By Zahra Astitou

Granada – It is the day of Eid Al Adha; all the family members have woken up early and the spirits are high. The women are preparing a delicious, elaborate breakfast and the men make their way to the mosque for the Eid prayer and the sermon afterwards.

When the men come back from the mosque, a member of the family or a butcher then sacrifices the ram. Sometimes you can even see a butcher roaming the streets to sacrifice the animal for those families who don’t have anyone fit in their family to do it for them. It is then that people–neighbors, family, friends–start visiting and greeting each other, wishing everyone a happy ´Eid while enjoying Moroccan tea with delicious homemade pastries in each other’s company.

This has been a typical Eid Al Adha celebration for most of Ouafa´s (27) life in Er-Rachidia, where she is originally from. When she moved to Granada, Spain, for her studies, she got immersed in an entirely different community: That of the Spanish converts who frequent the famous mosque of Granada, La Mezquita Mayor.

“Celebrating Eid outside of Morocco is different”, she says. “My first Eid celebration here was a little hard, because I was used to spending it with my family. Once I got to know the Muslim community of Granada, though, I slowly started to adapt myself to the change and thought that at least now I can spend it with fellow Muslims and that alone was quite an improvement.” According to Ouafa, one of the main differences between celebrating ´Eid in Morocco and in Spain is that in Spain one cannot sacrifice the ram at home as it is prohibited by law, so it has to be done through a slaughterhouse.

Born and raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Mariam (20), whose parents are from Boumalne Dades, recounts a similar experience of celebrating Eid in Morocco, although it was Eid Al Fitr, the Eid that comes after fasting the month of Ramadan. “After the men come back from the mosque, family members start visiting each other and the youth visits both the elderly and relatives that are ill,” Maryam says. “You see so many people dressed in white garments on their way either back to home or to visit a loved one. Everyone greets one another, all the front doors of the neighboring houses are wide open, and later that day everyone goes home to eat some tajine before they continue with visiting other people”. Mariam found it especially interesting that people visit and greet each other, even if they don’t really know each other that well. “That is not really something that would happen this easily in the Netherlands,” she explains.

Both Ouafa and Mariam mention that in their respective city and town in Morocco it is not a custom for women to go pray the Eid prayer at the mosque. Mariam: “That really is a pity, because in the Netherlands women are accommodated to go pray the Eid prayer in congregation.” Ouafa: “With me it has to do more with the fact that it is not a custom at my house for me and my mother to go pray the Eid prayer in the mosque. That is one of the things that I really found great about celebrating Eid in Granada; the first time I prayed the Eid prayer was here.”

Mariam: “In Holland we celebrate ´Eid by waking up early to attend the Eid prayer. Everyone greets one another after the prayer and then heads home. We wait for members of our family to come visit us, and everyone brings delicious homemade sweets with them that were prepared prior to Eid, and we then commence with a delicious breakfast meal. The ram is sacrificed at the slaughterhouse and either delivered home or picked up by a family member. All children get presents, and in the evening we all go visit acquaintances and family that we haven’t seen yet.”

Fatima (27) from Frankfurt, Germany, whose parents are from Nador, states that her family, too, wakes up early. The women prepare the house for the guests by placing cookies and sweets everywhere for their kids. “My mother prepares food, traditionally always couscous, and other side dishes that can vary,” she says. Everyone puts on new clothes and her father and brothers leave early to the mosque for the Eid prayer.

Rajae (25) from Lyon, France, whose parents are from Fez, recounts a similar tradition. Fatima and Rajae continue that the men go to the farmer after the prayer to make the sacrifice. Upon their return they greet each other with ´Eid greetings and call family and friends to also greet them. In Fatima´s case, the guests come to their house, but in Rajae´s case, her family goes to visit her aunt who lives ten minutes from their house and they also go visit friends. All the children receive gifts like clothes, toys or, more commonly, money.

Although she never witnessed Eid in Morocco, Rajae thinks that it differs from celebrating it in France: “There is a whole different atmosphere, I think, because people have free days and the Eid is celebrate in the entire country with the majority of people celebrating it.” Mariam compares: “Although there is a special atmosphere to celebrating Eid in Morocco, it feels more familiar and homely celebrating it in Holland. You get to meet up with friends and hang out together in the afternoon, and that’s how I have celebrated Eid all my life.”

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Rabat - Pakistani young peace activist Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her work in promoting children’s rights, including their right to education. She will share the award with India’s Kailash Satyarthi.

The 17-year old Pakistani activist becomes the youngest winner of the Nobel Prize.

"The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism,” the Nobel committee said in a press release.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 is to be awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education,” the committee added.

Rabat - A day after the release of British citizen Ray Cole, his Moroccan friend, Jamal Ould Nass has been granted provisional release, but is still likely to face prison time.

After the release of the Cole amid a strong international campaign supporting his case, social media activists launched the #FreeOuldNass movement to call for the complete freedom for Ould Nass, who was jailed alongside Cole in Marrakech for “homosexual acts.”

The petition called on activists abroad to rally to help Ould Nass and to put an end to “arresting mature people because of their private practices.”

