. [In] Mexico, not only do we have radicals but also [drug] cartels.”

And he is correct. The Central American country has numerous cases of kidnapping and violence. Recently, two Australian surfers were shot and their van was subsequently torched whilst travelling in Mexico. In 2015, the Canadian and American governments issued travel warnings for citizens going to Mexico, due to the ongoing drug wars. Yet, its tourism sector did not suffer the same decline as Egypt or Lebanon.

The Perceived Risk for Women
Despite stereotypes about women’s rights in Muslim countries, many women are still willing to travel to Morocco. Rebekah did not think her risk of sexual harassment would be higher than any other place. She pointed out that even in Canada, women are still at risk of this. “Men can do terrible things to women anywhere,” she said.

Sarah expressed a similar sentiment. Having lived in many cities around the world, she knows that any city can be dangerous. “As a woman, anywhere I go, I am careful. You shouldn’t just assume that all people in one region are bad.”

Kurt mentioned when he travels with his girlfriend, even in Canada, she is cautious. “You can’t let your guard down anywhere. Even when we travel to [Toronto], she’s careful. It’s tough to be a woman anywhere.”

Travelling as an Act of Defiance to ISIS
It may seem odd, but taking a vacation could be an act of defiance.

Randy highlighted that travelling to Morocco, in his opinion, combats terrorism. “ISIS activities do not scare me because that is exactly what ISIS wants to do, put fear in the minds of Westerners. “I wasn’t born to live in fear by a group of radicals. My goal has always been to travel the world and I wouldn’t allow ISIS to stray me from my goals.”

Kurt was adamant he would never let any form of terrorism deter him from doing something he has wanted to do. “People freak out about that stuff so much. But those guys [terrorists] want that. I can’t let it get to me or let it make me racist or bitter.”

Others had also questioned if ISIS would benefit from the decline of the tourism industry in Muslim countries. Rebekah felt that it could be portrayed as a form of Islamophobia. “ISIS could frame our actions, or lack thereof, as a type of anti-Muslim sentiment. For example, if people stop travelling to Muslim countries altogether, then they could say ‘Hey, look at how much we have suffered because they hate us and won’t come here’. I bet a lot of people in that region rely of money from travellers.”

Most respondents were optimistic and open-minded. And even those who would not travel to Morocco were by no means generalizing the people of the region.
Travellers have explored Morocco, captivated by its culture, food, and scenery for centuries. ISIS and other terrorists claiming to fight in the name of Islam are shaping the way many view the Middle East and North Africa.

Terrorism is not only about violence, but also about controlling the actions and thoughts of others. It is important that we do not let hate and terror change the way we view others. This is especially true with ISIS, as they hurt Islamic countries more than the rest of the world.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178157/178157why-morocco-has-remained-a-safe-country-for-tourists/===================================================================================

Southeast Morocco: Pregnant Women, Infants Face Death Due to Lack of Medical Care.
Thursday 28 January 2016 -morocco world news By Brahim El Boukharib Ourrzazate

Almost every week a pregnant woman or infant dies because of the absence of medical care in the Alnif region. Alnif is a small town in southeast Morocco surrounded by a coalition of more than 25 villages. Alnif has a small hospital with just one doctor who “takes care” of the area’s 42,634 residents.
The villages are scattered around Alnif as far as 60 kilometers away, with the nearest village seven kilometers from Alnif. People living in Alnif’s surrounding villages find it difficult to reach the hospital in times of emergency. This hospital lacks the most basic materials and medicine that patients need for daily life. In emergency cases, they must travel to Errachidia. The 185-kilometer trip takes about three hours.

Khadija’s story is an example of what women in the region face every time a labor and delivery takes place. Moulod, one of the residents of Amgan, a small village 50 kilometers from Alnif, described what happened to his wife.“Khadija felt the beginning of labor. She informed us and we all started running in different directions in the village to find someone who would carry her to the nearest hospital. After an hour, one of the neighbors was ready to make the trip. My mother-in-law and I accompanied her. The driver of an old Mercedes Benz 240 started rolling down the unpavedrural road towards Alnif. His foot was on the accelerator to speed as fast as he could. He had to be careful because the woman was pregnant,” Moulod said, referring to his wife as “the woman” as is the local custom when speaking to strangers. “But he had to drive quickly because she might die any time.”

