Casablanca - Moroccan cleric Abdel Bari Zamzami recently approved a Fatwa (legal religious opinion), issued by an Algerian scholar, in which he said that Isha (the fifth prayer) and Tarawih (extra evening prayers performed during Ramadan) could be delayed until Algerian supporters watch Algeria’s World Cup match against Germany on Monday, according to Hesspress.

According to the same source, Zamzami approved the Fatwa for two main reasons: first, because it is religiously permissible and recommendable to postpone Isha prayer until a later time, and second, because to attain complete Khouchou (concentration and devotion in prayer), the Muslim praying must be free-minded of all disquiets and anxieties.

The Fatwa was issued by the Scientific Council for Fatwas of the Algerian Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, headed by Kamal Al Bouzidi. The Fatwa states that it is permissible for Algerians to postpone the Isha prayers in order to support the national team in its match against Germany.

Al Bouzidi confirmed that the Fatwa was acceptable from a theoretical perspective, but that its implementation is in the hands of the Ministry and its administrative bodies, who have the final right to issue Fatwas and publicize them.

The controversial Fatwa made waves in the comment section of the online news portal Hesspress and on social media. The bulk of reactions were negative, describing the Fatwa as “ridiculous,” and calling Zamzami “a foolish cleric.”

After their triumph over Russia, the Algerian team is scheduled to play against Germany on Monday in Porto Alegre. The teams have not met in the World Cup since 1982, when Algeria, in its first-ever appearance at a World Cup, won 2-1.

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Tinejdad, Morocco- Two people died and dozens were injured Monday night in a stampede during the “Taraweeh” prayers in the courtyard of a school in Marrakech, according to local authorities as reported by Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).

Two women aged 72 and 52 years respectively were killed in the stampede, according to preliminary results of the investigation.

Though the information was not officially confirmed, the incident was reportedly caused by a power outage, which caused panic among a crowd of worshippers packed inside the school yard to perform the Taraweeh prayers.

The same source added that the tragic incident occurred in a public school in the popular neighborhood of Sidi Youssef Ben Ali in Marrakech.

Because mosques become very crowded during the “Taraweeh” prayers, and sometimes the capacity of some mosques do not accommodate all the worshipers, the authorities allow people to perform their prayers in public places like the yards of public schools.

Taraweeh prayers are a set of supererogatory prayers performed collectively by Muslims after Isha prayer during the holy month of Ramadan.

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Casablanca - Pictures of Casablanca’s unusually deserted boulevards and streets recently went viral on social media, raising the question: what could have emptied the streets of a city as overpopulated as Casablanca?

It is Ramadan. A few moments before the call for Al Maghrib prayer, which signals the end of Muslims’ daily fast, the streets of Casablanca, commonly swarming with people and vehicles, resembled the ghostly setting of Will Smith’s film “I Am Legend.”

Ramadan is the only month in which the vibrant streets and hectic boulevards of Casablanca, normally clamoring with all sorts of noises, speak the language of utter silence.

Take time to go out in the street for a few minutes before or during the Iftar meal, and you will see places like Boulevard Mohammed V, one of the economic capital’s most lively boulevards, literally deserted—like a charming version of the desolate setting in the movie “Silent Hill.”

Not even the most decisive soccer matches in the history of the Moroccan national team could ever entirely empty the streets of Casablanca the way a moment as ephemeral as Ramdan’s Iftar meal could.

No event or occasion can also guarantee to bring together all members of a family at a specific time of the day like Ramadan.

The Iftar meal in Ramadan frees all Muslims from all their time-consuming and routine commitments, thus granting them the now-rare delight of spending quality time with their families and loved ones.

All Photos courtesy of Brahim Taougar

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Tinejdad, Morocco- Muslims around the world celebrated the beginning of Ramadan last weekend, but some in China have been banned from fasting during the holy month, a religious duty that is the 4th pillar or obligation of Islam.

The Chinese authorities on Wednesday imposed a ban on Muslim students, teachers, and civil servants in the northwestern province of Xinjiang from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

Following similar restrictions in previous years, the atheist Chinese ruling communist party has barred Muslims in Xinjiang, a mostly Muslim dominant region, from fasting during Ramadan.

Home to many ethnic groups, Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in the northwest of the country with a majority of its population followers of Islam.