“Ould Nass is not the victim´s real name--this nickname is used in order to protect the victim’s identity; the real name has been diffused to the extremist groups in Morocco and we believe that he is now in great danger; even in case he embraces freedom his life will still be threatened,” the petition said.

Jamal Ould Nass was arrested and imprisoned with Ray Cole for alleged, “gross indecency, homosexual intercourse and possession of pornographic images” on October 2.

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Austin - The Eid is undoubtedly one of the occasion in which you will be reminded that you are a stranger, no matter how used you may be to your new life. If there were no Arab Muslims around you and you had no connection with home, you might be able to forget about the Eid altogether, but that was not the case with me.

The first thing that strikes me about Muslims in America is the relation they make between religion and nationality. Unlike the case in France, for example, where there is an Islamic Council that decides on dates for Eid, Ramadan, and other ceremonies, there is most probably no similar institution for Muslims in America. So, the first issue I had to settle with my Muslim acquaintances was the day of the Eid: while most Arab countries had their Eid on Saturday, Moroccans decided on Sunday. The argument certainly had a nationalistic flavor, but my position was weakened by a decisive factor: number. I was the only Moroccan while the others were mostly from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait and Yemen. So, I yielded. I learnt later on that some Azhar Sheikhs expressed very negative opinions about Morocco’s decision to celebrate the Eid on Sunday instead of Saturday, as most Arabs did. I thought about the question for a while but dropped it quickly: throughout the history of Islam, religious scholars have been idealistic about Islamic Umma. So, there is no wonder that, even in this age of nations and nationalism, they still cling to their chimerical dream of resuscitating the Caliphate from its ashes, if only through such weak symbols as consensus on the date of the Eid.

There was no mosque for the Eid prayer, but the centre for Islamic Studies was rented for that purpose. I have no idea who paid the rent, and whether it was an individual or an association. The prayer brought people from different parts of the world, though the place was small. In the hubbub of American life, I’m sure most of those people will not see each other except on a similar occasion.

There was a decision that we would have breakfast in a coffee shop near campus. We were a host of us: three Egyptians, a Yemeni, a Pakistani American, an American convert and myself. The coffee shop is a flourishing business: we had to wait about forty-five minutes for our turn. During that time, Radwa was the one who watched over everything. She was the one who had the idea of a collective breakfast and, now, she was making sure everything was going according to her plan. Kevin came wearing a gown of the kind people in the Middle East usually wear. He had spent some time in Jordan and Tunisia, and he knows how religious ceremonies are celebrated there. He brought with him a box of dates and insisted that we taste from it. Later on, he noted that he was celebrating his first year as a Muslim.

The coffee shop did not serve Halal food. Of course, we didn’t order meat, but their dishes were mixtures of several things, and there was a real risk that some of the ingredients might contain pork. Kevin was there to help us with the menu. When he pronounced the word “khenzir,” it seemed to me that he was expressing some negative attitude, but in fact he was neutral about that.

In the afternoon, I was invited to a party in Salt Lick, Derwood, some thirty-five kilometers south of Austin. This time, the group was much larger and included almost all the teachers in the Center for Arabic studies. All along the way to Derwood, the scenery was breath-taking: ranches in the midst of an oak forest. My image of Texas was merely an arid and barren land in which only cactus could grow, but Hollywood films were behind the dissemination of such representations. The Salt Lick restaurant and recreation park are situated within a ranch, which gives the place a special beauty. That’s why many people from the city go there, and if they don’t go early, they’ll have to queue for a long time before their turn comes.

We sat at a long table, and an informal one without a tablecloth. Si Mahmoud was the most experienced of us and the most acquainted with the place. With his thirty or more years in America, he was probably the least affected by homesickness. He laughed, told stories and, now and then, made jokes about one of us. Probably because he was the boss, being the director of the Arabic program at UT, he was concerned about the morale of his crew. His high spirits and his generosity did make us forget about home that afternoon.

When we were back in the city, a group of us went to a café called “Kasbah”. It is intended to look like a Moroccan place and, indeed, there was a plate saying “welcome to Morocco”. But the place is owned by a Jordanian, who himself bought it from an Iraqi; so I was told. They served tea in pots not similar to those used by Moroccans, and the tea didn’t taste really Moroccan; nothing here tastes like Moroccan tea!

The Moroccan character of the place encouraged a couple of Egyptians to talk about Moroccan Arabic. They had visited Morocco before, and they recalled funny stories from their visits. But they didn’t forget to mention the good things about the country. One of them pointed out that the tramway in Rabat or Casablanca has no equal even in America. I felt proud, although I tried not to show that. You cannot imagine how such things matter when you are with foreigners. God save our country!

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Casablanca- A female teacher on Wednesday stabbed to death her neighbor’s 7-year-old son and threw him out the window of her fourth-floor apartment.

The tragic incident took place in the neighborhood of Riad Ibn Chayb in Berrechid, about 36 kilometers from Casablanca.

According to Aujourdhui le Maroc, that the teacher, who works at a private school, called her neighbor’s son and let him into her apartment. In a state of hysteria, she took a knife and stabbed the kid twenty times.

