Marrakech - Israeli newspaper Haaretz has called out the Israeli Population, Immigration, and Borders Authority (PIBA) for failing to publish Arab children’s names in its most recent list of facts on the state of Israel.

On PIBA’s list of most popular children’s names, Yosef, Daniel, Uri, Itai, Omer, Adam, Noam, Ariel, Eitan, and David are present, but Mohammed is not. However, Mohammed is the most popular children’s name in the state of Israel, Haaretz pointed out.

PIBA said it did not intend to suppress information, and according to Haaretz this is not a case of racism but of denial. It hides the inconvenient fact that the Arab population both in Israel and in the Palestinian State is beginning to grow larger than the Jewish population. This was a courageous piece of journalism by Haaretz, reminding us that some Jewish people may be able to recognize the truth even if the Israeli state cannot.

One wonders if the recent bombardment of Gaza against unarmed civilians was an attempt to even the balance. It was, by any standards, a disproportionate response, given the fact that Hamas was firing rockets into Israel. It defies belief that a people who suffered the worst kind of Nazi brutality could perpetrate a similar aggression with tanks and bombs against an unarmed people.

Granted, Hamas forces were hidden amongst the population, but the maelstrom unleashed on ordinary Palestinian men, women, and children may at last have stirred the world’s conscience.

Such indifference to civilized standards, whether in Syria, Iraq, or Gaza, is still a violence that destroys civilization and builds resentment and hatred for generations. The Zionists continue to seize Palestinian land, and the West, especially the United Kingdom, allowed and enabled them to do it. This is a real blind spot.

President Mahmoud Abbas called it genocide, but if you won’t go with that, ethnic cleansing might also apply. What is certain is that after this latest attack on Gaza, things will never be the same. We all have to bear witness to this atrocity and injustice whenever we can.

By Kevin Kriedemann

London - World leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) have highlighted the importance of press freedom and called on Egypt to release the three jailed Al Jazeera staff.

The wrongful imprisonment of Baher Mohamed, Peter Greste and Mohammed Fahmy was raised by US President Obama in his first meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

According to the Deputy National Security advisor, Ben Rhodes, Obama reminded the Egyptian leader of his duty to human rights, including the rights to free speech and the rights of the three jailed Al Jazeera journalists. Rhodes said: "The president expressed his view that those journalists should be released."

President Obama’s emphasis on releasing the men follows a similar meeting between Tony Abbott, the Australian Prime Minister, and Sisi for twenty minutes. After the meeting, Abbott said: “I think he (Sisi) will do his best to be helpful."

At UNGA, similar calls for Egypt to release the three journalists were made by the British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond, who told Al Jazeera: “On the question of Al Jazeera journalists, I’ve raised this question personally with President Sisi. I raise it every time I see Foreign Minister Shoukry. The current situation is that the journalists have, as I understand it, appealed their convictions and that means this remains at the present time a judicial process. And we have to respect the separation of judicial and executive power. Once that judicial process is complete, if that sentence still stands, we would look to the executive to intervene and ensure they are released.”

Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera that he'd traveled with Peter Greste and been interviewed by him. "He was a very nice guy… He was not politicized; he is a professional journo…  I know he doesn't deserve to be in prison."

He added, "For us in Somalia, we are very much committed and believe in the independence of the media and their role in the changing world of today. We politicians are not always happy with the way journos express what they see as a reality on the ground - but even then I believe we need to be very tolerant to them."

In a campaign to increase even further awareness of the jailing of the Al Jazeera three, an advert was placed in The New York Times and Times Square New York to remind the Egyptian leader and other officials that the three men have been arrested, detained, charged and sentenced for just doing their job of honest, free and fair reporting.

Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were convicted in June of aiding terrorism and spreading false news that portrayed Egypt as being in a state of "civil war." In a case that sparked international outrage, Greste and Fahmy received seven-year terms, while Mohamed was sentenced to 10 years.

Since their arrest in December 2013, Al Jazeera has received international support calling for their freedom from human rights organisations, news networks and various governments.

On social media, the advert placed in The New York Times alone gave 800,000 impressions on Twitter in the first five hours.

Commenting on president Obama's call for the release of the Al Jazeera three, Al Jazeera spokesperson Osama Saeed said: "For nine months since the arrest of Baher Mohamed, Mohammed Fahmy and Peter Greste, world opinion has stated that these men are innocent and have committed no crime, yet nearly 300 days later they still languish behind bars. Al Jazeera welcomes the direct involvement of President Obama and Prime Minister Abbott by reminding the Egyptian authorities that it is their moral duty in the name of free speech and human rights that they release our colleagues who are innocent and renowned journalists."

Calls for the release of Al Jazeera staff have previously been made from the White House, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the European Union, the Australian Government and over 150 rights groups, including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute.

