By Kristina Fried

Rabat - In the Muslim majority district of Xinjiang on Monday, imams were forced by the Chinese state to dance in the street holding banners that read “our income comes from the CKP not from Allah,” according to World Bulletin. 

The imams were also made to swear an oath that they would not teach religion to children on the grounds that prayer "is unhealthy and harmful to the soul." Teachers in the district were forced to take a similar oath, also swearing to teach their students to stay away from mosques.

In addition to the banners, the imams were also made to chant statements exalting the state such as “peace of the country gives peace to the soul.”

This latest indignity comes after over half a decade of oppression by the Chinese state in the Xinjiang region, known by activists as East Turkestan, which has been autonomous since 1955 and is home to Uighur Muslims, a Turkish-speaking minority. Recently, China has increased its religious repression in the region, with human rights groups claiming that China has been using anti-terrorism as an excuse.

China has gone so far as to ban religious practices and icons, including clothing, in government buildings and to ban women in hijabs and burqas from using public transportation, as well as make it illegal for students and government officials to observe Ramadan.

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Rabat- A woman, who according to her relatives is “possessed by the devil,” passed away on Sunday following continuous sessions of exorcism performed by a “fqih” (exorcist) in Agadir, Morocco.

The tragedy started when the newly married girl went into a fit of hysteria, and her family decided to seek the help of a Fqih.

Instead of taking her to the hospital, the family, who believed that their daughter was possessed by the devil, called on the Fqih, someone believed to have magical and spiritual power to cast out devils, to see their daughter and treat her.

To cast out the evil spirit from her body, the Fqih loudly recited passages from the Koran, the holy book of Muslims.

According to Al Ahdat Al Maghribya, “the Fqih sat on the chest of the ‘possessed’ bride and made his assistant sit on her lap,” in order to calm her movement and “force the evil spirit” to leave her body.

The same source added that the Fqih hit her all over her body, shouting at the “evil spirit”, "Get out Satan's son;
will not you get out?”

The daily added that the woman passed away on Sunday evening after several sessions of torture.

The Fqih, his assistant, and members of the victim’s family were brought before the court of Agadir on Thursday on charges of intentional abuse leading to death, and the practice of sorcery.

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By Mohammed Koos

London- As the ‘war on terror’ rages on, Europe and America are becoming increasingly hostile habitats for the Muslim communities. The latest in a wave of Islamaphobic violence has claimed the lives of three young students in the United States.

The three victims, 23-year-old Deah Shaddy Barakat, his 21-year-old wife, Yusor Mohammad, and her 19-year-old sister, Razan Mohammad, were executed by an atheist who regularly posted Islamaphobic comments online.

In Europe, this wave of violence is gathering momentum. Mosques set on fire are becoming common occurrence, women are being attacked, in some cases murdered, Tell MAMA’s (an organisation that monitors Islamaphobic assaults in the UK) weekly alerts, sent to my inbox, mentioned several attacks on school children, including a 13 year old who was threaten with a knife and called a ‘retarded terrorist’.

In Germany, where a record 25,000 people attended an anti-Muslim rally last month, attacks on Muslims are taking place on daily basis. ‘Insults against Muslims, often women with headscarves, vandalism against mosques and violence against imams have become a daily occurrence,’ the chairman of Germany’s Central Council of Muslims, Aiman Mazyek told Online Focus in a report published on Saturday, January 24.

The image below of a bleeding man is currently circulating on social media. The young Muslim man was apparently attacked in Kassel, Germany. A group of men allegedly attacked him with a knife, leaving him with several stab wounds.

The hostility is prevalent in the media too, which largely ignores these crimes, while happily taking a magnifying glass to any crime committed by an alleged Muslim. Until an outcry on social media, the mainstream media wasn’t interested in the three murdered students’ story. Obama who would have leaped at the chance to address the nation about the threat terrorists pose to the American public took no interest in the terrorist that killed the students. This terrorist wasn’t the right kind it appears.

Rather than reporting the crimes committed against Muslims, some in the media are more than willing to fuel hate, like this journalist who claimed that she was ‘ushered out’ of a mosque, when in fact she wasn’t. An action which led to death threats against the mosque.

Where is the safe alternative for Muslims?

If Muslims aren’t wanted and no longer safe on the streets of Europe and America, where then? Is the answer a return to their places of origin for a safer life?

In Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia, Muslims live in fear. Not of just Al Qaeda and Al Shabab, who cowardly murder school children in their hundreds, but of what 13-year-old Mohammed Tuaiman described as ‘death machines’ in the sky. The American drones. ‘A lot of the kids in this area wake up from sleeping because of nightmares from them and some now have mental problems.

They turned our area into hell and continuous horror, day and night, we even dream of them in our sleep,’ he told the Guardian. In 2011, Mohammed lost his father and brother to drone strike. In January this year, the death machines in the sky claimed Mohammed’s life, along with his brother-in-law and a third man. Their bodies were ‘burned like charcoal’.

Gathering for a wedding could kill you in these countries. 15 wedding goers were killed by a drone in 2012 in Yemen. Local security official told Reuter in this report, ‘an air strike missed its target and hit a wedding car convoy, ten people were killed immediately and another five who were injured died after being admitted to the hospital’.

We all know the story of Malala, but how many of you heard of Nabila? 9-year-old Nabila Rehman was out picking okra with her grandmother and siblings when a drone hit them. Her grandmother was killed in the attack, and her and her sibling were left with shrapnel wounds. ‘When I hear that they are going after people who have done wrong to America, then what have I done wrong to them? What did my grandmother do wrong to them?’ Nabila wanted know.