This barbarous act seems to be an act of vengeance, but the police have not yet discovered the reasons this woman committed such heinous crime, and have remained silent throughout the interrogation.

The body of the victim was admitted to the morgue for an autopsy.

New York- In an alarming hate speech that went unreported in American mainstream media, an American Rabbi called simply for extermination of Muslims and a “holy crusade” against them.

In a sermon he delivered on September 29, Rabbi Shalom Lewis from Congregation Etz Chaim in the state of Georgia, said Muslims are “guilty” of terrorism and should be “exterminated.”

This heinous sermon against Islam comes three years after another sermon where he compared Muslims to Nazis.

But this time around, he toughened his rhetoric and calls for the extermination of Muslims.

“Three years later on this bima, on this very same day, standing at this podium, I cry out not ‘Ehr Kumpt – they are coming,’ I cry out, ‘Ehr daw – they are here’,” the rabbi said.

Lewis estimated the number of Muslims worldwide to stand at 1 billion, adding 5% of them are “committed terrorists and murderers.”

“There are one billion Muslims in the world and authorities agree that 5% are committed Islamists who embrace terror and wish to see, by any means possible, the Muslim flag fly over every capital, on every continent. I was relieved when I heard only 5%. Thank God it's only 5%.”

But the furry of the rabbi against Islam did not stop there. He went on to add that all Muslims are guilty of terrorism be default.

“But what disturbs me is, where are the other 950 million Muslims who are not terrorists? Who are not bomb-blasting, acid-throwing zealots? (…) I want to believe that we have partners who dream the dreams we do and wish upon the same star. I want to believe - - but where are they? A silent partnership is no partnership. Sin is not just in the act of commission - it is also in the act of omission. Most Germans were not Nazis - but it did not matter. Most Russians were not Stalinists - but it did not matter. Most Muslims are not terrorists - but it does not matter.”

For the American rabbi, there is only one choice for what he calls the free world to live in peace and enjoy freedom is to exterminate the “evil” represented by Islam.

“The fury of ultimate evil is upon us and we must act – not to contain it. Not to degrade it. Not to manage it. Not to tolerate it, but to exterminate it utterly and absolutely,” he said.

“If we fail in this holy crusade, we will live in a world bereft of color. Empty of music, of art, of romance, of laughter, of freedom, of invention. A world barren of all beauty. Depleted of all virtue,” he concluded.

Taroudant, Morocco - A video posted on YouTube shows one of the Saudi security guards slapping and screaming at a Hajji in the presence of women who seems to be his wife. The incident took place during the annual pilgrimage, or hajj, a duty that every Muslim, who can afford it, must fulfil once in their lifetime.

In an act of humiliation, the security personnel pushed aside a woman, who stood between him and her husband, and slapped the old man who was  in the sacred place, performing the Hajj rituals.

 The old Hajji said nothing but a religious statement used for such incidents “Hasbi Allah wa niima alwakil”, Allah suffices me, for He is the best disposer of affairs.

While the causes of this unfortunate incident is unknown, the security personnel has no right to act authoritatively and violently against this Muslim who is in a sacred place, where any form of dispute is religiously unacceptable.

In conformity with the teachings of the Quran, the Hajj is a religious duty that should be performed for able Muslims in tranquility, deep reverence and piousness.

“Hajj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Hajj. And whatever good you do - Allah knows it,” Surat Al-Baqarah. 197.

Being "the custodian of the two holy mosques" does not give the Saudi authorities the right to act violently against pilgrims. Everyone who is caught violating the rules and law should be held accountable.

Taroudant, Morocco- A girl aged two and 4 months was raped and murdered by her uncle on Sunday, Oct. 12 in the town of Bir Jdid, about 60 kilometers from Casablanca.

Led by a vicious desire to take revenge of his sister, the offender admitted his shocking crime after being arrested by the authorities on the same day. Aya, the little victim, was “found in a terrible state.”

“The first elements of the investigation revealed that the girl was deflowered before her murder,” said Najat Anwar, the president of the organization “Touche pas à mon enfant”, (touch not my child) who is following the case.

Anwar said that "the uncle committed the crime to avenge his sister who gave birth to Aya out of wedlock."

According to a study conducted by the organization “Touche pas à mon enfant” in 2008, Aya is believed to be the first case in her age to be victim of this brutal crime in the country.

According to a new UN report entitled “HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT A statistical analysis of violence against children”, prepared by UNICEF, around 120 million girls around the world, nearly one in 10, have been subject to rape or sexual abuse by the time they turn 20.

Most shockingly, the report shows that the most common perpetrators of sexual violence against girls are current or former husbands, partners or boyfriends.

Rabat - Mahyuba Mohamed Hamdidaf, a 23-year old Spanish citizen is being held by her parents in the Tindouf camps in Algeria, according to Spanish daily El Mundo.

According to the same source, the young professional went to visit her family in August, as her grand-mother was allegedly seriously ill.

But as soon as she arrived in the camps, her biological parents deprived her of her passport and prevented her from returning to her job in London.

