Moroccan Public Sector Workers to Strike on October 29th

Demonstrations and disruptions are possible during a nationwide strike by public sector workers on the 29th of October

Morocco's three largest labour unions have called for a 24-hour national strike in the public and private sectors on October 29th to protest against government reforms of pensions, subsidies and other areas.

Morocco is under pressure from international lenders to cut public spending and to reform its subsidy and pension systems in order to mend state finances.

"It is a warning for a 24-hour strike in the public, private and agricultural sectors on Oct. 29," the Moroccan Labour Union (UMT), Democratic Labour Confederation (CDT) and Democratic Federation of Labour (FDT) said in a statement.

They have joined forces this year to protest at government policies.

The planned strike would put pressure on the government's plans to carry out more reforms, such as on its costly pension system, which were expected to be included in the 2015 national budget.

Unions accuse the government of undermining Moroccan living standards by ending some subsidies, and planning a pension system reform that would hit workers' earnings and savings.

Morocco spent heavily in 2011 by increasing salaries and subsidies to calm pro-democracy unrest triggered by the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled autocrats in other countries, including neighbouring Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. But since 2013, the Islamist-led government has been cutting spending mainly by reducing subsidies, public investment and the public sector payroll.

However, the government agreed in April to increase the minimum wage by 10 percent in 2014 and 2015.

Under pressure from the International Monetary Fund to reform its subsidy system to make its public finances more sustainable over the long term, it has ended subsidies of gasoline and fuel oil and reduced diesel subsidies in recent months, but has kept more sensitive cooking gas, wheat and sugar subsidies.

Morocco expects its budget deficit to fall to 4.9 pct of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 after it hit 7.3 percent in 2012, and 5.4 percent in 2013.

The deficit of the Moroccan Pension Fund (CMR) for public sector workers is currently on track to reach 750 million Moroccan dirhams ($85.82 million) in 2014, 2.8 billion dirhams in 2015 and 14.4 billion dirhams in 2017, according to government figures. The accumulated deficit would reach 135 billion dirhams in 2030 if there are no reforms.


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Anti-Muslim Film Protests Spread - Update

On Tuesday, the US ambassador to Tripoli, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans were killed in the Libyan city of Benghazi when an armed mob stormed the consulate, torching the building after looting it. The protests were sparked by the American-made amateur video called "Innocence of Muslims." 

The low-budget movie, in which actors have strong American accents, portrays Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent. It also pokes fun at the Prophet Mohammed and touches on themes of paedophilia and homosexuality. According to the Wall Street Journal the film was produced by Israeli-American Sam Bacile who describes Islam as a cancer.

Protestors in Casablanca

Morocco has described as "shameful aggression" the attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, and presented its "sincere condolences" to the US government and people, while denouncing the film that prompted the attack. The Moroccan government stressed that the attack "cannot, in any case, be justified," in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency.

In Casablanca on Wednesday hundreds of people protested outside the US consulate. The protesters, numbering between 300 and 400 mostly young activists, gathered around 200 metres from the consulate amid a heavy police presence. Some shouted anti-US slogans, including "Death to Obama!", but without resorting to violence. The Casablanca protest appeared to have been called spontaneously, via social media networks, and without the involvement of any particular organisation.

Police guard the US consulate in Casablanca in 2007 (photo: Abdelhak Senna)

The two-hour movie that sparked the protests first came to attention in Egypt after its trailer was dubbed into Arabic and posted on YouTube.

The reaction in the social media has been swift and angry, with one Moroccan woman's Facebook comment about the film's makers "I will enjoy seeing them all burn in hell, inshallah" being typical of many responses.

Unfortunately, in the United States, the film is being promoted by an extreme anti-Muslim Christian pastor Terry Jones. On Wednesday, a MSNBC panel debated whether Jones should be held responsible for the deaths resulting from the protests. Others on the left have presented similar arguments, saying the film is to blame for the attacks, seemingly deflecting blame from the radical Islamists who carried out the acts of violence.

Hillary Clinton Comments

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called a US-produced anti-Islam film that has angered Muslim communities in North Africa "disgusting" but said it cannot be used as a justification for the kind of violence seen at the US embassy in Libya.

The US Embassy in Morocco, like other  embassies, has moved quickly and widely disseminated Secretary Hilary Clinton's earlier remarks about the killings in Libya - in Arabic. (See the Arabic text here)


The film's director in hiding

The director of a film that sparked protests says he is "upset" at the death of the US ambassador to Libya and has gone into hiding, a consultant on the project said on Wednesday.

"He's very upset that the ambassador got murdered," Steve Klein told AFP, adding that he had spoken to filmmaker Sam Bacile by phone earlier in the day, but did not know his location.

When Bacile - not his real name - was told about the death of US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, "he melted, he fell apart," added Klein, who said he was one of some 15 people behind the film, "Innocence of Muslims."  He added that the reported Israeli-American director could suffer the same fate as Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who was assassinated in 2004 after triggering protests with an anti-Muslim film.

Asked if Bacile could be killed, he said: "If he goes public I'm sure he will."

Protestors on the walls of the US Embassy in Cairo 

Other reaction

In Cairo, several thousand people stormed the US embassy in a similar protest against the film. On Thursday Egyptian police used tear gas as they clashed with the stone-throwing crowd after 13 people were injured in overnight unrest, according to the health ministry.

The U.S. embassy in Cairo issued an apology to Muslims shortly after rioting Muslims tore apart the American flag outside the embassy: “The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.”

A protester throws a tear gas canister near the US embassy in Cairo   photo: Amr Dalsh

Algeria's foreign ministry, meanwhile, condemned the low-budget movie, "Innocence of Muslims," The Algerian Foreign Minister, Mourad Medelci, offered his condolences to his US counterpart Hilary Clinton, after the deadly attack. Ministry spokesman Amar Belani meanwhile deplored "the irresponsibility of the authors of the film... which offends Islam and his prophet".

"The outrages on the sacred religious symbols... can only result in disapproval and indignation, because these provocations are designed to fuel hatred," he added.

The US embassy in Algiers issued an emergency travel warning, urging US citizens to avoid large crowds, and to "be aware of the potential for protests or demonstrations at any time."

Protestors in Gaza  photo: Suhaib Salem

Further, U.S. embassies in at least seven countries in the Middle East, including Sudan, Tunisia and Morocco, Africa and the Caucuses are warning of possible anti-American protests.

The embassies in Armenia, Burundi, Kuwait, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia, along with the embassy in Egypt, which was hit by a protest on Tuesday, all issued warnings on Wednesday advising Americans to be particularly vigilant.

The warnings, posted on the embassies’ websites, do not report any specific threat to Americans but note that demonstrations can become violent.

Protests have also broken out in Kuwait, Tunisia, Yemen, Gaza and Sudan.

Yemeni police shot dead a protester and wounded five others when they opened fire on a crowd attempting to storm the United States embassy in Sana'a to protest the film. The shooting in Sana'a came as protesters, chanting "O, messenger of Allah... O, Mohammed" launched a second charge on the complex which they had stormed earlier, but were ejected by the security forces.

Yemen president Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi apologised to his US counterpart Barack Obama and the American people for the acts of a "mob" and ordered a probe.

In Iran, up to 500 people protested in Tehran, chanting "Death to America!" and death to the movie's director. The rally took place near the Swiss embassy, which handles US interests in the absence of US-Iran diplomatic ties.

Fearing a violent backlash, Afghan president Hamid Karzai has postponed a planned visit to Norway.