Elsewhere in the Muslim world

We have Iraq, where the ‘war on terror’ has been terrorising civilians for over a decade now. First raped by the CIA, children in Iraq are now raped by ISIS. What were once safe countries for the average civilian have been turned into something from apocalyptic films in Libya and Syria. The Western media won’t report it, but the freedom the West exported to Libya has manifested itself in a chaos that makes one think, if hell had a jungle, this would be it.

In Palestine, Israel’s most recent military attack on the Gaza Strip left over 2,200 people dead; mostly civilians. The murders of Palestinian civilians by soldiers and settlers occurs almost weekly.

In Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the dictators there (friends of the West by the way) brutally suppress the civilians. Executions are common. Those who dare speak out, face life behind bars, or risk being whipped publicly.
So where are Muslim lives sacred? The truth is, in today’s world, in this current setting and condition, Muslim lives aren’t safe anywhere.

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

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission

Mohammed Koos is a Freelance Writer and human rights activist based in London.

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Taroudant - The Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), the republic’s leading watchdog fighting Islamophobia, has released an annual report highlighting an alarming increase in discriminatory acts against Muslims and their places of worship.

A month after the national gathering that followed the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the CCIF held its annual press conference on Wednesday, February 11, to present the figures and trends of Islamophobia in 2014 and a report on the phenomenon since January 7, 2015.

In its annual report, the CCIF recorded a 70% increase in Islamophobic acts in January 2015 compared to the same period in 2014. The CCIF identified 764 Islamophobic acts in 2014, compared to 691 in 2013, an increase of 10.6%.

The CCIF confirmed that an average of at least two cases of Islamophobia are identified every day by their services. Nearly 77% of the cases involved discrimination at work, school or an institutional setting. The report stated that “Islamophobia is currently deeply ingrained in the French culture.” The CCIF added that 81.5% of victims are women. They represent almost all of the victims of physical assault with 22 physical assaults in 2014, which is nearly two every month. “We note with disappointment and concern a huge gap between the official discourse that is reassuring and rallying, and the reality on the ground,” the report says.

Lila Charef, the CCIF’s legal advisor, told Press TV that “Our biggest difficulty is that the state is simply inactive when it comes to Islamophobia. It refuses to intervene with even small measures, such as declarations from higher authorities that condemn specific acts of discrimination.”

After the attacks of Charlie Hebdo, the prejudices and discrimination against Muslims have become stronger than ever and Muslim places of worships are being desecrated more frequently.

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By Kristina Fried

Rabat - In an interview on Saudi TV, Saudi historian Saleh al-Saadoon explained his interesting take on why the driving ban for women in Saudi Arabia should be enforced.

According to him, women should not be allowed to drive for their own protection. He claims that the long distances between in cities in Saudi Arabia pose a threat to female drivers, asking “what will become of her” if her car were to break down.

[video id="KQEeXmcWOxI" type="youtube"]

When the host questions this, saying that women drive in other countries all over the world, al-Saadoon responds with a statement that is both ridiculous and frightening. He explains to the host that those women “don’t care if they are raped by the roadside, but we do.” He goes on to say that getting raped is “no big deal for them beyond the damage to their morale.” The host is understandably shocked, and she asks al-Saadoon what rape is “if not a blow to the morale of the woman.”

But according to al-Saadoon, the effect of rape on the family and religious identity of the woman is more important, and this is apparently the reason why women in Saudi Arabia care if they are raped. He doesn’t specify whether or not Saudi Arabian women agree with him. He then proceeds to tell the other guests, both of whom are looking on in complete disbelief, one even rolling her eyes at the inanity of his statements, that they need to “get used to what society thinks.”

Al-Saadoon then goes on to explain that women in Saudi Arabia should be happy that they cannot drive, because they are driven around by their husbands, fathers, brothers, and male chauffeurs, and are treated “like queens”. The host at this point loses her composure a little, and asks why women should feel safer with male chauffeurs, who are just as capable of rape as soldiers on the side of the road.

Al-Saadoon agrees that this is a problem, and so to bring his point home and prove that it really has absolutely no basis in reality, he proposes a solution to the problem – to “bring in foreign female chauffeurs to drive our wives…to replace the male ones.” As the host finally succumbs to laughter, he continues on, oblivious to her derision, and asks her “are you with me on this?”

We laugh at this man and the absurdity of his statements, because they are ridiculous, but while activists all over Saudi Arabia such as Loujain al-Hathoul and Maysa al-Amoudi, two women who were arrested in December and detained for 73 days after attempting to drive into the Kingdom from neighboring UAE, are putting their lives and wellbeing at risk over the fight for gender equality, it is extremist individuals such as al-Saaldoon who are holding Saudi Arabia back in the global quest for equal rights.

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Taroudant, Morocco- February 14 of each year, the world celebrates Valentine’s Day. Today, this American celebration has become more globalized. As more people communicate via the Internet, watch satellite channels, or travel frequently, ideas become rapidly widespread in the Arab world.

People around the world react differently to this special occasion. They express their affection, care and appreciation for others in their own, culturally-acceptable ways. How is St Valentine celebrated in Morocco?

St Valentine is a special day in Morocco. When you go down town, you see hundreds of teenagers buying St Valentine gifts sold in most shopping malls in Rabat, Morocco’s capital.

Morocco’s new generation is more influenced today than its precedents by foreign cultures, traditions, and celebrations.

However, Morocco’s old generation is more reluctant to change, and preserve its own values and traditions. We can say that not a great majority of Moroccans celebrate Valentine; some do not even know about it; others neglect it or simply don’t believe in it.

History of Saint Valentine’s Day

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine’s Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries.

Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine”. Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.

Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. There was often a social gathering or a ball.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine cards. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800?s and now the date is very commercialized. The town of Loveland, Colorado, does a large post office business around February 14. The spirit of good continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

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Rabat - Each year, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14. It is observed in many parts of the world, and it is characterized by exchanging gifts, sending loved-ones texts, and above all reminding oneself of the importance of love in people’s lives. Both couples and singles take part in the celebration, for love means something to them.

In Morocco, so many Moroccans have their say on Valentine’s Day, particularly the educated ones. Whereas some believe in the efficacy of this celebration in that it unites people and spreads love among them, others dispel the idea, thinking that a day of celebration adds nothing to people’s romance and lives.

MWN interviewed several Moroccans about what Valentine’s Day represents to them and whether or not it is worth celebrating.

On the one hand, several Moroccans expressed a negative attitude towards Valentine’s Day, stressing that observing it is but a waste of time. “Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t believe in it,” Sarah Boutafi, a masters student told MWN. “It hasn’t changed anything in my life so far,” she explained.

“Most Moroccans do not celebrate the event; all they do is blindly imitate the West,” said Meryem, a Moroccan teacher of English. “Celebrating this sort of event is against our conservative traditions.”

“The youth of today only waste their time indulging themselves in this triviality,” a Moroccan mother of four children told MWN. “I think Moroccan youth must think about something practical and more serious that can positively affect their day to day life,” she added.

For Ikram, a graduate student in Fez University believes that this celebration has nothing to do with reality. “Saint Valentine’s Day does not exist in our religion and is not adequate with our culture and traditions. Instead of making such a fuss it would be better to show some affection to our mothers, fathers and family,” she said.

Other Moroccans, however, hailed this celebration, believing it is a golden opportunity to know their fellow citizens more deeply, to intimately identify with them, and to reunite with one another.

Rachid Acim, a young Moroccan poet and writer, has a different take about the holiday. “Valentine’s Day is a day of love par excellence. For many youths, it is a moment in which they can recall their soul-mates,” he said.

“A red rose may be evocative of love. A lovely postcard can fulfill the same purpose.” Mr. Acim added that he respects “all people’s ways of expressing love.”

“As I view it, love is not in need of a day to be expressed. All our days should be predicated on love. It’s our essence and the objective of our being,” he continued.

Abdessalam Nejjar, a teacher of science, shares nearly the same attitude towards Valentine’s Day. “Love is priceless. Any opportunity to celebrate it must be seized. Although insufficient, a day of devotion to love is better than no celebration at all. I think exchanging gifts on this day can help partners cement their emotions and strengthen their romance,” Nejjar told MWN.

For Wafae, a University teacher of English and a Ph.D candidate at Mohamed V University, she said that love is one of the magical feelings that can change a person’s life. That is why she believes that is worth celebrating this special day.

“We start hearing people talking about Valentine’s Day from the beginning of February. Some get excited and happy since they are going to live the day. Others feel frustrated because they still haven’t found a soul-mate yet and thus they pray to have one by February 14th. Let us show love to our beloved ones and cherish the day and not forget that to love is nothing, to be loved is something, to love and be loved is everything.”

In the same vein, Jamal Aglagal, a technology teacher in Sidi Ifni, praises the celebration, arguing, “at a time when divorce is on the rise, couples along with singles should think of more ways to re-kindle love in our hearts, to evince feelings openly and to get rid of the fear of uttering what are commonly the three most difficult words, ‘I love you’.”

No matter what the attitudes held towards Valentine’s Day and irrespective of whether or not a day would suffice to say the unsaid and to feel the unfelt as regards love, one thing all human beings unanimously agree on is the miracle love embodies, uniting partners’ souls and the inevitability of this universal, human feeling.

It goes without saying that no one is born to withstand or ‘ricochet’ off’ the power of this feeling. Love is inescapable. Feeling it and bonding with our lovers have always been our quest, whether we are aware of it or not. Love is above all a virtue. It is human passion. So, let us wish one another a Happy Valentine’s Day.

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By Radia Benabbou

Under the auspices of the Lala Salma Foundation - Prevention and Treatment of Cancers, and in partnership with the Canadian Embassy in Morocco, l'Association l'Avenir, and l'Association Femmes, réalisations et valeurs, Rabat will host this Sunday the Terry Fox Run, on the occasion of International Children’s Cancer Day.

The Terry Fox Run will be held under the motto “Working together to outrun cancer.”

This video is a call for participation featuring Nezha Bidwan, the well-known Moroccan athlete and godmother of the Association l’Avenir, and Sandra McCardell, the Canadian Ambassador to Morocco and Mauritania. “Sport is respect, sacrifice, and solidarity,” said Bidwan.

“Let us all participate in the Terry Fox Run and fight cancer together.” Ambassador McCardell described this marathon as the culmination of “Canada’s support to Morocco in promoting both countries’ mutual values.”

This marathon is named after Canadian athlete and activist Terry Fox, who died of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in 1981 at he age of 22. Fox had a long struggle with cancer that cost him his right leg, which was amputated in 1977. This Canadian hero is remembered for participating in the Marathon of Hope in 1980, only a year before his death.

The marathon will take place on Sunday at 10:00 in front of Avicenna’s Children Hospital.

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Rabat - Muslims in France are guilty of everything until proven otherwise. At least that’s what the facts on the ground are suggesting nowadays. Since the attacks on the Paris offices of satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo last month, the Muslim community in France has endured persecution, judgment and discrimination, and sometimes for the silliest of reasons.

An Al Jazeera network correspondent was apparently right when he said that tough times are awaiting Muslims in France in the wake of the attacks that claimed the lives of twelve people and left many others wounded.

After a small flag bearing the Islamic declaration of faith landed a French-Moroccan in prison in the French city of Lille, here is another case that proves that France has gone into a collective state of hysteria and Islamophobia since the terrorist attacks.