According to France Agence Presse (AFP), several government departments posted notices on their websites, “banning civil servants, students, and teachers in Xinjiang from taking part in Ramadan fasting.”

"Civil servants and students cannot take part in fasting and other religious activities,”the Commercial Affairs Bureau of Turfan city said on its website on Monday, according to AFP.  

The same source added that the state-run Bozhou Radio and TV University said on its website that it would "enforce the ban on party members, teachers, and young people from taking part in Ramadan activities.”

The spokesman for the exiled World Uygur Congress, Dilxadi Rexiti,warned that these “kinds of coercive measures, restricting the faith of Uygurs,”imposed by China,“will create more conflict."

Casablanca - A new ad by Morocco’s Addoha real estate group, broadcasted on television channel 2M, created a commotion on social media for casting Moroccan women in a negative light.

The ad also outraged feminist NGOs in Morocco.

After its very first broadcast on 2M, Addoha’s ad made waves on Moroccan social media, mainly for describing Moroccan women as “a burden.” The ad also came under fire for depicting Moroccan women as “merchantable goods.”

According to news portal Al Yaoum 24, Addoha’s ad outraged feminist NGOs in Morocco, who called on Morocco’s High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) to stop the ad’s broadcasting on 2M.

In the ad, Addoha Show, an adaptation of the TV show hosted by Moroccan humorist Rachid el Allali, features Moroccan actor Bachir Skiredj, who acts as a father in search for separate apartments for his 4 daughters, and offers them all for marriage after describing them as a “burden.”

The bulk of reactions to Addoha’s ad on Moroccan social media were negative, especially since the ad’s broadcasting coincided with Iftar (Ramadan’s evening meal in which Muslims break their fast). The ad was harshly scolded for “being insolent towards Moroccan women” and for depicting them as “objects marketed for marriage.”

“Take my four daughters,” says Skiredj in the ad, offering his daughters to Addoha Show’s host for marriage, “…or you can just take three of them…or just two of them…how about just one?” he then asks, addressing the host, who exits the studio running away.

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Taroudant, Morocco - Controversy has arisen after Istiqlal MP Naima Ben Yahya asked a question, during an oral questions session in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, about the existence of a law preventing single women from staying in hotels.

Naima Ben Yahya claimed that many hotel owners prohibit single women from booking a room in their hotels.

The Istiqlal MP considered such practices unlawful, saying they give a bad image and misrepresent all Moroccan women.

Responding to Ben Yahya’s question, Interior Minister Mohamed Hassad said that there is no law prohibiting women to spend the night in hotels located in the cities of their residence, confirming that “women and men are equal before the law in Morocco.”

Following Ben Yahya’s question, Milouda Hazeb of the Modernity and Authenticity Party called on the Interior Minister to "punish any discrimination on this regard, because it is a retreat from the gains made under the current government."

While there is no law in Morocco preventing women from spending a night in hotels in the country, Ben Yahya mentioned the existence of such discriminatory practices at many hotels in different Moroccan cities, and expressed readiness to provide the names of such hotels.

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Casablanca - The ongoing question in Europe on whether or not the wearing of a burka or niqab should be accepted has started to receive long-term answers.

The concern of taking away a women’s religious freedom has been swept aside for female equality and the fear of possible terrosim. Many politicians have demanded a ban of the veil that covers the face apart from the eyes. The ban is not to be seen as weapon of discrimination; rather, it aims to give the women a chance to assimilate into the culture of their host country and respect its public policies.

As a matter of fact, The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has recently approved the ban on the full-body veil that was enacted in France three years ago. France is known to have the largest Muslim minority in Europe, with about five million inhabitants practicing the religion. Under the supervision of ex-President Nicolar Sarkozy, the ban took effect on 11 April 2011. For this reason, no woman, either French or foreign, has been seen with a burqa since the new law has been enacted.

In most cases, the majority of the Muslim female community gave in and switched to the typical head-scarf; however, some of them have stood up for their beliefs and paid fines for violating the burqa ban.

In June of 2011, Belgium introduced the ban of any clothing that obscures the identity of the wearer in public localities.

Spain has not enacted a national ban, yet the city of Barcelona and two smaller towns in Catalonia impose bans.