“The woman was screaming throughout the trip, but her voice was quieted by her teeth biting a small piece of cloth.”“Arriving at the small hospital in Alnif, the only doctor in town examined her, and immediately said that the woman was in emergency, and she needed to go to nearest hospital in Errachidia.”“After driving a few kilometers away from Alnif, the woman’s voice was heard no more. She died. I didn’t know what to do. I was shouting different curses on the situation; her mother was crying. The automobile didn’t stop with the hope that the baby might be saved.”“Upon arrival to Moulay Ali Chref Hospital in Errachidia, the doctor said that it was too late: the baby also died.” Moulod stopped speaking and could not finish the interview.

The majority of the women in the area face similar dangers. Many women have died because of the lack of a quality hospital in the area. There is no delivery room for women despite the note at the front of the hospital that claims there is. People in Alnif face many hardships but the worst of all is the absence of adequate medical care in the entire region. The only hospital, located in the centre of the town of Alnif, provides only minor care.

Another resident of Alnif said, “Here in this hospital they only give us the red medicine and the yellow pomade,” referring first to a red liquid injury medicine and a yellow ointment for treating eye diseases.

The biggest dream for the people in the region of Alnif is a bigger hospital with the necessary equipment to deal with all potential medical emergencies. This is especially important for the women who spend months of pregnancy anticipating the potential for a dangerous or even deadly delivery without appropriate medical care.
Edited by Kelsey Fish
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178390/southeast-morocco-pregnant-women-infants-face-death-due-to-lack-of-medical-care/
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Morocco's New Work Lab grows coworking space into entrepreneurship training center
by Aline Mayard, January 24, 2016

Last Thursday, 35 Moroccan startups exhibited their services and products at Casablanca’s Fadae Al Ajyal. Organized by New Work Lab, the NWL Expo aimed to spotlight launch and growth-stage startups, give them feedback, and acquire clients.“This event marks the beginning of a new year for New Work Lab,” said founder Fatim-Zahra Biaz, winner of Wamda’s 2014 Karim Jazouani Prize.

Since she opened the coworking space in 2013, Biaz has fought for survival with one goal: promote the entrepreneurial mindset. Three years and a few partnerships later, New Work Lab is moving forward with an ambitious events agenda, a training program and a national launch.

Never give up
When Biaz opened New Work Lab in May 2013 she envisioned it as a coworking space and a place for entrepreneurs to meet. Her monthly event, Pitch Lab, puts idea stage and launch-stage startups center stage and brought together Casablanca’s entrepreneurs. NWL quickly became a key player in the startup scene but Biaz could barely keep the place running. The entrepreneur felt lonely: monetizing events was hard and the coworking space was far from full.

In September 2014, she signed a partnership with Moroccan telco Inwi who signed on as Pitch Lab’s sponsor. “Were they not there, we would have closed,” Biaz admitted. The founder has shifted her focus away from coworking to the Pitch Lab series. She offers pitchers visibility and commits to connecting them with the right person after the event. “[This partnership] allowed us to support 45 entrepreneurs,” Biaz said.

The event has grown from 80 participants to 220. “Many participants were coming back every month,” Biaz explained. “They came to find inspiration, meet entrepreneurs, unlock an entrepreneurial mindset. This helped many people take the leap.” But that still wasn’t enough to keep New Work Lab open.

In early 2015, the American embassy in Morocco invited Biaz to join 10,000 Women, an international initiative organized by Goldman Sachs. “I was about to close before I joined this training,” she said. “This program helped me take a step back, find my motivation again, and not give up.” A second partnership with the British Council helped her pay the bills until she signed a partnership with OCP Entrepreneurship Network in mid 2015.

Moving forward
“We’re finally going to be able to create the programs I imagined two to three years ago,” Biaz said enthusiastically. “Until now, we’ve been working on inspiring people, building a community. Now, we’re going to be able to create content for entrepreneurs.” The company will develop along three axes: connect entrepreneurs to the market, improve their skills, and help them expand outside Casablanca.

With the help of five new hires, Biaz will organize 10 to 12 events every month. In addition to Pitch Lab, New Work Lab will organize events with names such as Find your CTO, 500 Volunteers, Hello World, Tea and Tech and will host events organized by partners.

