Morocco ~ Then and Now - El Hoceima

The View from Fez is in debt to Enzo Pantosti for bringing the old photograph of El Hoceima to our attention. The photographer of the 1950's shot is unknown, but Enzo took the modern one.

Al Hoceima, Hotel Etoile du Rif, 1950. In those years, it was called Hotel Florido.

Al Hoceima is a city in the north of Morocco on a northern edge of the Rif Mountains, on the Mediterranean coast. It is situated in the territory of the Ayt Weryaghel and Ibeqquyen tribes of the Rif, who speak Tarifit Berber, locally called Tamazight.

Between 1994 and 2004 the town and surrounding villages were hit by two earthquakes. The first, at 6.0 on the Richter scale, occurred on May 26, 1994. The second, at 6.4, occurred on February 24, 2004, killing more than 560 people.


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Morocco May Scrap Disputed Rape Law: Justice Ministry

The unjust situation where perpetrators of rape crimes can be excused if they marry their victims, may at last be about to change. The Justice Ministry yesterday released a statement that suggested that a new law may go even further in punishing offenders.

As The View from Fez reported recently, the only female minister, Minister of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, Bassima Hakkaoui, has been vocal in her calls to change the law. “A rapist belongs to jail and not elsewhere,” she said.

Morocco could scrap a disputed statutory rape law that favours the perpetrator, excusing them from jail if they marry their victim, the justice ministry said on Monday.

The suicide in March 2012 of 16-year-old rape victim Amina Filali, who was forced to marry her aggressor, launched the law into the spotlight and led to intensifying calls for its repeal.

The justice ministry said in its statement that it supported a proposal by parliament to alter article 475 of the penal code, under which the rape of a minor is punishable by several years in prison unless the victim and their aggressor wed.

The proposal has yet to be formally approved by both houses.

The ministry said it was prepared to go even further than scrapping the paragraph on marriage, suggesting harsher punishments for rapists of minors, including up to 30 years in prison rather than the current stipulated five years.

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Moroccan News Briefs #83

Maroc Telecom To Invest $1.2 Billion In Broadband Network

Maroc Telecom plan to invest 10 billion Moroccan dirhams ($1.2 billion) to upgrade the country’s broadband network. The company, which is 53 percent owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA and 30 percent owned by the Moroccan government, said it would invest this money between 2013 and 2015 financial years.

The company will also invest 4 billion dirhams ($477 million) in other African countries where it has operations. These countries include Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Mali over the same period.

Maroc Telecom had already invested 25 billion dirhams ($3 billion) in Morocco, it said in a statement to the French securities exchange.

The company made this announcement at the time when Etisalat ETEL.AD, the United Arab Emirates’ largest telecommunications operator, said it is interested in buying Vivendi’s 53 percent stake in Morocco’s Maroc Telecom.


Polygamy to reduce number of unmarried women?

Too many single women?

According to a recent report in Le Soir, estimates from the Moroccan High Commission For Planning (HCP) found the median age for marriage in Morocco was 31 for men and 27 for women.There are many reasons for this – more years spent studying, and the high cost of housing and wedding ceremonies being the most obvious. Some, it seems, now want to add monogamy to this list of reasons why young Moroccans are getting married later in life.

The idea might seem absurd at first, but in a country where rape victims have been forced to marry their rapists, it’s really not so surprising.

Abdesslam El Bouraini, the president of the National Order of Religious Notaries argues: “The median age for marriage increases more and more, while women can’t find husbands. So why don’t we modify the polygamy law to allow men to marry several women?” Supply and demand, if you will.
In Morocco, polygamist marriages are almost non-existent because of strict legal restrictions: a woman has to sign consent, and in case of divorce, assets have to be divided among the wives.

Fouzia Assouli, the president of the Federation for the Democratic League of Women’s Rights (FLDDF), says El Bouraini’s proposal is “mind-blowing. There is no scientific evidence to support this notion, and it’s a violation of human rights and women’s rights. Celibacy is also a personal choice," she says.

