Marrakech - United States President, Barack Obama, will preside this week over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as America has the rotating presidency of the UNSC.

The session will be attended by over a dozen head of states.

The motion introduced by the U.S. on Wednesday for countries to adopt a legally binding resolution that would compel all countries under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to put in place laws to prosecute those who travel abroad to join terrorist organizations and those who help them, including by raising funds, according to the New York Times (NYT).

Morocco has already sought to prevent its citizens travelling to tension zones in an attempt to stop potential jihadists travelling to Iraq and Syria. This could have an effect on young Moroccans travelling abroad.

The motion could also affect returning Jihadists from Syria to their country of origin.

According to the same source, American intelligence officials estimate that  15,000 foreign fighters are now in Iraq and Syria; they are from 80 countries and include more than 2,000 Europeans and 100 Americans. 

As many as 3,000 jihadists of Moroccan origin could be fighting in Syria and Iraq, Interior Minister Mohamed Hassad told Moroccan MPs on July 15. 

The Interior Minister also said that there was a possibility that jihadists who are European citizens may enter Morocco without difficulty to carry out their plans. The  UNSC resolution will require airlines operating in their territory to share passenger lists and for states to share information about such suspects.

Fez - Egyptian actor Youssef Chaaban's last statement in which he said, "in Morocco, you find eight Jews out of every ten Moroccans," is still reverberating among Moroccan social media users.

Most were dumbfound by his remark which attempted to tarnish the reputation of the Muslim brotherhood's founder Hassan al-Banna.

In a reaction to Chaaban's statement, Charafat Afilal, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, said that the Egyptian actor demonstrated deep ignorance while inciting hatred.

"Chaaban is a great and competent artist, but his recent statement was an incitement for hatred and racism towards a vital component of the unified people of Morocco and towards an Abrahamic religion," Afilalt Said.

Addressing the actor, she said, "you proved your deep ignorance regarding the composition of Moroccan society, including its religious, cultural and historical dimensions.”

The minister declared that Moroccan people are "one people, one nation and one country," in a reference to the respect that Moroccans show towards Moroccan Jews in particular, and Jews in general.

"Be assured that the rhetoric that calls for chaos, hatred and racism will not bring Moroccans apart, because we are peace-loving people," she concluded.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.

France- The Turkish government announced it was lifting a ban on female students wearing the Islamic headscarf at high schools, in a move denounced by opponents as undermining the basis of the country's secular society. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who co-founded the ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), has long been accused by opponents of eroding the secular values of the modern Turkish state. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, a close Erdogan ally, said that an amendment was made to the dress code regulations for female students to say they will not be forced to keep their heads uncovered. "I know that some female students were longing for (this amendment) to high school regulations," Arinc told reporters after the cabinet meeting late on Monday. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu welcomed the amendment as an effort for "democratization." "This should not only be seen as the lifting of the ban on the wearing of headscarf," Davutoglu told the private NTV television Monday. "There has been an effort for freedoms and democratization in every sphere." Kamuran Karaca, head of the Egitim-Sen education union, said that the measures would provoke a "trauma" in Turkey. "Turkish society is heading back to the Middle Ages through the exploitation of religion," he said. Last year, Turkey lifted a long-standing ban on women wearing the headscarf in state institutions as part of a package of reforms to bolster freedoms and democracy -- which drew the ire of secularists who denounced the move as an attempt to Islamize the staunchly secular country. Women can already wear the Islamic headscarf -- known as the hejab -- in universities. The wives of most AKP ministers wear the hijab, as does Erdogan's wife Emine. The founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, based the post-Ottoman republic on a strict separation between religion and state. Critics accuse Erdogan, who last month moved to the post of president after over a decade as prime minister, of seeking to undermine Ataturk's legacy, charges he denies.

France - More nude celebrity photos, purportedly including reality star Kim Kardashian, circulated social media Saturday, in what appeared to be the second massive hacking-related leak in less than a month, U.S. media reported.

The pictures, which also included nude shots of actress Vanessa Hudgens and U.S. soccer star Hope Solo, appeared briefly on 4chan and Reddit, before being removed, celebrity gossip site TMZ reported.

BuzzFeed said that personal videos and photos belonging to actresses Aubrey Plaza, Mary-Kate Olsen, Hayden Panettiere and Leelee Sobieski were posted, in addition to previously unseen pictures of Jennifer Lawrence.