The US has sent a detachment of 50 marines to secure the American embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli, where staff numbers were being cut to emergency levels.

Washington also began evacuating all its staff from its mission in Benghazi while at the same time sending two destroyers to "the vicinity of Libya" as a precautionary measure, a senior US official said.

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Moroccan News Briefs #69

AFP Correspondent Attacked By Police While Covering Protest

On Wednesday a demonstration outside parliament in Rabat turned ugly when, according to news reports, the police over-stepped the mark while breaking up the demonstration and injured an AFP journalist.

The journalist, Omar Brousksy, was reporting on a protest by various groups and NGOs against the beiya ceremony - a traditional oath of loyalty to the king. This unfortunate incident not only angered organisations calling for greater press freedom, but had the potential to cause a diplomatic incident with the French government.

Brouksy told Reporters Without Borders, "It was 6:15 pm. I was covering the protest outside parliament when policemen asked me to leave. I showed them my press card but they shouted, 'Leave, leave!' And then they began to hit me everywhere, including the mouth. A colleague from Reuters shouted that I was an AFP journalist but it made no difference. They kept going. My nose is still bleeding."

Reporters Without Borders has strongly condemned the attack by police officers on Agence France-Presse correspondent and called on the Moroccan authorities to investigate the attack on Brouksy and punish those responsible.

"The press is the mirror of a society and if we break it, the effect will be to distort the face of power...One police officer of the National Brigade of Judicial Police told one of our reporters: "Listen, the country can live without press, but it can not operate without any security" But what security? ...that is the question." 
Taoufiq Bouachrine, editoral in Akhbar Alyoum.

Newspapers reported that the attack has embarrassed the Benkirane government, which is concious of that in these troubled financial times the last thing they need is an increase in tension with France; Morocco's major political and economic partner.

Aware of the negative image the incident has caused, Minister of Communications Mustapha El Khalfi, was quick to react to the overzealous law enforcement. The minister contacted the management of the AFP to apologize on behalf of his government for the incident and announced a decision of the Minister of the Interior, Mohaned Laenser, to set up an investigation to probe the circumstances of the assault against the reporter.


Morocco's fourth heat wave in three months cripples crop production

Damage from extreme heat waves that raged during the months of July and August have seriously affected the next citrus and olive crop. Poultry farming and market gardening have also suffered losses to varying degrees.

A sunburnt landscape in the drought

This is the fourth heat wave experienced by the country in less than three months - the first was declared at the end of June. The recurring phenomenon attests to the increasing influence of climate change, notes leading business journal L'Economiste.

The most affected sector is poultry farming, followed to a lesser extent by fruit growing and market gardening. The poultry sector is facing substantial losses, with at least 10% of dead animals and has recorded losses estimated at 131 million dirhams, after the first wave of heat that raged from June 25-28. Since then, prices of broilers, turkeys and eggs have soared during Ramadan.

Soft fruit such as apricots, nectarines, grapes, melons, watermelons and tomatoes had to be sold off at half price or less because of heat induced early maturity and insufficient storage space. Citrus plants and olive trees have been badly damaged and citrus fruits are likely to be in short supply, L'Economiste reports.

The increase in forest fires accross the Mediterranean region is also a worrying trend. Morocco remains heavily dependent on its agriculture for income and employment and coping with increased adverse climactic variations will remain a serious challenge. It comes down to the availability of water and irrigation systems and adequate storage space for foodstuffs.


Morocco's economic growth slows

Morocco's growth slowed slightly in the second quarter of 2012, with GDP up 2.6%, down from 2.8% in the previous quarter, according to figures released on Thursday by the Moroccan High Commission for Planning (HCP).

Third quarter GDP growth is projected at 2.9%, HCP said.

A 9.8% drop in added value from the agricultural sector was behind the slowdown, according to La Vie Eco newspaper. That sector was down 8.3% in the first quarter. Hard wheat, soft wheat and barley dropped 39.3% over 2011, the paper said. Non-farming sectors performed well at +4.6% in the first quarter, +4.7% in the second quarter, and up a projected 4.8% in the third quarter.


Morocco plans for high speed broadband

Rachid Jankari, writing for Magharebia in Casablanca, reports that as part of a new technological trend, the Moroccan government has decided to adopt a ten-year national plan to develop ultra-fast broadband connections.

Azzeddine El Mountassir Billah

"Specifically, the ultra-fast broadband plan, which has been approved by the government, will give the entire population access to telecommunication services within ten years – that is, by 2022," said National Telecommunications Regulation Agency (ANRT) chief Azzeddine El Mountassir Billah.

The ANRT will implement the ambitious plan in two phases. The first phase will involve a number of aspects, including the rollout of 4G mobile technologies from 2014 onwards and opening up the Wi-Fi band to telecom operators with a view to providing access to outdoor high-speed networks.

In parallel, ANRT plans to launch pilot projects to give housing estates access to fibre-optic cabling and establish procedures for connecting new developments to telecom networks. This emphasis on boosting fibre-optic coverage stems from the fact that telecom networks currently cover just the main urban areas but not remote parts of the country.

The second phase of the 2022 ultra-fast broadband project will focus on two aspects. Firstly, telecom networks will be boosted so that they offer better service quality for the various data networks and good connectivity between networks in different built-up areas and backhaul networks. Secondly, it will explore a variety of technological solutions to speed up the process of expanding access to high-speed networks.

"The implementation of this nationwide plan will include legal and regulatory measures to encourage the sharing of infrastructures and pooling of investment," said Billah.

The regulatory body also plans to update the legal framework, including Law no. 24-96 on postal services and telecoms, as well as decrees concerning the use of networks and anti-trust litigation.

At present, virtually the entire population of Morocco is covered by 2G mobile networks with more than 37.4 million active mobile lines and a penetration rate of 115%. Mobile broadband (3G) services are also available in big cities. There are now more than 3.7 million internet users in Morocco, 83% of whom use 3G internet services and 17% of whom use high-speed internet.


Essaouira. Food poisoning strikes nine hotel employees

Nine employees of a hotel in Essaouira were struck down by food poisoning on Wednesday night. According to a medical source, the victims has all just eaten a meal at the hotel. After suddenly becoming ill, the victims, which include four Senegalese, were transferred to the provincial hospital of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah in Essaouira, to receive the necessary care. Their health status is considered stable,


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Moroccan Students Protest Lack of University Places

Siham Ali, writing for the online journal Magharebia, reports from Rabat that Moroccan students who succeeded in their baccalaureate exams are feeling increasingly frustrated. Many struggle to understand why they cannot pursue their dreams.

Their high marks have not guaranteed them entry to Morocco's best universities, so they created the Union of Students for Education System Reform. They also began staging demonstrations.

[Photo: Siham Ali] Moroccan graduates protest

Wiame Tahri always dreamed of becoming an architect. She scored an average mark of 17.26 in this year's bac, but the National School of Architecture requires an average of 17.27. All of her hopes and dreams were dashed, and she feels "humiliated".

Many others have to face the same bitter reality.

Fatima Bakkali's daughter, Meriem, earned a mark of "very good" but will not study at one of the country's prestigious grandes écoles.

"My daughter has always been a high achiever," she said. "I had no doubt that she could get into a grande école. Her average of 16 wasn't enough to realise our hopes for her. Now she'll have to continue her studies at a college alongside other students who scored averages of barely 10."