Mayhuba, who was born in the Tindouf camps, settled in Spain in 1999 after she was adopted by a Spanish couple. In 2002 she became Spanish citizen. Ever since she has been visiting her family every summer.

The young woman was supposed to return home on August 18, but few days before her return, her biological family told her that she would never go back and they locked her. They also stripped her of her phone, though they allowed her to use it for some days in order to communicate with her family in Spain.

"She is tired of this situation and just want to get out of there," her adoptive family was quoted by El Mundo saying.

"She has the right to be free to choose his life and no parent can deprive her of that," they added.

According to BuzzFeed, the case of the young woman has reached the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

The case has also been widely denounced by Spanish civil society who is mobilizing to help the Mahyuba retrieve her freedom.

A petition has been addressed to the Spanish Ministry of foreign affairs in order to take the necessary steps toward bringing the young woman to back to Spain.

The petition, which has been signed by 3790 people claims that Mahyuba received death threats from her biological family in case she tried to flee.

Rabat - The American website “Richest Lifestyle”, dedicated to the lifestyle of celebrities, rich and fabulous people around the globe, released its 2014 ten Most Beautiful First Ladies in Africa, ranking Princess Lalla Salma, consort of Mohamed VI, king of Morocco, on top of the list.

“Physically as well as intellectually, Lalla Salma is beautiful. She has a beautiful face crowned with red hair, and holds a degree in engineering,” the website wrote.

Lalla Salma also ranked third in the website’s 2014 list of World’s Most Beautiful First Ladies, preceded only by the Queen Rania of Jordan and Asma al-Assad, spouse of Bashar Al Assad of Syria.

The wife of Gabonese president Ali Bongo Ondimba, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, who ranked 7 on the website’s list of world’s most beautiful First Ladies, comes on the second rank followed by the Cameronian first lady Chantal Biya.

In addition to her stunning elegance, the Moroccan first lady is involved in many philanthropic activities in the kingdom and abroad, especially in the fight against cancer.

In a poll organized by the Washington-based Radio Sawa on the occasion of International Women’s Day this year, the Princess was chosen “most inspiring woman” for Arabs.

In May 2013, she was elected by UK’s magazine the most elegant woman attending the coronation ceremony of the new Dutch King, Willem-Alexander after his mother Queen Beatrix abdicated the throne.

By Ismail Frouni

Rabat - “The Orient is watched, since its almost (but never quite) offensive behavior issues out of a reservoir of infinite peculiarity; the European, whose sensibility tours the Orient, is a watcher, never involved, always detached, always ready for new examples of what the Description de l'Egypte called "bizarre jouissance." The Orient becomes a living tableau of queerness.” Edward Said, Orientalism

Visiting the old medina is a phenomenon that completely occupies a researcher’s mind. In the last couple of years, regrettably, the medina looks to be invaded and occupied by untraditionally “modern” equipment coming from without. This universe is given a new look. The traditional values are gradually swept away. It is mournful. The fact is that ceramic and local wares are being substituted by new fashionable clothes, electronic devices and the like. What intrigues me is the increasing number and rampant growth of arcades, grocery stores, shopping centers, and chain stores. Evidently, this computerized society—due to our offspring’s encroachment on new technological devices such as TVs, virtual reality, computers, cameras, video-games, and so forth—will create an alienated and lost generation.

As it happens, I believe that it behooves researchers to dwell on this growing phenomenon; my fastidious observation of various videogame stores and the content of videogames leads me to suggest that videogames constitute a coherent ideology. They, in one way or another, entail certain cultural, and in some cases religious, orientations and values of certain communities—not to mention the deliberate misrepresentation of certain communities, such as Arabs or Muslims. Moreover, these computer games are organized into what is sometimes called “videology.”

Videogames are novel forms of audio-visual media and visual representation. They transcend their anticipated raison d’être. Accordingly, they have an incredible influence on children’s attitudes. “Under Ash,” “Special Force,” “Heavy Fire,” “Desert Strike,” “Prince of Persia,” “Command Conquers Generals,” and “Assassin’s Creed” are some videogames that directly channel the issues of (mis)representation. Recent videogames launched during the Israeli attack and siege on Gaza—where the latter is depicted as being set in a series of tunnels in which hides Hamas—are a total miss. “Bomb Gaza”  is the most outrageous game ever launched by gaming company PlayFTW. Games like this have consolidated the antagonistic interplay of the orthodox binary divisions of, borrowing from Said, the ‘Self’ and the ‘Other.’ Ultimately defining and delimiting the ontology of the Western “Selfhood” is premised upon the representation, and the construction of Eastern “Otherness” as such.

In the academic realm, it is normal that postcolonial critics have been silent on many contemporary issues. As such, video games have not yet provoked substantial concern. Admittedly, research on the psychological effects of video games on our children is very limited. The little research undertaken in media and not just video games in particular, has demonstrated negative effects in relation to stereotyping. On the one hand, video games are a major entertainment medium and enculturation force for today’s young generation. On the other, they are used as an ideological means that inoculate western imperialist discourse into our teenagers’ mind. How cliché that in the last few decades, videogames have added extra layers within this generation, as well as reaching an even wider audience. It is also known that our generation plays games more than reads books, which is yet another cause for mourning.