What if Morocco faced the opposite situation? “In Saudi Arabia, women outnumber the men, should we allow them to have several husbands?” asks Assouli. “If Islam allows it, then it’s for the good of the community, otherwise, it’s an open door to debauchery. The legal restrictions on polygamy have driven men and women to have extra-marital intercourse,” believes El Bouraini.

If we are to believe him, Morocco’s strict polygamy laws are the reason why men commit adultery. But isn’t excusing adultery and infidelity contrary to the basic principles of Islam? If polygamy was the solution, there wouldn’t be high rates of single people in the countries where it is common.


Moroccan Security - Opinion

Hassan Benmehdi and Siham Ali have written an interesting opinion piece for Magharebia on Al-Qaeda activity in Mali andf the threat it poses a threat to Morocco.

[AFP/Abdelhak Senna] Moroccan security forces recently dismantled multiple al-Qaeda linked cells

The deadly conflict now unfolding in Mali between armed Islamists and an international military coalition seems far removed from Morocco. But with al-Qaeda working to foster ties with distant extremist circles, the active recruiting of Moroccan jihadists brings the Mali crisis perilously close to the kingdom.

In late December, the Moroccan judicial police broke up an al-Qaeda cell in Fez. The group's goal: to "enrol and recruit young Moroccans who have embraced jihadist ideas, in order to send them to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) camps", the interior ministry said.

Morocco shares no border with Mali. But that has not stopped al-Qaeda offshoot MUJAO from eyeing potential fighters from afar. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other regional terror organisations have intensified activities aimed at undermining stability in Morocco, the interior ministry confirmed in December.

"AQIM and its ally MUJAO (Movement for Tawhid and Jihad) are now attractive to Moroccan youth imbued with the philosophy of al-Qaeda," the ministry said in a statement last month. Investigations by the judicial police and the Directorate General for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) had "proven" that terror groups were targeting young Moroccans, the ministry said.

The Moroccan government's comments came in response to a spate of successful security operations that dismantled several terror cells in just one month.

On December 26th, 27 suspects seized in Casablanca, Laayoune, Nador, Guercif and Kelaat Sraghna were arraigned on charges of sending more than 20 young Moroccans to join al-Qaeda and MUJAO in northern Mali. A Malian national was among the Morocco AQIM cell suspects.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its allies may well be looking to destabilise Morocco, as the interior minister said last month, but according to political scientist Sami Khairi, the country's security forces are up to the challenge.

"Moroccan security services have been stronger than al-Qaeda," he says.

It is the same story from analyst Mohamed Chaouni.

"Security policies in Morocco have been quite efficient," he says. "It is thanks to co-operation between the different services that so many terrorist cells have been dismantled."

"This security approach has been supported by other measures, such as the implementation of development strategies, the fight against poverty, and efforts in the religious field to encourage tolerance and moderation," Chaouni adds.

Today, he says, is all about intensifying regional co-operation and containing the expansion of terrorist activities in the Sahel. Fighting drug and weapons trafficking should be a priority.

For sociologist Samira Kassimi, however, the focus should be on Morocco's youth. Given resources such as education and jobs, she argues, young people will not be easily manipulated by terrorist groups.


Bassima Hakkaoui and the hijab

The popular Al Arabiya news site is carrying an interesting story about Morocco’s only female minister, Bassima Hakkaoui, who claimes that the media has targeted her because she dons the Islamic headscarf, the hijab.

Minister of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, Bassima Hakkaoui, said since taking office in January 3, 2012, the media attempted to mar her credibility by reporting false news and information about her. Hakkaoui’s husband having a second wife is among the erroneous information she rebuffed.

“The media has attacked me ever since my appointment [as minister] by reporting statements I did not say,” she told the French-language Moroccan weekly magazine, Tel Quel, in an interview. “This is because I am a hijab-wearing woman in parliament…I think this has agitated some people who tried to tar my credibility.”

The 52-year-old minister said she respects journalists despite some who do not verify their reports before publishing. “I find myself to bring more attention more than other ministers as I am the only woman minister.”