Minister of Higher Education, Training and Scientific Research Lahcen Daoudi blamed the situation on the low intake capacity of Morocco's grandes écoles, which have to follow a pre-selection procedure before the competitive entrance process begins.

The low quotas for some institutions are due to high demand from students which far exceeds the number of places available. "The rapid rise in the number of students who pass the baccalaureate has not gone hand in hand with development of the existing infrastructure," he pointed out.

At medical schools, for instance, the number of available places is 2,000, whereas the number of applicants has reached 25,000. Even universities, which are shunned by top baccalaureate achievers because of the poor employment prospects they offer, are oversubscribed.

In Agadir, for example, the teacher-student ratio is one to more than 250, whereas the international standard is one teacher to no more than 30 students, the minister said.

"I have been in charge of this ministry for only a few months," he said. "Reforms will take time. Those who have the means are able to send their children abroad to study. Other families bring financial ruin upon themselves so that their children can continue their studies abroad. The children of poor parents are in a tough situation."

Daoudi mentioned that his department has a clear strategy designed to change this situation, which will include the creation of international universities in Morocco among other things. A number of agreements have already been signed. These universities will be private, but a certain number of places will be reserved for outstanding students from poor families.

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Anger Continues over Vivendi’s Maroc Telecom Crippling the Internet

Reda Yamani, writing for Morocco World News, reports on the continuing anger around Morocco at the cynical reduction of Internet services and the damage it is causing.

Six months after Vivendi’s Maroc Telecom blocked all VOIP applications in Morocco, the sole landline internet provider in Morocco brings the internet to a practical euthanasia. The sole ISP that controls the Moroccan landline and ADSL internet market decided to block both desktop and smart phone VOIP providers such as Skype, Viber, Teamspeak, Tango, Vonage and others.

Maroc Telecom went all the way to pulling the plug on the internet’s most popular apps and along the way also pulled the plug on Moroccans’ sole affordable means of communication with it’s large immigrant population that bring yearly billions of dollars in hard currency to the needy country.

Maroc Telecom, a publicly traded company, has posted some of the country’s largest profits over the last decade. Not surprisingly, Maroc Telecom’s monopoly has allowed the company to maintain what some experts consider the highest per minute domestic and international call rates in the world. Also the ADSL service performance is a far cry from what they advertise. A 20 megabite per second connection usually delivers on average 5.5 mbps.

Shortly after the VOIP shutdown, and pressured by enraged Moroccans who consider these actions as commercial bullying, Maroc Telecom “unblocked” access to VOIP, which in reality was nothing but a smoke screen. What Maroc Telecom in fact did is allow minimal access to VOIP’s servers while reducing the sound quality by dropping UDP Packets (VOIP data packets) to a point that it made the connection unusable.

To add insult to injury, for the last three weeks Morocco has been left by Maroc Telecom with an agonizingly poor internet connection that barely delivered 5% of the advertised speed, making the internet barely suitable for email (without attachments of course). The excuse: an optical underwater cable that was cut somewhere at 500 meters in depth between the cities of Larache and Marseille (France). Did Maroc Telecom send a text message with any kind of status update to their subscribers? No. Did Maroc Telecom offer a refund for services not rendered? Certainly not.

Did Maroc Telecom send any kind of notifications to their subscribers and offer them any remedies? No. Subscribers were left in the dark changing cables, kicking computers, and dialing 115 for customer service, that of course costs 1.00 DH. Customer service’s answer (after several failed attempts to get through, each costing one more dirham): “Let me start a case and a technician will check to see if there are any issues in your area,” an answer that suggests complete amateurish incompetence and more revealingly a complete dishonest and unethical business practices.

How does this affect Moroccans?

1- Moroccans living overseas

Moroccans, including students and migrant workers in Europe and elsewhere are no longer able to talk to their families and are forced to use cost-prohibitive long distance calls in already precarious economic conditions.

2- For the professional

Moroccan young educated professionals who have capitalized on new technologies and turned to Europe and the US to use their otherwise unemployed skills, have seen their hopes and dreams shattered by the sole ISP in the country who refuses to act with transparency and social responsibility.

In this day and age Internet service is a crucial part of a country’s infrastructure and Maroc Telecom’s inability and obvious incompetence is holding the future of a whole generation hostage to its commercial interests.

With a legal vacuum that leaves Moroccan consumers open to abuses, thousands of Moroccans turned to Maroc Telecom’s “fan page” to vent their frustrations that see the internet as the window to cultural and economical freedom that breaks with “Morocco’s old ways” embodied in Maroc Telecom’s old ways.

Some have even suggested not paying the next internet bill.

The moral of the painful story: as long as Maroc Telecom has a monopoly on the telecommunication infrastructure, the consumer will suffer and Morocco’s path to global competitiveness will be hampered.

Thanks to Morocco World News for this article.

Keep up with the news on Morocco World News

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Massive Marches Expected in Morocco

Moroccan political bodies have called for citizens to take part in the largest march in the Morocco's history - "The March to Jerusalem".  The march will take place this coming Sunday with activities on Friday as well. The recent mass marches in Rabat have been seen as the prelude to the Jerusalem march events. Plans for the event include a joint forum with students from Jordan and a declaration of a fast day in efforts to show solidarity with Jerusalem.

On Friday, a number of marches will be held simultaneously, leaving from Casablanca, Fes and Meknes. Two days later pro-Palestinian organizations will launch a mass rally in Casablanca expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people.

The Moroccan Islamist group Al Adl Wa Al Ihssan (Justice and Charity) called in a statement all the Moroccan people to make Friday March 30 “a day of solidarity and protest in support of Palestine and Jerusalem” by organizing protest marches in all the Moroccan cities.

Last Sunday's pro-Palestinian march in Rabat

The Islamic group had organized a massive march for Jerusalem in Rabat last Sunday (25/3) but no political bodies which support the Palestinian issue participated in the march.

Next Sunday's march (1/4) was called for by several political bodies and parties, left-wing and right-wing, in addition to Justice and Development Party, and its ideological wing the Unification and Reform Movement, in order to organize “the largest march in Morocco history to support Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause,” according to Lakom Kam newspaper on Wednesday (28/3). The organisers have picked Casablanca as a starting point due to its huge participation. The march comes as a response to “justice and charity” march which surprised the observers in terms of participants’ numbers and the movement’s ability to organise.

The newspaper stated that the observers are waiting for the government’s reaction and media in dealing with the next march. The government has allowed the Justice and Charity group to organize a huge march for the first time, though it is not licensed to operate yet as a political party, but the official media had totally ignored the march that surprised the observers, the newspaper added.

The march will be in solidarity with other marches around the Arab world. In Lebanon, participants will convene for a prayer session on the Beaufort, which overlooks the border with Israel. Public figures are expected to deliver a speech at the site, with organizers looking forward to welcoming tens of thousands of participants.

According to Lebanese reports, security forces held a Turkish vessel carrying activists from Iran, Turkey and other Asian states for long hours. Hezbollah representatives reportedly mediated in efforts to resolve the crisis.

Jordan has set the gathering point at the site where it is believed that Jesus was baptized, a location overlooking Jerusalem. According to plans, this rally will also include speeches and masses of protestors.

Jordanian coordinator of the march, Ribhi Halloum, said: "We feel the immense interest in the event expressed through donations from private individuals and the Islamic Movement."

The Al-Dustour newspaper reported that Jordanian Prime Minister Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh expressed his readiness to provide the Jordanian government's sponsorship to the march which he said would be non-violent.