Sami, a 20-year-old Muslim man, has been sentenced to 3 years in prison after a fight with another man. He was a Jewish man.

In the French Val-d’Oise region, Sami had an argument with the Jewish man that quickly escalated into a fight. The man decided to press charges against Sami. Sami was later accused of carrying out an anti-Semitic attack, but he insisted that it was only a fight, nothing else.

According to his family, when Sami appeared before the court, the judge mentioned the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the hostage situation at a Jewish store. The judge reportedly said that he wished to ‘strike hard’ to condemn anti-Semitism and the incitement of hatred.

Sami’s family continues to deny the anti-Semitism accusations. According to media reports, many Jewish friends of young Sami were willing to testify on his behalf to prove the falsehood of the accusation, but none of them had the right to speak.

The family also launched a petition “Free imprisoned Sami, victim of Islamophobia.” They want to plead his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

“Thousands of fights take place every day in neighborhoods between young people and yet very few of them are rarely convicted,” they said in the petition. They added, “What difference is there between this case and the others, so fast and so “unjustly” fixed?”

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Rabat - Andre Azoulay, advisor of King Mohammed VI of Morocco said in an interview that has been posted on the internet that he supports the establishment of a Palestinian state side by side with Israel.

In a video posted on Facebook on Monday, eminent Moroccan Jew who is also the chairman of Anna Lindh foundation, said that he can’t feel completely Jew as long as there is not a Palestinian state.

“I can’t feel completely Jew as long as there is not a Palestinian state,” he said.

Azoulay explains that he is not a Jew by blood, but “through [his] values.”

“To me Judaism is responsibility, and this responsibility is rooted in otherness. That mean the ability, right and necessity for the other to enjoy the same right as myself. Today, this other is the Palestinian,” he noted.

This is not the first time that Azoualy defends the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state. In a forum organized in June 2013 in Marseille, he said that the “the Mediterranean cannot exist without Palestine. The Mediterranean was not born to accept being mutilated by the isolation of one its people, the Palestinian people”.

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Rabat- The video of a Swedish security guard using excessive violence against a nine-year-old Moroccan boy at the train station in Malmö, Sweden, for getting on the train without a ticket, has gained international attention.

Most who watched the video were appalled at the horrific scene of the Swedish guard slamming the boy’s head against the stone floor while the boy struggled to recite the Shahadah (declaration of faith).

To protest the brutal and excessive force with which a kid was treated, Mohamed Khamouna, from the University of Nebraska, has written an open letter to the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

Following is a copy of the open letter,

Dear Mr. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven:

Season’s Greetings!! It is my great pleasure to introduce myself, Mo “Mohamed” Khamouna, from the University of Nebraska.

I am writing because of the outrage I felt when I watched the sickening news on television and online video {below} of a Swedish security guard violently tackling a 9-year old Moroccan boy. Is it really necessary to inflict such brutal force on a small kid, whose crime is not having a bus or train ticket? The behavior of the guard is nothing short of barbaric, I am sorry to say! Nobody should tolerate this uncivilized behavior, especially when our Moroccan citizens are the victims!!

As a Moroccan-American, I am absolutely outraged. Growing up in my beloved Morocco, we always looked upon Sweden with admiration. As our Prime Minister, Mr. Abdelilah Benkirane, stressed when reacting to the aforementioned video, “… a country like Sweden, well-respected and loved by Moroccans, as they consider it a model to follow in human rights and democracy.”

Mr. Prime Minister Löfven, can you imagine a Swedish boy or girl being treated the same way in New York, Paris, or Casablanca for not having a bus ticket? Wouldn’t Swedish people be outraged about such a brutal punishment for a trivial crime? I had the pleasure of visiting your beautiful, peaceful country and civilized people, but this video changed everything I believed about Sweden. Alas! I hope justice will be done in this matter! Sir, this security guard misrepresents what Sweden stands for, especially the rights of small children.

[video id="aXypixyJ_Ro" type="youtube"]

Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, for taking time to read this message!

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Rabat - Few days after travelling to Israel, the Jewish family who was evicted from the house where hey had lived for 50 years, call on King Mohammed VI to bring them back to their home.

Moroccan-Jewish rabbi, Shalom Abdelhak, who immigrated to Israel with his wife, Messody Wizman, (both in their eighties), following their eviction from an apartment where they had lived for 46 years, said that he wants his apartment back as a condition of returning to Morocco.

Speaking to Arabic-speaking news website Alyoum24, the Jewish rabbi called on King Mohammed VI to intervene on their behalf and bring them back to their Casablanca apartment who they said was taken away from them by a “real estate mafia”.

He added that he had not received anything from the 100,000 Dirhams purportedly given to the Jewish community by the owner of the apartment in order to deport him to Israel.

Currently in Israel with his family, Shalom Abdelhak said that he left the country after he was threatened to end up in the street, adding that he misses his neighbors and his friends in “the holy land of Morocco” and that he wishes to return.

Earlier this month, the Jewish couple cancelled plans to leave Morocco after the Interior Minister, Mohammed Hassad, on instructions of the head of government, requested them not to leave and promised to open an investigation on the matter.

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Rabat - After the slew of heinous acts committed by the so-called Islamic State in the name of Islam, as well as the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris, prejudice and discrimination against Muslims have escalated all over the world, and especially in the United States.

Hatred of Muslims is demonstrated publically through the plastering of blasphemous symbols on the walls of the places of their worship, and violent anti-Islamic attacks that kill and maim.

Eric Folkerth, an American from Dallas, recently posted on his Facebook wall a photo of a pickup truck promoting a racist message written across its tailgate. The message reads, “Muslims go back home and take Obama with you.”