Being on the issue of video game representation, this paper might forecast some of the potential unforeseen repercussions of these games for Arab youth. Colonial discourse is inevitably ubiquitous: most Western narratives are based on and saturated with interminable binary opposition that privileges the “civilized” Self over the “backward” Other. ...This idiosyncratic mode of existence of the Western “Self” evokes a kind of unremitting resistance or counter discourse on the part of postcolonial subjects, “Other.” As such, we on the 'other side should be at pains to contrapuntally read and immunize this orientalist fever that has sprawled into our culture and we should do without the colonial enterprises. To quote a few lines from the Palestinian American intellectual Edward Said in his 1981 book Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World, " The analysis of the relationship between the Self, the occident, and the “Other,” the orient, is at the heart of post-colonialism."

Instead of scholarship, we resort to journalists making extravagant statements, which are instantly picked up and further dramatized by the media. Looming over their work is the slippery concept, to which they constantly allude, of "fundamentalism," a word that has come to be associated almost automatically with Islam, although it has a flourishing, usually elided relationship with Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism. The deliberately created associations between Islam and fundamentalism ensure that the average reader comes to see Islam and fundamentalism as essentially the same thing.

It is clear that these representations of the “Other” as terrorists, criminals, and killers have generated a kind of discourse. More often than not, this knowledge is produced by scholars, novelists, anthropologists, and in our framework, video game companies. All founders of the orientalist discussion are a far cry from being either scientific or exact. Moreover, video games sublimate a colonialist discourse in the sense that the “Other,” mostly in the incarnation of a terrorist, is treated on the basis of denial, dehumanization, belittlement, tokenism, and exploitation.

Consequently, the onus falls on every cultural and social researcher to develop a critical attentiveness towards our children. Intellectually, it is an appeal against these prejudices and misrepresentations of the populace; at the same time, it is an appeal for third-spacing or subverting the aforementioned binary division, and shunning this glib reductionism and Western essentialism as well. These divisions are reiterating the cryptic orientalist discourses on the Orient. The aforesaid vilifications and reductionist representations blur the boundaries between the West and the Rest and therefore offer no interstice of peace. Undoubtedly, such biased and malicious representations have their finger on advancing the millennial thesis that militant Islam is a danger to the West. This has (mis)led- and will lead- so many people to believe that Islam is a religion of war, violence, bloodshed, and mass murderers who only seek the thrill of the kill. This kind of thinking will have dire repercussions on future generations.

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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Marrakech - On Monday, Labor MP Grahame Morris' House of Commons motion passed by 274 votes to 12. The motion read, "That this House believes that the government should recognize the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution."

Less than half the House of Commons voted on the motion, which was supported by the Labor Party Leader Ed Miliband. The vote does not bind the British government policy—which states that the UK reserves the right to recognize Palestine when it is "appropriate for the peace process"—according to Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood.

The Liberal Democrats support recognition of Palestine as a party policy. While the British government is unlikely to change its current policy towards Palestine, support for recognition of Palestine has been growing in the House of Commons by bodies like the Council for Arab –British Understanding (CAABU). The House of Commons showed its independence when it refused to follow Prime Minister David Cameron’s lead on military action against the Assad regime in Syria. It may perhaps produce another such surprise in the future.

Despite the fact that the motion does not affect British government policy, it can nevertheless be recognized as a moral boost for recognition of the Palestinian State. It follows the UN’s recognition of Palestine as having non-state member observer status.

During his visit to Gaza on October 14, UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon met with the ministers of the National Consensus Government, calling on them to focus all efforts on “building one Palestine.”

“We stand by you. The international community supports your government’s efforts to assume the security and governance responsibilities in Gaza,” the UN Chief said in remarks following his meeting with top officials of the government— including its Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu. “This is a great opportunity to unite the West Bank and Gaza under one Palestinian leadership,” he added.

During the 51-day Israeli bombardment of Gaza, more than 2,100 Palestinians were killed, including over 500 children, and more than 70 Israelis were also killed.

By Abderrahim Boualy

Ouarzazate - Abdellah Elhaloui, a professor at Cadi Ayaad University and the director of the American Corner Marrakech recounted a very inspirational story entitled “Qrita and McDonald’s” during the North Africa International Model United Nations (NAIMUN) conference, which was held in Marrakech from September 26 to 28, 2014. He was among the experts coming from different universities and organizations to inspire youth using their own experiences and stories.

Qrita was a Moroccan cook who ran a small business in Jemaa el Fna Square years ago. He prepared various traditional dishes, mainly fish-based meals. Qrita opened his business the same year international fast food chain McDonald’s opened its first African restaurant in Casablanca, Morocco in 1992.

Both Qrita and McDonald’s started humbly serving local customers, but with different visions. They started in the same time period and in the same field. Though McDonald’s was able to reach customers worldwide and achieve tremendous success, Qrita failed.