Over 200,000 people have signed petitions globally, including two petitions signed by 150,000 people presented to the Egyptian Vice Counsel in Sydney by Australia’s leading journalists.

Over 40 of the world’s top journalists have also signed a letter demanding the release of the journalists, and media outlets across the globe have staged their own protests, including BBC, CNN, ITN, Channel 4, Fairfax Australia, Toronto Star, VRT deredactie and Iran’s Shargh Daily.

High-profile supporters include leading media personalities Larry King, Christiane Amanpour, Jon Snow, Piers Morgan, Stephen Fry, Ben Wedeman, Brian Stelter, and Alex Thompson, as well as Naomi Klein, Reza Aslan, Mia Farrow and Bianca Jagger.

Similarly public calls of support for the release of the journalists have occurred throughout the social media campaign #FreeAJStaff, with over 137,000 people who have shared their support on Twitter, reaching 112 million people, and delivering over two billion impressions.

Rabat - The World Bank (WB) and the British Council (BC) announced today that they will sign a memorandum of understanding on September 30 to promote the importance of social enterprises and launch a new incubation program for social entrepreneurs in Morocco.

With the assistance of a multi-donor trust fund, WB ad BC will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) involving $330,000 US in Rabat, the headquarters of the World Bank, on September 30, 2014, at 8.30 am.

This agreement will allow the partners to promote the importance of social enterprise and launch a new incubation program for social entrepreneurs.

A campaign will be launched in early November 2014 to raise awareness about potential job creation and improved social services resulting from social enterprises. A pilot program will support, assist, and finance Moroccan social enterprises.

The project plans to identify 30 social entrepreneurs with innovative projects, who will participate in a training program in January 2015.

The signing of the MOU will be attended by the Director of the Maghreb Department at the World Bank, Mr. Simon Gray, the British Council Regional Director—MENA, Mr Adrian Chadwick, and the new Director of the British Council Morocco, Mr John Mitchell.

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By Nouh Anajjar

Nador, Morocco - The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, Qatar, announced on September 24^th the results of the Arab Index for 2014, a survey carried out in 14 Arab countries to gauge public opinion on various topics.

The countries included in the survey were Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, and Libya. The survey also included the views of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan inside Syrian territory bordering Turkey.

The field poll, considered byDr. Mohammed al-Masri, the coordinator of the Public Opinion Unit of the Arab Center to be the largest survey of public opinion in the Arab region and therefore an important source of data for decision-makers, researchers and those interested in the affairs of the Arab region, was carried out between January and July, 2014, and surveyed 26,618 interviewed respondents with a margin of error ranging from 2 to 3%.

The results of the survey this year revealed a split in public opinion on the Arab Spring: Only 45% of respondents considered the Arab revolutions to be positive developments in the Arab region, whereas 42% expressed a negative assessment of the Arab Spring. The 42% who considered the Arab revolutions to be negative supported their view by citing the huge number of human casualties, the failure to achieve the intended objectives, and the deterioration of economic conditions since those events. Interestingly enough, while the notion had been prevalent previously, only 5% of the respondents maintained that the Arab Spring had been a foreign conspiracy.

Notwithstanding the split in public opinion on the merits of the Arab revolutions, Arabs are generally still optimistic about the Arab Spring and have confidence in its eventual positive fruits. The majority of the public (estimated at 60%) said they believe that the Arab Spring is undergoing a tumble, but that it will ultimately achieve its objectives, and only 17% of the respondents said they thought that the Arab Spring has resulted merely in the reappearance of previous systems of governance. In fact, many citizens of the Arab region said that they believe that the deterioration of security in some countries, the decline of economic conditions, some external interference, the emergence of extremist movements, as well as the incitement caused by media, to be major factors that have contributed to the faltering of the Arab Spring.

At the economic level, the survey indicates that the economic condition of the citizens of the Arab region is not satisfactory at all. 42% said that their incomes cover no more than the expenses of their everyday needs, and thus they cannot save money. 32% reported that their families live in poverty insofar as their incomes do not fully cover all their living expenses.

As for Arab national security, 66% reported that Israel and the United States are the most menacing countries to Arab national security, while only 9% felt that Iran is the most threatening to the security of the Arab world. It was mostly Yemenis, Saudis, Iraqis, Kuwaitis, and Lebanese who considered Iran to be the most threatening to the security of their countries.

The results also showed that 87% of the citizens of the Arab region refuse to recognize Israel, and they justified their hostility towards Israel through a number of factors mostly associated with the colonial, racist, and expansionist nature of Israeli settlements in Palestine. Dr. Masri asserted that the views of Arabs who refuse to recognize Israel do not emanate from cultural attitudes or hatred against Jews, but rather reflect opposition to Zionists.