While there is no public safety threat, tourists in Morocco are advised to avoid the areas where the marches are taking place.

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Palestine Land Day March in Morocco

Tens of thousands of Moroccans staged a pro-Palestinian march in Rabat yesterday (Sunday 25th) in a show of force organised by an Islamist group seen as the main opposition to Morocco's monarchy. According to a Reuters reporter in the Moroccan capital, at least 40,000 people joined the march called by Al-Adl Wal Ihsan (Justice and Spirituality). A senior police officer put the number at 11,000 while organisers said 100,000 had turned out.

It was Al-Adl's first march since December when it pulled out of pro-democracy protests, inspired by Arab uprisings elsewhere and aimed at forcing the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty to become a constitutional monarchy.

Morocco has not had a revolution of the kind seen in Egypt, Libya or Tunisia. King Mohammed VI is still firmly in charge after he offered to trim his powers and allowed moderate Islamists to lead the government after their Justice and Development Party (PJD) won an election in November.

Ali Anouzla, a political analyst and editor of Lakome.com news portal, said Al-Adl sought to send a message to Moroccan authorities that they remained a force to reckoned with, even after withdrawing from the pro-democracy protest movement.

Al-Adl is seen as Morocco's biggest and best-organised Islamist group. It is active mostly in universities and in helping the poor, but is banned from politics due to what is seen as its hostile rhetoric towards the monarchy.

"Palestine Land Day"

Hassan Bennajeh, an Al-Adl wal Ihsan spokesman, said Sunday's march was to mark Land Day, when Palestinians recall 1976 protests over Israeli occupation of Arab-owned land.
"We have always been active on issues that touch the heart of Moroccans. While we protest here in support of Palestine, members of our group continue to be persecuted and jailed by authorities for their activism on local issues," he said.

Morocco has been a broker between Israel and Arab countries and established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1994. In 2000, Rabat froze ties with Israel after violence intensified in the Israeli-occupied territories.

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Salafist rethink - are they coming in from the cold?

Imrane Binoual, for the online journal Magharebia in Casablanca, has written a very interesting article about the fundamentalist Salafist movement in Morocco. Salafism has, in contemporary times, become associated with literalist and puritanical approaches to Islamic theology. In the West the term "Salafi" has become particularly associated with the small minority of Muslims that espouse violent jihad against civilians as a legitimate expression of Islam, the so-called Salafi Jihadis constitute less than 1 percent of the world's 1.9 billion Muslims.

Moroccan Salafists marched for the first time with February 20th Movement protestors on March 17th

In his article in Magharebia, Imrane Binoual argues that Moroccan Salafists have embarked on a total rethink about their role in Morocco and are looking for ways to assist the Arab Spring reforms. It is a difficult task as they have so little support among the general population. In Fez, for example, they are referred to by the derogatory term "the bearded ones". Another factor that is an obstacle to their wider acceptance is their active dislike of all Sufi movements. As Sufism has such wide support in Morocco, it is hard to see how they can overcome this obstacle.

Imrane Binoual writes that the Arab Spring reform movements are prompting Salafist jihadists to join in the sweeping changes. He says that many of those now voicing loyalty to the monarch and commitment to dialogue are also the most notorious terrorists.

"Jihadist Salafist current has realised the clear mistakes and deviations that it has been involved in as a result of lack of knowledge" - Salafist, Hassan Khattab

Hassan Khattab is among the prisoners and freed Salafist inmates at the heart of the movement. He is serving a 30-year prison term for leading the "Ansar al-Mahdi" terror cell, which included security officials, an imam, and two wives of Royal Air Maroc pilots. The cell members were convicted in 2008 of funding terrorist operations and planning a terror campaign against the Moroccan regime.

In an online letter to King Mohammed VI published in early September, the Salafist presented his renunciation of violence as part of what he described as a "re-evaluation". Hassan Khattab issued "revisions", in which he said that he adopted an initiative entitled "Munasaha and Reconciliation."

Moroccan writer Mountassir Hamada

A highly-anticipated new book by Moroccan writer Mountassir Hamada, the author of "Nous et l'organisation d'Al Qaida" (al-Qaeda and Us) and "De la critique de l'organisation al-Qaida" (A Critique of al-Qaeda) looks at the trend. In "Salafia Al Wahabiya in Morocco", which will be published within the next few weeks, Hamada explains that signatories to Khattab's proposal vowed not to "accuse society or Muslims of kufr without a Sharia-sanctioned basis".

"The purpose of this letter is to brief you on the shifts that have taken place within the Jihadist Salafist current in Morocco, which is now going through a stage of evaluation and revision that would produce elites of preachers, scholars and science-seekers capable of keeping pace with political developments in our beloved country under your wise leadership," Khattab wrote to the Moroccan monarch.

Khattab praised the constitutional reforms proposed by King Mohammed VI and said that he and his fellow prisoners in Morocco were willing to take part in social movements.

"We are with the monarchy institution and its rulers. We're prepared to help build a new Morocco that would be run with multiple visions and creative Islamic and political identities that would promote national constants to the level of creative and effective citizenship."

The imprisoned extremist also voiced his rejection of the movement's extremist tendencies. "The Jihadist Salafist current today truly believes in the importance of realising dialogue and debate with open-mindedness and an understanding of other cultures.  It also believes in the need…to combat the wrong habits and concepts, extremism, and close-mindedness that have been practised within the current for decades," Khattab wrote and concluded by saying that the "Jihadist Salafist current has realised the clear mistakes and deviations that it has been involved in as a result of lack of knowledge.It was so swept away with its whims that some of its members failed to deepen our constants; something that would totally undermine our nation's values."

Within a week of Khattab's letter to the king, another move to re-evaluate Salafist ideas was embarked upon by repentant Salafist Sheikh Mohamed Fizazi. Known for his adherence to takfirist ideology, Fizazi blessed the September 11th attacks on the United States. He was arrested after the 2003 Casablanca bombings and received a royal pardon at the start of the Arab Spring.

Salafist Sheikh Mohamed Fizazi

Fizazi and other members of the "Moroccan Salafist Movement for Reform" have been trying to ally themselves with the youth-led February 20th Movement, and have actively joined protests since the end of Ramadan.

In his letter to King Mohammed VI, the man considered the leader of jihadist Salafism in Morocco called for the release of inmates who had been "unjustly imprisoned".

"This long period time I spent in prison enabled me to mix with the prisoners of the so-called Jihadist Salafist current and to have full knowledge of all ideas that are prevailing among those prisoners," Fizazi wrote on August 10th. "I became fully sure that injustice was done to many of them and they now implore you to rescue them from prison, given that they long to return to their community which they have missed."

Fizazi in his letter points to "the conviction of many of those prisoners in the rejection of violence, recognition of the components of Moroccan nation, and actual willingness to take part in reconciliation project…especially as our nation now needs more than ever every and each member of its people".

Meanwhile the "Mountada Al Karama" ("Forum for Dignity") association is campaigning for reconciliation with imprisoned Salafists. Ever since March, when the National Human Rights Advisory Council (CNDH) was formed from what had been the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH), the body has been pursuing a dialogue with inmates in the jails of Kenitra, El Jadida, Tangier, Agadir and other locations.

Together, the groups are seeing success in the prisoner outreach initiative.

"There is a category of Salafist prisoners who are being held because of their views and are not involved in terrorist affairs. This category should benefit from a dialogue process to lead them to change their views. As part of the mediation we have conducted in partnership with the CNDH, many have changed their ideas and written letters in which they seek forgiveness," points out Mountada Al Karama Vice-Chairman Abdellali Hamiddine.