Hackers first released a trove of nude starlets’ photos on September 1, after snatching them from Apple's iCloud in what the tech giant has called a “targeted attack.”

The company has denied its cloud storage system was breached, suggesting that the celebrities had their accounts hacked by using easy-to-guess passwords, or by giving up their personal data to cybercriminals posing as Apple, a technique known as “phishing.”

In addition to Lawrence, celebrities whose pictures were allegedly stolen and posted online in early September included model Kate Upton, singer Avril Lavigne and actress Gabrielle Union.

Fez- Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday night that the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha will be observed Saturday October 14.

Experts gathered to sight the moon in order to ascertain the exact date of the Eid al-Adha celebration as the Islamic calendar is lunar-based. In the lunar Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijjah.

The Eid al-Adha celebration marks the end of hajj, a religious pilgrimage undertaken by millions of Muslims each year.

The day of Arafat, known the most important day of the pilgrimage, will fall on October 3rd , according to Saudi Arabia’s announcement.

The Islamic calender is based on Moon’s movements and many Muslim communities rely on eye-sighting of the crescent to mark the start of a month while some countries base the calender on astronomic charts.

The last month of the Islamic lunar calendar,”Dhu al-Hijjah” which literally means “Possessor of the Pilgrimage,” marks when Muslim pilgrims from across the world congregate at Islam’s holy capital Mecca to visit the Kaaba.

The Hajj (pilgrimage), one of the five pillars of Islam, is performed on the eighth, ninth and the tenth of this month.

The Day of Arafa, the eve of Eid al-Adha, takes place on the ninth of the month while Eid al-Adha begins on the tenth day and ends on the thirteenth.

By Nouh Anajjar

Nador - The title of this article is, or rather appears to be, ironic and likely upsetting for many women—let alone men. It is as if we are wondering whether to join a rebel leader to topple him out of his comfortable throne. But the truth is that there is nothing wrong about this. Patriarchy, with all its iterations, advocates for men before women insofar as the “superior” men are incongruously caught up and controlled by the very same mechanism and structure. In this structure, they systematically deploy control to maintain their dominance over women. In fact, what seems to be a socio-political system that endows men with so much supremacy, power, and privilege, is also an impeding and restrictive force that confines men’s existence and imprisons them in a series of prearranged gender roles.

Most of the time, men are expected to live up to certain beliefs about what it means to be a man. Man is expected to be the incarnation of power, dominance, courage, rationality, intelligence, governance, responsibility, serious-mindedness, and all qualities opposite of the weak, irrational, undecided, emotional, and inferior women. This undeniably proves to be inhibitory and iconoclastic, and positions men within a traditionally defined gender role that thwarts them from realizing their true potentials. Indeed, men have other qualities as human beings, such as tenderness, kindness, and the ability to communicate and understand gender complexities. In her book “The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love,” author Bell Hooks labels patriarchy as “the single most life-threatening social dis­ease assaulting the male body and spirit in our nation.” Hooks’ testimony above invites no further explanation. She makes perfectly clear the idea that patriarchy is not merely a woman’s worst nightmare and feminists’ overarching encumbrance, but it can also be a menacing syndrome that may disturb men and imperil masculinity.

If we are ever going to engage more amply and earnestly in dismantling patriarchy and ending misogyny, sexism, and other hackneyed gender stereotypes, (which is, I believe, part and parcel of “decolonizing the mind”), a tangible involvement of men is mandatory. This is simply because we cannot completely eradicate patriarchy if the men who are most responsible for it—and ironically assaulted by it—are located outside the equation. In that case, the battle against patriarchy apparently becomes merely a woman’s “business” and the bane of her anxieties.

Similarly, the responsibility to attain equal rights and a vigorous and healthy environment for women rests more with men than it does with women. Regrettably, this world is run by and for men. Men control societies that dictate how women are viewed and how they should be treated. For instance, men set the standard for beauty, what is and isn't socially acceptable for women, and how women should dress and behave, as well as several other unrealistic and sexist expectations and standards that no woman could or should fulfill. A majority of men are either absolutely against feminism and women's rights or completely lethargic about it, and it should be noted that both these perspectives are dangerous. It is men who created and fashioned this problem in the first place, so it only makes sense that they are essential partners in fixing it.