There are many reasons behind the success of McDonald’s and many reasons behind the failure of Qrita. The success of McDonald’s can be linked to the background of its community and the fact that it has set plans for the future. Furthermore, McDonald’s has innovation skills and the ability to take risks. Likewise, Qrita's failure can be attributed to his education and lack of creativity.

Just about everybody agrees that in the modern, competitive world, business creativity is essential for success. However, it is time that all Moroccan business people should think outside their boundaries and dream of becoming international business owners. It is time to tell Moroccans to go beyond the traditional and welcome modern business. It is time for them to embrace creativity. Innovation is the key for successful business.

The key questions that should be asked are: why have we failed to make a fortune? Why have we failed to produce knowledge? Why have we failed to advertise our products? There are countless ideas regarding business creativity. First, creativity is domain-specific. Second, creativity can be taught only if embedded in a well-designed training program. Third, creativity requires inspiration. Fourth, creativity requires hard work.

The major problem for Qrita was that all the characteristics mentioned above are absent in his business, which led to failure. Qrita is the typical Moroccan; one who is satisfied with the status quo, is unable to take risks, and has no future plans. Qrita is the same person year after year, decade after decade.

After a group of students started an initiative to help Qrita develop his project, he moved to another location and opened a new restaurant. Finally, Qrita was able to take a big step in the right direction. This demonstrates how youth can help their community's effort in becoming creative. Thus, we all encourage all Moroccan business owners to learn from Qrita.

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Austin - Kevin is a young American who converted to Islam more than a year ago. I had noticed that, whenever he mentioned the name of the Prophet Mohammad in class, he would always utter the expression: “Peace be upon Him”. For some time, I thought he did that out of respect for the Muslim audience rather than for the Prophet. I didn’t find out about his conversion until the day of the Eid when he joined us for breakfast. I decided immediately to ask him for an interview to write about his story.

I must say, however, that writing about Kevin turned out to be a hard task. Before going to sleep last night, I spent quite some time thinking about the matter and how I should tell his story without doing him much injustice. Since I first came to notice him, my impression has been that he is a polite and well-bred young man. During the interview, I realized how sensitive and how respectful for others he was, how emotional he could be. I guess his quest for the perfect and the sublime is a reflection of this aspect of his character. But I must hasten to say that I can’t pretend to have understood him perfectly; in fact, I’m worried my portrait of him might not reflect his real person. I listened to my interview with him again and again; I went through my memories of him again and again in search of anything that could help disclose his point of view. All I could find were images, words and expressions. But these are not mirrors of the soul; they are just clues or codes that need deciphering or interpretation in order to uncover the inner spirit. Still, I doubt I have enough clues to uncover Kevin’s inner spirit, and for that, I must apologize to him for this imperfect portrait.

Kevin reports that his childhood was typical of that of a white European American. His parents raised him in an American lifestyle (a “post-modern” lifestyle, as he puts it). All their attention went to the concerns of this life, but little attention was paid to the hereafter. Perhaps the only feasts Kevin knew as a child were Christmas and Halloween. But these have almost lost all religious connotations and became mere mundane ceremonies. At least this is how Kevin thought about them, judging from what I understand from him. His religion was America. He says he was very patriotic as a teenager. Somehow, he developed the idea that the world was divided into two parts: America and the others. All these others were hostile to varying degrees and should be combated when necessary. In his zeal, he dreamt of joining the army, he read about special military forces and special operations. He admits that his knowledge about the rest of the world was very superficial and, perhaps, completely distorted by stereotypes.

But Kevin also received a good education. He is aware that the values he was inculcated as a child were wonderful. In addition to open-mindedness, he was also taught self-respect and respect of others, patience and, it seems to me, many other good values. It’s true that his family did not introduce him to the world of religion, but he was not the only one. He realizes that his surrounding used to lead more or less the same life. For me, Kevin’s education is good proof that morality can be maintained independently from religion. It’s clear to me that Kevin has a good heart, and that what made him seek a true religion was not the contrast between good and evil, but rather something that is beyond my understanding. He says that at the age of seventeen, he was already being tormented by questions about the meaning of life. He seemed to believe that there was something more real and more true beneath the permanent running after girl-friends, cars, good jobs and so on and the so forth. Only that meaningful thing underneath could fill the vacuum in his soul.

Travel brought the young out of his shell. He went first to Argentina, then to China, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Germany. The trips were organized by some youth organization and, from what I understand, the purpose was to help form future generations of leaders. Kevin must have been considered smart enough to be chosen for that mission. But according to him, those trips were short and of a tourist nature. One cannot expect to get any significant understanding of a people while he is a tourist. Instead, it was reading that provided him with a better outlook. His grand-mother gave him a book about China as a present, probably because she had noticed his interest in the topic. It’s hard to tell, but I guess his interest in religions went along his curiosity about cultures. We can imagine that his thirst to know about different peoples also included interest in their beliefs about afterlife. Or was it his interest in religions that was behind his readings about different cultures?