Hamiddine says these "repentants" have clearly written "that they are in favour of the monarchy, the Malekite rite, that they are against violence and against excommunication from society".

According to Abdellali Hamiddine, prisoners' families have played an important role in convincing many to change their ideas, as has the ongoing dialogue. But "there are still prisoners who will not budge from their positions and defend their violence-based ideas", he adds.

You can view the original article on Maghrebia.com.

Although not mentioned in the article, it should be pointed out that a majority of Salafi scholars stand firmly against the present-day manifestations of jihad, particularly as it relates to terrorism and the killing of civilians and innocents. They hold their opinion as: No individual has the right to take the law into his own hands on any account. Even the closest of Prophet Muhammad's companions never killed a single of his opponents even when invectives were hurled at him day and night in the first thirteen years of his Da'wah at Makkah. Nor did they kill anyone in retaliation when he was pelted with stones at Ta'if. 

Morocco must investigate Saudi "maid-trade"

Back in early September, the recruitment committee of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry announced that recruitment companies would be established and will be licensed to bring in housemaids from Morocco, East Asia and South Africa. The move has caused outrage in unusual places. Ibn Warraq reports for The View from Fez.

The reason for this recruitment move, according to a Saudi chamber official, was that they were turning to Morocco and other countries to get its domestic workers following a dispute with the Philippines and Indonesia, the largest suppliers of housemaids to the Gulf countries. The dispute has centred on pay and conditions, but Indonesia had earlier this year also criticised the Saudi government for beheading an Indonesian maid. Of the 1.2 million Indonesians working in Saudi Arabia, over 70% are domestic helpers.

The ban on maids from Indonesia and the Philippines hit Saudi households hard, causing many to resort to hiring illegal maids over Ramadan. The Saudis are reliant on foreign workers to perform their household tasks for them and very few Saudi women will work in such menial positions despite high unemployment, as they would be looked down on by other Saudis.

The ban came into effect following the two countries attempts to introduce regulations for the work conditions of their nationals. Trade Arabia said both countries demanded better working conditions for their employees. Saudi walked away from the negotiations abruptly and decided to look for domestic employees from countries such as Morocco who they perceive as not as concerned about imposing regulations to protect their workers. It also became clear that lower rates of pay could be offered to other nationals.

Right from the beginning the scheme ran into problems in respect to recruiting maids from Morocco. The recruitment committee said that the immediate employment of Moroccan maids could prove an issue as there were no official recruitment offices in Morocco to process the papers of prospective domestic helps. It was suggested that there could be a way around the problem with Saudi citizens being given work visas to bring housemaids from Morocco on their own.

The whole issue of Saudi maids has been at the centre of international protests for years, especially in regard to exploitation, sexual harrassment and torturing of foreign housemaids. The notion that indvidual Saudi's could fly to Morocco and find a young woman and take her back to Saudi, is truly worrying and will, no doubt, offend our readers.

The chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, warned Saudi citizens against contacting any offices claiming to be able to send housemaids from Morocco to the Kingdom. "They are all fake. You should not heed the false claims of these fake offices." he warned prospective employers.

The spokesman of the Labor Ministry, Hattab Al-Anzi, said the recruitment offices would grant citizens work visas for housemaids from Morocco. "It is now the responsibility of the citizen to look for authorized private recruitment offices to bring workers from Morocco," he said.

Then, suddenly, the plan to import maids from Morocco ran into even more problems. Those fighting to stop the "maid-trade" got support from an umlikely source - Saudi women. They objected to the importing of Moroccan girls, not because they didn't think they would work hard, or that they were against the exploitation of young foreign women. No - it was because they thought the Moroccan women were too beautiful. At first it sounded like a sick joke, but the Saudi women were serious.

"Many Saudi woman have objected to plans to import domestic workers from Morocco…they say the Moroccan women are beautiful and this will cause continuous anxiety and concern in Saudi families,” - 'Sharq' Daily

It is a relatively rare for the voices of Saudi women to be raised in protest. This year there have been notable exceptions as some women protested for the right to drive, whilst others demanded the right to vote. Now they have another common cause - to ban female domestic maids from Morocco. It started slowly, but over a few days the protests grew to the point where the Saudi women innundated the government with complaints that Moroccan women are just too beautiful and may lure their husbands away. According to the website Emirates 24 the Shura Council was “deluged by demands from Saudi women”

"Moroccan women are so attractive that their husbands could easily fall for them…others said Moroccans are good at magic and sorcery and that this could enable them to lure their husbands.” - 'Sharq' Daily

Saudi women protest against Moroccan maids

If the women of Saudi Arabia fail to stop this "maid-trade" then it is imperative that the Moroccan government scrutinise the contracts and conditions of every maid taken to Saudi. They should also take steps to educate Saudi women to understand that while Moroccan women may be beautiful, they are not dangerous.

Sunday's Protests in Morocco

Another 42 degree Celsius day in Fez - not the sort of weather to encourage people to get out and protest. However, the hardy were not discouraged and at 5pm, several hundred, mainly young women, turned out in central Fez to show their support for the constitutional changes. Later in the march they were joined by others.

Pro-royalists in Fez

The demonstration was well organised, with, ambulances, volunteer medical groups on hand and buses supplied to bring people to and from the event. There was very little sign of police or security and the mood of the demonstrators was one of high spirits. As a series of mini-buses arrived, bringing more young women, the shrieking and excitement was reminiscent of a pop concert.

"I love the king...he is the best king in Africa," ~ demonstrator, Hamsa Tchnouti

Fatima Rais (red cap) one of the rally organisers and Mehdi Lamnini (in the cape)

"We feel it is very important that the King's proposed changes to theconstitution should be supported and we have come today to show this," ~demonstrator Mehdi Lamnini.

One of the organisers of the march, Fatima Rais, told The View from Fez that she was happy with the turnout of the march, despite the more than 40 degree heat. At the beginning of the rally Fatima said she expected the rally to grow to around 1000. And, with the addition of school children and their teachers, as well as car-loads of young men, she was proved right. Another rally official reported to us that the number was over 1000 by the time the march arrived at the royal palace. The event was without incident.

Around the country other demonstrators,  both for and against Morocco's new constitution, took to the streets. In Rabat a march of at least 1,000 calling for the boycott of the referendum on Sunday was blocked by police as well as a few hundred government supporters. The two groups, separated by riot police, chanted rival slogans. Activists reported brief scuffles and some injuries.

In  Casablanca, government supporters also blocked a pro-democracy march of thousands in downtown.
Videos posted on the Feb. 20 website also showed demonstrations in the cities of Tangiers, Marrakech and Tetouan.

Morocco Rallies Sunday ~ for and against constitutional change

Moroccan officials are organising local inhabitants to confront pro-democracy demonstrators planning a peaceful protest on Sunday. In Fez, a rally in favour of the "Yes" vote will take begin at 5pm in Place Florence and march to the Royal Palace.

"Violence targeting the youth of the February 20 movement backed by local authorities is dangerous and is worrying," the Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH) wrote in a letter to the interior ministry.
"Authorities are taking advantage of the inhabitants' socio-economic hardships to set them up against the young people who demonstrate peacefully," it added.

Communication Minister Khalid Naciri rejected the claims, writing to AFP of "spontaneous gatherings of people who support the government's project for constitutional reform." And, also reported by AFP, most political parties have called for "massive" counter-rallies every day across Morocco until June 30 to support the king's proposals, which are to be put to a referendum on July 1.