It is high time to start wiping away the stigma that comes with feminism and looking at feminism not as a concept that makes men uncomfortable, but rather as a social and cultural movement that calls for the betterment of both man and woman. The fight against patriarchy and misogyny is hard enough with so many women being against feminism, let alone the other half of the world's population. If men would just wake up and see that the patriarchy is just as poisonous to them as it is to women, then they may realize that we all urgently need feminism in this world. In no way does feminism mean vilifying men and holding them blameworthy; rather, it is about building a world wherein both men and women are equal, secure, and valued as human beings, regardless of their biological differences.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Rabat - Morocco will celebrate Eid Al Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice) on October 5, which coincides with the 10^th day of the Islamic month of Dul Hijja, 1435 of Al Hegira, announced the Ministry of the Endowments and Islamic Affairs on Thursday.

The crescent of Dul Hijja was sighted on Thursday evening (September 25) and Eid Al Adha will be celebrated on October 5, corresponding to Dul Hijja 10, 1435 of Al Hegira, said a statement by the ministry which supervises the viewing of the crescent nationwide.

Islamic calendar is based on Moon’s movements and many Muslim communities rely on eye-sighting of the crescent to mark the start of a month while some countries base the calendar on astronomic charts.

Eid al-Adha is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honor the willingness of prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail as an act of submission to Allah’s command and his son’s acceptance of being sacrificed, before Allah intervened to provide Ibrahim with a lamb to sacrifice instead.

During the Eid al-Adha, Muslims perform certain services along with the Eid prayers, such as sacrificing their best halal livestock, like a sheep, cow, goat or camel, in the name of Allah.

The sacrifice is an obligation for affluent Muslims who can afford it, who share one-third of the meat with friends and neighbors while donating one-third or more to the needy.

Rabat - Lindsey Van Gele, a candidate for the Miss Belgium contest 2012, has reportedly converted to Islam after marrying Mamoutou N'Diaye, a midfielder for Zulte Waregem, a Belgian football team.

Van Gele now calls herself "Aisha," has given up alcohol and pork, and no longer wears short skirts. She refuses to show her body uncovered in events such as the Gala Golden Shoe.

This week, Lindsey was a guest on the show "Komen Eten Vier” with other women and girlfriends of Belgian footballers.

"I became a Muslim when Mamoutou asked for my hand. A civil marriage was not enough for me. Moreover, I wanted to support my conversion," she said in Het Laatste Nieuws.

It has been four years since she married the Malian footballer, and two since she became a Muslim. Being a Muslim has not really changed her life, except that she now does not eat pork or drink alcohol. Lindsey says that she drinks soda and has recited a few sentences of the Koran to an imam, although she may not remember the sentences in detail. She meditates before going to bed, and says a prayer.

Lindsey studies management communication at Ghent University and hopes to finish her studies in 2016. She is looking forward to becoming a mother, and does not see becoming a stay-at-home mother as a problem, according to Belgian media reports.

Lindsey has agreed to keep to Islamic codes of dress out of respect for her husband, and refuses to wear miniskirts or shorts. She does not show her legs or chest as she used to in beauty competitions.

BERLIN - Sex between consenting adult siblings should not be punished under German law, an ethics panel advising the government recommended Wednesday.

The majority of the 25-member panel, which examines delicate ethical questions facing policymakers, said criminal law was the wrong instrument "to maintain a social taboo".

German law currently stipulates that sex between brothers and sisters can be subject to a two-year jail sentence or a fine.

The board, made up of professional experts in a wide range of fields, examined the issue following a high-profile case of an incestuous couple from the eastern city of Leipzig who had four children together.

Patrick Stuebing and his younger sister Susan, who was diagnosed with a personality disorder, only met as adults due to a chaotic upbringing.

They fought all the way to the European Court of Human Rights in 2012 to have their relationship recognized.

That tribunal upheld a German court's conviction of the man for his sexual relationship with his sister, noting there was no agreement between Council of Europe member states on the issue.

Reviewing the ruling, however, the German ethics panel found that the purpose of criminal law was "not to enforce moral standards or limits for the sexual intercourse of willing citizens".