The Minister should be applauded

The most interesting insight in the article is that unlike many of her colleagues, the minister is urging for changes to safeguard women rights in Morocco. She vowed that there will be changes to article 475 in the country’s penal code that allows a rapist to marry his victim to escape prosecution. Law to protect young girls is rejected.

As The View from Fez reported earlier, the Islamist PJD had taken what many are describing as a backward step by rejecting a bill criminalizing any sexual contact with minors. In Morocco, the rapists of under-age girls are protected by law as long as they marry their victims.

There have long been calls for the repeal of Article 475 of the penal code and given the public revulsion felt at such crimes it was expected that the repeal would be past. However, the commission of Justice of the House of Representatives led by the Islamist PJD rejected an amendment which would have criminalised sexual intercourse with a minor even if it is consensual. Socialists MPs wanted to put on the same level as rape. In light of this, Bassima Hakkaoui is to be applauded for her stand in favour of changing the law.

Last year, a Moroccan court allowed a rapist to marry his 16-year-old rape victim, Amina Filali, to “preserve” the honor of the girl’s family. Filali’s case, who later committed suicide, created outrage in the country with many activists called for changes and reforms in the penal court.

“A rapist belongs to jail and not elsewhere,” she said.


In memory of a Moroccan female pioneer

Touria Boutaleb, the first Moroccan woman to obtain a certificate of aptitude for teaching Arabic. Ms. Touria Boutaleb died on Sunday in Rabat. She was the first girl in Morocco to pick up the certificate of aptitude for teaching Arabic language in public schools girls, after a competition organized in 1946 in Rabat. She has served as director of the girls' school in Fez. After moving to Rabat with her ​​husband, she served as director of the school Hassan. An a activist on the national scene, Touria Boutaleb was also one of the first women writers from Morocco to collaborate with the newspaper "Al Alam" and the magazine "Daawat Al Hak" as well as Arabic publications, including "Al Arabi" and " Al Arab ".


Morocco has 19 films in African Film Festival

According to Morocco World News, Morocco is the country with the most films on offer in the 23rd edition of the Panafrican Film and Television festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso.

The Festival, scheduled from the 23rd of February to the 2nd March, has three Moroccan feature films in competition for the Golden Stallion of Yennenga, namely “Androman mindamoua Fahm” (of blood and of coal) by Lamharzi Alarabe Alaoui, “Horses of god” by Nabil Ayouch and “Love in the Medina” by Abdelhaï Laraki.

Morocco is the most represented country in this competition list which comprises 19 films representing, besides Morocco, Guinea-Bissau, Algeria, South Africa, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Angola, Niger, Mali and Mozambique.

The edition of FESPACO 2013 is being run under the scintillating theme: “African Cinema and public policies in Africa.”


The International Marathon of Marrakech, 27th January 2013

On Sunday 27th January 2013, Marrakech will host the 23rd annual International Marrakech Marathon.

Renowned for being one of the most prestigious marathons in the world, the event accommodates up to 6000 marathonians, professional and amateur, and is arguably a prestigious meeting place for international marathon stars. The route is flat and rapid, making it one of the world’s fastest marathon routes, with the record being an impressive 2h03’59”. Time limit for the full marathon is 5.30 hours covering a distance of 42,195km, and the half marathon 3.00 which is 21,097km.

You can also register for the village marathons which take place on Friday 25th, and Saturday 26th January prior to the main event, and is also open to children and amateurs of all ages.

Runners can partake in the full or semi marathon and inscription to the event is possible until 21st January 2013. If you are interested in more details about this event, including the route, times, registration and other information, please visit this link http://www.marathon-marrakech.com/presa.html

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Traditional Hammam or Luxury Spa?

Recent articles in some Moroccan journals have highlighted the changing nature of the Moroccan bathhouse, the hammam. While the traditional hammam is still available, many tourists opt for the "spa". However, some "spa and hammam" establishments are pushing the boundaries of acceptable behaviour.

A genuine non-mixed hammam experience is traditional

The legitimate "wellness" industry has promoted spa treatments as a health and relaxation where various treatments are available including massage. Of course massage is available in a traditional hammam, yet there is a vast difference between some of the spas and a hammam. Most markedly the issue of gender separation. Traditional hammams have specific times for women and times for men. A large number of the newer spas allow mixed bathing and it is this aspect that has been raised as a problem by some commentators.