The photo, which was taken on the Central Expressway in Dallas, a major city in Texas, was shared by more than 791 users and received more than 142 comments. Most of the comments expressed their opposition to the hate speech.

“Even though [being] Muslim isn't a race, this kind of behavior is completely racist. Putting Obama in the mix tells me that this person is completely fearful and emasculated by the very thought that his white (probably male) status isn't the norm any more. And then to advertise his immaturity and hatred on his truck...shameful,” one commenter posted.

Another commenter expressed his belief that hatred is another weapon used by “the rich and powerful” to separate people and justify another war “fought for profits not ideas.”  “Idiots are falling for it,” he said.

One commenter compared the hate speech to “something that the Ku Klux Klan would say.” The Ku Klux Klan, or simply the Klan, is an American hate group which champions white supremacy and has exercised brutal violence against African Americans since the Civil War era of the 1860s.

According to recent reports by an Islamic watchdog group “Islamophobia and hate crime are on the rise in the west. Politicians and higher authorities, unfortunately, have so far refused to intervene by taking even small measures, such as declarations that condemn specific acts of discrimination or hate crime murders.”

Edited by Elisabeth Myers

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Tunis - The events surrounding the Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Kosher attacks, which have shaken the whole world, have also had repercussions on Tunisia. The country counts six victims in these tragedies, five men and one woman. 

All Tunes

The victims, who are all “Tunes” (Tunisian Jew), were shot in Paris during two successive events: the first attack on the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015 and then a second attack in Porte de Vincennes on Friday, January 9, just before the start of Shabbat.

The victims are Yoav Hattab, a marketing student in Paris and the son of the Grand- Rabbi of Tunis (22 years, killed Jan. 9), Yohan Cohen, grand-son of the famous Tunisian singer nicknamed Doukha. He was an employee at HyperCasher supermarket and a rap fan (23 years, killed Jan. 9), Elsa Cayat, a brilliant psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. She was a columnist at Charlie Hebdo (54 years, killed January 7), François-Michel Saada, a retired senior (54 years, killed Jan. 9), Georges Volinski, a cartoonist at Charlie Hebdo (80 years, killed January 7) and Philippe Braham (45 years, killed Jan. 9), who was working for a consulting company.

In Tunisia about two hundred people gathered in the Grande-Synagogue of Tunis to show their solidarity with Yoav Hattab, the son of the Grand-Rabbi of Tunis whose family still live in Tunisia. Three channels of communication – the media, the social networks and the streets – have witnessed great turbulence in the country, which has also been affected by the tide of terrorism, not only due to the events which occurred in France but also because of the threats of the so called Islamic State in Libya.

“The plight of Charlie cartoonists had doubly terrified me,” said Souad Chourabi, the mother of Sofiène, a Tunisian journalist held hostage in Libya by the Islamic State. “I spent a day of uncertainty when I heard the news of my son Sofiène’s execution; I was flabbergasted and about to collapse. I couldn’t imagine the bloody scene as told by some media.” “I prayed to God that this was a rumor,” she added. “Fortunately, the President Béji Caid Essebsi received us at the Palace and we were reassured. Both journalists, Sofiène and Nadir Gtari, are still alive.” Libyan sources have also confirmed the information. The drama did not rule out the willingness of journalists to express their solidarity with colleagues of Charlie Hebdo, including those who remain strongly against the content of the newspaper cartoons.

"We are Sofiène and Nadir” and "I am Charlie," proclaimed the placards that were brandished by some demonstrators, mostly young journalists. Others raised pictures of Sofiène and Nadir. Politicians were also in attendance during this event. The Popular Front expressed its solidarity with the families of Tunisians and French people. The party that has "suffered from terrorism,” especially after the assassination of the Chokri Belaid leaders and Mohammed Brahmi, also participated in the rally to call on all political forces to "unite against terrorism." "We want to send the same message to the families of Charlie Hebdo.  We, Tunisians, Arabs and Muslims are also against these criminals and they do not represent us,” explained Zouhaier Hamdi, Secretary General of the Popular Courant.

"The attack that occurred at the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo is not legitimate. It has no connection with Islam,” said Walid Abdallah, a correspondent for France 24 in Tunis. He continued, "Extremism can be shown by weapon or by word. The journalist must be free but at the same time responsible. The reporter whatever his or her ideology or religion should take into consideration the importance of the sacred to religious people."

Surprised by how the successive events unfolded, the chief of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT), Néji Bghouri, said, "This psychological war launched by terrorists against journalists of Charlie Hebdo is not going to scare us. We stand for freedom of expression and we are in solidarity with the families of journalists. Was it possible to prohibit cartoonists from imagining and thinking?” Further stating that, “In the words of the British author Evelyn Beatrice Hall in a book on Voltaire in 1906, ‘I don’t agree with you on the essential, nor on the accessory. Nevertheless, I will fight to my last breath to make your voice heard.’"

The institutions that represent Muslims in France, where the events took place, and elsewhere have strongly condemned the attacks outside of the question, "to be or not to be in agreement with the contents of Charlie Hebdo."

For its part, Morocco condemned the attacks. “The Land of Saints,” as the author Elie Azoulay says, has defended through history its diversity. In its Preamble, Moroccan constitution notes that, “the Kingdom of Morocco intends to preserve, in its plentitude and its diversity, its one and indivisible national identity. Its unity is forged by the convergence of its Arab-Islamist, Berber and [saharo-hassanie] components, nourished and enriched by its African, Andalusian, Hebraic and Mediterranean affluents.” Morocco, which strongly defends its cultural diversity, has once again validated the "Moroccan exception.” Following the tragedies of Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Kosher, many people have asked about the position taken by Morocco during the Republican march. The answer is simple; due to the presence of blasphemous caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), the Kingdom wished to "condemn" but not to “participate.”

