El Jadida - In Moroccan popular culture, the image of the terrifying female is constructed in popular myths and legends starting from the legend of the Moroccan guerrilla Aicha Qandisha (La Contessa) to the myth of Ttab'a.

In this article, we will expound how the image of the terrifying female (la femme fatale) is incarnated in an example of a monstrous female jinni believed to hinder man’s social progress named "the female jinni pursuer" (ttab'a).

Patients who suffer from consecutive failure to realize their expectations and wishes are told by traditional healers to be hounded by a female jinni called ttab'a, or al-qraina ("companion" derived from the Arabic word "qarin"), who utterly hampers their way to success. It is thought that unless patients appease her wrath by sacrifices and fumigation, she may never slacken her crippling chase.

According to some Moroccan healers, ttaba', or al-qraina as some prefer to name it, is a female jinni ( jenniya), or rather, a strong jinni ('afrita) that harms people by impeding their way to success. According to Sayouti (died in 911 A.H./1505 C.E.), “ttab'a is um sabyan (mother of children) that demolishes households and palaces, and impoverishes people day and night” (p. 247; my translation). According to the same author, when King Solomon issued orders to chain all rebellious jinn, soldiers came from heavens and earth to fulfil his decree except ttab'a. The soldiers warned the King of her monstrosity and told him that his territory was doomed to extinction if ttab'a was kept released. He immediately ordered his soldiers to enmesh her.

In the twinkling of an eye, she was dragged in chains in front of the King. She looked very old; her molar teeth were like the tusks of an elephant, her hair like leaves of palm-trees, smoke emanating from her nose, her voice like thunder and her eyes like lightening. When the King set eyes upon her, he prostrated himself in fear to Allah and then addressed her: “who are you damned monster!” she replied: “my name is sorrow daughter of sorrow—l-hima bent l-hima—and my nickname is um sabyan (the mother of children). I have ten names: qalnush (1), maqlush (2), hailush (3), qarqush (4), 'amrush (5), ilaqush (6), qamtanush (7), qush (8), maqarqatush (9), um maldam (10) [all these labels may evoke fear and disgust in the addressee because of their repulsive sound and indecipherable meaning—no need to mention here that many incantations, talismans, and magical names originate from ancient Semitic languages like the Syriac and Hebrew alien to Moroccan Arabic]." She adds: "I live in the air between the sky and earth!” When the King asked her about her targeted victims, she answered that she targeted pregnant women and little children. She also harmed people in their health and fortune. She ate flesh and drank blood. When the King exorcised her with foreboding threats, she gave him seven vows not to touch those people who carry with them his talismans. She revealed to him the secrets of undoing her magic influence (for further details see chap. 175, rahma [Mercy] by Sayouti).

According to the same author, ttab'a has met the Prophet of Islam. When he was walking in town he met a beautiful woman with blue eyes and asked her:

Prophet: Where are you going?

Ttab'a: I am going to those who crouch in their mothers’ laps to devour their flesh and drink their blood.

P: “(Allah) damn you!”

T: Please do not damn me! I have twelve names. I won’t harm he who knows them and carry them with him.

P: What are these names, you damned one!

T: lawlabun (1), khal‘asun (2), dusun (3), maltusun (4), sayusun (5), salmasun(6), tuhun (7), tusadun (8), asra‘un (9), rabbun qaruhun (10), ‘ayqudun (11) salmanun (12). (Sayouti, n.d., chap. 175, p. 253; my translation)

Ttab'a as it is described above is stereotyped as an untrustworthy insatiable female. She is described as a monstrous woman who eats children and destroys family bonds. This mythical description stems from a presumed need in a patriarchal order to control and protect women. The collective threat women represent for the male world is projected on the world of jinns. The assumption that if women are left unrestrained can cause tumult and chaos, fitna, is represented in the myth of um sabyan, especially in the second version where she is a model of hazardous beauty (femme fatale).

Also, the myth of this female jinni may have an organizational function in society. Um sabyan is referred to in popular culture as rahmat Allah (the mercy of Allah)—a euphemistic expression that some parents prefer to use so as not to harm their children when threatening them to call the jinni if they do not cease their naughtiness.

In Moroccan mythology, ttab'a may be caused by sihr or may be slata (mishap) ensuing from unknown causes. For a person, to chase away the ttab'a, he has to “intend” ( yenwi ) to rid himself of it. Then, he would take shed hair (mshaga) after combing, parts of his clothes, belongings, nail-cuttings, or body-hairs and throw them in a sanctified place specialized for this intent. In some sacred places, visitors throw their molted hair or underclothing rags by hanging them on thorns (shtab/shawk) so that the Ttab'a does not follow them any longer.

The thorn plant is like a weapon in that it has a cutting edge. In Classical Arabic, we say: “rajulun sha-iku ssilah” meaning a man whose weapon is very sharp. In our culture, when someone is referred to like a piece of thorn (shatba), it means that he is sticky and does not bend easily. Shtab is also referred to like glue in that its thorns stick. In the maraboutic social context, thorns are symbolically used as weapons against the evil eye. Their spines are meant to prickle, sting, wound and gouge out the envious eye.

The word “ttab‘a” (female pursuer) evokes the word “ttabi' ” (pursuer/ follower). The word “follower” has the sense of servant, adept or adherent but the word “pursuer” refers to someone who follows people in order to overtake, capture, kill, or defeat them. This is closer to the meaning of ttab'a in Moroccan popular culture. The predominant assumption is that people are pursuing others by gloating over their misfortunes and envying their prosperity.

It is believed that our society is full of arrow-shooting eyes (quwasa) and evil onlookers (haddaya) who keep trail of what one is doing and envy one’s success. In popular quarters, this process takes the form of gossiping and meddling with the neighbours’ affairs. It is what Desmond Morris terms tempting survival by proxy. He argues:

One form Gossiping takes consists of meddling in other people’s emotional lives and creating for them the sort of chaos that you would have to go through yourself. This is the malicious gossip principle: it is extremely popular because it is so much safer than direct action. The worst that can happen is that you lose some of your friends. If it is operated skilfully enough, the reverse may occur: they may become substantially friendlier. If your machinations have succeeded in breaking up their lives, they may have a greater need of your friendship than ever before. So, providing you are not caught out, this variation can have a double benefit: the vicarious thrill of watching their survival drama, and the subsequent increase in their friendliness. (Morris, 1969, p. 164)

However, gossip is not all at once socially negative. It may be a cultural tool implemented by social members to protect the group against the outlandish who violate the norms. Failing to live up to group norms may turn to be a hot topic of gossip. Thus, social non-conformists will be more cautious in the future to infringe social norms for fear that group members will gossip about them.

Moreover, gossip may serve social comparison, the act of individual self-evaluation through drawing comparison with other people. Through an ad hoc participant-observation technique of gossip, individuals may manage to collect information about themselves and others to use in the process of comparison. Such comparisons may lead the social subjects to have a clearer idea about their own status and achievements and therefore may conduce them to self-evaluate themselves. People often avoid making direct comparisons since this would put them in embarrassing situations. Hence, they prefer using gossip to satisfy their needs and, most importantly, to protect their social ego.

