The Maghreb - unified by bloggers?

It is interesting to scan through the growing number of blogs emerging from the Maghreb and realise that while the political leaders struggle with the notion of a Maghreb Union - that in some respects young bloggers are making it a reality.

The bloggers from across the region are reacting to many of the same issues, listening to the same music and sharing the same videos. They are reading each others blogs and in many cases, responding to each other. Borders? What borders? The blogosphere knows no borders and when a Tunisian blogger posts about jailed writer and lawyer Mohammed Abbou, who is currently serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence for criticising Tunisian President Ben Ali in an article, the discussion is had across the region. Another recent example was the Nichane case which was taken up by bloggers with far more energy and insight than most of the local media.

The online Magharebia magazine alluded to this when it gave examples of blogger reaction to the rising Islamic fundamentalism in the Maghreb. The analysis by bloggers is often disturbingly penetrating and more open and informed than many newspaper reports.

Hamza Belloumi, writing in his blog Islamiqua under the banner pictured above, is quoted in Magharebia - "the recent dismantlement of the terrorist Salafist group in Tunisia shows that the Maghreb is more and more becoming a field of action …a hidden base for … Al-Qaeda." He said the recent alliance between the Algerian terrorist group GSPC and al-Qaeda is responsible for this situation.

Now, what matters here is not so much that you agree or disagree with Hamza, but more that you are involved in the discussion. You are being asked to think about something more important than the latest Haifa Wahbi pictures or a new ringtone.

Another example given by Magharebia is the blog from Tunis of "Big Trap boy" - writing on his blog Extravaganza! he has a head on go at radical ideologies, arguing that even though ...they are nonsense, most young people enlisted in those groups do not understand the ideological source of what is being preached, they behave as if that was the true Islam … and the reasons that make young people drown even further in the radicalism are well known: little bit ignorance, little poverty, little repression, little politics, ... little media … poor them, they have shortened their lives and those of others for no reason.

"I have the impression that my country is invaded by wolves, come to take possession of our districts, one after the other, of the poor districts and the rich districts."

Citoyenhmida in Casablanca reacts to the rising tide of what young Moroccans call "the bearded ones" by describing them as wolves. LES LOUPS SONT ENTRES DANS CASA He adds that this impression grew stronger after the Nichane case, in which "some young inexperienced journalists concocted a pleasantry of jokes about institutions, family, religion, and which turned into tragedy for them, and into strong hold for the wolves … and into lamentable farce for the authorities who did not know what to do. "

And the outside world is listening.

In his beautifully thought out and intellectually stimulating blog, Eatbees brings together the thoughts of other bloggers with his own analysis in a way that expands our understanding and prompts deeper reflection. For example in a recent article The Price of Freedom, he reflects on the case of Boubker Jamaï, the founder of Le Journal Hébdomadaire who was fined $350,000 which he is unable to pay. Eatbees examines why his case has attracted less attention than that of Nichane. "Let us be clear that Boubker Jamaï is not going into exile for any single scandal. The “case” against Le Journal has been building for a long time. Le Journal is, quite simply, the most credible news source in Morocco. It and its rival Tel Quel are effectively the only independent news sources in Morocco."

Right and wrong - I would argue, that for those who know where to look, news can come from other sources than the print media or radio and television. Increasingly the realm of bloggers is a source of news. The bloggers are speaking out and we should all be listening.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news