For the government, Naciri said of the statement protesting against the counter-demonstrators: "It is unfair to describe them in such a negative way.""We are so confident about the support we have from the majority of the population that these are just some dissonant voices trying to shake us."

The French-language weekly Tel Quel responded sceptically to the proposed reforms in its Saturday publication. The Islamist Justice and Charity group has also rejected the proposals and said it would participate in Sunday's rally.

Morocco's Referendum ~ another view

Ahmed Charai is Publisher of the Moroccan weekly magazine L’Observateur as well as the French edition of Foreign Policy magazine. He sits on the Board of Trustees of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. Here is an extract from an article he wrote for Eurasiaview.com (note: their website appears to be experiencing difficulties)

While many observers expected the king to announce a new power-sharing relationship with the parliament, few expected him to go this far, this fast to full democracy. The new constitution moves far beyond striking a new balance of power—it makes Morocco a wholly modern state.

The new constitution also establishes the primacy of international conventions and U.N. treaties, and, thus the necessity of adapting Moroccan laws to them. This is a huge step forward, especially for the rights of women. For too long, the full recognition of women’s equality has been mired in religious objections. Now that will change.

The king also called for a fully independent judiciary to combat corruption and safeguard human rights.

The proposed constitutional changes are the latest in a long line of pro-democracy developments. Morocco has a history of political pluralism. The kingdom has 12 major and regional political parties, an independent and free press, and human rights protections.

Morocco also has a record of respecting elections. The March 1998 election brought to power a coalition of center-left parties, known as the Socialist Union of Popular Forces—the first time an opposition party took power after an election in the Arab world. As for past abuses of human rights, the government acknowledged those wrongs and initiated a process called reconciliation in 2002. Victims are being compensated and wrong-doers punished.

These reforms were hailed in their time, but ten years later, other more ambitious demands are being heard. When the 2007 elections were marked by a record low turnout (37 percent), the king and the government realized that more needed to be done. The Socialist Union of Popular Forces, once again in opposition, called for a constitutional monarchy at its 2008 party convention. Calls for democratic reform accelerated in 2011 following the largely peaceful demonstrations, known as the movement of February 20.

Unlike in other Arab countries, protesters did not call for the fall of the monarchy, but simply for the end of absolutism and corruption. The protests were continuous, almost weekly, and largely peaceful. The police did not intervene. Instead, the demonstrators hoped to exert a calm, steady pressure—much like Martin Luther King’s nonviolent protests in 1960s America.

Only under the leadership of Al Adl Wal Ihssane, a radical Islamic group, did the protests become violent and the police swarm in. One protester died. The reaction of the king was telling. He immediately ordered the National Brigade of the Judicial Police, the governing body of the national police, to investigate police brutality.

Most political parties support the king’s proposed constitutional changes, but two forces seemed to be gathering strength in the public protests: the Islamists of Al Adl Wal Ihssane and the Maoists of Annahj. The former are in principle banned but tolerated, the latter are a legal party. Both essentially oppose the existence of the monarchy.

The Islamists hope to reestablish the seventh century caliphate and aim to use democracy to achieve their ends. In the long-term, however, a multi-party democracy will not exist in their Islamic caliphate. Their literature speaks of denying the power of the parliament to make law, replacing it with a judiciary that rules through unchanging Sharia law. Meanwhile, the Maoists want an anti-capitalist revolution.

These two movements are a distinct but vocal minority, although Al Adl WalI hssane has a vast membership and a disciplined hierarchy.

The king, by heeding the demands for democratic reform by the February 20 movement, has created a channel to direct the energies of the demonstrators away from extremism. Referenda can be more powerful than police batons.

Thanks to Morocco’s unique history, the king’s gambit may well succeed. In Egypt and Tunisia, which had small, fractured and repressed political classes, the only thing that demonstrators agreed on was the departure of their ruler. By contrast, Morocco has a vast and vibrant political class to debate and shape the future of the country. Violence is the last refuge of the voiceless; in Morocco, people are free to gather, publish dissenting views and call radio programs or use online social media to express themselves. So violence is unnecessary and rare.

Nearly every one will have a say in the debate over the constitutional referendum planned for July and offer counter-proposals for new political institutions. But the debate will be had with strong opinions, not Molotov cocktails.

The Moroccan experience stands as a model for the rest of Arab world, with peaceful yet dramatic political change coming from the top and bottom of society simultaneously. It took almost 15 years of steady reforms and the enlargement of civil society to get to this turning point. This embrace of full-bodied democracy is the hard-won return on a long-term investment. Other Arab leaders would feel safer if they made similar, patient investments. It is not too late to start.

Morocco's Referendum - divided opinion

Reaction to the proposed constitutional changes on which Moroccans will vote can be summed up in one word. And, as our correspondent Ibn Warraq reports in his opinion piece from Casablanca, that word is "disappointment".

The editorials across the world have overwhelmingly called the proposed constitutional changes as disappointing. Though, it is fare to say that almost every one has also found the changes, small as they are, to be a step in the right direction.

Opinion from the respected global think-tank, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has this take: The constitution King Mohammed VI announced to his country on June 17 has been greeted by Moroccans with a great deal of ambivalence. Although it appears to be a foregone conclusion that a majority of Moroccans will vote “yes” in the referendum announced for July 1, many will do so with reservations.

The Moroccan viewpoint on the streets, and in the cafes, is more varied. Because of the very strong support for the King, some people find it difficult to decide which way to vote. In the very short time allowed for discussion, public debate and campaigning, little will shift the views of the populace. It was almost too hard to imagine what such a campaign could do in the time alloted. To quote the official line "As part of the referendum on the new draft constitution to be held on July 1, Morocco's Interior Minister informs citizens that the referendum campaign will run from Tuesday 21 June till Thursday June 30."

I expect the referendum to be won by the "yes" vote by a considerable margin. Unfortunately I do not think this is a healthy outcome for the country. There is no doubt change will come, but if the "yes" vote prevails, change will take a lot longer and wonderful chance may well be missed.

One of the most succinct pieces by a Moroccan writer appeared in the Guardian newspaper in England. In it, the author Larbi also reflects the widely felt disappointment:

While bringing some improvements, Morocco's proposed new constitution takes us back to the same institutional structure for the country. It matches neither Moroccans' aspirations nor the new regional context.

Reform of the constitution has been conducted in an anti-democratic manner, quite unlike what the king, Mohammed VI, claimed in his speech on 17 June. The ad hoc commission tasked with preparing the new constitution was appointed by the king and composed almost entirely of men and women whose loyalty was to him.

The palace, deaf and blind, chose to royally ignore the wave of contestation that pushed him to reform and leaned on an aging and subservient political class, which in any case had never asked for change.

It ignored the protests of the 20 February movement, which rejected this imposed process and considered that the conditions necessary for the drafting of a democratic constitution were not met. Self-assured and arrogant, the regime stubbornly continued in this vein.

This "consultative" approach turned into a farce when the commission refused to allow the heads of political parties to see the draft constitution, finally allowing them only 24 hours to prepare their remarks. This reform has been concocted in secrecy, without real concessions, and under the strict supervision of the king's political counsellor. These are the facts.

The palace followed this approach to its logical conclusion. At the end of the exercise, we were presented with a fait accompli, particularly as the new constitution is being put up for a referendum as a whole and not on a per-article basis. The result is therefore disappointing.