New Work Lab, which calls itself a change instigator, is also going to start its own training and mentorship program called New Work Class. Twenty selected entrepreneurs will take part in night classes once a week for 12 weeks to turn their idea into products. Training will be conducted by Biaz and experts.

It’s not the only training program in Morocco to see the light of day lately. For a year now, social entrepreneurs have had the possibility to join Casablanca-based accelerator Eiréné4Impact and, more recently, the Dare incubator in Rabat. Aspiring entrepreneurs who are not in impact entrepreneurship can also participate in Startupia’s workshops, and the accelerator NUMA Casablanca.

By the end of the first trimester, New Work Lab will launch new activities in new cities.
Aline is French Editor at Wamda. A former startup Online Marketing and Community Manager, she recently opened The Blue House, a residence for international startups in a Moroccan surf town. You can follow her on Twitter @YallahAline, or reach her at aline[at]wamda[dot]com.
http://www.wamda.com/2016/01/moroccos-new-work-lab-grows-from-coworking-space-to-entrepreneurship-training-center
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The Crisis of Higher Education in Morocco.
Sunday 24 January 2016 - Mohammed Maarouf Rabat

Normally, in modernizing and liberalizing social contexts, the academic institutions serve a safe space for constructive dialogue disseminating knowledge, ideologies and ethical tensions.

In Morocco, the plough of modernization could not turn over the rocky soil of ‘security’ on which the educational institution is based. On a deeper level, there is a larger contradiction between liberalization and modernization, a lack of will that reflects both the practical tensions between “security” and “freedom of expression”.

The state has been unable to find the political will needed to beat down the atmosphere of mistrust and irreconcilable differences. Opening up a strategy of security is only plausible with a minimal level of trust and convergence of ethical visions. The academic institution, the example we convey here is the Moroccan university, shows that the liberalizing process is often censored.

In fact, the Moroccan university has never been a centre of research in the real sense of the word as it is the case in developed countries. At least before 1980s, Moroccans used to believe in University studies and students used to work and study at the same time. Grants given by the state were somewhat enough to cover students’ accommodations and studies expenses. The state committed itself to grant jobs to graduates. The emergence of Leftist visions of ideal social orders seen as ‘ethically threatening’ to the regime from departments of philosophy and political sciences with high stakes (seeing the world as starkly divided between the status quo and a radical alternative rather than as a safe space where compromise and engagement in ‘democratic debate’ is possible) has influenced the ruling incumbents to revise their mass-education policies, close trouble-making departments, persecute renegades and censor cultural innovation.

The state’s withdrawal from employing graduates in the public sphere starting a reform program of economy since 1980’s blocked the employment system and the university has been considered ever since a vestibule for unemployment, a waiting room to transfer people to the Street. Recent academic reforms cannot solve the problem because they aim to turn the university into an institute to learn some market labor skills though Moroccan economy is hypertrophied, and reform graduates often find themselves in the street at best in menial jobs or obliged to start a new training program to find a job.

Still, the government is recruited in emergency programs of educational reform albeit destined to failure especially that they are top-down parachuted without clear theoretical foundations. Moreover, the chestnut that university should be linked to its social economic and political contexts is a discursive process all players in the educational domain seem to reiterate but there are no visible theories of contextuality in practice, and very few economic organizations collaborate with the university in terms of training or research.

There is also the problem of the Moroccan entrepreneurs who have inherited their enterprises from their parents more than they are theoretically informed investors. Many of them would like to make profit on the sweat of subalterns’ sinews by lessening their costs via swindling out taxes, exploiting undeclared labor, rejecting regulated indemnities and cheating in the quality of product. How can the university establish collaborations with an economic man (Pocket Man) who is the enemy of science and ideology, who believes that education is an unnecessary labor and adheres to the motto that “making money by any means justifies the building of the Pocket Empire”?

At the ethnographic level, teachers, at least those whom we have conversed with, do not foster great expectations about the future of graduating from universities. In addition to the economic problems we have so far discussed and the small-mindedness of employers, there is a conspicuous decline in the quality of knowledge diffused at universities and students are not like their predecessors before 1990’s, tenacious seekers of learning. The teacher now finds himself face to face with an oblivious mind that prefers to graduate with the least possible quantity of knowledge. In fact, the main difficulty Moroccan typical top-down reforms encounter is this divorce between the discursive and the ethnographic.