Britain is open-minded with regard to veils, since they do not posses a law to restrict them; but it is up to the schools and workplaces whether or not they want to follow a dress code.

The Netherlands has attempted to impose a ban, but failed many times due to lack of strategy and the fear of violating civil rights. Either way, only around 300 women are expected to wear a niqab or burqa in the country.

Italy went a step further from France and even displayed signs in several towns, which serve as a reminder to the local bans of the burqa and the niqab.

In 2008, Denmark banned all sorts of religious symbols—such as the veil, turbans, and Jewish skull caps—in public institutions.

Turkey has banned the head-scarf in official buildings, but the issue is deeply two-sided, since the country's population is predominantly Muslim.  The wife and daughters of Turkey’s prime minister and president, for instance, cover their hair with a scarf.

The situation in Germany is not as intense, since there is no national restricition of the burqa or niqab. However, many Germans find it challenging to accept an image of a woman hidden completely under a large piece of cloth. Women with a simple head-scarf, on the other hand, are allowed to teach at schools and are respected by most people.

Russia is less tolerant and announced a ban of veils in 2013. The authorities believe that the dress code of Muslim women is a violation of Russian law.

Switzerland joined  its neighboring countries to agree on the law enforcement against the veil, since it made the majority of its citizens feel uncomfortable.

In light of the fact that the traditional Islamic veil is acceptable in most Europan countries, the bans of the burka or niqab are not that disastrous. Because of this, authorities believe that it is only for the good, in order to live peacefully and with no misunderstandings in a community full of diversity.

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By Sofia Sabi

Azrou, Morocco - This Ramadan, El Baraka Angels Association Caravan is targeting rural populations in several isolated mountainous villages in the Ifrane region. They hope to support 1,050 families.

From 26 to 29 June 2014, the caravan travelled to the mountainous villages of Ifrane province to help people from Ben Smime and Sid El Mekhfi.

The organization distributed around 30 tons of food staples with the approval of the General Secretariat of the Government and the support of local authorities. Every home received a 25 kg package containing flour (10kg), sugar (3kg), oil (4L), rice (2kg), lentils (2kg), couscous (2kg), pasta (1kg), vermicelli (500g), tea (500g), and cheese (8 portions).

The members of the Association, mostly volunteers and supporters, have made great efforts in the collection of donations, in order to achieve such an extraordinary goal. Nearly 30 tons of food were collected, sorted, organized, packaged, and delivered to the target areas.

“80% of the collection comes from committed citizens who are sensitive to the everyday harsh life of the beneficiary families,” said Mrs. Selwa Zine, President of the Association.

“The remaining 20%, mainly flour, comes from Moroccan and international companies who are also heavily involved in supporting the initiatives of El Baraka Angels Associationsince our beginnings in 2013,” she added.

Overwhelmed with emotions, the members of the Association finally made it to the 1,050 beneficiary families. There were celebrations, singing, and overjoyed hearts to mark these emotional moments.

The team also took the opportunity to review its other project in progress, supporting education in rural areas. The areas should be ready for the next school year.

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Casablanca - The Moroccan-Finnish Sara Chafak, crowned as Miss Finland in 2012, was recently chosen Finland’s sexiest woman in 2014 by the magazine Iltra-Sanomat (IS).

In 2012, Sara Chafak was crowned Miss Finland 2012 (Miss Suomi 2012) in a ceremony that was held at the Vanajanlinna Castle, Hameenlinna in southern Finland. She has since been frequently spotlighted in Finnish media and beauty magazines.

Earlier this month, Finnish Magazine IS chose Sara Chafak as the sexiest Finnish woman in 2014. This designation came after Sara uploaded sexy selfies of herself to Instagram, which mainly highlighted her fine body silhouette, focusing on her lean belly, according to IS.

Asked her secret, Sara told the Finnish magazine, “I try to steer away from unhealthy food, because it negatively affects my skin and my face.” For Sara, a good taste in food is more important than counting calories—and the gym is one of her best friends. Sara also confessed that she had a weakness for French cuisine.

Born to a Moroccan father and a Finnish mother, the 23-year-old Sara Chafak grew up in Finland to become one of the most famed Finnish fashion models. She speaks 5 languages, including Finnish, English and Arabic.