“Laughed to Death”

These events caused many pacifist and violent reactions. January 7^th, was a tragedy but the real tragedies were the reactions that were triggered on the Internet and elsewhere. While some commenters strongly condemned the attack that occurred in the office of Charlie Hebdo, others have given high praise to the perpetrators. All the while, neither the Qur'an nor the old and new testaments have called this behavior. Additionally, more and more commenters have launched into tirades against Muslims, creating an amalgam of religious, extremists and radicals. In each case they are either praising the perpetrators or insulting Muslims; the reactions are stripped of respect for the human being.

"They asked for it," "They insulted our sacred,” or “they assume that," "if they accept freedom of speech, they must also accept the freedom of reaction" are just a few examples of comments, tweets and posts that have circulated on social networks.

In the same context, dozens of students from the University of Manouba, in Tunis, held a demonstration on the university campus to denounce the content of the cartoons published in Charlie Hebdo. They “invaded” the Institute of Media and Communication (IPSI) and accused the media of apostasy, "Where are you Muslims? Why don’t you report on our demonstrations?” they asked.

"We are not Charlie. We are against the newspaper's content," said Mohrez Abdali, a student at the Faculty of Arts.

While some have taken identifiers that represent them, others were content to follow the herd, while still more people chose to identify themselves with the terrorists by sticking to the label, "I am Kouachi.”

This new phenomenon, “I am,” should be contextualized through a systemic approach, using a theory that integrates the analytic and the synthetic methods of complex systems. Through this approach, which is based on psychology, exploring behavior patterns and human experience, we can analyze these new aspects of communication and non-communication. The above expressions are not always received as they were invented in the first place. The receiver has selectively adopted strategies of hijacking, bypassing and re-appropriation, thus requiring scientific research to identify reception aspects, cause and cognitive effects.

"I am an Abrahamic religion, can unify all of us and avoid controversial debates. We are simply Christians, Muslims and Jews and we are united against terrorism," said Rosana Jeogertemendes, a Christian from Guinea Bissau and student in Tunisia.

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Rabat - Saudi Cleric has become an overnight internet laughing stock after he claimed that the Sun revolves around the Earth and not the other way around, rejecting in the process a centuries-old scientific fact that the Sun is stationary while planet Earth and other planets rotate around it.

A video recently posted on YouTube shows the Saudi cleric, Sheikh Bandar al-Khaibari, answering a student question on whether the Earth is still or moving, he replied that the Earth is "stationary and does not move."

To make sure his "revolutionary" ideas were well-understood by the student, the Saudi Sheikh gave an example of an airplane travelling from Sharjah airport to China. It was the very example that prompted a wave of social media remarks.

He claimed that if a plane stops still in the air "China would come towards it" in case the Earth rotates on one direction, adding that if the Earth rotates on opposite direction, the plane will not be able to reach China, because "China is also rotating".

The Sheikh comments coincided with the birthday of famous Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei who supported the Copernican theory that says the Earth and planets revolved around the Sun. He was born on February 15, 1564 and was accused twice of heresy by the church for his beliefs.

The video triggered a wave of remarks on social media platforms with the hashtag #cleric_rejects_rotation_of_Earth on Twitter.

#cleric_rejects_rotation_of_Earth This is a Saudi tradition, called the February's Fool ???????????? #?????

— ???? ??????? (@MajedRabee3) February 18, 2015

He has the right to reject the rotation theory of the earth as we have the right to reject his views. #cleric_rejects_rotation_of_Earth

— ??? ???? ?????? (@abuahmedalqarni) February 18, 2015

#cleric_rejects_rotation_of_Earth I don't know about you guys, but I have a feeling we might win this year's Noble Prize

— Abdi Arif (@abzzi08) February 18, 2015

#?????_????_?????_????? I don't even need to buy plane ticket to travel! I'll just start hopping up & down until my destination comes to me!

— Dementropy (@Dementropy) February 16, 2015

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Taroudante- After the uproar caused by a video showing a security guard straddling and abusing a nine-year-old Moroccan boy at Malmo station, Nezha El Wafi, a member of parliament of Justice and Development Party, sent a letter to the President of the Swedish Parliament asking for justice for the Moroccan boy.

El Wafi requested the President of the Swedish Parliament to "take all measures to compensate the child in accordance with the legal and constitutional regulations and international conventions for the protection of children."

In her letter, the Moroccan parliamentarian highlighted the importance of the joint responsibility to cooperate in order to reduce “the growing racism, prejudices and stereotypes that feed hatred against Muslims and immigrants in general."

The video shows the guard sitting on the boy’s chest and pressing his gloved hand violently over the boy’s mouth and nose while the child was crying and gasping for air.

The most shocking moment is when the boy struggles to recite the Shahadah (declaration of faith), that is said when a person is about to die.

The footage has sparked an international uproar and shocked Sweden, the first country in the world to ban corporal punishment for children.

According to The Local, both boys went missing after the incident and now they are reportedly in Denmark, “being taken care of by Danish social services.”

Speaking at the meeting of the Government Council on Thursday, Abdelilah Benkirane, the head of government, denounced the abuse of the nine-year-old Moroccan boy and condemned the aggression and discrimination that has recently targeted Moroccans and other people of the Muslim faith and that has "exceeded the bounds of reason" in some Western countries.

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Ifrane - My name is Kenza, and I was born in Belgium in 1983. Morocco is the country that witnessed the birth of my ancestors. Today, I am proud to say that I am Belgian of Moroccan descent from the region of Rif, Muslim but above all a human being infused by several cultures and experiences in the world. All this has made me what I am today.