Like Desmond Morris, Hijazi (1986) argues that the gossiping principle is a means of survival for the subalterns. Gossiping abounds in poor social contexts where people are bored of gross under-stimulation. Caught in a social vacuum marked by unemployment, poverty, indecent housing, lack of opportunities, the subalterns spend their time projecting their conflicts and frustrations on each other. They may think that the destructive gaze of the other causes their social stagnation. It is conceived as having an effect on the individual’s life.

Thus, social subjects tend to hide their doings from each other. Getting a new job, travelling abroad to work, getting promoted, getting married, buying a new house and having a new baby are all considered achievements to be done as furtively as possible to escape the persecution of evil onlookers who may stir Ttab'a into motion in consequence of the power of their spiteful gaze. Gossiping tends to be a cultural worldview when a lot of people persist in believing that they are targets of hostile actions and insinuations, aimed at them by some enemies or band of enemies.

When people think that the world survives by supernatural persecution, when this is not actually the case, it becomes a form of cultural paranoid delusion. The identifying marks of this cultural imaginary paranoia are people’s readiness to accept the slightest evidence in support of the belief of being persecuted and their inability to realize the evidence that contradicts it.

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

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Rabat - Earlier in April, as I was applying for my visa to the United Arab Emirates, I was overjoyed that I will be reunited with my friends and family members whom I have missed dearly since my departure from the UAE in 2015. I used to study there and I hold a special regard to the country and its people, where I have great memories, and most importantly where I have accumulated a great deal of knowledge as part of my college journey.

Yet, I was shocked by the reply of the agency I had registered with. They have been told to back out of my file because I am a young girl who is holding a green Moroccan passport, a passport that I traveled with around the world and have never been discriminated against for, a passport that I hold proudly. Looking at it brings the idea of home to me. Of family reunions, culture, the kingdom’s history, its territorial sovereignty, the diversity and all of the elements that give to the unique and dazzling Moroccan identity I am blessed with.

Then it got me thinking, why would I be subjected to such discrimination for holding a Moroccan passport? I assumed that there would be a record of my stay as a student for a little over two years, which would lead the authorities to simply accept my tourist visa application.

However, I was wrong. I have realized that I am not the target of any conspiracy, but that Moroccan women as a whole are subject to discrimination from the United Arab Emirates authorities. After some digging, it dawned on me that no one but a few articles have been published about this enormous misrepresentation of Moroccan women in the GCC.

Those articles even act as a defense to Moroccan women, which I found ridiculous. We do not need to defend ourselves, or explain that we are doctors, lawyers, engineers, chefs, housewives and more. We are the product of a rich, diverse culture. We are warriors at heart, and the minority that has polluted what we stand for as Moroccan women and as leaders and role models does not represent us under any circumstances.

I have researched the laws and restrictions that concern granting Moroccan women entry to the UAE and my findings have only troubled me further. Any girl under thirty years of age who is single and is Moroccan is subject to an investigation due to the fact that her entry is considered a matter of “security”. She is only granted entry if she has a direct family member or if she is traveling with her parents.

“A matter of security”... It is absurd and completely out of line, considering the strong relationship that the UAE and Morocco share. Why has the Moroccan government not tackled this issue which can be considered as a direct affront to and breach of security for the Moroccan women as well? Where are the women’s rights advocates in Morocco? Will we simply accept the discrimination we face as a result of such laws, laws that target Moroccan women directly?

This is not a singular incident, nor is it a valid stereotype. This issue has escalated to the point where Moroccan women are the victims of this generalization, a generalization that has become more intense and serious to the point that there are laws restricting us from the right to travel.

I call on the Moroccan authorities to take a stand against this hate towards the women of Morocco. We are women who stand together with dignity and pride, and cannot tolerate such discrimination. There exist millions of women’s voices who will not accept nor tolerate such indignation.

Both Morocco and the UAE share common interests, and have an amicable history of great support and cooperation. Attempting to relentlessly degrade Moroccan women and subject them to all sorts of discrimination based on false allegations is a stain on the bilateral relations between the two nations.

I love and cherish the memories and experiences I have had in the UAE, and hold special regard to Dubai for what it has offered and taught me. Nevertheless, seeing these outright discriminatory laws against Moroccan women, and the degree to which stereotyping has led the UAE authorities to act, I have to wonder, what is next? A complete ban of Moroccan women from entering the UAE?  I am a Moroccan woman after all, and will not stand for watching my people discriminated against.

The majority should not pay the price for the minority’s whims. We are equal and such treatment only builds walls between us when we can grow together, and unite to deal with the challenges and threats we are facing regionally and internationally.

As a nation we do stand for something noble and good, for the concept of individual liberties, and we must never forget that. We are the government, we are the fuel that drives this engine, the cells that make everything happen, and we are capable of doing great things, but bad things are being done in our name, and when this is observed, it must be rectified.

 The issue of prostitution in the GCC is what needs to be addressed.  United Arab Emirates authorities, rather than discriminating against Moroccan women, and banning, or making extremely difficult their entry into the UAE, should instead create a different screening process of visa applicants with the cooperation of the Moroccan government.

Instead of simply restricting the entry of every Moroccan woman, there should be a system with a database of those known to have engaged in prostitution, and another for those who have no record of prostitution or suspicious actions, and who simply want to visit or explore the neighboring Arab country. In this way, the problem of prostitution in the UAE would be more efficiently addressed, and without subjecting all Moroccan women to baseless stereotyping and discrimination.

Media has contributed substantially to the misperception of Moroccan women by the GCC countries, in that it has been in effect a fuel to the fire of this gross misrepresentation by only putting forth generalizations and stereotypes, or through direct accusations against Moroccan women, citing them as a root of the problem of prostitution in the UAE.

I urge Moroccans, men and women, we must stand as one in this, as one body, and fight the fear and the lies that have been sold throughout the Arab world by the media. There is always a way to make a change. We must fight against this discrimination and confront it, because through combatting our fears and the lies that have been propagated by media, we can begin to chip away at the false perceptions of Moroccan women that are present in the GCC countries. With enough support, we can change the nature of the laws that prevent us from pursuing our own individual goals, the laws that label us and keep us from choosing our own destination. That is how we emerge victorious.

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

The post Visa Ban and Misrepresentation of Moroccan Women in the Gulf appeared first on Morocco World News.

New York - Immediately after the British voted to leave the European Union, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Garcia-Margallo said in a radio show on Friday that his country is closer than ever to recovering its sovereignty over Gibraltar.

The Spanish official said that Brexit offers new possibilities for tabling the proposal of co-sovereignty between Spain and the UK, over Gibraltar. For Spanish officials, this step would pave the way to allowing their country to fully recover its sovereignty over the territory.

Moroccan social media users have commented prolifically on the topic, with many accusing Spain of double standards - reclaiming sovereignty of Gibraltar while clinging to sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla, as well as several islands just off the Moroccan mainland.