The magazine Metropolis (Le Magazine chic at urbain) comments, not totally approvingly, that there has been a growth of mixed hammams. "These new style of institutions will revolutionize the habits of Moroccans have appeared recently in several cities across the country but especially in Marrakech".

The magazine points out that behind the signs "Hammam & Spa", these baths nothing in common with traditional hammams. 'The new wellness temples are hiding places of encounters between men and women who operate as prostitutes who come to sell their charms.' without being worried in the least. The magazine claims that the vice squad avoids intervention for fear of scaring away tourists who contribute much to the economy of the entire region.

Entry prices are expensive while extras can reach heights depending on the services provided by the girls who work in what has become the favorite places for sex tourists from the Gulf States

Receipts of these establishments are so substantial that many hotels and riads have succumbed to the merits of this approach to develop their own mixed spas and hammams so their customers can avoid venturing into unknown places ~ Metropolis. 

A genuine traditional hammam in the Fez Medina

Fortunately there are still many traditional hammams and a large number of "spa and hammam" establishments which are purely and simply about having an enjoyable non-sexual experience.

For all you need to know about a traditional hammam experience click here

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Women in Moroccan Proverbs ~ Part Two

The informative Morocco World News recently published a fascinating article by Meryem Fati ~ The Representation of Women in Moroccan Proverbs. This is the second of two articles on the subject and concentrates on Moroccan proverbs that deal with womens issues. The proverbs are organised under different labels so as to be able to distinguish between the positive and negative ones.

Inferiority

1. ‘Ana beshedek lfemou w houwa bela’oud la’iniya’/‘ I give him a loaf of bread, he threatens me with a stick.’

This proverb shows how women try to please men but still they are seen as inferior. Women try always to make men feel comfortable but they are usually badly rewarded.

2. ‘la’ateq feddar a’ar’/ ‘It is a shame to have a single woman at home.’

The proverb means that it is shameful to keep single women at home. This is mainly because the Moroccan society sees that the place of women is in their husband’s house. Sociolinguistically speaking Moroccans tend to use the word ‘a’teq’ to treat single young women. This word has a negative connotation within certain communities.

3. ‘lemera lhourra matakoul ghir men yed rajlha’/‘A good woman is the one who eats only from her husband’s hand.’

Women should always submit to men’s power. The proverb says that the faithful woman is the one who eats from the hand of her husband. Therefore, women should be limited and secluded in a specific atmosphere dictated by society.

Weakness

1. a’egouza we qebtat shefar / though she is old she caught a thief

Women in our society are seen as weak species. This proverb questions the ability of an old woman to catch a thief. Old women are called in the Moroccan society as a’gouza and this has a negative meaning since it is loaded with bad connotations.

2. “llahoumma bekhousha we tweness wala yaqouta we tehewess”/I would rather be with an insect to keep my company than a gorgeous woman that will bother me.

The proverb says that it will be better for a man to marry a weak woman rather than a beautiful and powerful one. The weak woman is referred to as ‘bekhousha’ which is a weak insect. Women have different names in our Moroccan society that range from positive to negative ones.

Stupidity

1. “lemera feddar a’emara wakha tekoun hmara“/a woman has a value in the house even if she could be like a donkey.

Women in this proverb are compared to a donkey. As far as language in society is concerned ‘hmara’ mainly refers to stupidity. Nevertheless, some people claim that this proverb is a positive one since it sees that women bring joy within their family even if they are stupid.

Ill-nature

1. “dreb hlima heta teboul li ferasha mayzoul”/even if you beat hlima till she urinates, she will never forget what she has in her mind.

The proverb says that even if you beat a woman hardly she will never resit. This shows the ill nature of women. Women here are referred to by the proper name ‘hlima.’

2. “llah yenejjik men lmechetaq ila faq we men lbayra ila derbat ssedaq“/may god save you from a person who yearns for something and from a single woman who is getting married.