It must be acknowledged that the draft presented by the king includes some improvements. The preamble of the constitution, lyrical and replete with homilies, recognises for the first time the diversity – of culture and heritage – of Moroccan society. Amazigh is recognised as an official language, answering a historic demand of the regions of the north. The constitution guarantees in its text a number of rights and freedoms, starting with the right to life and freedom of speech. One cannot but think that the current constitution already guarantees such rights, without really implementing them.

Read the complete article (in French)

A more positive view came from Arabic News Digest which quoted Asharq al Awsat's Othman Mirghani:

There was three days between the speech of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and that of the Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, yet the difference between the two was huge, wrote Othman Mirghani, a columnist with the pan-Arab Asharq al Awsat newspaper.

"On the one hand, we've listened to a king using the phrase 'my dear people' five times as he addressed his nation, describing himself as his people's 'first servant', before announcing concrete and detailed constitutional reforms, expanding the prerogatives of the government and the parliament and promoting the independence of the judiciary.

"On the other, we've listened to President Al Assad's speech at the University of Damascus, in which he alternated calls for national dialogue and talk about conspirators and vandals, without presenting concrete proposals or clarifying the picture, rather leaving everything up in the air."

The conditions in these two countries being so different, some might suggest that comparing these speeches is inappropriate. Yet,there are cogent reasons for this comparison. Both leaders came to power around the same time - at the turn of the 21st century - and amid similar fanfare about "new and young leadership" carrying the promise of reform, which both nations needed badly.

Until now, if there is any reform process under way, it is happening in Morocco, not Syria.

For the record: Morocco has opened over 520 polling stations in its Embassies and Consulates to enable the Moroccans living abroad to vote on the proposed new constitution on July 1.

The referendum is open to all the Moroccans abroad who are over 18 and registered in the Kingdom’s Embassies and Consulates.

The polling stations will be presided by the Consul or any other official appointed by the Consul or the Ambassador.

Morocco's King Announces Reforms

During his address to the nation, HM King Mohammed VI, announced that in future the head of government should come "from the ranks of the political party which comes out top in parliamentary elections." This came as no surprise as this measure had been promised earlier this year. However, to pass into law the measures announced will have to pass a referendum in July.

"We have managed to develop a new democratic constitutional charter. The constitution enshrines a citizenship-based monarchy". ~ HM King Mohammed VI

The Gulf News reports that "the moves by King Mohammad VI, who heads the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty, are being closely monitored by Western nations and Gulf Arab monarchies, which have so far dodged calls at home for reforms and are anxious the Moroccan model may end up raising the bar of expectations too high in their countries."

In part of his address, the Monarch addressed the issues of social justice and human rights. He said... "The Moroccan constitution will also be a human rights constitution as well as a charter for citizenship rights and obligations. In this regard, the draft constitution provides for the pre-eminence of international covenants - as ratified by Morocco - over national legislation."

The final draft of the reformed constitution explicitly grants the government executive powers, although the king would keep exclusive control over military and religious fields and pick a prime minister from the party that wins parliamentary elections.

In another change, ministers, ambassadors and provincial governors, who are interior ministry representatives at regional level, would be proposed by the prime minister, although the king would have to approve the choices.

Further, the prime minister would be able to dissolve the lower house of parliament after consulting the king, house speaker and head of the constitutional court.

Reaction from the February 20 Movement

Najib Chawki, an activist from the February 20 Movement, said the constitutional reform draft "does not respond to the essence of our demands which is establishing a parliamentary monarchy. We are basically moving from a de facto absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The king would keep exclusive control over military and religious fields and pick a prime minister from the party that wins parliamentary elections."

Protesters have also demanded that King Mohammed enforce accountability, fight corruption and limit the influence of the secretive palace elite. These demands have very wide support in Morocco. The King remains extremely popular, but the issue of corruption, employment and the stranglehold of the "old elites" is an almost universal concern

The protests did not go as far as demanding an end to the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty but neither did they manage to attract a following similar to what was seen during revolts in Tunisia and Egypt which inspired the February 20 Movement.
They have, however, attracted activists of various ideological backgrounds from extreme-left to Islamists and from wealthy businessmen to indigenous Amazigh activists.

Lahcen Hadad, a member of the country's governing coalition, told Al Jazeera."His powers have been reduced significantly in the sense that he is only the supreme leader of the armed forces and the commander of the faithful. Most of the executive powers and judiciary powers are given to other bodies so that is an important change - the king has accepted to share the power," he said.

But he said there were no groundbreaking changes included in the speech. "I think that if you read the actual constitution and what he has announced now, there were no revolutionary reforms that he is announcing"

Early reaction from social media is mixed. One issue that did get a lot of support was the proposal to make tamazight/Amazigh and official language. As a tweeter put it "today is such a historical day in my country, morocco , happyyyyy cuz my mother tongue tamazight, is now an Official Language !!"

The country will decide on July 1 which does not leave very much time in which to campaign for a "yes" vote or a "no" vote.

"A REFLECTION" SUBMITTED BY A READER: Your many readers who live in democracies will have their own thoiughts about how sensible it was for the King to call for a "yes" vote. His advisors could surely have warned him against taking sides. He would have gained so much by stepping back and being "seen" to be above the politics.

Date Set for Moroccan Elections

Last Thursday (May 26th) during his visit to the United States, Moroccan Finance Minister, Salaheddine Mezouar, put an end to rumours that the elections, originally scheduled for September 2012, might take place in October 2011 or early 2012. He announced the parliamentary election date as October 7th. This has surprised some analysts as it is only three months after the Moroccan people get to vote on the referendum on a new constitution.

Back on March 9th, HM King Mohammed VI announced sweeping reforms, including a new constitution, an 'independent judiciary", and a popularly elected prime minister. Political, economic, social and cultural rights will be expanded, the sovereign said. He pledged to bolster political pluralism and invigorate the role of political parties.

"The new draft constitution will be submitted to the people via referendum for adoption and implementation," the king said.

A new commission, headed by university professor Abdeltif Mennouni, will work on the constitutional revisions until June when the draft constitution goes to the people for a vote of "yes" or 'no".

Morocco has a bicameral Parliament (Barlaman) consisting of the Chamber of Counselors (Majlis al-Mustacharin) with 270 seats and the Chamber of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwab) with 325 seats.

According to a report carried by Magharebia.com, the Prime Minister, Abbas El Fassi and the Istiqlal Party were among the first ones to call for early parliamentary elections. "Morocco should not wait till next year and must hold the vote immediately after the July 1st referendum," the prime minister argued. "We must respond to the changes that Morocco is undergoing and the demands of all segments of Moroccan society in order to avoid political one-up-man-ship."

Not everyone agrees. The Justice and Development Party (PJD) Secretary-General, Lahcen Daoudi, warned against "rushing" the vote, arguing that the elections cannot take place as early as October and time is needed to raise public awareness of the provisions of the new constitution.

"We want to get rid of this government, but not in this manner," he said. "Early legislatives could be held in May 2012."

Political analyst Lahen Touhami held a different opinion, telling Magharebia.com that the October date would leave enough time to prepare for the legislatives.

"Parliament and the government must now speed things up so that election-related laws – for instance, with regard to the way the country is divided up into unitary authorities and voting arrangements – can be adopted," he said.

For her part, February 20 Movement member, Habiba Chikhi, hoped that the reform process would give way to "a new team and a new way of working within both parliament and the government".