This is not the first time that the Spanish government has urged its British counterpart to open a dialogue on this territorial dispute. Spanish foreign policy has long considered the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht - by virtue of which Spain ceded its sovereignty of Gibraltar - as obsolete. But unlike the government of former Prime Minister Zapatero, Mariano Rajoy intends to open a dialogue with the UK without including the people of the Rock in the negotiations.

From a legal point of view, the Spanish position on the question of Gibraltar is stronger than the Moroccan position on Ceuta and Melilla. Gibraltar is considered a "non-self-governing territory" by the United Nations, and thus is subject to decolonization, while Ceuta and Melilla are not included on the list of the United Nations non-self-governing territories. For this reason, Spanish officials have dismissed all attempts by the Moroccan government over the past 50 years to open a dialogue on the future of the two enclaves.

To understand why these two Moroccan cities are not included on the list, we must go back to the 1960s, specifically to the so-called "Barajas Spirit". On July 6 1963, the late King Hassan II and General Franco met in Madrid's Barajas airport to address their pending territorial disputes. The agreement that came of this meeting is known as the "Espiritu de Barajas".

Under this agreement, Morocco agreed to separate the issue of Ceuta and Melilla from the other territorial disagreements pitting the two countries against each another in the UN Special Political and Decolonization Committee, known as the 4th Committee.

This strategy was cleverly exploited by the Spanish leaders and the situation was compounded by the lack of a firm commitment from Morocco in bringing this dispute to the UN at a time when the question of Gibraltar was the order of the day. It deprived Morocco of the historic chance to register Ceuta and Melilla on the list of non-self-governing territories, which the colonial powers were set to decolonize. In addition, Morocco then refrained from bringing forward the dispute over the two enclaves until 1974.

In the early 1960s and throughout the 70s, what mattered most to Moroccan diplomacy was its recovery of the Moroccan territories in the south. These included Sidi Ifni, which was reinstated to Morocco's sovereignty under the Agreement of January 4 1969, and the Western Sahara, recovered following the Green March on November 6 1975.

Spain took advantage of this miscalculation of Moroccan diplomacy to prevent both Ceuta and Melilla from being included on the list of the UN 4th Committee. Presently, while the question of Gibraltar is always discussed during the deliberations of the Fourth Committee held in October of each year, the question of Ceuta and Melilla remains a strictly bilateral issue between Morocco and Spain.

However, Morocco has always highlighted the parallel between the two issues, arguing that Spain cannot claim to regain its sovereignty over Gibraltar while refusing the legitimate right of Morocco to regain its sovereignty over the two enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

In 1987, after an audience granted to Spanish Minister of the Interior José Barrionuevo, the late King Hassan II handed him a letter addressed to Spanish King Juan Carlos. In the letter, Hassan II proposed the creation a Reflection Task Force (Celulle de Reflexion) to address the future status of Ceuta and Melilla. The Spanish government was quick to respond. On January 24 1987, it issued a statement emphasizing that, "Ceuta and Melilla are two Spanish cities and will remain so, so that the creation of an entity of this kind cannot be justified."

Since that day, and despite Morocco's attempts to push the Spanish authorities to open a dialogue on the future of the two enclaves, Madrid has dismissed Moroccan claims as unfounded. Moreover, Spanish authorities continue to even deny the existence of a dispute over the cities.

But despite the refusal of Spanish authorities to question the character of the two enclaves and open a dialogue with Rabat, Morocco has many arguments to demonstrate the merits of its position and show that the solution of the question of Gibraltar inevitably has implications for resolving the territorial conflict over Ceuta and Melilla.

Morocco has many arguments demonstrating the parallels between Ceuta and Melilla and Gibraltar. For instance, both Gibraltar and the Spanish enclaves were primarily military bases. Both issues arose from inequitable treaties imposed by occupying powers. Also, there is no history of attachment of the occupying powers to their respective enclaves.

In their books, two former Spanish diplomats Máximo Cajal and Alfonso de la Serna argue that the treaties relied on by the Spanish authorities to justify their sovereignty over both enclaves have no legal or moral value, as they were signed under duress and at a time when Morocco was in a position of weakness.

In addition, in both cases the enclaves are in the natural territory of a foreign country, thus constituting an obstacle to continuity and territorial integrity, not to mention that the three territories are economically dependent on their hinterlands.

Moreover, many observers are of the opinion that Spain cannot continue to apply a policy of double standards, adding that regardless of the legal status of enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Gibraltar, it is incongruent for Spain to claim its sovereignty over Gibraltar while continuing to occupy the Moroccan cities of Ceuta and Melilla and nearby islands.

I do not think the Spanish government will insist on opening their front with the British government in the near future.

Spanish politicians know perfectly well that the British will never transfer their sovereignty over the territory without consulting Gibraltar's 33,000 inhabitants. Spain is also aware that the question of Gibraltar is inherently related to the question of Ceuta and Melilla, and that any potential return of Gibraltar to Spain would mean opening a dialogue with Morocco over the future of these two enclaves.

The Spanish Minister's statement was a mere attempt by his Popular Party to appeal to a segment of chauvinistic Spanish voters in the run up to the legislative elections held on June 26.

An earlier version of this article was published on the New Arab

Samir Bennis is the co-founder of and editor-in-chief of Morocco World News. You can follow him on Twitter @SamirBennis

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Rabat - Since President Bouteflika suffered his first heart attack, few years ago, and was hurriedly transported to a French hospital for medical care in total secrecy, various powerful groups have been vying, in the dark, for the favors of the powerful army to win the honor of selection for the position of president, to no avail. However, this nimble statesman, though weakened by illness and obliged to use a wheelchair for mobility and Skype for mass communication, seems to, still, hold power firmly and enjoy the confidence of the army.

In opaque Algeria that is reminiscent of its long-time ally and patron Russia, in its old Soviet configuration, power struggle is fierce, especially when the opponents feel, with much strength, that probably the end of the regime is at hand. So, the players want to get the most political and material benefits from it before is too late.

Algeria’s economy depends, to almost 90 %, on earnings from oil revenues and like many oil-producing countries in the MENA region, has set up a huge rentier state that serves as a means of buying social peace disguised into the so-called policy of even distribution of wealth, but aiming, in the end, at perpetuating the absolutist regime, tightly controlled by the omnipresent and powerful army.

In this peculiar set-up, half of the oil revenues go to secret Swiss bank accounts of the top brass of the army, who consider themselves the sole and legitimate inheritors of the Algerian independence. All in all, they are ready to use force, if necessary, as they did with the Islamists, in the past, to safeguard their material benefits in the name of the concept they created, prior to independence to keep power, even by using brutal tactics,: “revolutionary violence.”

As the oil prices are dwindling on the world oil market rapidly, Algeria will soon face difficult options. Initially, it will probably make use of the sovereign fund to maintain the social status quo, but once this is depleted, it will have no other alternative but to opt out for hard choices of realpolitik: cut the subsidies. It has, indeed, already started in some areas.