After being crowned Miss Finland 2012, Sara Chafak represented the country in Miss Universe 2012.

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Fez - Isis Center for Women and Development, an NGO based in Fez, held on 20-22 June an international workshop on the state of women’s rights after the Arab Spring in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung – Rabat, Kvinfo (Denmark), INLAC Fez, and Aalborg University (Denmark).

Conscious of the fact that women’s rights are a genuine barometer of the democratic process, the state of women's rights three years after the revolutions continues to worry civil society and the intellectual community in the region. It appears that these rights, which are the fruits of militancy where academics, activists and politicians (men and women) took part, are experiencing a sharp decline. This situation calls for a serious and calm debate. The workshop addressed the relevant challenges through the following themes:

1. The political participation of women

2. Women and institutions

3. The religous domain

4. Violence against women and individual and public freedoms

5. The impact of social media

6. The issue of masculinity

Professors and experts from North Africa (2 from Tunisia, 4 from Algeria, 10 from Morocco), the Middle East (2 from Egypt, 1 from Lebanon), Europe (3 from Denmark, and 1 from The Netherlands) and the United States enriched lively debates on these and related issues. A number of young students and researchers of both sexes participated in this high-level event.

At the end of the workshop, the participants agreed on the following recommendations:

1. Reinforce women’s NGOs and civil society to enhance their rights and implement the family laws and the new Constitutions

2. Encourage women’s work

3. Put emphasis on rural areas and rural women

4. Enact and implement laws to stop violence and harassment against women

5. Ensure women’s political and economic participation

6. Include other identities and perspectives and bring them together

7. Shift focus and center on common fields rather than conflictual division

8. Pay more attention to the classroom level and discourage violence on TV and internet

9. Encourage creation and innovation of women

10. Promote the culture of equality in textbooks

11. Foster Mainstream gender in institutions

12. Promote individual and public freedoms

The workshop also discussed the social, psychological and religious factors and negative stereotypes preventing women from political and economic participation. However, despite all the social restrictions and cultural constraints, women in North Africa and the Middle East have been able to impact public institutions since the 1960s. The success of democracy in the region depends on the political mobilization of women and the ability of women’s organizations to unite across generations, classes, and ethnic groups.

Today, we see, more than ever before, calls for gender equality, social justice, and democracy in the region, which implies an urgent need for further reforms which must boost job creation, youth participation, and women’s empowerment in the public and private sectors. The situation requires the establisment of the rule of law, democratic institutions, law enforcement, and awareness raising among men and women.

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Casablanca - Violence against teachers in France is back on the scene.

By Yossef Ben-Meir

New York - There really is much to consider on this day of Cooperatives - which this year highlights the message that these enterprises achieve sustainable development for all - especially when we think in terms of the severe challenges and the incredible development potential of rural Morocco.

In their beginnings, cooperatives were often borne from difficulty – depressed markets, social conflict and stagnant production. Their creation and successful functioning brings about the opposite, enabling the coordination and management of the vital steps needed in order to actualize latent rural development potential.

Challenge – and potential

For rural farming families, for example in the High Atlas mountain region, global prices for the walnut and almond crop they grow have doubled over the past ten years while the revenue they receive has remained basically the same.

Too often families, clans and entire communities live side by side with - yet ever so distant from - each other due to historic local events that took place decades and even generations ago yet whose divisive consequences remain alive. In practical terms, their systems of agricultural production and maintenance - although incorporating vital traditional skills and knowledge - may not primarily be directed towards optimization of quantity but to providing subsistence and the most basic continuity of life.  However, with population growth, rising prices and globalization this production status quo leaves rural areas lagging behind urban ones, making systemic rural poverty deeper and the divide with cities, starker.

Now for the good news - the latent Moroccan rural potential, the harnessing of which cooperatives are such a vital, integral part.  The marginalized countryside communities have never had the means to purchase and plant those agricultural crops that require the application of harmful pesticides. The result is that their surrounding environment - air, soil, the entire ecosystem - remain chemical-free; a highly desirable factor on the part of consumers, expressed particularly in the developed world and one which, when presented in the manner required, practically ensures the securing of organic certification.