When it comes to technology and the internet, the results indicated that television is still the primary means by which Arabs follow the news (76%), followed by the Internet (7%), and radio and the daily press (6% each). National TV channels are the most common source for news, by Al Jazeera and Al-Arabiya. 48% of respondents to the survey stated that they do not use the Internet, compared to 50% who said they do, 71% of Internet users have an account on Facebook, and 29% of Internet users have an account on Twitter. The majority of those with Facebook and Twitter accounts said they use these social websites to interact with others on political issues.

As for the impact of religion and spiritual belief on public life and political life, the results showed that the majority of the citizens of the Arab region reported that they are either "very religious" (24%), or "religious somewhat" (63%), compared to 8% who said that they are "not religious.”

The survey covered other issues such as immigration, evaluation of the performance of governmental policies, financial corruption, democracy, and the rule of law.

The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies is an institution focusing on geo-political issues in the Arab region that studies various policies, including Arab policies, foreign policies towards the Arab region, governmental policies, and institutional and policies,and provides alternatives and solutions. The center’s philosophy believes in the existence of a unified Arab national security and common interests among Arab countries, as well as the potential for improving the Arab economy.

Edited by Elisabeth Myers

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Fez - A Moroccan boy born without a face, is being saved by the intervention of a Moroccan living in Australia.

Yahya, a little three year old boy, born near Tangier, was the main topic of an Australian TV show that was aired on Sunday.

The child was born without eyes, nose and upper jaw because without the bones in his face, they were not able to merge whilst he was still in his mother’s womb.

Yahya's father, Mustapha Zohra, who was desperate to find a solution for his son, consulted several surgeons who refused to operate him. Fortunately for him, the story of Yahya spread on social networks and attracted the attention of a Moroccan citizen living in Australia, Fatima Baraka.

"I opened my Facebook one day [...] and I saw an image that really caught my attention," Baraka said to the Australian Seven TV channel. While she was fighting breast cancer, Baraka contacted parents of Yahya and pledged to find a surgeon able to restore the boy's face.

Now, thanks to the efforts made by Fatima Baraka, Yahya will be operated by Melbourne reconstructive surgeon Tony Holmes.

The Australian surgeon, who met Yahya for the first time in August to assess his case, expressed his concern over the chances for the operation to succeed, adding that his case is extreme.

"My biggest concern is whether or not he is suitable for surgery, we really do not know how he is functioning and how the brain is functioning," he said.

"I think this one is about as difficult as it gets, on the you know, this is a 9-9.50 out of 10 degree of difficulty without any doubt I mean this is cranio-facial neurosurgery at its extreme," he added.

Holmes told the Australian TV channel that Yahya’s necessitates many surgeries and hoped he would complete the first surgery by the end of this year.

Rabat- Auchan stores, a French international retail group and multinational corporation headquartered in Croix, France, offered to sell, in the toy department, guns with a logo, displaying above the trigger, combining a star and a crescent moon, symbols associated with Islam.

The toy, which looks like a Kalashnikov AK-47 and is decorated with a star and a crescent moon, cost only one euro.

The photo of the toy went viral on social media and many social media users denounced the way Islam symbols are associated with guns and war machines.

Auchan commercialise un jouet-mitraillette avec des symboles de l’islam http://t.co/6y32Pc0g68 pic.twitter.com/qaimNRQ3FR — Les Observateurs (@Observateurs) September 29, 2014

Contacted by the weekly l’Hebdomadaire, the company claims to have removed the toy from its stores.

Auchan "acknowledges having lacked vigilance" and said "sorry if some people were struck by association of the symbols and religion."

Taroudant, Morocco - The anti-Islamic ads bankrolled by right-wing blogger Pamela Geller in New York City's subway system this month have been yanked after criticism from slain journalist James Foley's heartbroken parents.

Led by blogger Pamela Geller, the right-wing group American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) ran a series of anti-Islamic ads in New York City's subway system that shows captive journalist James Foley moments before he was decapitated.

The Zionist group was forced to modify the ad after receiving a letter from the Foley family opposing the use of the image of their beheaded son.

However, the anti-Islam ad is still running featuring a different image, but with the same headline that reads, “Yesterday's moderate is today's headline,” and a bold expression printed in red at the bottom of the page that reads, “It’s not Islamophobia, it's Islamorealism.

According to the New York Post, the other anti-Islamic ads scheduled to appear in New York and San Francisco will go forward this week.

In the letter sent to the anti-Islamic group, the Foley family wrote, “The advertisement you are preparing to run seems to convey the message that ordinary practitioners of Islam are a dangerous threat. This message is entirely inconsistent with Mr. Foley's reporting and his beliefs.”

With her regular anti-Islam campaign since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America and extreme views, Pamela Geller apparently is doing whatever it takes to spread a distorted broad brush view of Islam.