At the level of discourse, one may come across well- organized ideas and measures to implement, an ideal discourse. But when implementation is at work, the ethnographic betrays hidden cultural structures and worldviews the reformative discourse has not taken into account. The result is a reform that adapts itself to long established worldviews, modes of thought and cultural representations. New laws and procedures without preemptive structural cultural work and mobilization of the population towards what is new will end up with dormant calcified laws very hard to stir into life again, a situation as dramatic as that of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure.

Furthermore, the infrastructure at Moroccan Universities does not currently fulfill the expectations of the reforms presented so far though at the level of discourse the state promises to revolutionize these structures. Our libraries are shelved with donated books from national and international organizations and obsolete references. Updating libraries with recent publications is a very slow bureaucratic and selective process often subjected to lower costs.
Research students, let alone teachers, find it difficult to document their research because of the blatant scandalous shortage of references. The annual subscription to scientific journals is very limited and some departments hardly benefit from any subscription. The recent rise of electronic libraries the Ministry subscribed to is not yet popularized at Moroccan universities and most of the websites are not accessible. There are no Wi-Fi systems at my university to make it accessible to students on campus, nor is there an off-campus connection for teachers. The ministry thus squanders public money on electronic journals that only serve to decorate some Universities’ websites.

This lack in infrastructure has left to a degree severe repercussions on teachers’ research career. Some have given up research all together and ventured in lucrative business activities; others slackened their tempo of research. Others still fight to write some articles for audience-restricted and non peer-reviewed local journals published by universities. Such publications with very limited audience and zero citations are usually intended for career advancement. Encounters such seminars and conferences or invited lectures are often organized in the form of ceremonial activities of barely no academic merit and quickly forgotten (not published). It is often the dean, vice-deans or teachers seeking rapid promotion who hasten to organize such activities so as to record them in their hyperbolic CVs—to say nothing of grants that have their own special hunters and may be distributed to the closest ‘asabiya.

In the same vein, our universities become centres for teaching obsolete information already superseded in the country of origin. Teachers, however, vehemently adhere to this knowledge and defend it against detractors with an ‘asabiya spirit as if they were the producers of this gospel truth. Ironically enough, they keep faithful to what they have learnt till the winds of change come from the country of origin. Decades after its emergence, the scientific novelty dawns upon them and convinces them to forsake their infantile attachment to the previous dogmatic knowledge. Again, they expedite to adopt the novelty with the same tribal mood.

Moroccan universities do not stand as corporate bodies with collective visibility to the outside world about what they are concerned with from issues, methods, modes of thought and discourse. Humanities students, for instance, often ask what teachers ‘want’. The obscurity of teachers’ requirements is the result of the low institutional visibility of the humanities in Morocco since the community of teachers do not belong to particular schools of thought or share common theoretical positions. We rarely encounter Structuralist teachers, post-structuralists, Neo-Marxists, Semioticians, Feminists, or political economists.

The Humanities teacher rather stands before the class not as a member of an institutional collective engaged in modes of thought but as an alien type whose instructions the students perceive as obstacles to circumvent with as little damage as possible to their career. The student’s task is therefore to determine the unique demands of each course and set them aside when the semester is finished and new courses emerge with new exclusive demands. How can the student by the end of his own degree assimilate and synthesize the disconnected experiences he has accumulated?

Up to now, ethnographic observation from the insider’s point of view reveals that the primary convention of teaching in the class-room is the ‘banking method’. Students are bank accounts which teachers have to store in them information. The more information the student can memorize from class the better the teacher is. This situation is enhanced by the impoverished libraries that students have access to. Banking method gives the impression that reference books are limited and education can be repetitive and static while other resources like the media force students into an immense flood of information. The banking method reinforces training in basic automatisms; hence the importance lent to memorization and repetition by re-adoption of rites and their repetitiveness and by valorization of leadership, which may lead to lack of critical thinking and loss of control over ideological issues.

Also, the obsolete information students internalize does not seem to be able any longer to build productive knowledge systems. What actually involves peril is borrowing from the West a ready-made knowledge without grasping the philosophical scientific foundations underpinning it. The dilemma becomes flagrant, for instance, in the process of importing technology as if this technology was isolated from the sciences that produced it. Without research and development labs, libraries and infrastructure to scientific research, this technology does not value anything.