Thus the nuts, figs, cherries, dates, olives, pomegranates, lemons, carob, prickly pears and several dozen medicinal plants, growing in different parts of the kingdom, could acquire organic certification and undergo other value added processes that would enable farming families to realize the vast opportunity that is rightfully theirs.  True to say, much easier said than done - and seemingly impossible without the formation of local cooperatives.

Cooperative benefits

For example, the creation of plant or tree nurseries is essential to generate the billion or more trees and plants Morocco needs as part of overcoming subsistence agriculture.  Nurseries, however, require land that can be openly accessed by all its potential beneficiaries, in an arrangement that benefits all households.

Moreover, training in organic practices and project management needs to be broadly delivered and experientially based in order to make the necessary vital difference in practices.

Machinery for processing and packaging is prohibitively expensive for the few - less so for the many.

International buyers seek quantities of product beyond what a single village but what many, working together, can provide.  All these examples illustrate the necessity of the coming together of families and clans, communities, municipalities and provinces to form cooperatives in order for successful, sustainable agricultural development to take place.

Three factors for realization

How can this be achieved in practical terms? Firstly, latent cooperatives and other organizations in Morocco and around the world require an outside catalyst to help jump-start the all-important dialogue process needed.  This enables people to express their interests and needs and identify ways that they can be made mutually compatible.  Third-party facilitators play a role that cannot be underestimated in its importance - without them, communities are much less likely to create fruitful plan of actions embodying their self-determined goals.  Facilitators can be teachers, government and civil workers, friends and neighbors - indeed any community member.  They need to undergo public and private training specializing in facilitation for cooperative building.

Secondly, partnership building with government, civil and private groups is a vital necessity in the formation process and efficient functioning of cooperatives.   The support that they can provide in all stages ‘from farm to fork’ are critical for acquiring the essential impetus for initial success and for long-term sustainability.

Finally, cooperatives must remain unequivocally and indelibly the property of the people. The basis for unlocking latent potential is essentially rooted in personal empowerment and elevated levels of decision-making skills - and in the ability of cooperative members to invest a portion of their new revenue in other human development projects that will vastly change their quality of life – clean drinking water, school building, women and youth initiatives and any other priority needs they identify.

The special nature of cooperatives

Cooperatives are indeed unique. They are controlled by and afford benefit to the very people who have forged them. They open themselves up to multi-sector partnerships at all societal tiers and reach out to a global public who express increasing satisfaction - including at the ethical level - with the product that grows in their fields and on their terraces.

In conclusion then, we say to Moroccan communities - and those throughout the world - who have yet to form their cooperative to achieve livelihoods that are viable and eminently possible - that waiting is not a necessity,  nor will it make it easier (and that regrettably facilitators, as central as they normally are to the process, are far too few).

Catalyze cooperatives now for our collective wellbeing – choosing this commemorative day on which to do so would be at least as good as any!

Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is president of the High Atlas Foundation and a sociologist.

Agadir - When I visited Pennsylvania State in 1977, I did not get a chance to see Philadelphia. Instead of that I enjoyed a culturally gratifying three day stay in Pittsburgh. I remember my American host family was very nice and hospitable and their little daughter was so excited to have me with them, she volunteered to make a chocolate cake with the elaborate shape of a brown bear. We were sitting in the kitchen eating our chocolate bear and the little girl indulged into “quizzing” me over certain “important information” for instance she asked me “What is the biggest pen in the world?” and of course, I failed to answer so she gave me the right answer: “It’s Pennsylvania!” Oh what great discovery! But yes, William Penn was the founder in1682 of what the little girl was talking about; Pennsylvania.

I have written something about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in a previously published article but what still remains engraved in my memory about the city, in a nutshell, are: beside riding the Duquesne, a visit to the Carnegie Mellon Institution, a visit to the University of Pittsburgh and its famous Cathedral of Learning and a visit to a Westinghouse institution the little girl’s father, an engineer working for Westinghouse, offered to let me have a glimpse of what working for such giant corporation was like.

I had a chance to go through Pennsylvania again in 2004, as a Fulbright exchange teacher with my American hosts from Indiana State, on our way back to Indiana from Washington DC. This time round, we did not have time to visit big cities but instead we were gratified by highly significant historical moments on the battle fields of Gettysburg where some of the most decisive battles of the Civil War had been fought. The battle fields nowadays are used as a memorial and open-air museum of American history. Our visit ended up at the spot where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous historical Gettysburg address which signaled the dawn of a new American era. That was my second chance visiting or, more accurately, going through the State of Pennsylvania.