Ironically, the United States, which has laws to fight all forms of segregation and discrimination, has no law against hate speech per se (unless it poses an imminent danger of unlawful action, where the speaker has the intention to incite such action and such action is likely as a consequence of his or her speech), and worse allows such ads to run in public spaces.

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Marrakech - The Promise pathways, a program financed by the US department of labor to fight child labor, was launched on Monday in Marrakech.

The Promise Pathways project, worth USD 5 million, seeks to reduce child labor in Morocco by increasing access to education for 5,500 children and youth (ages 6 to 17) and by providing livelihood and other social services to 1,000 siblings, parents and care-givers, who are 18 years old and above, in the Marrakech-Tensift-Al-Haouz region.

The project will also conduct policy analysis and raise awareness on the hazards of child labor and will build the capacity of relevant government and non-government stakeholders to better address the issue.

The project will be operating through personal follow-up using an electronic data base called "Direct Beneficiary Monitoring System" to secure efficient and rigorous implementation of the recipients' education and employment plans.

It will be carried out in partnership with several other Moroccan governmental departments and public institutions, as well as sector bodies and non-governmental organizations.

Geneva - Algeria has once again refused to allow a visit into its territories of the Special UN Rapporteur on Human Rights after years of procrastination, diplomatic sources in Geneva said.

"The Algerian "authorities were seeking to restraint the visit by a number of terms and conditions that may prevent the successful completion of this mission," the same sources added.

Negotiations on the UN Special Rapporteur's visit lasted more than three years, according to the spokesperson of the Algerian association "SOS Disparus" Nassera Dutour on visit to Geneva on the occasion of the fall session of the UN Council of Human Rights.

According to this NGO, "the thorny issue of enforced disappearances is a source of distress for Algerian officials who over the years developed a phobia of international procedures of human rights."

"After years of negotiations, Algiers officially denied the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights," the spokesman deplored.

In February, five international human rights NGO's, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, urged the Algerian authorities to allow visits to their investigators as well as those of the UN in accordance with the country's commitments as a UN Human Rights Council member.

Rabat - Morocco World News plans to publish a series of articles about the DV Lottery program to highlight all the aspects that applicants and DV Lottery Visa winners should know. The articles will serve as a valuable reference to our audience who would like to know more about the process of immigrating to the United States through DV Lottery Visa program.

What Is the DV Program?

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV), also known as the “Green Card Lottery” is a U.S. government-run program that offers up to 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) annually, free of charge, to eligible applicants from qualifying countries. Through a computerized drawing system, the Green Card Lottery program is run by the State Department and overseen by the Department of Homeland Security. The system picks applicants randomly from all entries and issues immigrant visas to individuals who meet strict, yet simple eligibility requirements. The DV Lottery targets countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

Since 1995, the Green Card DV Lottery program, a congressionally-mandated program, has intended to diversify the flow of immigrants entering the United States. While the program randomly picks applicants from countries with lower recent rates of immigration, it was envisioned to focus on African countries, Ireland, and some other Asian countries. Africans continue to make up the majority of the green card winners. According to U.S. State Department figures, from 2009 to 2011, Africans made up about 50% of all DV Green Card Lottery visa recipients. However, the trend is decreasing with some African countries being excluded from the upcoming DV Lottery. Countries such as Nigeria, with a large flow of immigrants to the U.S. in the last few years, is not eligible to participate in the upcoming DV Green Card Lottery program. Central Asians are now the second most admitted group.

While some African countries are being disqualified from participating in the DV Green Card Lottery program, the number of Lottery winners from countries such as Morocco is increasing, according to the State Department figures. The table below shows a 35% increase in Moroccan DV Lottery winners in the last five years of the Green Card Lottery program.

In the last few years, the U.S. DV Green Card Lottery program suffered from some PR issues due to the proliferation of fraudulent entities posing as the U.S. government or intermediary agencies. The scammers trick applicants into sending money to help them in the application process. The U.S. government continuously monitors and issues warnings to inform the public about this kind of fraud, and deter these scammers who prey on individuals wishing to immigrate to the U.S.

Legislation

The Immigration Act of 1990 established the Diversity Visa (DV) program, where 55,000 immigrant visas became available in an annual lottery, starting in fiscal year 1995. The lottery aimed to diversify the immigrant population coming to the United States by selecting applicants mostly from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States known as diversity countries. The number of immigrants arriving in the U.S. is calculated through mathematical formula by the office of the Attorney General of the United States. Starting in fiscal year 1999, 5,000 visas from the DV program became reserved for use by the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act program, so the number of DV immigrant visas available in the lottery was reduced to 50,000.