I grew up in Brussels in a loving family. I was educated according to the set of values that Islam stands for. We lived in humility, modesty, simplicity, love and respect for others. I grew up in Brussels, where I grew as a citizen, where I evolved amidst a culturally rich society full of colors.

When I was a child, I used to ask a lot of questions. I was very curious to discover everything around me. When I was a child I dreamed of being an adult with a job that would allow me the necessary resources to help those in need around the world. When I was a child, I had a small diary in which I wrote down all the things I would do when I grew up so I wouldn’t forget them. When I was a child, my little room was my world, my world where I was creating, and imagining all the ideas I wanted to realize when I got older. I lived my childhood with the deep feeling that I would always be surrounded by my family, that they would always protect me, love me and then I would be able to straighten my own wings and fly.

Unfortunately, the environment in which I was living peacefully has rapidly deteriorated. The relationships between people have become very tense and confrontational. The impact of the attack on the World Trade Center in the United States in 2001 has quickly spread to Europe. Then it was the rise of the right wing extremism and Islamophobia. Nearly all Muslims were beginning to be considered potential terrorists. This climate of tension had reached its peak.

This climate of hatred and violence took away the most precious thing I had in this world. On May 7, 2002 my parents were murdered by a man driven by hatred and rejection of the other. My parents were killed around 4am while praying the dawn prayer. The murderer also fired several bullets at my little brothers, Yassine and Walid, who were only 6 years and 11 years old at that time. They were heavily injured but were able to survive the carnage.

The murderer decided to end the lives of my whole family. He had decided we did not have the right to live. This man brutally destroyed my family. There was no doubt that it was indeed a hate crime. This man attacked us because he thought that we were not the right color, not the right religion, not the right culture. After this, the killer committed suicide in the flames of a fire that he started. I escaped death as he also set fire to my room. I was saved by my neighbor Gérard Buyk. He will always be my hero.

May 7, 2002 was the most horrible day of my life. That day I was devastated by a sadness that I thought is insuperable. I was only 18 years old and suddenly I became an orphan. I was deprived forever of the love and affection of my parents. After such a tragedy, many questions invaded my mind. How could I have a normal life after such a shock? How could I continue to live in a world without the presence of my parents? How is it possible to overcome such a tragedy?

And I prayed to God with all my strength, for I believe that there is the possibility of a world where we are not doomed to live in violence, I believe that peace can be a reality if all of us contribute to this vision together.

In the years that followed the death of my parents, I tried to find a place for myself in the natural order of the world. I tried to think about what will make sense to me. I was convinced that I have undertaken a fight to honor the memory of my parents. I felt I had the responsibility to impart the story of my family to the world.

I wanted to let the world know that my parents had once existed among us and that they had also contributed to a righteous and tolerant society. I fought for the memory of my parents so that a tragedy like this would never happen again. I fought with all my strength for this tragedy to become a lesson.

I had to face a lot of disappointment, but I also found a lot of love, brotherhood, learned life lessons, and voiced and received solidarity. I learned to be humble towards life, to give it meaning. I conducted several humanitarian trips because I was in search of truth. I wanted to understand how all these conflicts occur in the world, how someone can take a gun and fire at another human being. I let myself be guided towards what makes sense to me. My commitment to Palestine taught me the best lesson in my life. I went to Palestine to be close to their suffering and finally understand my own suffering. Palestinians taught me to remain dignified despite the suffering and pain. I owe a lot to this country because it made me feel stronger and more determined in my commitment to a better world.

I also realized that it will take time to find answers to my questions, and above all that I have to keep fighting to one-day find inner peace. I’ve understood that I will have to face moments of doubt and discouragement, but I never gave up, and I will never give up, to bring the truth, to bring this true message of hope that unites us all together. It may be unrealistic for many people because we are still facing and will always face a lot of violence. But if I chose not to give up, it’s not only to resist but also to realize that no one is immune from such tragedy. It is unbearable to see the indifference and silence towards racism and violence that continues to make the headlines. Today, if I chose not to sink into hatred, it is because I am convinced that it is only through love, compassion and respect that we can make peace the day-to-day currency of humanity.

Gandhi said, "be the change you want to see in the world". This sentence has resonated a lot in my mind. I came back to myself, to what makes me a human being, to strengthen my convictions and share them with the rest of the world. I kept sticking to my faith, my religion and the values of peace and love that they represent. It is thanks to this that I could find inner peace. When you feel that spiritual energy, you are no longer afraid. All the reasons you have to be afraid just fade away. This is my relationship to my religion. This is the true meaning of Islam.

Today it is important to communicate, to realize that what unites us all is our humanity. We must learn to be able to accept ourselves and each other as we are, with our differences, our values. This is the message through which I live.

My soul is terribly saddened when I see hate crimes continue to occur and Islamophobia on the rise. I have special thoughts for Deah Barakat, Yusor and Razan Abu-Salha, the three young American Muslims killed in North Carolina. I was speechless, in shock, for several days after that terrible event. All the images of the tragedy experienced in my family filled my head. I felt like I was reliving that day over and over again, when the murderer entered our apartment to kill my parents. This simply means that such events can happen to anyone. This means that no one is immune from such a tragedy. The facts are here. It is for this reason that everyone is responsible. Whether it is a mosque, a church or a synagogue that is targeted, we should condemn all such acts with equal severity.

Today, I share my experience because I am sure that we all have a role to play. I'm sure that all of us can help to build the world in which I believe, to build a world where respect, solidarity, and brotherhood represent the true values that bind us all.