The third time I visited Pennsylvania came about a year or so later from the second one. I was taking part in a program called “Partnership for learning” at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware and the visit’s aim was to give us, Moroccan participants, a glimpse of American history and culture. This time round, we were offered a golden opportunity to visit Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and yet another opportunity of the same kind to visit Philadelphia or Philly as its residents like to call it. The word “Philadelphia” is a compound one in ancient Greek meaning “Brotherly love”. Back in American history, the city somehow embodied some sort of brotherly love that allowed Americans to stand together on their own feet and break away from the heavy taxation and domination of the British Empire.

Touring historic Philadelphia took us back in history to the early making of the American nation. It was a chance to see historical sites such as the bell of liberty site, the seat to both the first and second continental congress. Our tour guide linked all places we went through to significant past events in American history. We, Moroccan teacher-trainers and supervisors did not fail to reiterate the fact that The Kingdom of Morocco had been the first state to acknowledge the independence of the United States in 1776. The historical ties between our two countries and nations date back to 1776 and like with any other healthy relation had ups and downs. Philadelphia played the role of American capital back then before it got moved to Washington, DC. The same as Essaouira was capital of Morocco during the reign of Mohamed III before it later got moved to Rabat. The Philadephia-Essaouira phase in Moroccan-American history has certainly paved the way to more fruitful cooperation and mutual understanding between the two countries and nations.

Beside the historical side of old Philly, there are other attractions and monuments one can enjoy visiting. One such attraction is Edgar Allen Poe’s house which I talked about in a separate article. Along with the literary and artistic heritage of the US, one can get a real “feel” of multi-cultural US by visiting South Street in Philadephia. To me as Moroccan visiting this colorful busy street could somehow be culturally speaking, comparable to an American tourist’s experience visiting Jemaa Lefna in Marrakech for the first time.

I may wind up this article talking about something that struck me as quite unusual and thought provoking at the same time. This “slice of Philadelphia life” is about giant steel statue displayed across from Philadelphia city hall in downtown Philly; the “clothes’ pin”. I heard someone comparing the clothes’ pin statue to Constantin Brancusi's "The Kiss" something I googled later to discover in what way they could be comparable.

As a lover of anthropology, my personal interpretation of the Clothes’ pin is that it symbolizes the long journey humans went through from cavemen to civilized people leading a new way of life of which clothes and cleanliness were most remarkable traits.

According to my humble interpretation, the Clothes’ pin statue symbolizes the crucial turning point in the life of humans from savage to civilized as much as Philadelphia symbolizes the crucial turning point in the status of inhabitants of this part of the world from obedient British subjects to fully proud American citizens.

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Tinjdad, Morocco - Orthodox Jewish rabbi Natan Levy, who is one of the leaders of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, is taking part in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan by fasting, like millions of Muslims around the world.

According to the International Business Times (IBT), the 40-year-old religious leader is observing the Islamic month of fasting, “hoping to increase understanding between Jews and Muslims.”

Like all Muslims of the world, Levy must abstain from food, drink, sexual relations, and profanity from sunrise to sunset.

"Yet, I am doing this out of choice. Imagine the nearly one million people in the UK who have nothing to eat except handouts from a soup kitchen or food bank?" he added.

The Jewish people have also fasting in their religion. The day is called Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, which is their holiest day of the year.

On this day, Jews abstain from eating and spend their time in synagogues offering their prayers.

By Malak Mihraje

Rabat - Salima Dakani, 19, married at 16. She escaped a torturous husband and is now taking refuge at an association in Rabat, which provides shelter as well as employment opportunities.

Salima Dakani says she was only 15 when she married an abusive man with whom she had two children. Dakani claims her husband locked her up and even electrocuted her once until she foamed from the mouth.

"Torture and violence were part of my everyday life," says Dakani, a resident of Temara. She escaped from her husband many times but returned since, as she puts it, she was not welcomed in her parent's home.

We met Dakani at an association where she had come for help. L’union de l’Action Feminine (UAF),  in Rabat is committed to helping young women in abusive situations find shelter and health care.