This perilous act has been preceded, in the last year or so, by putting stringent conditions on car-importing which led to diplomatic outcry from European countries like Germany, whose manufactured vehicles were denied entry to the Algerian market.

In Algeria, everything is subsidized by the state from medicine to housing, attempting to cut the subsidies will amount to political suicide because the rank and file will argue that the military are denying them a birthright while they themselves indulge unashamedly.

As they will start feeling the pinch of economic reality, the Algerians will take to the street en masse, to denounce their government’s policy. Initially, this will lead, undoubtedly, to scuffles with the police force, but, with time, it will go crescendo into an uprising as more localities, through the country, will join the fray.

If the Arab Spring did not occur in Algeria few years ago it is because people had in the back of the mind the atrocities of the civil war (December 26, 1991-February 8, 2002) and wanted voluntarily to spare their country another blood-spilling episode, so, they shied from taking to the streets. Now, the situation is different, it is about survival, if they cannot have subsidies, then they would want all-out democracy, instead.

The Algerian police force is estimated at 130,000, it is under the command of Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN) itself headed by the Ministry of the Interior, and it is charged of maintaining law and order in urban areas in addition of other police routines. In the countryside, the police duties are discharged by the Gendarmerie Nationale, whose forces are estimated at 60,000 and is directly related to the Ministry of Defense and acts also as a versatile paramilitary force.

In the 1988 riots, the two polices in question, the urban and the rural were surpassed by the events and the state had to call in the army to quell the popular discontent with, of course, all the unpleasant results of such an undertaking.

In the case of a probable uprising that could ultimately happen in the next two years or so, the discontent will go national, in a matter of days, because cutting the subsidies will be severing the sacrosanct bloodline and for the ordinary Algerian it is about honor, a concept of manhood and virility known as nif, that would call for revenge and blood-spilling.

This uprising, if it happens when it happens, will certainly lead to many important and salient changes in the future of Algeria. Firstly, the end of the supremacy of the army in politics and economics and its return to the barracks, once for all, to undertake its primordial and only role, that of the defense of the integrity and independence of the country. Secondly, democracy will, more likely, bring back to power the very Islamists that were kicked out by a military coup in 1991 because they are the only organized and regimented political alternative power to fill in the vacuum. Last but not least, Algeria will open up to the world politically and economically; and especially to its immediate neighbor, Morocco, with whom it has been estranged over the Sahara issue since the Green March in 1975.

At this point, the future of Algeria is grim and uncertain; there is an urgent need for immediate and radical change in politics and economics to avoid future probable uprising and upheaval. It is a well-known fact that bread comes before democracy, but, if the establishment cannot provide anymore, somewhat, free bread then Algerians will go for democracy, for good, no matter what the price to pay would be.

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

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

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Washington D.C. - Throughout history, the United States has been known to be the world’s top resettlement country for refugees, welcoming its “huddled masses” with open arms to live the American dream. With respect to the current Syrian refugee crisis, however, the U.S. has closed its doors and now ranks at the bottom of the list.  While many fear accepting more Syrian refugees behind the scenes, there are some remarkable and hopeful efforts to try to change this harsh reaction.

The U.S. has not welcomed Syrian refugees. Even those whose petitions were pre-approved by the U.N. high commissioner have suffered delays and difficulties entering the country recently.

Since the beginning of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2012, the U.S. has accepted fewer than 2,200 Syrian refugees. In contrast, Germany, which is only the size of the state of Alaska, has already resettled close to one million and half refugees. This is a pressing global crisis that has not so far been handled well by the U.S. 

The American public’s and lawmakers’ fear of refugees entering the country was escalated immediately after the Paris terrorist attack which was soon followed by the Brussels attack. 

The Republican Presidential candidates took that opportunity to oppose the admission of new refugees in general and the Syrian ones in particular. They persuades the public to believe in the threat that those refugees would pose. They used this threat as a political card for their own advantage, and as a propaganda to further their campaigns. 

This in turn fanned the flames of fear among the American people focusing on an impending threat to the whole nation. The situation escalated even further when some state governors announced that they would ban the entrance of Syrian refugees into their states.  

Despite this strong opposition to accepting Syrian refugees in the U.S., however, there are great efforts underway by the current government and many organizations, churches, and charities around the country who are campaigning and lobbying hard to change this rejection.

One such organization that is pushing lawmakers to mobilize the acceptance of more refugees in is the Center for Migration Studies. Atits recent conference in Washington D.C., I addressed a huge crowd describing my own experience coming to the U.S. as an asylum seeker.  The audience reaction was overwhelming in its eagerness to help accept more refugees into the country, truly exemplary and one of a kind.  

Cardinal McCarrick said in his remarkable speech at the conference that “accepting refugees from the Middle East is a test of our nation’s values.” He emphasized that the vast majority of refugees are victims of the same terrorism that people here are afraid of, and that the refugees completely reject the philosophy of the terror groups driving them from their homes. 

He concluded that it would be unfair to lump all the refugees in with those extremists who distort religious principles just to gain power and to justify their extreme violence.

In November of last year, President Obama himself during the G20 summit in Turkey called for acceptance and compassion for Syrian refugees. He said that people should “remember that many of these refugees are the victims of terrorism themselves and that’s why they are fleeing.” 

Obama believed that rejecting the Syrian refugees is contradictory to American values. “Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values. Our nation can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety and ensure our own security. We can and must do both,” he continued.

It is understandable that the majority of Americans has fears and concerns about the security of welcoming refugees. But the process which the refugees must undergo to be accepted under the resettlement program is not an easy one. Yet, too many people still question and doubt the security process.

Refugees are put through a thorough screening and vetting process coordinated by the U.S. Departments of State, Homeland Security and Defense, along with the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), and typically also by the United Nations Refugee Agency, before being admitted. 

These agencies work together for months and in some cases years to ensure both that refugees meet the legal definition of a refugee — which means they are the victims, not perpetrators, of persecution — and that they in no way present a national security or public health threat to the United States. 

In fact, refugees who are screened for this program are more vetted than people who usually come to the U.S. in any other manner, such as crossing a border or coming on a visitor or student visa. 

The process generally takes at least 18 to 24 months, and often much longer, but it is so vital to ensure the integrity of the resettlement program. Any gap or failing to meet any of the criteria at any step of the process, the refugee will be denied entrance.  

But has the view expressed by President Obama on refugees been an American tradition throughout its history of accepting newcomers?

When we take a look at how the U.S. has dealt with refugees, it has not appeared tolerant in general to newcomers who have fled war zones and conflicts. Similar scenarios have happened in the past with Jews, the Japanese, and even Iranians in the 1980s after their country’s revolution. 

Reza Aslan, an Iranian-American author and religious scholar who fled Iran with his family to the U.S. after the big turmoil back in 1979, said that the 1980s were not a good time to be Iranian in this country. “I spent most of my time pretending to be Mexican, and if you think that people will treat you better if you say you are Mexican, then you really don't know hate,” he declared.