Qualifications

There are strict but simple requirements to qualify for the Green Card Lottery visas. If the applicants do not meet the requirements,they should not submit an entry to the DV program as the State Department and the consular offices carefully verifies whether applicants meet all the requirements. To qualify for a visa under this program, an applicant must be native of or chargeable into a diversity country, which is subject to change each year, and have a high school diploma, also known as baccalauréate certificate in certain countries. Alternatively, they must have within five years of the date of application, at least two years of work experience in an eligible occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.

According to the U.S Embassy in Morocco, “in recent years, a significant number of Moroccan Lottery winners lacked the qualifications which led to their visa’s refusal at the time of the interview.” Adhering to the information publicized by Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) about the educational and professional criteria that applicants must meet to qualify for a Diversity Visa is critical to avoid such a situation.

The embassy also stated that “the determination as to whether an applicant qualifies for the DV occurs during the interview with the consular officer who refers to the Department of Labor's website to determine if an applicant qualifies based on work experience.” The interview, costs a non-refundable $330 processing fee which must be paid by each entrant prior to the interview date. Thus, unqualified applicants could invest a considerable amount of money and time only to be denied the visa. “Therefore, Moroccan citizens, as any other applicants considering the Diversity Visa, are advised to review the qualification criteria information provided by KCC.”

Distribution and Lottery Process

In order to meet the Lottery visa quotas, the State Department notifies more “winners” than the actual number of the allocated Green Card Lottery visas. This over-notification allows for the applicants who drop out during the 18 months process, and those who do not qualify because they lack the minimum eligibility requirements. In the year 2013, there were more than 12.5 Million applications for the DV Green card Lottery submitted through the Department of State’s Electronic Diversity Visa website, of which there were 119,443 Moroccans. Only 2,068 of them actually obtained the Green Card Lottery visa.

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By Lahcen Ait Idir

Azilal, Morocco There is currently a long-running debate about the merits of diversity within societies.  One of the arguments that keeps reverberating is that diversity — whether cultural or linguistic — is a double-edged sword, with definite pros and cons, some “happy” and some “unhappy.”

This article lands on the side of “unhappy talk” about linguistic diversity in Morocco. It highlights how language differences are employed to suppress and stigmatize “minor” (in terms of power) languages such as Tamazight, one of Morocco’s indigenous languages. Not only is Tamazight seemingly not socially recognized, but it carries with it political, academic, and institutional stigma, and has been subject to “linguistic terrorism” over the years in Morocco. This article sets out to unravel how the Tamazight language is a source of anxiety for the dominant culture expressed in Arabic, and how it has therefore had to be suppressed.

“Linguistic terrorism” is defined by anthropologists as “the suppression of the mother tongue [of a group of people] by another dominant group” (De katzew, 14).  In the Moroccan “melting-pot” society, “minor languages” such as Tamazight are subject to stereotypes. Tamazight is discredited and “demonized” and frequently associated with the concepts of being “illegitimate,” “bastard,” “different” and “orphan.” Amazigh people perceive their language as “inferior” because it is made to be seen as inferior by the prevailing culture articulated in Arabic. Thus, Amazigh people are looked down upon because they speak a “different” language, causing them to hide their identities and feel ashamed. This fact manifests itself (as in Hegelian philosophy) in different everyday contexts such as in administrations, hospitals, schools, courts, and markets.

In this same line of thought, the term “Berbers” that is used to refer to Imazighen is “linguistically violent.” In history, this term was originally used by the Greeks to indicate people who spoke languages other than classical Greek. Eventually, the same term was used to refer to “people in North Africa who didn’t speak Latin,” a practice that was adopted by the Arabs that later settled in North Africa and referred to [Imazighen] as ‘Barbar’” (El Allame, 181). ”The Berbers”thus became a derogatory term, a “political definition” and “a violent word; speakers of the Tamazight language prefer to be called Imazighen.

Politically, Tamazight does not enjoy full recognition in the Moroccan Constitution, an issue to which the current government has turned a blind eye. Tamazight is politically excludedand is afforded attention only in moments of political tension and electoral campaigns. Morever, religious factors have contributed to the development of stereotypical representation and suppression of Tamazight. These include the belief that Arabic is the only language of Islam, which leads people to build a strong link between Arab ethnicity and the essence of Islam. For these people, to be Muslim, one should belong to the Muslim community and the pan-Arab nation.

Because of the above historical, political, and religious factors, the dominant group in Morocco constructs and enhances negative attitudes towards Tamazight language and identity. These attitudes are replete with stereotypical representation and “violent words” which, in one way or another, affect the Amazigh self-perception and perception of (the other) The statements uttered by the non-Amazigh about Tamazight illustrate this constructed social stigma. These taken-for-granted statements — which are proudly and thoughtlessly made — include: “Tamazight is a prehistoric language,” “Tamazight is useless and is not going to help you ‘earn your bread,’” and “Tamazight is not a language as the cat is not a bird.” Subjectively and stereotypically informed, these statements reveal the imprisoned frames of mind that construct solely negative qualities about Tamazight. The attitude that “Tamazight is useless” denies the pivotal role language plays in informing its speakers’ identities. For those with such a negative attitude, the idea that “I am what I speak” is not the common sense.