At Moroccan universities, there seem to be a lot of constraints on scientific research, red lines in full—though the situation nowadays, as observers of Moroccan politics have debated extensively, witnesses ‘top-down’ liberalization, i.e., state-guided reforms. Scientific researchers are banned from dealing with issues that may expose the frailty of top governing institutions. Research on politics of governance is like a scandal since it may be scandalous in actual fact. Thus researchers are pushed to deal with secondary issues far from the sphere of ruling power because its security and political survival demand the protection of its ontological nakedness.

While the ruling power appears to be trying to create a safe public sphere, it seems to intend this sphere for stable change guided by one side only (the regime) rather than for constructive dialogue. Instead of letting researchers to enter the political arena, they are pushed out to deal with subsidiary issues. Academic research in general has to remain subordinate to the security of the regime. Presumably, the state sought reconciliation with the University by means of subsequent reforms in order to bring it back into national development and formal politics but it missed the fundamental point, however, that regulating scientific research by the ethics of security is a key factor for keeping it out.

Generations of researchers have wasted energy in dwelling upon trifling topics filling the pages of newspapers, magazines and academic journals. If it occurs that a research challenges this structure that controls the academic mind, censorship may block its progress, which explains the scarcity of serious academic research and abundance of religious books, which obscures, prohibits and quarantines the social meaning of existence.

The custodians of religion elect themselves not only as prohibitors of secular thought but sometimes even proclaim secular adversaries as apostates. The problem with scientific research in the Arab world is that it has to succumb to the will of rulers because the political game is not based on research and performance (al-ada’) but on obedience and subordination (al-wala’). Scientific research in the Arab world occupies a low rank internationally either in terms of cost or production. One of the main reasons is that these countries do not feel in need of scientific research either at the level of production, management, or political rule. Intelligence agencies and ‘asabiyas deputize for academically oriented political and ideological institutions to control the resources of these countries
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178018/the-crisis-of-higher-education-in-morocco/ ===================================================================================

“Islam and Terrorism”: An Islamophobia Bible (Part 3)
Tuesday 26 January 2016 - Ezzoubeir Jabrane Casablanca

In the first part of this article series published I introduced Mark A. Gabriel’s Islamophobic book Islam and terrorism, and provided a general review of it. In the second part I delved into the first discursive technique, Decontextualizing the Texts, which is used by the author to arise a feeling of hostility toward Islam and Muslims.

This article dissects another technique, Nurturing Fear, which serves the same purpose of demonizing the religion of over one-and-a-half billion people around the world.

Nurturing Fear
The author’s entire discourse is characterized by an emotive nuance. Nurturing fear is sought throughout the book in three major ways: (1) by dramatizing historical events, (2) by building a rapport with the non-Muslim reader, and (3) by exaggerating the features of war in Islam and neglecting those of peace. Since the first two methods are not as ubiquitous in the book as the third, a brief example of these two methods should suffice.
(1) Dramatizing historical events:
“Sayyid Qutb’s execution by the Egyptian government elevated his writings to a level of great authority in the Islamic world.”
(2) Building a report with the non-Muslim reader:
“You may find it interesting to imagine what it would have been like if Jesus had behaved the same way [as prophet Mohamed].”
(3) Exaggerating the features of war in Islam.

Jihad
The author talks about the Islamic concept of Jihad in all the book’s chapters and defines it as “struggle” whereas its literal definition is “the act of striving”. In chapter three, Core Beliefs of Islam, he introduces the Islamic sources of reference, namely the Quran, Hadith, and Sharia; the author then goes onto discusses the requirements to be a Muslim. He asserts that since admission into paradise in Islam is not guaranteed to Muslims – like in Christianity for instance – but requires that his/her good deeds overbalance the bad deeds, then martyrdom is the only thing that guarantees this admission. Because of this, Muslims see guaranteed salvation in Jihad. This reasoning however goes against the mainstream understanding of Jihad in the Muslim world, as can be deduced from this statement by the Prophet (PBUH): “Do not wish to meet the enemy [in wartimes] and pray Allah for wellness. But if you [had to] meet them, stand firm and mention the name of Allah …” (Sunan AL-Darimi, my translation). Jihad for Muslims, therefore, is occasional and periodic. It is related to the indignant positioning in the world and resistance against oppression. Warping the concept of Jihad is the author’s attempt to play on the stings of fear and present Islam as an imminent danger to the security of non-Muslims. In fact, statements like his “Jihad now is the call of every Muslim.” are what constitute a real danger for coexistence in the world today.