Mass migrations to the United States go way back to two centuries ago.  There were always conflicting feelings toward the new immigrants.

In the late 1930’s, Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany were denied entry to United States. Because of an exaggerated fear of Nazi agents potentially among them, and the threat of new ideologies entering the country, many of them were forced to return to Europe, where 254 of those returned were eventually killed in the Holocaust.

According to American University history professor Max Paul Friedman and author of the book “Nazis and Good Neighbors,” “the fear was genuine, but misplaced.” “That is, none of the Jewish refugees who arrived in the United States has ever been found to have done anything in the interest of the Nazis. They fled them. They didn’t want to help them.”

Again and again, history has shown how Americans have been intolerant and sometimes hostile and conflicted toward refugees and immigrants. Antagonism was seen after World War I and WW II toward the Japanese, in 1975 toward Vietnamese people, the same for Cuban refugees in the 1980s, Haitians in the 1990s, and now the Syrians.

But almost always, the xenophobia towards these immigrants and refugees has proven to be so magnified and misrepresented and falsely blamed for causing a threat to the country by some politicians and demagogues. 

However, the recent wave of the hard efforts and dedication towards refugees that I have witnessed lately in the States from these many organizations and charities cannot go unnoticed. People of all walks of life are working together in these places to make things right for refugees.

With World Refugee Day having passed on June 20, and the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA) high-level meeting of world leaders on refugees and migrants in September of this year, people are proceeding with their work rapidly to ensure that their message to help refugees reaches the right ears and can make a difference. 

All of this gives me great hope that the American people still believe in the real values of their great country. 

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

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By Wafa Abyad

Casablanca - The latest attacks in Istanbul, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jeddah, and Medina have been hard for the Arab world and the world in general to absorb. It is difficult to comprehend how Muslims can kill other Muslims. How did we, the Muslim community, get to this point? What can be done to stop this ongoing violence?                                

It is hard to think objectively when we see dead bodies of innocent people in the streets. We are enraged by such violence and hatredWe are blinded by it, and we often point our fingers and claim that those who perpetrate the attacks are not Muslims.  Why would we include them as members of our faith? The answer seems obvious: mainstream Muslims are under attack by those who have hijacked our faith for their violent purposes. However, simplistically deeming the attackers un-Islamic blinds us from comprehending the bigger picture. With this approach, we cannot understand how the Muslim community reached this point, how a member of our faith blew himself up so close to the second holiest place of our religion, and how we might reform our religion to progress towards peace.

It is time for us to face reality and name things as they are. This is an inter-religious war. Muslims are killing other Muslims in the name of Islam. We have to stop lying to ourselves when we use hashtags like #notinthenameofislam. These attacks are being carried out in the name of Islam.  The attackers are Muslims who kill their coreligionists because they believe that other Muslims are practicing their religion the wrong way.

These people are called takfiris, a term which roughly translates to “those who deem others to be unbelievers.” This concept is the cornerstone of the internal schism within the Islamic community between extremists and mainstream Muslims. The extremist takfiris believe that they practice the only correct form of Islam; they thereby claim the moral authority to deem themselves the only true Muslims, and deem other believers that practice differently kufars (heretics). According to shari’a (Islamic law), the sentence of a heretic is death. Justifying their actions by this logic, takfiris kill mainstream Muslims that they believe are heretics.

The Arab world has done little to stop this ideology of takfir.  Many Muslims today ask themselves why the Islamic community has we not been able to stop takfiri ideology from spreading over the last decades. How on earth, with all the expertise that Islamic scholars contribute to the religious community, have we failed to do so?

The answer stems from a combination of geopolitical and religious factors, and the inability and unwillingness of the Muslim community to respond thus far. We let the takfiris grow strong initially because they framed themselves as mujahideen, religious soldiers fighting for God against Western and Soviet occupying forces. They started in Afghanistan, but when the war against the Soviets ended, they had to find other reasons to fight and other targets to attack.

 In the new millennium, Al Qaeda and ISIS rose to power. Muslims largely let foreign forces take the lead in the fight against these takfiri groups, convinced that they had the situation under control. These foreign powers have not been able to contain this ideology. Over the past decades, history has repeated itself over and over again. Takfiri groups have risen to power, foreigners have failed to suppress them, and the Muslims have suffered from horrific violence.

It is time for the Muslim community itself to take a stance by reforming our religion and eradicating takfiri ideology. It is time to let the new generation of scholars work for change. Admitting that the problem comes from within Islam is a first step toward peace. As Cheikh Hamza Yusuf beautifully stated in his essay about the latest deadliest events, “The Qur’an clearly instructs us that when faced with calamities, we ought to look first at what we may have done to bring them upon us. Introspection is a Qur’anic injunction. Until we come to terms with this Qur’anic truth, we will remain mired in the mirage of denial, always pointing fingers in every direction but at ourselves. “Verily, God does not change the conditions of a people until they change themselves” (Qur’an, 13:11).”

We cannot permit ourselves to continue denying that takfiri ideology does not come from Islam. We must recognize the distinctly Islamic elements of takfir to successfully reform our religion and, at last, find peace.

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

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Rabat - Morocco is truly a land of striking contrasts and perplexing contradictions, this might sound like a common cliché found in travel books, but it is not.

It is a caption that is intriguing and inviting for the ordinary tourist or traveler in search of exotic passions and fulfilling experiences; however, for the majority of the locals it is, at times, a painful truth and an unbearable reality of their everyday life that they would like to see changed once for all, especially in the political arena.

The country is ruled by one of the oldest monarchies of the world that goes back to the Idrissid dynasty founded in 788. It is very conservative in appearance and format, whereby the monarch is both a temporal leader: sultan/malik (king) and a spiritual chief: amir al-muminin (commander of the faithful), but, also, in alliance with the Christian West to fight the radical ISIS, which struggles to bring back the defunct Caliphate system of polity.

The Moroccan monarchy has been a staunch ally of the US and Europe for centuries, a relationship characterized, of course, by ups and down but very firm. A relationship that is rewarding for the West, but hardly profitable for Morocco.

Political circus

Unlike many countries of the MENA region, Morocco has surfed the Arab Spring tsunami waves successfully because, on the one hand, though people are critical of the monarchy, yet they don’t reject it for its historical and religious legitimacies, on the other, the monarchy itself has always an ear on the grievances of the street and bends when there is need for that. A proof of this state of things is that at the height of the Arab uprisings, the king has proposed, for a national referendum, a more liberal constitution in 2011, curtailing some of his massive traditional power, guaranteed by the time-old makhzen political system of governance.

[caption id="attachment_120258" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Moroccan “flying” goats atop Argan trees[/caption]

As a follow up to the new constitution, the legislative elections brought to power the moderate Islamists of the Parti de Justice et du Développement-PJD-, which unlike in other Arab countries are very respectful and supportive of the monarchy. Nevertheless, another Islamist party al-Adl wa al-Ihsan, known commonly as jama’a, though extremely critical of the monarchy is, no doubt, the only opposition in the country and has never called neither for the removal of the king nor for the use of violence.