Rather, it said, laws should "protect individuals from serious harm or molestation and protect the social order of society from disturbances".

It noted that sexual abuse, assault and exploitation were all issues already covered under German law and therefore they applied to siblings.

In their non-binding recommendations, the experts said that "neither the fear of negative consequences for the family nor the possibility of children from such incestuous relations justifies a penal ban".

"The basic right of the adult siblings for sexual actualization is in such cases to be seen as more important than the abstract object of legal protection that is the family," they wrote.

They noted that all available data on incest in Western societies show that it is extremely rare, but those involved in such relationships described the enormous burden of potential prosecution.

The legal affairs expert of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative parliamentary group, Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, criticized the panel's recommendation as sending the "wrong message".

European countries have varying approaches to the issue. Incest is not subject to a separate law in Spain and France but it can be cited as an aggravating factor in other crimes such as statutory rape or sexual assault.

By contrast, Germany, Britain, Denmark, Greece and Switzerland all have incest laws covering siblings on the books.

Marrakech - Saudi pilots who carried out air strikes on jihadists in Syria received online death threats Wednesday after their photos were published, according to AFP.

Among the pilots is a son of the crown prince, according to the Saudi Press Agency which released the photographs of the eight airmen.

One of the pilots involved in the raids is a son of Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz himself, according to Saudi newspapers.

"My sons, the pilots, fulfilled their obligation toward their religion, their homeland and their king," SPA quoted Crown Prince Salman as saying.

He was "proud of the professionalism and bravery" of the Saudi air force men, SPA said.

A number of ISIS and Al-Qaeda militants were reported killed in the coalition air raids, sparking jihadist threats online.

Twitter messages posted by ISIS threatened to kill the pilots, according to AFP.

One Twitter user said the air force men were "wanted by IS" while another said their throats "will sooner or later be slit," the same source added.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan confirmed their participation in the US-led coalition. Washington said Qatar was also involved.

Rabat – Moroccan authorities last week dismantled a network specializing in filming pornographic films.

The network included Moroccan nationals and was headed by a French who work  in the pornographic industry, according to the Moroccan daily Al Masse.

According to the same source, the dismantling of the network occurred after the investigation of a complaint by the French network boss who owned a hotel in Tameslouht, south of Marrakech.

The boss lodged a complaint accusing his driver of abducting him and stealing his car. In the investigation that ensued, the police interviewed the driver, who denied the allegations against him, saying they were slander and part of a revenge orchestrated against him by his employer.

The driver claimed to have refused to pose naked at the request of his boss or to act in pornographic movies that the French national was shooting in Marrakech.

According to the same source, the driver’s claims proved to be real following the investigation carried out by the police.  The police concluded that the driver had neither kidnapped his employer nor stolen his car.

The testimony of an employee of the hotel supported the claims levelled by the driver against his employee.

While the two men were both placed in custody for the purposes of the investigation, the hotel owner finally admitted that he was in the business of making pornographic films, before delivering to investigators excerpts from his work, scenes featuring women engaged in sexual acts.

Tangier - Blaming the victim can be devastating to women who have been sexually assaulted and then are deemed “at fault” for their sexual harassment, even though they bear no responsibility for the crime committed against them.

Yet it is a common and universal experience of women and girls who are subjected to sexual harassment and sex-based violence. Here are some accounts of Moroccan women whose lives have been negatively impacted by the crime and more importantly by others’ reactions to their reporting of the crime. Some of these victims were wearing hijab at the time of the assault, yet dressing modestly made no difference to the assailant.

Nadia, 24: “It was a normal day, I was in a café with my friends and I had to go to the toilet. Right after I went into the toilet, a man pushed the door so fast and so hard against me, and pushed me up against the wall. He was trying to kiss me, he was touching me everywhere with one hand on my mouth and the other hand trying to get my clothes off. I shouted as hard as I could and hit him as hard as I could, so that finally a girl came in and he got scared and confused and ran away. He ran away leaving me in hell. I was too scared, too angry, too disgusted with myself.

I went home crying to my parents, hoping they would help me feel safe and maybe help me report this crime against me to the police. But unfortunately, they blamed ME for what had happened to me in that toilet. They didn’t report anything to the police or even think that I needed help. Instead, they blamed me for going to the café, for going out — they blamed me for being me (a girl). Then, they locked me up at home, living with a burning pain. I felt that they ran away from me just the exact way he did, leaving me in a second hell.