In this proverb we have another kind of women (single old ones) that are incapable of giving birth. They are referred to as ‘bayra’. It has also a negative meaning since the proverb warns people from this kind of women especially when they have the opportunity to get engaged.

3. “Lleben we zzebda kanou khwatat ma ferqouhoum ghir la’yalat”/milk and butter were sister and women separated them.

The proverb claims that women are responsible for breaking relationships.

4. “Low kant merat la’ab hbiba tkoun llefa’a tbiba“/If the step-mother were affectionate, the snake would be a healer.

The proverb shows the ill nature of the step-mother.

Sex object

1. “lhejala dewaha a’end rejjala“/men are the remedy of divorced women.

The only cure for ‘lhejala’, who is a woman that is divorced, is men. Here women are seen as a sex object since they can not live without the presence of a masculine authority.

2. “Ma hddeha tkaki we hiya tzid flbid“/ as she cackles she lays eggs.

Women here are compared to chicken. They are seen as a species that are born to give children.

3. “Mera bela rajl a’esh bela bertal”/a woman without man is like a nest without a bird.

Women who do not have men in their lives are like a bird with no nest. Women can not live without men.

Ugliness

1. A’wejet rrejlin beghat rajel zine/she, who has crippled legs, wants a handsome man.

The proverb says that an ugly woman does not have to ask for a beautiful man. Nevertheless, we can have the contrary in our society. In this proverb the woman is referred to by ‘a’wejet rrejline.’

2. “koul khenfoussa a’end yemmaha ghezala“/every beetle is a gazelle in her mother’s eyes.

Everybody judges what he has as the best of all. One’s child is always the most beautiful and the most intelligent. One does not like the others to criticize or underestimate one’s children. Every mother sees her offspring as beautiful though in the others’ eyes it is not.

Positive

1. “Lli ma a’endou sidou a’endou lalah“/who does not have a men, he has a woman.

The proverb says that if men are not capable of solving some problems, women can do it.

2. “Lli maqederat tekoun nejma fessema tekoun shemea’a feddar“/a woman who could not be a star in the sky can be a candle at home.

The proverb says that if women can not be stars in the sky they can be candles in their house.

This proverb gives a good value to women. It depicts them as being the ones who bring love, happiness, and peace within their family.

3. “Zzine febenatna selala men la’ema lekhala“/beauty in our family is diffused from one generation to the other.

The proverb shows that beauty is inherent in families.

Shrewd

1. “Dirha ferrjal we nesaha we dirha fe nessa we terjjaha“/do something bad to men and forget it, do the same to women and hope nothing will happen.

The proverb says that if a person does something bad to men they can forget about it. However, if they do it to women they will pay for it sooner or later.

2. “Lli kaya’emlou yebliss fea’am tea’melou la’gouza fessaa’a“/what you can learn from Satan in a year you can learn it from an old woman in an hour.

In this proverb women are compared to Satan. This mainly says that they may be devilish.

3. “Yalli tenadi qeddam lebab nadi we koun fahem ma yefessed bin lehbab ghir nessa we dderahm”/he who calls next our door know that nothing ruins relationships but women and money.

The proverb says that women are one of the major causes for breaking relationships.

Women are treated badly in Moroccan proverbs. According to the proverbs women have limited functions. They are either mothers, step mothers, mothers in law, wives, daughters in law, widows, or prostitutes. As it has been shown before, people within a society can determine the status of others. In our case women are either talkative, ugly, shrewd, sex objects, weak, inferior to men, or ill-natured.

The language that is used in proverbs in order to refer to women is mainly conventional within the Moroccan society. People created different names to refer to women. These words were used in proverbs and combined with other words in order to explain a state of mind. In addition, the language that is used show that women are static. They are either a’gouza, bayra, a’roussa and other ones. Women are generally thought of to be kind, soft and a symbol of tenderness. Therefore, the language of the majority of proverbs shows them as creatures that need to be treated like animals or as a dangerous gender since they have a devilish side.

Society can shape a certain view by using a specific diction. Language is very important within society. It has many hidden effects and contributes in enhancing moral values within a certain community. Most of people argued that the language of proverbs favours men rather than women. As far as the age and gender variables are concerned, people from all ages and especially women see that the language of proverbs came to make women inferior to men.