They criticize openly the monarchy and deplore in, no uncertain terms, its predatory instincts and practices and call the king to redeem himself by giving up his personal wealth for the poor and adopting a Caliphate system of theocratic government. This suggestion was made through “to whom it may concern” letter addressed to King Mohammed VI by the late spiritual leader and founder of jama’a, Abdessalam Yassine, through the Internet.

The parliament is another institution of political pretence; people get elected through either direct suffrage or quotas; by buying votes, or by the means of tribal allegiance, land ownership and wealth influence or central party benediction. Local parties exist but wield no influence; they are all supposed to be subservient to the central party leadership. Parliament membership is prized by rich and influential people because it gives them more influence and more wealth, with little investment on their part.

Cultural riddle

The constitution of 2011 recognizes, in its preamble, the multiple identities of present-day Morocco, which are:

• Arab-Islamic;
• Amazigh;
• Jewish;
• Mediterranean; and
• African.

[caption id="attachment_190885" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Photograph: Hassan Hajjaj/Taymour Grahne Gallery, NY[/caption]

For the Amazigh, this is pure hypocrisy, though the constitution recognizes their language and culture, yet this is only a verbal statement that has no real effect on the culture of the concerned and their destinies. The Islamist government refuses, indirectly; to make the Amazigh language official. The Amazigh regions remain peripheral, underdeveloped and with the highest levels of illiteracy. The Amazigh activists, quite rightly, argue that both power and wealth are concentrated in the hands of the Arabs, making the native Berbers the underdogs of the country. So, the official recognition of their civilization is worthless and inconsequential, as it were.

[caption id="attachment_190887" align="aligncenter" width="679"] Moroccan Amazigh activism in action[/caption]

Morocco is an Islamic country with a conservative way of life. Yet the country allows for so many practices that are in contradiction with the essence and the spirit of this religion:

• Consumption of alcohol;
• Prostitution; and
• Drugs.

Religious discrepancies

Religion has always been important in the lives of Moroccans throughout history, but it was always moderate. Jews have lived and thrived in Morocco for 2000 years, thanks to this moderation. When the Sephardic Jews were kicked out of Spain after the Reconquista in 1492, Morocco was one of the few countries that opened its door generously for them and since they dominated the Moroccan economy to the extent that they became the Sultan’s businessmen: tujjar as-sultan. The Jews also dominated, since then, Moroccan diplomacy and international trade.

[caption id="attachment_190889" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Moderate Islam in Morocco[/caption]

Moroccan Islam, though this term is rejected flatly by Islamists who believe there is only one Islam with no local colorations, is a mixture of Sufism and maraboutism. The Sufis came from the east around the 15^th century and spread around the country, preaching a moderate Islam to uneducated farmers. On their death they were elevated to the rank of religious saints: marabout, and rural people built shrines on their tombs and gave them baraka “divine grace” attributes that allow healing powers. So, there are hundreds of saints around Morocco with different healing powers and whose baraka is celebrated every year at the end of the agricultural cycle (a pagan concept) by a moussem “festival,” organized by the entire tribe for days, reminiscent of ancient pagan rites.

Life goes on

The contrasts and contradictions mentioned here above may be perplexing and baffling to the foreigners, but in reality they are the ingredients that make Morocco the fascinating mosaic that it is often portrayed in photographs, documentaries and travel literature, and people live happily with them, except in the case of politics, and consider them as part of their culture.

[caption id="attachment_190891" align="aligncenter" width="554"] A Moroccan Amazigh woman[/caption]

For many, Morocco is a “kingdom of thousand kingdoms,” a metaphor that delineates the following:

• Human diversity: Arabs, Amazigh, Jewish, and Saharans;
• Geographical diversity: Mediterranean, Atlantic, Mountainous, desert;
• Linguistic diversity: Arabic, Amazigh, and French;
• Religious diversity: Islam (Sufi, Salafist and Shiite) and Judaism.

In Morocco, you can see at the beach a young lady wearing a bikini holding hand with her mother in total Hijab, a woman wearing a Moroccan Djallaba and a veil driving a motorcycle, a rural old man riding a donkey and talking on his smart phone, etc. In many ways these contradictions are the living spirit of modern Morocco that reconciles successfully the distant past and the promising future.

You can follow Professor Mohamed Chtatou on Twitter: @Ayurinu

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

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

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Rabat - To please the COP officials in the expectation of the forthcoming United Nations conference on climate change (COP22), due to take place in Marrakesh from 8 to 17 November 2016, the Moroccan government precipitately decided to outlaw the very popular, useful but yet noxious plastic bags.

The decision was to be carried out July 1^st, 2016 and the official campaign handled by a shadowy NGO, with too an official name: “Coalition Marocaine pour la Justice Climatique” and of which nobody has ever heard before.

The Ecological kingdom

The Zéro Mika campaign was on and the official media was subliminally blaring messages to that effect. On July 1^st, 2016, it turned out nobody was ready for this. The businesses were at total loss and so were the customers. For half a century mika ruled supreme in Morocco and was used as a carry bag, liquid recipient, water proof shelter, etc. Super markets customers were angry at the government and they threatened to return to buy groceries from the traditional suk instead, as a form of retribution.

Noor Solar power plant in Ourzazate: the biggest in the world

[caption id="attachment_182672" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Noor Solar power plant in Ourzazate: the biggest in the world[/caption]

Colette Apelian, researcher, writer, and e-learning professor (Morocco, North Africa, Consulting) points out quite convincingly:

The Zero Mika plan was put into place to show Morocco’s commitment to environmental concerns just before COP22 in Marrakesh and, according to a recent Aujourd’Hui editorial newspaper article, to help prevent the tons of plastic trash in Morocco. However, from my observations, buying groceries in the old and new cities of Rabat, the ban hits hardest the small businesses, especially in the old city, where not every as yet is complying. One wonders if the cost will be passed along to consumers. Ironically, from my experience, the single-use plastic bags are usually reused in Morocco. They are washed or not, and then given away by vegetable and used clothing vendors in the old madina or old city, for example, where one typically finds the street markets. Another ironic observation is that most of the plastic trash in Morocco that I have noticed does not only come from the single-use bags for groceries, but also the plastic containers and wrappings, especially for Yogurt drinks, snack food, and candy bars. They form the litter along the beaches and the sidewalks.  Will these be banned too?

However, though the Zero Mika decision is wise on the part of Moroccan government, making this kingdom one of the few countries in the world to walk this path for a green economy and a green culture, yet there is a high price to pay: replacing plastic with paper will put the country’s few remaiing forests in jeopardy, in the long run, no doubt.

Trash country

But, as Morocco was trying to be the Ecological Kingdom to please the world with such policies as the massive solar power plant in Ourzazate and now the no plastic bag decision, the government was stupidly moving to open the door to European trash starting with first the Italian refuse and the French next. The selfish and opportunistic Europeans will not have to worry they can over-consume, at will, and the Moroccan government will obsequiously dispose of their rubbish, be it noxious for health or not.