The legal marriage age in Morocco is 18 however judges are authorized to approve underage marriages. As a result 12% of marriages in Morocco involve minors as reported by the Justice Ministry. The United Nations reports that in 89% of the cases before them, judges approve the underage marriages.

Fatima Maghnaoui, the president of UAF, claims underage marriages persist in Morocco mainly because families ask judges to approve them for their daughters. "The family code provides the possibility of getting married under the legal age in contradiction with its philosophy, based on gender equality," states Maghnaoui.

Aziz Nizar, the first substitute for the royal prosecutor in Rabat and an ex judge in the family court of Rashidia and Khnefra, acknowledges this reality, but states that the practice of underage marriages in Morocco is gradually decreasing.

"In big cities like Rabat and Casablanca the family court does not receive more than 100 proposals a year for underage marriages," said Nizar.

Poverty, illiteracy and lack of structure are among the main causes of underage marriage according to  the president of UAF. "Many families go to the judge to marry their daughters off under the pretext of poverty and precarious financial circumstances, though it remains an exceptional reason to authorize an underage marriage for some judges," says Maghnoui.

Tradition is also a factor, according to Maghnaoui. "When the judge refuses, the solution in many cases is often to marry the child off with a traditional ceremony using the Fatiha," she said.

Ghizlane Osmane, 28, dropped out of school at the age of 11. When she turned 16, her family asked a judge to allow her marriage to her 20-year old cousin. The judge did not give the necessary approval so Osmane was married according to the Fatiha without court registration. She divorced after a single year of marriage.

"I didn’t want to marry in the first place," she says. "No girl should be allowed to marry before the age of 18. I had conflicts with both the groom and his family," says Osmane. "With the family it was mostly about the household. I got scolded by my in laws for things like cooking and cleaning.”

For Nizar the problem lies in people's attitudes and mentalities."In some cases, judges are forced to authorize marriages in order to legalize traditional marriages, especially for girls who are already pregnant," says Nizar.

Maghnaoui shares this view.

"The better off families become, the less they will allow their young daughters to marry before the legal age. To eradicate this phenomenon, serious measures must be taken to encourage development in even the most remote regions, and access to education must be guaranteed," said Maghnaoui. ‘The government has to put structures in place: schools and information centers and the  minimum age of 18 should be strictly enforced. The place of young girls is in school and not in a conjugal household.”

Of course, not all underage marriages result in divorce. Rashida Diani, 27, married when she was only 14 years old. Diani says that for her, marriage has been a peaceful experience that gave her three beloved children, even though she found it difficult to move into a new home at such a young age.

Still, when asked about her opinion Rashida says it is her belief that “no girl should be married under the legal age." "It isn’t easy" she says, "to take on household responsibilities at such a young age."

Edited by Sahar Kian. Photo taken by William Matsuda

By Sapha Bouamara

Rabat - Two Moroccans were sentenced to prison for “homosexuality”in Fqih Bensaleh. Their sentences were reduced after their defense lawyer said his clients were “victims of society.”

Last May, a tribunal in the north-western city of Fkih Ben Saleh, 120 miles (200 kilometers) from Casablanca, sentenced six Moroccan men to three years imprisonment for “homosexuality.” On July 3, two of the defendants had their penalties reduced, according to the Spanish News agency EFE.

The two defendants won the right of appeal against the judgement of the court, while Mr. Hadda Maidar, the lawyer representing the two defendants, demanded that his clients be freed. He claimed in his argument that the defendants are “ill”and need to be “treated”in a rehabilitation center and that they are “victims of their society.”

The lawyer didn’t speak about the other four men. One of the convicted men received a reduced penalty of ten months instead of three years, while the other received a penalty of six months instead of two years.

The Spanish news agency noted that no Moroccan NGO, not even the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH), which is the most active in defending people’s freedom, had cared about defending these men.

The May incident

In May 2014, the six unidentified defendants were charged with “homosexuality,”“prostitution,”“public intoxication,”and “driving while intoxicated.”

They were arrested after one of their fathers filed a complaint with the police. The father accused his son’s friends of “encouraging”him of“having deviant behaviour.” Later the police found text messages on the defendant’s phone that allegedly substantiated the “crime.”