These attitudes impact Imazighens’ perception of themselves, their language, and their identity. In an attempt to avoid “the psychological and social unrest and the fear of being excluded from the social group, [Imazighen] abandon their language and minimize their linguistic and ethnic identity” (El Allame, 187). As a consequence, Amazigh feel ashamed of themselves and their language which they label in such shameful statements as “learning Tamazight is a fiasco,” “Tamazight is a bastard language,” and “Using Tamazight derides one’s social status.” All these statements are reveal the degree to which the Amazigh people have internalized the feeling that they will not be socially acknowledged unless they abandon their language and use Arabic instead. This further emphasizes their “inferiority complex” as they perceive the Arabs and the Arab language as enjoying a “higher position” within society.

Lastly, insufficient support from the State plays a pivotal role in Tamazight’s stigmatization and denial. For example, Tamazight is given less importance and is almost absent in the Moroccan education system. Schools have been a tool for Tamazight’s suppression, since Arabic is the only language used for communication and thus denying the Amazigh any chance to learn their own language and impeding their learning process. Amazigh people then stop transmitting their language to their children, for they believe it is a source of an “inferiority complex” if their children go to school without knowing Arabic (EL Allame, 184). This makes Amazigh children feel locked outand too ashamed to deal with their instructors.

In fact, some instructors themselves hold a negative attitude towards Tamazight and its speakers. This impacts the psychology of students and breeds low self-worth and the fear of being unacceptable because of the “different” language one speaks, Tamazight. Once again, students feel ashamed of their language, and they start “blaming themselves” for a language that their mother transmitted to them in their early life (El Allame, 2009). In fact, all these feelings develop from the perception and derogatory words of the dominant group towards the Tamazight language and Amazigh identity.

The misconstruction of cultural and linguistic differences within societies is often times fueled by a deficiency in reasoning and thinking. The other’s difference is equated with ‘wrongness’ and ‘illegitimacy’ by the dominant group. In order to peacefully and serenely live side by side and appreciate diversity, we must respect and accept the language, culture and identity of others. Such respect and acceptance will diminish  linguistic terrorism’ (use double quotes as you have been the rest of the article) and ‘clash of cultures’ between people of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy

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Rabat - More than two million prospective Hadjis who poured out of the Muslim holy city of Mecca to begin the annual Hajj, have flocked Arafat for the Waqfa Prayer.

Mount Arafat is a granite hill in east of Mecca. It is also known as the Mount of Mercy (Jabal ar-Rahmah).

The hill is the place where the Islamic prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life. It reaches about 70 m in height.

According to Islamic tradition, it was on Mount Arafah that prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) delivered his last speech. The pilgrims will spend the whole day on Arafah supplicating to Allah to forgive their sins and praying for personal strength in the future. They also collect stones for the stoning of Satan.

Arafah rituals end at sunset and pilgrims then move to Muzdalifah for shortened Maghrib Prayer and Isha prayers and for a short rest.

Rabat- The Wedding of Moroccan Prince Moulay Rachid will take place on November 13, the Moroccan daily Assabah reported in its Wednesday issue.

According to the same source has been postponed twice for protocol reasons.  The wedding is expected to be attended by high dignitaries from a number of countries.

Prince Moulay Rachid, brother of King Mohammed VI, sealed his union with Miss Oum Keltoum Boufarès last June.

Oum Keltoum Boufares is the daughter of Mamoun Boufares who was the governor of Marrakech when King Mohammed VI ascended the throne in July 1999.

Moulay Mamoum Boufarès, is the son of Princess Lalla Khadija, daughter of Sultan Moulay Youssef, who is the father of the late king Mohammed V, the grandfather of King Mohammed VI. Moulay Mamoum Boufarès retired in 2009.

Marrakesh- Moroccan authorities have refused landing rights to a flight with a confirmed Ebola case on board, according to Spanish TV Channel Antennae.  

The plane requested permission to land to stock up on fuel and food. The patient was a thirty-year-old doctor from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone’s second city of Bo, according to AFP.

The pilot, who was also denied permission to land in Portugal, managed to obtain permission to land in the Canary Islands for about 40 minutes. The flight then continued to Oslo where the patient was received at an isolation unit at Oslo University. Norway has increased its international aid for the fight against Ebola in West Africa to 184 million Kroner or 22.5 million euros, the AFP report said. 