Lot of researchers tried to see if language in general is sexist or not. Therefore, tentative replies to this question showed that one can not claim that language is sexist, but rather it is the people who are sexist as these differences do not stem from the language but from the mentality of the people who speak it. People are the ones who shape language according to their values, beliefs, norms and traditions.

In a society like Morocco we can say that we have a lot of stereotypical images about women. These images can be seen as the major factor that makes of a language a sexist one. Moroccan Arabic (darija) is full of words that have bad connotations about women. Most of the proverbs that were studied showed that there are sexist expressions that are used to refer badly to women. This pushes us to say that the linguistic distinction between the sexes is much more cultural than linguistic. Men and women are given different roles in the Moroccan society and this is clearly reflected in the language of proverbs.

In order to free a language from stereotypical images one should first identify an area in which they are mostly used. Proverbs are one of the areas that can serve this purpose. Since they are part of the cultural heritage of societies it would be hard to fight them. However, the best solution would be to sensitise people about the importance of reducing sexist language from their speech. One can also target the educational system by designing text books that reinforce non-sexist language. This can be very successful since it could be transmitted from one generation to the other. Furthermore, media can play a great role in doing so and this by making people aware of the harm that they can cause to each other.

Meryem Fati is currently a doctoral student at the Faculty of Education, Mohammed V- souissi- Rabat, Morocco. She is working on cross- cultural communication. She was a Fulbright scholar and affiliate at Kansas University. She is a language and communication instructor at Mohamed V university- Agdal- Rabat, Morocco. She participated in Moroccan and international conferences and she served as a co- translator of Khadija: the First Muslim and the Wife of the Prophet Muhammad By Resit Haylamaz.

You can read Part One here

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Cultural Tour of the Fez Jewish Quarter

Outside Bab Semmarine in the Mellah 

The ancient Jewish quarter or Mellah of Fez is one of the oldest in Morocco. Although no Jews still live there, its rich history and different style of architecture are well worth exploring. The Mimouna Club of Fez is offering a Cultural Tour of the Mellah of Fez on Sunday January 27th, which they describe as "a tour of learning, discovery and understanding". 

"We invite Moroccans and non-Moroccans to take this trip to the past of Moroccan Judaism in the city of Fez which was once known as the city of Jews," says Youness Abeddour, the president of the Mimouna Club. He explains that the Club first started on April 2007 at Al Akhawayne University in Ifrane, and the Fez chapter was launched last June. 2012. "It's a non-profit organisation that seeks to educate the Moroccan people about the Moroccan Jewish Culture and to encourage harmony between Jews and Muslims in Morocco," he says.

Main street of the Fez Mellah, showing unusual exterior balconies

The Cultural Tour of the Mellah on January 27th includes a visit to the Jewish cemetery where grand rabbis are buried. "We will meet with the caretaker of the cemetery and the curator of the small museum in the edge of the cemetery, Mr. Edmond Gabbay," says Youness. "Then we will head to the 17th century synagogue, Aben Danan synagogue. It is now World Heritage listed. The caretaker of the synagogue, Omar, is a Moroccan Muslim. From there, we will continue our walk to synagogue El Fassiyeen, a recently restored synagogue by the Moroccan Jewish museum of Casablanca."

Participants in the last tour in the Fez Mellah

Last time they ran this tour, "We visited the tombs of the Grand Rabbis, and of the famous Sol Hatzadikah. After telling her story, they did not hesitate to light candles and show respect to her spirit. Learning about the tradition of putting a stone on the tombs to mark one’s visit, they put some olives on the tomb of Benjamine Serero, the Jew who was murdered in the Mellah, and on the tomb of the well-known Jewish lady, Solika, who chose to live in the Mellah until she died few months ago.”

Youness Abeddour will be leading the tour and emphasises that questions are welcome.

What: Cultural Tour of the Mellah of Fez
When: January 27th at 10 AM.
Meet: Main gate of the Mellah
Cost: 30 dhs.

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