Two years after this incident and after all the efforts I made with my parents so I can go out again, study again, and find a job, I have started to have a normal life again. But now, I’ve learned my lesson: If something like this ever happens again, I will never tell my parents or my sisters anything at all, because I will not live another double hell, I will only have to live one.”

Hajar, 22: “I was on the city bus, I was looking out the window, and suddenly I felt someone move in close to me. He stuck a knife into my left side and told me to give him any money or anything I had. I told him I had nothing, then he started touching my pockets, and he found nothing! But then he started brushing up against my body telling me if I dared to make any sound he would stab me. After two bus stops, he was done with me. I was crying. Many people looked right into my eyes, and I’m sure they felt that I was crying for help, but nobody made a single move. My harasser was finished fulfilling his sick sexual desire, with a laughing stupid face. He said, “See you later,” and he was gone. I kept crying for hours, and I’m still disgusted to this day. I hated the bus, I hated Meknes, I hated men.”

Fatimazahra, 22: “Oh my god, he was a very old man, he was jammed up against my back in this damn crowded bus. I turned my head and saw his lower part naked. I tried to escape, and I was about to faint because of how disgusting that view was…. That’s enough, I can’t add any more words. All I could think was, how could he? Why? He was like 80 years old or something. This is disgusting... I can’t talk about it anymore….”

The stories on public transportations are endless, so many victims. But, the feelings are the same, the words “hate,” “disgusting,” and “animal” were repeated again and again by the victims, and the amount of anger in the voices of these girls if it was put together could set the whole world on fire.

Lamiae, 17: “I often go out with my father, but it does not stop harassers from doing their daily dirty business, and my father is always getting into fights…. Sometimes I feel like we are living in a jungle.”

Meryem, 19: “Sexual harassment never stops, I’m really pissed off. It is everywhere, even inside my school! Even my best friend’s father harasses me, and when I told her she was just as embarrassed and angry as I am. That’s just horrible!”

Samiha, 24: “I’m harassed all day long, anywhere, anytime. I can never walk as I please. The other day I was with my friend, we were just sitting and talking while two guys came over us, making us uncomfortable, asking for our names and phone numbers. No matter how much we refused to talk or ask them to leave, they seem stupidly deaf, they ruined our evening just the same way the thousand others are ruining our walks and talks and our everyday life. I am so sick of it, sometimes I wish if I could make them disappear.”

I wish I could depict all the stories and all the suffering, but there are too many stories, too little time, and too little ink and paper to capture the magnitude of the problem. I wanted to tell these women’s stories because I so often hear girls (including me) saying, “oh if they just knew what their acts do to us!” People need to know. We may not be able to stop such assaults. But we can control how we react to the victims of such assault.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Fez - In a reaction to the marches staged by Muslims of France to denounce the beheading of French tourist Hervé Gourdel by Algerian militants, the French newspaper Le Figaro  conducted — and then deleted — on Thursday September 25th its “Question of the Day” gauging the reaction of Muslims to the decapitation. 

As reported in the media, the Islamist group Jund al-Khilifa captured Hervé Gourdel, on Sunday September 20th in Algeria.

The question that Le Figaro broached was: “Do you consider the condemnation of Muslims to the murder of Hervé Gourdel as sufficient?” In one hour, four thousand and five hundred people had answered the question.  Eighty two percent answered “no.”

This sensitive poll was the subject of heated debate. Delphine Legouté, a journalist in Europe 1, described it as “nauseous," and Cécile Duflot, who is an ecologist MP, considered it “irresponsible and indecent.”

After deleting the question and the responses, Le Figaro offered the following explanation to its readers: “Our question of the day can lead to regrettable interpretations, so Le Figaro has decided to remove it.”

Notre question du jour pouvant prêter à des interprétations regrettables, Le Figaro a décidé de la retirer. — Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) September 25, 2014

The international community as well as the Muslims of France condemned this act.  Dalil Boubakeur, President of the French Council of Muslim Faith, said, “We, Muslims of France, are shocked by the murder of innocents; we are horrified by this barbarism, by this terrorism.…”

By Radia Benabbou

Rabat -  Muslims around the world are using the hashtag #MuslimApologies as a way to defend Islam as a peaceful religion and that ISIS’s violent acts do not represent their faith.