It must be said that the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) was not a prophet of peace like many would unapologetically claim, but one of reality. He believed in his aspirations of bringing down the Meccan corrupt socio-economic system and establishing a legal system that guarantees equal treatment and opportunities for all social classes; he managed to tame the reality around him for this purpose. He preached peacefully in Mecca for ten years where he and his followers underwent persecution, ridicule, commercial boycott, and subsequently severe starvation. This reality necessitated that he master the only language Arabs of the time spoke, that of military confrontation. He excelled at this, not by bloodshed, but by persistence and rigorous strategic planning and alliances.

Martyrdom
Martyrdom is another concept that is defaced in “Islam and Terrorism”. Contrary to what the author maintains about martyrdom being only about engaging in offensive assaults against non-Muslims, most Muslims know that martyrdom includes dying under many different circumstances. These could include dying in a fire, during childbirth, in a war, as a victim of a robbery or burglary, from drowning, and so on. Consequently, the author’s assertion that dying while offending non-Muslims is the only secure way to heaven is invalidated by the prophet’s statement, that “Whoever is killed without any allegiance to a murder, is a martyr, and whoever is killed without purpose is also a martyr, and whoever is killed because of religious inclination is also a martyr”.

Furthermore, the author contends that martyrdom during war guarantees Muslims incontestable access to paradise. This contention is an inaccurate representation of the Islamic tradition, as refuted in the books of Sirah (records of prophetic traditions). These texts recount an incident where in a Muslim died in a war and the other Muslims celebrated his heroic courage and praised him. The prophet (PBUH) nullified their assumption that he was in heaven and said “but rather in hell” for his motives for participating in the war were not as noble. Given this argument, the concept of Martyrdom is clearly twisted by the author to create fear in the reader’s mind, and concomitantly, guarantee some attention for his book.

Deceit in Islam
The author’s mission to establish fear as a predominant sentiment toward Muslims continues in other parts of his book. In a chapter entitled “Misinformed by the Media”, he splits Muslims into two categories, “One is using guns and bombs, and another is using words and lies to increase the numbers of Muslims worldwide.” In a cinematic scene, he gives more reasons to fear Muslims – especially the Muslim communities in the West – by maintaining that Islam permits Muslims to lie to non-Muslim if they are a minority. What’s more, he warns that if Muslims claim being peaceful, it is only because they are in a situation of powerlessness and that gaining power will change that. He uses the story of Ammar Ibn Yassir, the prophet’s companion who was caught by the enemies of the Prophet (PBUH), and forced to renounce Islam and curse the prophet. The author says the fact that the prophet forgave him for that gives Muslims the authorization to lie to non-Muslims.

The problem with the author’s argument is that it is based on only part of a larger story, omitting details that provide a solid understanding of how Islam views deceit: Ammar Ibn Yasser was caught by the enemy, but along with his parents as well. The three of them underwent extreme physical abuse and torture to persuade them to curse the prophet. Ammar’s father was killed first and his mother second (she is considered the first female martyr in Islam) for not agreeing to insult the prophet. Having seen his parents’ painful and slow deaths, Ammar decided to do as ordered and cursed the prophet. When released, he rushed to the prophet, concerned that what he was forced to say would make him a traitor. The heartbroken prophet comforted him and assured him that lying is authorized under similar circumstances. Today, scholars use this story to prove that lying is authorized in Islam. In Islam, this is known as Takkiyah, and it is permitted only when one’s life is at stake.

Mosques
Muslim’s place of worship is the mosque. It is there where they pray, five times a day, after every call for prayer. It is also where sermons are delivered to those Muslims wishing to know more about their religion; the prophet’s use of the Mosque went beyond that. It was a center for political and social discussions, a court, and a military base where weapons were stored and war strategies were planned. This multipurpose use was due to the fact that the separation of these institutions was not yet conceived. The mosque was the only public building where people could gather. Today, the fabrications heard about Muslims – which are to a large extent the product of the islamophobes’ imagination – warn the West about the danger that Mosques represent, claiming they are used to plot terrorist attacks. In “Mohamed’s Use of Mosques”, a chapter where all sorts of conspiracies gather, Gabriel says “In modern times mosques are still used as centers of war” and insinuates that they should be closed in the West to reduce the potentiality of danger.