A New York Times (NYT)  report  explained that a patient, Manuel García Viejo, died in the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid on September 25, after being repatriated from Sierra Leone.

The Liberian man who was diagnosed with Ebola in Texas dies on Wednesday.

Extra measures  in the US to  deal with airport arrivals from Ebola stricken countries have been initiated in US airports according to the NYT. These include taking the temperature of passengers on arrival.

At least 14 Ebola cases have been treated outside West Africa in the current outbreak, according to the NYT. Most of those involve health and aid workers who contracted the disease in West Africa and were flown back to their home countries for medical treatment.

Experts stressed the need for supervision when nurses remove their protective clothing as even the slightest drop of perspiration from their clothing could prove fatal. Medical staff were urged not to touch their faces while undressing. 

Royal Air Maroc has continued flights to Ebola affected areas as an expression of solidarity with its African neighbors. Nigeria and Senegal appear to have contained outbreaks so far.

Marrakech - On the occasion of the United Nations International Day for Older Persons on October 1, Help Age International launched the Global Age Watch Index, which ranks 96 countries in regards to the social and economic well-being of older people.

The index measures well-being for older persons in four key areas: income security, health, personal capability, and an enabling environment.

Morocco is ranked 83; the best-performing African countries are Mauritius (38), South Africa (80), Ghana (81), and finally Morocco (83).

The Carnegie Foundation states that no more than 45 percent of the working-age population in Morocco is actually employed, due to low workforce participation among women and high unemployment rates, particularly among young people.

The Foundation says that the Moroccan pension system covers barely one-third of the working population in Morocco, in comparison with 60 percent in middle-income countries and 80 percent in OECD member states. This is mainly a result of the spread of unregulated businesses that employ workers informally, as well as the presence of a large segment of self-employed people who are excluded from access to existing pension programs.

The Carnegie Foundation adds that Morocco has a fragmented system with a limited number of subscribers. This reduces the viability of a fully-fledged “pay-as-you-go” pension system in Morocco. The number of pensioners among civil servants and employees in state-owned enterprises has seen a significant increase in recent years, compared to the growth in flow of new employees. The latest figures indicate that the ratio of contributors to pensioners in the government is equal to three, in comparison with double that number a decade ago. This ratio is expected to continue its decline, given the rapid aging of the population of civil servants.

The Moroccan government has proposed raising the pension age for men to 62, but this has been met with considerable opposition from unions. As with European pension systems, Morocco’s system is in need of reform; otherwise, pension funds are likely to be bankrupt by 2020. This is because pension funds will not cover the increase in the pensioner population.

The 2014 Index shows that most African countries are still ranked low; since these countries have predominantly young populations, ageing issues are rarely high on domestic policy agendas.

Few African countries are included in the Index because internationally, comparable data sets on older people are missing. Kenya is one such country not included in the Index, despite being a regional power.

Mauritius does particularly well in the income security domain (8) and fairly well in the enabling environment (38), reflecting its long-term investment in social security for older citizens.

Other African countries included in the Index are clustered at the lower end of the rankings, with income security for older people being particularly weak. This reflects the absence of pensions and the strain on household incomes, reducing the amount of cash or in-kind support available to older family members.

The Global Age Watch Index report for 2014 focuses on pension policy and how this is being managed across the globe. Only half the world’s population can expect to receive even a basic pension in old age, and although policies supporting people in later life exist, they need to be implemented faster and more systematically, the report concludes.

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Marrakech- Civil rights activists accused New York City authorities on Tuesday of continuing to support discriminatory police surveillance of Muslims.

The complaints stem from a city appeal against a federal judge’s decision that the practice of discriminatory surveillance against Muslims is unlawful. The city urged that the surveillance was a lawful way to detect terrorist threats.

The judge’s decision in February was in response to a lawsuit accusing the New York Police Department (NYPD) of illegally spying on ordinary Muslims in mosques, restaurants, and schools in New Jersey, based on religion and race following the 9/11 attacks.

The civil rights activists claimed that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration does not care about Muslim’s right to pray.

One advocate said the city’s stance on the issues shows that the new administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio does not care about protecting Americans’ basic right to pray,” according to the Associated Press (AP).

The Boston Marathon Bombings on April 15, 2013 caused a widespread negative reaction by Americans against Muslims.

A statement from the New York City Law Department said the brief was being misinterpreted.

Taroudant, Morocco - Netherlands ‘Public Prosecutor has summoned Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders for questioning on suspicion of insulting and inciting discrimination against Moroccans.

According to a statement made by the Prosecutor’s department, Wilders is “suspected of having insulted a population group with respect to their race and of incitement to discrimination and hatred.”

During a meeting in the Hague, the xenophobic far-right leader promised fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands, which prompt his prosecutors to make anti-Moroccan chants.