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Islam has been a target for several different types of accusations that associate it with terrorism. Muslims around the world have been persecuted and discriminated against just for sharing religious beliefs with a terrorist group. It has been a hard time for Muslims, especially North African immigrants in Europe. It took much effort and commitment to alter—though not completely—this perception of Islam.

However, once again, Islam is associated with terrorism due to the notorious acts of ISIS, a terrorist group that claims to have an Islamic background. The world is once again blaming Islam and Muslims as a community for what ISIS is doing, nurturing hatred and contempt against the Muslims of the world.

In response to this wave of hatred, a wave of a different kind is being born. The #MuslimApologies is a campaign, led by Muslims of the world, is attempting to shed light on the fact that not all Muslims agree with the violent acts of ISIS. It is a campaign that makes use of sarcasm in order to ridicule the attempts to associate Islam with terrorism.

This hashtag is a new trend on Twitter. Muslims from around the world post tweets where they sarcastically apologize for the good things Muslims did for humanity. They apologize for Islam’s positive contributions in the different areas of life. The “apologies” focus mainly on education, scientific discoveries, human rights, and spiritual matters. Along with similar hashtags, this campaign seems to be exposing the world to a different type of Islam: one that is a tolerant, peaceful religion.

These are some examples of the tweets:

Scientists use the Quran to discover things. I'm sorry that the Quran knows more than humans. #MuslimApologies — x (@jerrysmindx) September 27, 2014

now that we've seen #MuslimApologies i wanna see #WesternApologies. there's a lot to apologize for, luckily for you Islam is very forgiving. — Mimi (@xmimia) September 27, 2014

#MuslimApologies foreshadows an indigenous rejection of the Politics of Apologetics that has long gripped Muslim-American institutions — Khaled Bey (@KhaledBeydoun) September 27, 2014

I'm sorry that I'm in love with a faith that the west tries to water down. #muslimapologies — Sarah ? ???? (@AngelicYemenia) September 27, 2014

I'm sorry for being a white Muslim who doesn't look Arab. It's confusing, and I'm very ashamed. #MuslimApologies pic.twitter.com/dmz6cMBeug — Liesel Hess (@LieselHess) September 25, 2014

I'm sorry the media has brainwashed you to believe that Islam is a religion of evil. Sorry you can't think for yourself #MuslimApologies — Princess Palestinian (@GazaPrincesssss) September 25, 2014

Marrakech- Turkish Andalou news agency quoted Massoud Shadjareh, the chairman of the London-based Human Rights Association saying, "Islamophobia was ever-present in the West, but what happened on September 11 in New York in a way legitimized such sentiments. Hatred on that level still continues."

He pointed out that daily street attacks against Muslims and Muslim women wearing the veil were taking place, despite the fact that the terrorist organization ISIL is the enemy of Muslims and Western countries alike. He talks of a culture of Islamophobia spreading across Europe, and that this culture included articles in the media.

In France, Le Figaro withdrew the publication of a survey asking whether the Muslim response against ISIL was sufficient. Some 68% of the respondents said no. When outraged Muslims reacted, Le Figaro suppressed the publication of the survey results. At this stage, it looks quite possible that the National Front, led by Marine Le Pen, could win the next French elections.

France’s complicated relationship with its former colonies in the Maghreb is only harmed by attacks on French citizens of Moroccan and North African descent, like the French Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Research Najat Villaud-Belkacem who has been the victim of racist slurs.

The website Yibladi highlighted the case of a Moroccan, Mohammed Talhaoui, living in La Rochelle, who is on hunger strike because he cannot obtain work or even rent an apartment, despite the fact that both his parents have French nationality and he earned two master’s degrees in France. Despite government statements to the contrary, there is a definite long-term prejudice against Muslims from the Maghreb, even when they have acquired French citizenship. Elsewhere in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stood up for the rights of the Muslim community, but prejudice is still widespread.

As the GCC countries join in the coalition bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria, Muslims in Europe should be treated the same as other ethnic and religious groups in Western society. ISIS is killing more Muslims than any other religion.

It has always been a long-term aim of Al Qaeda and its offshoots like ISIS to divide the Muslim world and the West from each other. This must be resisted.