This disposition to attack mosques as dens of evil is widespread nowadays. The presidential candidates and Republican senators Donald Trump and Marko Rubio are not the first to say that mosques need to be closed in the US. More worrisome than these sorts of Islamophobic attacks are the physical ones. In the week that followed the Paris attacks on November, 13th, a number of mosques had been vandalized in Spain, the US, Canada, and elsewhere while numerous imams received death threats.

The reality today is that mosques in the West are the least likely places where terrorism can hatch and spread, and this is for a number of reasons. First of all, the Muslim communities’ terror is two-fold. Terrorism endangers their lives too (they have been victims in all the attacks), and they are fed up of being the scapegoat in the West every time an attack occurs. Therefore, they have developed a readiness to report anything they believe unlawful in the mosques. An example of this is the story of Morten Storm, who conceded to the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, in 2012 that he worked for the Danish Intelligence service and the CIA as Muslim convert to recruit the youth in extremist groups. In an article published in Muslim Village, the author Elham Asaad Buaras said that Storm, or ‘Murad Danish’ was criticized by the Imams as a radicalist and “soon left to his own accord when he realised that worshippers here was very clued up in terms of ideology.”

Secondly, facts today indicate that the internet is a much more fertile platform for terrorism to operate, given its transnational nature. Finally, Mohamed Abdessalam, brother of Salah Abdessalam – one of the masterminds of the Paris attack – said in an interview aired on the French BFMTV on November, 17th that, contrary to what has been said, his brother did not have any affiliation with any mosque.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/01/178236/islam-and-terrorism-an-islamophobia-bible-part-3/ ===================================================================================

Morocco: Declining Tolerance for Dissent: Pending Legislative Reforms Crucial in New Year
(Tunis) –

Tolerance for dissident voices in Morocco and Western Sahara diminished during 2015, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2016. Authorities blocked events organized by the outspoken Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH), filed charges against five activists for “harming internal security” after they organized a foreign-funded workshop on citizen journalism, and systematically prohibited demonstrations by pro-independence activists in Western Sahara. Royal pardons during the year included none of the many activists sentenced in past years in unfair trials.

Moroccan Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid unveils a government plan to reform the country's justice system during a news conference in Rabat, Morocco on September 12, 2013. © 2013 AP

“Morocco may not be rocked by turmoil and bloodshed like many countries of the Middle East, but neither is it the model of reform that it claims to be,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director.

In the 659-page World Report 2016, its 26th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth writes that the spread of terrorist attacks beyond the Middle East and the huge flows of refugees spawned by repression and conflict led many governments to curtail rights in misguided efforts to protect their security. At the same time, authoritarian governments throughout the world, fearful of peaceful dissent that is often magnified by social media, embarked on the most intense crackdown on independent groups in recent times.
There were some positive steps in Morocco during the year, including legal recognition, for the first time, of a Sahrawi human rights organization highly critical of Moroccan rule and provisional legal residency for foreigners that UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, had determined to be refugees. A new law took effect ending military trials for civilians, although it did not benefit prisoners already convicted by military tribunals.

Defendants before civilian courts had no guarantees of a fair trial, however. The courts convicted people in trials that appeared to be politically motivated on the basis of statements prepared by the police while failing to investigate defendants’ claims that the police had extracted the statements by force or falsified them. People went to prison under laws criminalizing homosexuality and adultery.

During the year, the government and parliament deliberated several draft laws with major implications for human rights, including laws on protections for domestic workers, domestic violence, asylum, the rights of people with disabilities, and new penal and press codes. In 2016, the legislative outcome will weigh heavily on the human rights balance sheet, depending on which rights protections become law and which provisions that undermine rights are dropped or modified.

The coming year will also reveal whether Morocco intends to maintain the ban on visits that it imposed on Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in 2015, or to resume a policy of general openness toward international human rights organizations.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/27/morocco-declining-tolerance-dissent
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