When I think about Kevin’s experience, I feel astonished about humans’ desire to find out the meaning of things beyond their material or concrete nature. Kevin says he was vaguely connected to Christianity; the first time he heard the word ‘Trinity’ was in a recent science-fiction movie when one of the characters had it for a name. The idea that God in the Christian creed has three elements (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) was completely strange and perhaps incomprehensible to him. He must have done a lot of effort to find something appealing to his mind. His parents bought him the Holy Quran, a Mushaf, most probably because they had noticed how curious he was about Islam. But I guess they weren’t aware of the degree of his involvement with this religion. “I didn’t go to Islam, I was drawn to it”. This is how Kevin describes his conversion. He repeated the sentence on a number of occasions during the interview, accompanied by a gesture showing that someone was pulling him from his shirt. Now and then, he would stop speaking and sigh, his head down leaning on his hand in a thoughtful manner. His way of expressing himself, his sighs and his gestures made me quiver sometimes. I was convinced by the strength and the authenticity of his feelings: the young man was not merely experimenting with his life.

According to him, his first involvement with Islam happened when he was learning Arabic. At university, he chose to specialize in Spanish and Arabic. He had no particular reason behind his choice, or probably he has forgotten about his motivations. It happened that the textbook they were using to learn Arabic contained some verses from the Quran. He had also some Muslim classmates. These simple ingredients were sufficient to spark in him the desire to learn more about this religion. I would rather say that these elements merely provided a new outlet for his old concerns about the meaning of life.

So, he studied Arabic and read about Islam mostly in English. Here, I must point out that his first sources were books written by Orientalists, which suggests that not all Orientalists are hostile or subjective about Islamic culture, as Arabs tend to believe. He travelled to Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and other Muslim countries. He read the whole Quran, consulted Al-Bukharis’s Sahih, studied Islamic history, made acquaintance with Arab and American Muslims, and many other things. I asked him if his acquaintance with Arabs and the Arab world had contributed to his conversion, but he mentioned that Cat Stevens allegedly said: “Thank God I’ve known Islam before Muslims”. What he disliked most was the rough behavior of some people on the street. He also regrets the blood-shedding in some Muslim countries. But all these negative sides have not affected his devotion to Islam, which he considers basically a religion of peace and love.

Now, some Muslim readers of Kevin’s story might exalt in his conversion. They would think that at least we are guardians of something that can appeal to others. I tend to think more of Kevin’s culture which gave him the freedom to choose. When he announced his conversion, nobody treated him as a traitor or sentenced him to beheading. Even his family were not angry at him, though he was very much concerned about their reaction. He didn’t have to hide his conversion for a long time or forever. He believes that his mission in the future will be to get America and Islam to know each other, to build bridges between them. On my part, I hope he and people like him can figure out how the liberty of America and the beauty of Islam can be combined, but most of all, I wish him good luck and happiness.

Taroudant, Morocco- Following the controversy created earlier this month by Youssef Eid, Secretary General of the Fatwa at Al-Azhar Mosque in Egypt, over the legitimacy of the Moroccan celebration of Eid Al Adha, Abbas Schumann, head of Al-Azhar Mosque, suspended the cleric from practicing any work related to the Fatwa.

According to the Egyptian website Elfagr, Al-Azhar University, under the direct supervision of the Egyptian government, suspended yesterday Sheikh Youssef Eid, the author of the controversial Fatwa, from his post as secretary of the Fatwa division within Al-Azhar.

The same source added that Dr. Schumann stressed that Al-Azhar respected all Muslim scholars and all scientific institutions and their decisions that do not collide with the fundamentals of Islam and the well-known rules of ijtihad (the independent reasoning or original interpretation of issues not precisely covered by the Qur??n or ?ad?th).

The Egyptian scholar said that Morocco’s celebration of the first day of Eid al-Adha on October 5 “is religiously not permissible because it violates Muslim customs and break the consensus,” stressing that Moroccans should celebrate Eid Aladha on the same day as Saudi Arabia, which relies on astronomical calculation to determine the first day of the month of Doul Hija.

Since the Islamic months are dated according to the Islamic lunar calendar, the dates of religious celebrations may vary depending on the time a country observes the moon.

Islamic countries resort to two main methods to set the date for celebration: either through astronomical calculations or the direct observational method.

Morocco is one of the Islamic countries that rely on the observation of the crescent, in conformity with the teachings of the Quran, the Muslim holy book.

Rabat-The Belgian government is facing a storm of criticism after one of its Ministers made racist comments about Moroccan, Algerian, and Congolese immigrants and questioning their contribution to the development of the country.

Theo Francken, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration and a Flemish nationalist, doubted that Moroccan, Algerian and Congolese immigrants could add any value for Belgium.

Media reports revealed these statements based on a Facebook status that the Belgian politician wrote on November 21, 2011.

He questioned the value Moroccan, Algerian and Congolese immigrants can add to Belgium’s economy in comparison to the Jewish, Indian, and Chinese immigrants. This statement was labeled racist categorization and a "worrying development," especially from an official who takes the tenure of immigration and asylum.

Theo Francken said: "I can figure the added value of Jewish, Chinese and Indian diasporas, but less that of the Moroccan, Congolese, or Algerian diasporas."