Some 15,000 foreign Jihadists, many from Europe, are supporting the rise of ISIS, according to CIA estimates. The website Yabladi highlights the arrest by Kurdish Peshmerga troops of three Moroccan-Europeans from Belgium and. The CIA has identified the ISIS member who has executed two American journalists and a British aid worker as a man of British origin. European countries and their allies are afraid that returning Jihadists will spread violence in European cities in an uncontrollable chain reaction.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

France- Turkey's Islamic-rooted government has banned pupils from wearing tattoos or body piercings in schools, a measure denounced by opponents as oppressive and unenforceable, reports said Sunday.

While tattoos are frowned upon by conservative elements in Turkey's diverse society, they are highly fashionable among secular urban youth, including school-age teens.

The measure is the latest hugely controversial measure taken by the government in education, after it allowed girls in high schools to wear the Muslim headscarf, a move critics said eroded Turkey's secular principles.

The ban, which was published in Turkey's official gazette on Saturday and reported by local media Sunday, also forbids the dyeing of hair, make-up, as well as moustaches and beards for boys.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) co-founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to restore traditional values in Turkey, a drive seen by opponents as a bid to Islamise the country.

The head of the Egitim Is education union Veli Demir denounced the measure as impossible to enforce, given that tattoos could not be removed like a piece of clothing.

"Are they going to strip off their skin?" he asked, quoted by the Radikal online newspaper.

"What is going to happen to those (pupils) who already have tattoos? This is not a decision that a reasonable person can take. It is a decision taken without careful thought," he added.

"It is a decision taken by an oppressive mindset. Education is all about contributing to a child's development and protecting them," he said.

Ismail Koncuk, the head of another major education union, Egitim Sen, was more supportive of the move, saying there was no need for children with existing tattoos to have an operation. He indicated the ban would apply only to children who want to get tattoos after it comes into force.

"There will be a confusion about when the tattoo was done," he admitted. "I believe that on this issue the school will take the initiative and help the child."

Erdogan has already made clear his distaste for tattoos, telling an up-and-coming young footballer in July to get rid of the tattoos on his arm.

"What are these tattoos? Why do you harm your body?" he told Berk Yildiz of the Galatasaray team.

"Don't be fooled by foreigners. God forbid, it could even give you skin cancer in the future," Erdogan said.

Marrakech- The conservative Canadian government is introducing a new law changing the rules for applying for citizenship. Obtaining a Canadian passport and then returning to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to work will now be more difficult.

Traditionally, Canada has welcomed immigrants of all nationalities, but now the Bill C-24 is placing conditions on the issuing of Canadian passports.

The Canadian administration is cracking down on the practice of staying for a short period to obtain a Canadian passport and then returning to the GCC to continue working on a GCC work permit. Currently, a person seeking Canadian citizenship must stay in Canada for 1,065 days or four years before submitting an application.

But if the rest of the Bill C-24 Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act comes into force, those wishing to be permanent residents will have to stay in Canada for at least 1460 days, including 183 days for tax purposes, and will have to pay Canadian tax. They will also have to stay in Canada for 6 years before applying for Canadian citizenship.

In line with the US and European countries, including the United Kingdom, the Canadian government is insisting that applicants pass an English language test and a knowledge of Canada test for applicants aged 14 to 65 to be granted citizenship. Currently, this only applies to those aged 18 to 55. Older applicants who find English difficult are likely to suffer.

Opposition party members fear that these measures may create two classes of citizenship: one that cannot be revoked and one for dual citizens that may be withdrawn at any time.

As more immigrants seek a new life in a stable country like Canada, the pressure on the administration is mounting.The revived war on terror is likely to make freedom of movement and funds more difficult for everyone. This might also affect Canada’s long and honorable tradition of welcoming immigrants.

Rabat- Moroccan news website Goud.ma has been hacked by a hacker group that calls itself the Electronic Islam Army.

The Moroccan tabloid has not been accessible for the past hour and at the time of writing it is still controlled by the hackers.

The hacker group posted a message on the website, in which it lambasts its editorial line and its tendency to publish what it called “a porn site”.

Update: The website was back to normal at 4.15 pm eastern time (9.15 pm time of Morocco), and has been taken back by the hackers at 11 pm eastern time (4 am time of Morocco)