Articles 71 and 489 of the Moroccan penal code punish all sexual acts between members of the same sex with a penalty of three years imprisonment.

Casablanca - Morocco’s Islam-based penal code punishes those convicted of the crime of “homosexuality” with six months to three years in jail, a sentence that Human Rights Watch (HRW) says cannot be tolerated. 

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the discrimination against homosexuals “violates fundamental human rights protected by international law.”

The organization’s position that Morocco should end the criminalization of homosexuality is based on the fact that Morocco is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). HRW stated that the Moroccan Constitution is committed to "prohibiting and combating discrimination against anyone on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity ... or any personal circumstances whatsoever.” In May 2014, six Moroccans convicted of committing homosexual acts were sentenced to up to three years in prison and were expelled from their hometowns.

However, their sentences were reduced last week by an appellate court, which reduced the prison terms of the six defendants and revoked their banishment. The American non-governmental organization (NGO) also raised questions about "procedural fairness” in the appeal. “The Court of Appeal did not call any witnesses to the bar and did not consider any other evidence, and at the hearing all the accuseds denied being gay,” said HRW. On July 2, HRW urged Morocco to “stop prosecuting people for homosexuality.”

"If Morocco aspires to become a regional leader in the field of human rights, it should take the initiative to abolish some of its laws that discriminate against same-gender sexual relationships,” said Sarah Leah Whiston, director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch.

Being homosexual not only has legal implications but is both culturally and socially taboo in Morocco. For this reason, most gays and lesbians do not “come out” due to the fear of physical reprisals.

In addition, under Article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code, homosexual acts are punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine ranging from 120 to 1200 dirhams.

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Casblanca - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the so-called “Caliphate” established by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and the Levant, called on all Muslims, especially from Morocco to "obey."

In a recent video circulating social media, IS attacks Moroccan political and religious figures such as Omar Haddouchi, Mustapha Ramid and Abdeslam Yassine.

The members of the organization criticize the intentions of the Salafi Omar Haddouchi concerning the jihad. As for the deceased Abdeslam Yassine, he is depicted as "polytheistic" and Mustapha Ramid is nominated as the "minister of injustice".

According to Telquel news, in addition to the offensive remarks against Moroccan politicians, eight Moroccans belonging to Baghdadi's movement, "plan to bring the jihad (striving in the way of God) on Moroccan land" as the leader of IS himself has proclaimed.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi continued: "These jihadists who speak an Arabic mixed with Darija (the Moroccan dialect), said that they are happy to be able to attend the khilafa (caliphate) in their lifetime and  are ready to implement this system in Morocco."

On July 5, the organization known as the Islamic State in Iraqi and Levant cities finally decided to unveil its mysterious leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to the public eye. In the video he asked for obedience as he views himself to be the leader of all Muslims around the world.

Dressed in traditional attire and a black turban, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi claimed, "I am the Wali (leader) appointed to lead you, but I am not better than you, if you think I'm right, help me and if you think I'm wrong advise me and put me on the right path. Obey me as long as you obey God in you."

The recording, however, is unauthenticated and many are convinced it is no more than a tasteless provocation.

Rabat - Fatiha Mejjati, one of the most notorious Moroccan Islamic radicals, has joined the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

Fatiha Mejjati, or “the black widow of Al-Quaeda”as she is known in the Arab world, posted a picture on July 9, on Twitter in which she poses in front of the court of Jarabulus, a small town located near the borders between Turkey and Syria, controlled by Al-Baghdadi forces. It is speculated that she might have entered Iraq through Turkey.

Earlier this year, Mejjati’s son, Ilyas Mejjati, joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant.

53 year-old Fatiha Mejjati had previously lived a normal life as a student in Casablanca. When the first Gulf war broke out in 1990, she turned to radical Islam. Soon afterwards, she met Karim Mejjati, whom she married, and they moved together to live in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule.

Her husband, the Founder of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, with allegiance to Osama bin Laden, Karim Mejjati, was suspected of being the mastermind behind the March 11, 2004 attacks in Madrid.

Karim Mejjati and his son Adma Mejjati were killed in Saudi Arabia in April 2005.

Following the death of her husband and her son, Fatiha Mejjati was living in an apartment located in Gauthier district, Casablanca.