The statement brought him heavy criticism and forced him to apologize in front of the federal parliament three years later.

"I realize I hurt people by saying this. I never intended to. I want to present my sincere apologies. I can guarantee you that I will be a state secretary who defends the interests of all the people in this country, with a great respect for everyone," he was quoted by the Guardian as saying.

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

Edited by Timothy Filla

Taroudant, Morocco- Following Muslim imams and scholars based in the UK that condemned the “oppressive and tyrannical self-styled Caliphate”, Muslims in New York have in turn launched a campaign, led by the Islamic Leadership Council, to denounce the rise of extremist groups, particularly Daesh or ISIS, also known as the Islamic State.

According to a statement from the Islamic Leadership Council, which represents about 60 congregations and Muslim community organizations in New York, the Council calls on ithe mams of the mosques to focus on the true message of Islam and to denounce extremism during Khutba (a sermon regularly given after the congregation prayer on Friday).

In addition to a social media campaign “to fight recruiting attempts by extremists,” the same source said that many mosques in the city will “host open houses next month aimed at increasing people's understanding of Islam.”

"Our ultimate goal is to raise the level of awareness in a way that helps to inoculate the Muslim community against cries and appeals from elsewhere calling Muslims to violent extremism," said Imam Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid, president of the Islamic Leadership Council.

With the growing threat posed by the Islamic State, the whole world is coming together to face the danger posed by the radical group.

Last month, German Muslims rallied together during the Jumuah prayers, a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday, to protest against ISIS jihadists and denounce the barbaric atrocities committed by the group, which “has nothing to do with Islam and Muslims.”

With the growing threat of the Islamic State and its attempts to recruit young people from Europe, a group of influential imams and scholars based in the UK issued a Fatwa or religious edict early last month, prohibiting British Muslims to fight alongside ISIS extremists in Iraq and Syria.

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

Marrakech - The world’s most extreme poor are located primarily in rural places. Clearly, people’s proximity (or lack of) to city centers of decision-making, power and relative affluence is a determining factor in their life experience, alongside other conditions that lead to the systemic poverty experienced by rural families.

Addressing rural impoverishment involves implementing projects relating to water provision, agriculture, building schools and designing curriculum content as well as gender issues and other matters of historic justice. For development in these areas to be sustainable we know that the participation of the ultimate beneficiaries in project design and management is the critical determining factor alongside finance.

In order to catalyze such participation we also know – through decades of international development successes and failures – that providing facilitators of community dialogue and consensus-building is essential. After all, local community members – young and old, women and men, the haves and the have-nots – generally do not come together spontaneously and in an inclusive way to identify common goals.

Ministries responsible for promoting human development and international agencies that share that mission frequently find it difficult to serve the most remote communities since, in order to achieve popular participation and therefore sustainability, close and constant proximity to the people is required.

Eradicating extreme poverty therefore necessitates an extreme, three-point shift in the approach taken to meet human needs.

First, concerned national and international agencies must base their plans on community-determined project priorities. In order to ensure that these priorities are a genuine reflection of the people’s will, agency representatives must live and work with - and listen to - communities.

Second, donors, in order to meet communities’ self-described needs, should have funding arrangements that are flexible with regard to project type (agricultural, health, educational, etc). In other words, in order to sustainably alleviate poverty, it is the charge of donors to adapt to the goals of beneficiaries, rather than vice versa.

Finally, participatory methods for community planning need to be expanded, adapted to local circumstances and recreated in new social contexts so that their dissemination and applicability may be significantly enhanced.

Practitioners of partipatory approaches to development usually rely on a specific family of methods, typically including a dozen or so activities that groups utilize to effectively evaluate their development-related challenges and opportunities. However, there are hundreds of families of such methods applicable to popular participation and planning for social change.

Agencies dedicated to sustainable development must be made aware of the full extent and scope of these tools before employing, testing and improving upon them together with local people. Eventually, globally accessible ‘warehouses’ of appropriate methodology will be available to assist communities as they embark upon their sustainable development course.

When these three factors have been addressed, eradicating extreme poverty becomes not a dream or a utopian condition removed from the present reality, but an historic human calling answered by policies, programs and investment centered on the beneficiaries themselves.

Rabat - A woman in Casablanca has reportedly been released from a “home prison” sentence imposed by her husband, who kept her locked up for eight years in their home under the supervision of a pit-bull dog.

According to the daily Al Massae, the victim, Fatima Q., 44 years, was detained by her husband for eight years under the supervision of a pit-bull dog.

The same source added that the family of the victim has been prevented from paying visits to their daughter for the entire time.

Some of her relatives contacted several feminist organizations in Morocco, which later filed a complaint against the husband and were able to free the victim.

Security forces went to the couple's home last Tuesday to check the truth of the family’s accusations. Once inside the house, police officers, accompanied by representatives of local authorities and elements of civil protection, were shocked by the state in which the victim was kept.

The same source said that the victim was almost "skeletal" and her health condition was "critical." She was admitted to the Ibn Rushd hospital to receive first aid and health care.