Today I am a woman, but I succeeded in becoming that little girl who I was before. I just wanted to find that innocence again, that childlike state of wonder toward the beautiful things that life offers.  I was worried that fear and sadness would fill the rest of my days. My parents are always in my prayers and in my actions. I will honor their memory for the rest of my days.

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 - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced his rejection of the veil for women in France this morning.

In a lengthy interview on Europe 1 radio, during which he received questions from the public, Sarkozy, the head of centre-right opposition party UMP, was very aggressive on the subject of Islam.

In the name of "equality" between men and women, Sarkozy said, “we do not want veiled women."

"There are a number of societal practices that we do not want,” he added.

During an interview by French radio station RTL in the wake of the terrorist attacks on France, Sarkozy reacted with an incredible grimace to a caller identified as Natalie when she told him that she converted to Islam 10 years ago.

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Radia Benabbou

Tangier - The State of Virginia, USA will host the Moroccan Talent Expo Sports (MTES) to provide young Moroccan soccer players with a chance to showcase their talents.

This event will be held in April 2015 and will last for ten days.

The MTES is organized by RSLOU Management, an independent, publishing, producing and managing company founded by the Moroccan American Miloud El Aomari.

Twelve Moroccan soccer players will have the opportunity to visit the US and participate in “the first soccer tournament between Moroccan soccer players and the Virginia Soccer Association, which will take place at James Long Park, Haymarket, Virginia,” the organizers said in a  statement.

The twelve Moroccan soccer players will be able to show their talents outside Morocco, which may be a golden opportunity to take their careers a step further.

The ten-day stay in Virginia will be also a way to expand the players’ professional networks and open up to a new culture.

Moroccan Talent Expo helps young Moroccan talents fulfill their dreams. Two musical events had already been organized in May 2013 and November 2013 in Virginia and New York, respectively.

The two previous editions brought the two cultures together and provided a good platform for communication and sharing experiences.

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Tunis - 26 years have passed since the Maghreb Union was announced, but in reality, no union was built.

Many young people have considered this thorny issue and have worked on various projects to change its inert status. These projects, which especially link Morocco and Tunisia, appear to be rather original: they relate to Moroccan Caftan and the dialogue between "Kippa and the Veil."

The 26th anniversary of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), which was celebrated on Tuesday, February 17, reminds us that it is still an idea fraught with pitfalls. However, as it is commonly said, it is never too late to start.

The Caftan

After conducting exploratory research in Tunisia in June 2014, young Moroccan Sanae Malak discovered the great love Tunisians have for Morocco, especially for the caftan, which is actually a kind of robe commonly used for one piece dress. In fact, Tunisian call the caftan a takshita, which is composed of two or more pieces plus a belt. These tunics can be worn on formal occasions in Morocco. So she developed the project "Sanae Stylism," to sell Moroccan caftans to Tunisians and organize meetings on fashion design in both countries.

Travelling through Tunis, Bizerte, Sousse, and Hammamet last summer, Sanae conducted semi-structured interviews with Tunisian women aged 20 to 50 years to discover their motivations and the fashion trends in the country, and especially to market caftans in Tunisia.

In Morocco, Sanae decided to return to university and completely changed her field of study in order to use her project to help achieve the Maghreb Union. "The role of young people and especially women in the Maghreb is too important. Politics do not interest all women, as opposed to elegance and fashion," said Sanae. "The caftan could be a good marketing tool to unify these people by multiplying visits between these countries. Citizens will encourage ‘inter-tourism’ and contribute to the multiplication of exchanges and discussions on the Maghreb Union," she added.

[caption id="attachment_152230" align="aligncenter" width="597"] Sanae Malak[/caption]

The young woman, who is 25 years old, began studying fashion design last October at College Lassalle in Casablanca, in order to gain academic experience after she obtained a master's degree in Tourism Management in Rabat and a Master’s in administration and business management in Tangier.

"Before I get married, I want to buy a Moroccan caftan from Morocco, because in Tunisia, some sellers take advantage of our ignorance of the price/quality ratio. Through these projects, we can even develop economic and cultural exchanges and launch the debate on the Maghreb Union,"explained Amal Hosni, a Tunisian journalist, adding that the increase in airfare between the two countries is the first barrier to this type of exchange.

Kippa and the veil

Since the agreement of 1989, the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) has been a controversial project, an organization that had been "created" without being actually created. Many obstacles to unification exist. For example, the fact that the word "Arab" is included in the organization’s name has been very controversial. What about Amazigh and Kabyles, some researchers have asked? The term "Arab" has caused much semantic confusion regarding the identity of North Africans.

Each country in North Africa has its own concerns over the identiy of its people. In this context, the owner and director of the International Cross-Cultural Committee in Japan Armand Knafo told us before he died on February 17th 2015 that he wished all Moroccans around the world would unite, regardless of race or religion, for a multicultural Morocco. "As a Moroccan and an Israeli, I wish that black and white, Arab and Amazigh, and especially Jews and Muslims unite," said Knafo.

The preamble to the newly revised Moroccan Constitution of 2011 is the only one in the Maghreb that highlights the diversity of its people. It reads: "Morocco intends to preserve, in its plentitude and its diversity, its one and indivisible national identity. Its unity is forged by the convergence of its Arab-Islamic, Berber [Amazigh] and Saharan components, nourished and enriched by its African, Andalusian, Hebraic and Mediterranean influences." All Maghreb countries should call their citizens by their nationalities, not by their religions, before thinking of a Maghreb union.

Thus, Maghreb union implies two sub-unions: an "internal" union by valorizing nations’ diversity, especially through media (like Amazigh TV channels in Morocco or Community media in Tunisia and why not media to promote inter-religious dialogue and another union with neighbors, via informal and formal ways, such as creating Maghrebian summits on political, economic, cultural and social levels.

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