The Moroccan government adulates Europe: not only they will do everything that it dictates but, also, serve as a gendarme to check African clandestine migration to the extent that some European politicians have, at some point, called to create parking zones for clandestine migrants in Morocco to spare their people the sight of drowned poor Africans on their beaches. Europe does frequently, in the name of partnership, call on Morocco to do the dirty work as well as donkey work for it and might end up calling Morocco the « trash country » maliciously destroying its painstakingly image in the making of the Ecological Kingdom, par excellence.

Linguistically speaking "trash country" in English is bad, but, it is even worse in Moroccan Arabic: blad az-zbel. It hurts. Nevertheless, the elections are coming up and time will show whether people will get rid of this government that is making Morocco an international dump site or keep it…

Alas, none of the opportunistic and tamed national political parties are denouncing this gross decision; the only activism available is registered as usual among the Moroccan Facebook population. They have fielded petitions and are busy vilifying the government for this unwise and stupid move.

Rather than retract from its position, the government, in the person of the very establishment Minister of the Interior, has defended the decision to add salt to the injury, arguing that it is undertaken within the limits of the international practice. However, if it is the case why does not another European country volunteer to take the Italian wast. The answer, they will not dare expose the health of their people to the hazards of unknown refuse and If they do, they will, undoubtedly, herald their political end.

However, one wonders if Morocco outlaws the use of plastic bags hurriedly without any psychological preparation to sever the population from a useful and handy friend of half a century and at the same time accepts more hazardous waste from a European country, then something is really rotten in the Kingdom of Denmark. Has this decision been dictated by Europe. If so, where does our sovereignty start and where does it end? It is worth knowing. Also, if Italian refuse is not noxious, as the Minister of Interior argues, then why do not the Italians dispose of it themselves? Something is, definitely, fishy somewhere.

Is Morocco still the most beautiful country in the world?

Many years ago, the Ministry of Tourism did run in the media an advertisement stating single-handedly that Morocco is the most beautiful country in the world. People criticized such an assertion and rejected it with various counter examples as well as acid humor. Will this ministry run, now, an advertisement dictated by the above-mentioned government action stating quite rightly: “Morocco is the trashiest country in the world. Your refuse is very much welcome”? Of course, this is just a wild idea tongue in check.

However, if Morocco decides to become the dump site of the world, it must consider training young Moroccan to become expert refuse recyclers and waste pickers known in Moroccan Arabic as mikhala.

Maria Sarraf, Lead Environmental Economist at the World Bank, believes that Morocco, as of now, is doing a great job recycling waste especially at Oum Azza dump site situated outside of the capital Rabat:

"What Morocco is doing is exemplary. They are looking at waste as a resource rather than trash. The Oum Azza site is a promising model of what other landfills can and should look like with the roll out of the government program. Combining recycling, value chains and jobs is a good recipe to make the dump story a success story.”

At, the Oum Azza landfill facility, waste pickers extract the equivalent of 2,200 tons of solid waste a year meant for reselling and recycling and 100,000 tons of green refuse to be used as compost.

Final word

Waste-recycling and green energy with the Noor solar power station in Ourzazate are great ecological moves and Morocco is doing just fine in this particular area. Indeed, the world press applauds the kingdom for its wise decisions that can be copycatted elsewhere.

Africanews approves of the Moroccan ecological policies by stating that:

“As far as green energy is concerned, Morocco has been the go-to country.”

And goes on to make a wish:

“Hopefully Morocco’s example will inspire other countries at the COP 22 to turn the somewhat abstract success of the Paris treaty into concrete action.”

But, by importing European noxious rubbish for opportunistic material value, Morocco is consciously putting the health of its citizens at risk and might, in the long run, lose its Ecological Kingdom attributes and with it world sympathy.

You can follow Professor Mohamed Chtatou on Twitter: @Ayurinu

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Rabat - When we were at the university studying political science our professor of this topic disserted with aplomb on the forms of democracy and rejoiced when talking about direct democracy that only existed in some Swiss cantons, where people gather in a town meeting to decide directly on issues concerning their daily lives and the running of their canton.

Coup d’état

The word coup d’état which is foreign to the English language is today foreign to the youth and the world. It is definitely a thing of the past. It was a common practice in the 60s, 70s, 80s and to a certain extent 90s of the last century in Latin America, Africa and Asia. In many cases low-ranking officers will gang up to overthrow an existing regime by the force of arms, like what happened in Uganda with Idi Amin took power in January 1971 and ruled ruthlessly until 1979. There was, also, the dramatic case of General Augusto Pinochet overthrowing the democratic government of the leftist Salvador Allende of the Socialist Unidad Popular party in Argentina on September 11, 1973, at the instigation of the American government. Pinochet ruled with an iron fist from 1974 until 1990.

In Turkey, since the creation of the republic in 1923 by the secular Mustapha Ataturk, the powerful army played a major role in politics, if not to say that it was the one pulling strings all the time from behind the curtains. The Turkish army coup d’états indeed were a common practice during the last century: 1960, 1971 (military memorandum), 1980, 1993, and 1998 (military memorandum).

AKP (Justice and Development Party)

AKP (Justice and Development Party) is a social conservative Turkish party with an Islamic repository. It is the largest and most popular party, today, in Turkey and has the majority (316 seats) in the Parliament. AKP popular success can be related to three important moves:

• Reconciling the Turkish people with their great Ottoman Caliphate past (1299-1922) that span three continents i.e. Asia, Europe and Africa and making it a source of national pride;

• Constructing a paradigm, template and platform of Islamic democracy for the Muslim countries to adopt instead of the common theocracies like the case of Iran that do not allow any form of freedom or democracy; and
• An economic miracle, making of the Turkish products a brand name of quality worldwide.

Tayyip Rajib Erdogan has, since becoming president, irritated the West for trying to construct a modern Turkey with reference to the Ottoman past and Islamic culture and, also, for his unflinching support to Hamas in Gaza that led to the severance of relations with Israel, which were resumed just recently.

The West wants its cake and wants to eat it, too, in Turkey. It needs this country for its fight against radical Islam, mainly ISIS and al-Qaeda and wants, also, to set the example to the rest of the Muslim world for democracy, but, at the same time, it doesn’t like AKP and its leaders, mainly Erdogan.

In the long night of the coup, July 15-16, the United States and Europe seemed, initially, to support the putsch by not coming out clean on the side of democracy, worse, the EU stated that the military have taken control of the country, which was not the case, at all. However, when they realized that the coup failed, they throw their support behind the Turkish democracy.

However, it is a well known fact that NATO is always behind the Turkish military because of its secular nature and has always been the bulwark against Islamism in this country. Many analysts believe today that maybe the West cautiously wants to get rid of Erdogan and AKP by making use of two important cards: firstly the army to overthrow the regime and then place Fatthullah Gulen, The Turkish-American Islamic predicator and businessman at the helm of the country.