"The dissolution of the current government and parliament is among the movement's unchanging demands," she reiterated.

Given the mounting international pressure over police tactics at peaceful demonstrations, change does need to happen quickly. Moroccan anti-riot police broke up a series of week-end protests, drawing international criticism. The European Commission on Monday (May 30th) expressed concern at "the violence used during the demonstrations".

"We call for restraint in the use of force and respect of fundamental freedoms. Freedom of assembly is a democratic right," spokesperson Natasha Butler said. "We call on Morocco to maintain its track record in allowing citizens to demonstrate peacefully."

Update on Protests in Morocco

One of the clear differences between Morocco and other countries where protestors are calling for reforms is that the protests are peaceful. Although thousands of Moroccans nationwide held demonstrations yesterday, they were without violence. Here in Casablanca as in other parts of Morocco the demonstrators are calling for a radical overhaul of the country's governance before a new constitution is unveiled in June by King Mohammed VI.

The march was organized by the Facebook youth movement Fevrier 20. The group said its members would not accept the present draft constitution because it was written by the king's own people. It denounced his decision to refer the new constitution to a committee he appointed.

HRH King Mohammed announced last month he would give up some of his wide-scale powers and more importantly from the demonstrators' point of view, make the judiciary independent.

Here in Casablanca, Fes, Rabat and Marrakech protesters demanded much more and openly rejected the moves.

"We are not believing these speeches anymore. We are tired of this," said medical student Meryum, 17, who did not want to give her full name. "We are telling those who defend these speeches that we are sick of them. We only believe in real people today, like this, in taking part in real politics in Morocco. We are not going to stop until they hear us and get back our lost rights."

AN END TO CORRUPTION

Many believe that bribery in Morocco needs to be tackled before any reforms can actually take place. The central theme of the march - corruption - was reiterated by most groups at the rally.

“Corruption must end and we demand a progressive country,” said protestor Abdelfetah Bahjadi, “This is the people speaking to get our dignity back.”

Morocco was recently ranked the 89th most corrupt country in the world by In a recent report by the respected NGO Transparency International.

Corruption accounts for a loss of about 2% of Morocco's GDP, officials have said. More important, it deters vital foreign direct investment from flowing into Morocco, they say.

Defusing Morocco's social tensions comes at a cost

TradeArabia website is reporting that Morocco may need to grant new benefits to public sector workers worth 43 billion dirhams ($5.4 billion), a government source said on Wednesday, as it hopes to to defuse social tensions that have led to revolt elsewhere.

'The cost of what the trade unions are demanding for public sector employees is 43 billion dirhams. We are talking about wage increases, pension reform, benefits such as the schooling of children and rebates on income tax,' the source told Reuters.

The government met with union leaders on Tuesday under a new round of industrial talks that include the private sector, amid a spate of strikes.

The government will 'not necessarily agree to all of those demands and any agreement will need to spread over at least a three-year period given the state of public finances,' the source added.

The talks are set to resume next week, the source said.

The negotiations coincide with some of the largest anti-government protests the North African state has witnessed for decades.

The unrest has unsettled a political elite desperate to prevent any spillover of popular revolts from Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

Last month, King Mohammed sent an adviser, Mohamed Moatassim, to meet the leaders of five trade unions in what seemed to be an effort to defuse an escalation mounting public sector frustrations. One of the Unions, CDT, has boycotted the talks.

Morocco, which unlike other Arab monarchies has no oil and gas of its own, almost doubled funds allocated to state subsidies in February to counter an increase in global commodity prices and rising food costs.

The government has also promised jobs in the public sector for 4,300 graduates, a move set to cost at least 500 million dirhams per year, according to independent estimates.

Finance and Economy Minister Salaheddine Mezouar told Reuters in March that Morocco would keep the budget deficit in 2011 at a maximum 3.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product which would spare it the need to tap international debt markets.

The government plans to achieve that by clamping down on the running costs of its administration and by showing greater rigour in tax collection.

MEANWHILE...

"The commitment of all Moroccans, that of HM King Mohammed VI in particular, to democracy is very impressive" - The Hon Peter Slipper MP

The Vice-President of the Australian Parliament, Peter Slipper, on a flying visit to Morocco, went on the record about the Australian view of Morocco's reforms.

"I commend Morocco's reforms to promote democracy and modernity," Slipper said while on a courtesy visit to the headquarters of Rabat's city council where he was received by the mayor of the capital, Fathallah Oualalou.

"Morocco and Australia share common values of democracy and freedom," he said, adding that "HM King Mohammed VI plays a leadership role in promoting and strengthening democracy in Morocco."

Earlier, Oualalou briefed the Australian official on major large-scale projects undertaken in the capital and around Morocco.

Moroccan Protests Calm and Ordered

The "February 20 movement" called for today's protests to go ahead despite King Mohammed VI announcing sweeping democratic reforms last months, including an elected prime minister and broader personal freedoms. The first indications are that the turnout has been smaller than expected with only a few hundred people protesting here in Casa.

According to several sources, around 2,000 people, including many Islamists, rallied in Rabat earlier today. Analysts say that quick action by the King in announcing reforms has blunted the protests. His reaction was seen as positive by a majority of Moroccans.

AFP are also reporting small but vocal demonstrations."The Moroccan people demand change!" protesters shouted in the city, calling for the government to resign and holding up placards reading: "For the freedom and dignity of the Moroccan people."
No major police presence could be seen.

AFP is also reporting only several hundred people protesting in Casablanca, chanting "No to corruption and cronyism."

The situation in Fez was also calm, however some shopkeepers in the Medina have shut for the day.

Later in the day the reports varied about the number of people marching. UK news sources estimated housands joined protests in Casablanca, in Tangiers in the north, and in Agadir on the Atlantic coast where witnesses said several thousands were marching.

A government official said at least as many were protesting as on February 20 when interior ministry estimates were 37,000.

Protests were expected in other Moroccan cities to mark a month since demonstrations first erupted in the country as part of a tide of contestation sweeping the Arab world.

Cheikh Abdeslam Yassine’s Islamist association “Justice and spirituality” known as “Adl Wal Ihsan” called on its troops to join the March 20th rally, as an attempt to regain attention and to try to stick closer to the February 20th Facebook movement, although there is no ideological harmony between the two movements.

Supporters of the 83-years old Sheikh marched in Rabat and Casablanca, but refused to merge alongside with the young Facebook leaders who they judge are "infidels who eat during the holy month of Ramadan”. Therein lies the paradox of a movement in clear regression, but nevertheless who wishes to recover through melting together within the “Arab Spring” protest movements. Movements that are mostly using social network tools to reject the repository advocated by Islamist Sheikh Yassine organization and ask instead for more freedom and openness in Moroccan society.

Locally, the message apparently has been heard at the very highest level and King Mohammed VI launched in a speech on March 9th the most ambitious reform program ever witnessed in the Arab world through the establishment of a reform commission given the task to amend the constitution. The commission, led by respected jurist Abdellatif Mennouni, is to propose more executive power to the prime minister and to parliament, and implement the decentralization program which will be voted by this summer.

The king’s speech, welcomed by Moroccans as well as by the international community, would greatly displeased Al Adl Wal Ihsane organization and widened the gap between their demands and those of young Moroccans.

Despite the fact that Morocco has remained calm during so much international unrest, there has been an impact on tourist numbers. Many hotels and guesthouses report cancellations. Tourism experts say that although there is a shortterm downturn, the future looks bright as people realise that Morocco is a safer destination.