The anti-Moroccan chant sparked uproar among Dutch politicians and social media users.

Following this event, the public prosecutor received over 6,400 complaints from Dutch citizens, including Dutch of Moroccan origin.

Wilders, who has lived for many years under 24-hour police protection following his Antislamic remarks, was summoned after “ the Prosecution conducted extensive legal analysis of the remarks made, which has resulted in the conclusion that the remarks constitute the suspicion of a criminal offense.”

As response to his xenophobic remarks, a Facebook page named “Ik doe aangifte tegen Wilders” (I am reporting Wilders) was created in March and gained 96,124 likes in a short time.

Dutch Moroccans and other human right activists responded with a selfie campaign on twitter using the Hashtag #bornhere.

Following his racist remarks against Moroccans, Dutch parliamentarian and former tax adviser Roland van Vliet, member of the far-right Party for Freedom, resigned from the party.

Known as anti-immigration and anti-Muslim populism, Wilers has already been prosecuted for the same offenses.

In 2007, Wilders was sued for calling Islam a fascist ideology, but the judge ruled that criticizing a religion was not the same as racism and acquitted him in June 2011.

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Boumalne dades - Tourists who choose Morocco as a destination often choose it for its cultural aspects. Many tourist agencies emphasize this point. While I was searching for information on Boumalne dades, which is better known in terms of its kasbahs and landscapes, I came across a very wonderful but sad truth.

Besides the appealing landscape and human cultural products, some tourists choose Boumalne dades as a typical environmental tourist spot in Morocco.

However, I would like to underline, as some ornithologists did, that this “valley of the birds,” famous all over the world, is relatively unknown in Morocco. I myself just came across it searching on the Internet.

The valley is located in the southeast of Morocco, and it is about 20 km away from the center of Boumalne dades. It catches the attention of birdwatchers interested in lark and desert species. Tourists know the valley as Tagdilt Track, because tourist agencies make regular excursions to it. Tagdilt Track is a very rich area, and it has many types of desert birds, including the Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Crowned Sandgrouse, Cream-colored Courser, Temminck's Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, and Thick-billed Lark. The following videos include some of them:

Afterward, in response to my curiosity and enthusiasm, I furthered my research about the Tagdilt Track and found a few very shocking articles about it, such as those by Lee Dingain and Marie Louise.

Lee Dingain, a British Naturalist, conservationist, birder, visited the Track in March 2013, to Tagdilt Track. He could not help but despair. He was expecting a paradise of birds, but he was shocked when he found a large “valley of rubbish.”

“Tragically the Moroccan authorities see nothing wrong with dumping truck loads of plastic in the desert and allowing it to blow around everywhere! This dump is near Boumalne Dades at the north-west end of the Tagdilt Track,” Lee Dingain said.

Although Lee discovered a tragic truth, he could still take some fabulous pictures:

Marie Louise, a Singaporean birdwatcher, introduced the valley in a similarly disappointed way. She decided to visit the valley for her love of desert birds. She expected to enjoy the area, because it was suggested strongly to her by her friends. Thus, she made a trip to the valley of birds in 2013.

No sooner had she reached the valley did she discover a very sad truth. Marie wrote on her blog “I was told by friends that Tagdilt Track is the place to go for birding and it’s probably the best known birding site in Morocco for desert loving birds like larks and wheatears! But what they didn’t tell me is Tagdilt Track is actually a dumpster site…! @__@”When I got out of the vehicle, I was immediately surrounded by flies, and I tried to keep my mouth shut…you know, just in case. :-/ Indeed there were quite a lot of birds seen here, all new to me…but it’s really not easy to walk on a rubbish valley on a bright sunny day; the smell, the heat and flies really got on my nerves!”

Despite her disappointing experience, Marie could still take wonderful pictures of some birds.

For more clarification, I decided to visit the site with a friend, Karim Isskela, who is also interested in the valley. Indeed, the place is spoiled by the rubbish thrown there by the town council, but somewhat redeemed by wonderful desert birds.

Karim told me that in order to take action, and to change the situation, some activists from Morocco and around the world had a serious debate via social networks (http://tagdilt.blogspot.com) on ways to protect this space and actions the authorities should take regarding this tourist site.

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Rabat - The Moroccan government voiced its concern over Netherlands' intention to unilaterally cancel the social security agreement with Morocco that was signed back in 1972.

The cabinet, which convened on Thursday, expressed its concern over Netherlands' intention to unilaterally cancel social security agreement with Morocco, said Communication Minister, Government Spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi at a press briefing after the weekly cabinet meeting.

The minister added that the competent services are continuing their efforts on this matter.

Morocco has repeatedly expressed its attachment to the acquired rights of Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands and its refusal of unilateral decisions by Netherlands' authorities.