The army, indeed, took control of the country in two major cities i.e. Ankara, where the Chief of Staff was arrested and Istanbul, where they controlled the airport, the Bosphorus Bridge and TV stations. For a brief moment, it seemed that the dice was thrown in their favor, but the sly and clever Erdogan called his supporters, through Skype, to come out onto the streets and squares and show support to his regime. And similar to what happened in Prague, Czechoslovakia, commonly known as the Prague Spring during the 1968 uprising against the Soviet rule, people faced tanks and unlike in Prague they won the day (if not to say the night) by forcing the army plotters to surrender to the police.

[caption id="attachment_191491" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Supporters of Tukish President Tayyip Erdogan celebrate after soldiers involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Yagiz Karahan[/caption]

Also it seems crystal clear that all Turks whether in politics (political parties), in the army (many generals were against the coup), in business or just the ordinary people are sick to death of military putsches and want an uninterrupted cycles of democracy. This opinion is highlighted, also, by Tim Arango and Ceylan Yeginsu from New York Times:

“Turkey has a long history of military involvement in politics — there have been three coups since 1960 — and as the country became deeply polarized in recent years between supporters of Mr. Erdogan’s Islamist government and those loyal to Turkey’s secular traditions, many wondered if the military would intervene. Some, quietly, had even hoped they would.

But once it came, people in the country, even those bitterly opposed to Mr. Erdogan, seemed to have no desire for a return to military rule. Turks across the political spectrum, including the main opposition parties that represent secular Turks, nationalists and Kurds, opposed the coup. So did many top generals in the armed forces, highlighting that the attempt appeared not to have had deep support, even in the military.”

The Turkish role model for the Islamic World

Beyond the tormented and fragmented Arab world, Turkey, through good governance succeeded in reconciling democracy with Islam and as such has become the role model for the Muslim world. Though the West is critical of some aspects of the Islamist government of Erdogan, yet it is probably the best Islamic democracy available to date. A proof of that the fact that Turkish people have over the last decade offered AKP their confidence for incredible economic achievements and regional leadership.

Omer Taspinar, Nonresident Senior Fellow on the Foreign Policy at the Center on the United States and Europe, in a book entitled: The Islamists Are Coming: Who They Really Are, argues:

“In the twenty-first century, Turkey is arguably the most dynamic experiment with political Islam among the fifty-seven nations of the Muslim world. It also offers seminal lessons for the Arab world, despite the tense history (especially during the Ottoman Empire) and many differences.”

Currently, there is a debate raging among secular forces in the Muslim world as well as democrats in the West on whether Islam is compatible or not with democracy. However, while these believe that it is definitely not in its Islamist format, the radical Islamists argue that Islam has inherently its own democracy encapsulated in the holy scriptures (Koran and Sunnah) which means in a word: pure theocracy and the moderate Islamists, desperate for an acceptable reference make use of the Turkish exemple with AKP Parti (Justice and Development Party) which won legislative elections in 2002, 2007, 2011, June 2015, and November 2015, with 34.3%, 46.6%, 49.8%, 40.9%, and 49.5% respectively. Over the years, AKP has successfully morphed into a conservative democratic and achieved incredible economic success for the country and earned the party respect locally and internationally.

Final word

This unprecedented popular support in Turkey forced the West to retract from their initial position and throw their support behind Erdogan and this is a democratic plebiscite in favor of AKP and its Islamic rule. However, the leaders of this party must review their policies internally and externally because next time things might be different. This failed coup, might, also, be a warning shot because the powerful Turkish army did not use all its cards this time, maybe on purpose. Who Knows?

You can follow Professor Mohamed Chtatou on Twitter: @Ayurinu

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

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

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By Abdesalam Soudi Pittsburgh – Donald Trump and the Republican National Convention (RNC) have been making news in the United States lately. Amid the many faces and visitors to Cleveland, Ohio, was Hamid Chabat, the Secretary General of the Istiqlal Party (Independence Party), one of the major opposition political parties in Morocco. Telquel stated that he was

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By Ashley Okwuosa Rabat – Earlier this month, the African Union introduced a collective passport that will permit any A.U. passport holder to enter any of the 54 A.U. member states without the need for a visa. The aim of the electronic passport is to facilitate free movement within the continent and encourage intra-African trade, tourism,

The post Will The New African Union Passport Bring Unity or Exacerbate Old Problems? appeared first on Morocco World News.

Casablanca – The Failed coup d’état in Turkey represents a remarkable event that promises unprecedented alterations in the global political scene. Worldwide reactions have emerged since the Turkish government announced that it completely contained the coup: Governments have declared their support for the democratically elected government, and others have denounced Turkey’s arrest campaign of over

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By Nick Shafers Rabat – In a culture that expressly values female virginity, to not be a virgin at the time of marriage is grounds for divorce, shame, or even violence. If the fact that a woman is not a virgin comes to light, then her marriage could be rendered void and she, as well

The post Behind Closed Doors: Virginity and Hymen Reconstruction in Morocco appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat – A lot of people agree that the Islamic world today is in urgent need of reformation. In the minds of the vast majority of non-Muslims, the word Islam is directly associated with violence, terrorism, oppression of women and violation of human rights. Bad image In a reaction to an article entitled:”Isis in Iraq:

The post Reformation of Islam Is an Urgent Necessity Today More Than Ever appeared first on Morocco World News.

By Hamza Benhadda Kenitra – Compensation fund reform, tax reform and reform of the pension system are (in the field of economy) three important and complex issues that Benkirane’s governments is trying to deal with.  The reform of the civil pension managed by the Moroccan Pension Fund (CMR) is one of the most pressing as

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San Francisco – After months of hearing about Donald Trump slandering Muslims with the help of the media, out of nowhere appeared Khizr Khan, a South Asian looking man with a thick English accent addressing the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia to honor his fallen son. At first, I thought that he was invited

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Islam, a religion of dialogue and tolerance It is an established fact that Islam is a religion of tolerance, dialogue, coexistence, peace, non-discrimination and respect of the rights of the individual no matter what his colour, background, culture, or belief is. A religion that urges all people to cooperate in the achievement of righteousness and

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Measures and reactions: Shortly after the news of the coup began spreading, foreign ministers of different countries made statements declaring their denunciation of the coup. The first two countries that made official statements clearly condemning the coup as it was underway, however, are Morocco and Qatar. The reasons for Qatar’s immediate support is both understandable

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By Ashley Okwuosa Rabat – After a meeting between Morocco’s Minister Delegate of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita and President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, plans for OCP, world’s largest phosphate provider to collaborate on a fertilizer farm in Nigeria is underway. The industrial alliance between both countries will be facilitated by The Cherifian Office of Phosphates,

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New York – In a speech delivered on the seventeenth anniversary of his coronation known as Throne Day, King Mohammed VI stressed Morocco’s willingness to return to the African Union to defend its strategic interests from within the African organization. While some may view Morocco’s decision as a radical change from the country’s previous foreign

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