Tag Archives: MOROCCO

Coming Out Of The Political Closet

Posted on August 23, 2012 by

Many see Abdelilah Benkirane’s moments of candor and transparency as a breath of fresh air in Morocco’s political governance today. In a clear departure from the false demagoguery proffered by previous prime ministers, he provides a glimpse of a pervasive … Continue reading →

Posted in Abdelilah Benkirane, Ahmed Akhchichine, Arab Spring, Fouad Ali El Himma, HUMAN RIGHTS, Mohamed El Ouafa, Moroccan Constitution 2011, Moroccan Initiative, MOROCCAN JUSTICE, MOROCCO, Morocco Legislative Election 2011, Mounir Majidi, Partie de Justice and Development, Salaheddine Mezouar | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

African Lion 12

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

The United States Marine Corps has deployed its “Few and Proud” to Morocco to take part in African Lion 2012, a joint and combined annual iteration sponsored by the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff (CJCS), scheduled by US … Continue reading →

Posted in African Lion, AFRICOM, Gen Carter F. Ham, General Abdelaziz Bennani, MOROCCO, US Marine Corps | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Moroccan “Paper Terrorist”

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

When the news that a Moroccan was arrested in Washington, D.C. on charges of terrorism, a friend of mine called. ”I thought it was you,” she joked. But the case of Amine El khalifi is no joke. It profoundly rattled … Continue reading →

Posted in Amine El Khalifi, FBI, Terrorism | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

PJD: Mission Impossible?

Posted on November 29, 2011 by

Abdelilah Benkirane, the PJD’s (Justice and Development) leader, is living an enviable political moment. His party’s electoral win hurtled him into the inner circle of the King’s decision making process. He was summoned to the Palace to be officially nominated … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 Election Morocco, Abdelilah Benkirane, Partie de Justice and Development, PJD | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Betting on the King

Posted on June 14, 2011 by

The confident and fantastically positive promulgations of the government’s official spokesperson, Khalid Naciri, who seems to have forgotten his moment of ignominy, that the revolution of the people AND the king – as he termed it – is on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Freedom of the Press, Individual Freedom, MOROCCO | Tagged | 4 Comments

The Snitches’ Hex

Posted on October 20, 2010 by

The Hague District Court confirmed the verdict against Redouane Lemhaouli, a Dutch of Moroccan origin who, prior to his indictment, served as a police inspector in Rotterdam. The same court dismissed the prosecution’s case against Mohamed Ziad, another Dutch-Moroccan police … Continue reading →

Posted in DGED, MOROCCO, Netherlands | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The PJD’s Fight Against “Homosexualizing” Morocco

Posted on May 15, 2010 by

It came as little surprise that the Moroccan Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD) would harbor such hostile views on Sir Elton John, who is accused of being part of a campaign to “homosexualize” Moroccans, or anybody else with … Continue reading →

Posted in MOROCCO, PJD | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Blame Game

Posted on March 1, 2010 by

Someone’s negligence, not rain, is what killed forty-one people and injured over seventy in the collapse of the Bab Berdieyinne Mosque, Meknes. There are nagging questions that lurk in the background of the Meknes tragedy. When Ahmed Al-Tawfiq, Morocco’s minister … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

A Schizophrenic Morocco

Posted on February 25, 2010 by

It would be unjust to overlook Morocco’s outstanding progress in the past decade. The numbers the government spews out on a regular basis in its reports, mostly considered overblown by observers and analysts, aside, the face of the country has … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Individual Freedom, MOROCCO | Tagged | 2 Comments

Falling From The King’s Grace

Posted on January 14, 2010 by

In the first week of 2010, Morocco has witnessed two momentous events that will undoubtedly set the tone for the rest of the year. They are harbingers of a positive institutional shift toward apolitical social development and equity. Or are … Continue reading →

Posted in Algeria, Democracy, Freedom of the Press, HUMAN RIGHTS, Individual Freedom, MOROCCO, Western Sahara | Tagged | 2 Comments

About Face

Posted on October 19, 2009 by

If you want to find journalists, human rights activists, and bloggers that speak their mind in Morocco today, look first in the government’s prisons. Then, check the holding pens of the country’s judicial system. You will find them clustered in groups … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Freedom of the Press, HUMAN RIGHTS, Individual Freedom, MOROCCO | Tagged | 1 Comment

Morocco: In Dire Need Of Journalistic maturity

Posted on September 9, 2009 by

Every time a Moroccan newspaper or magazine is banned from publication, a journalist or an editor investigated by the government, freedom of speech advocates and international media, like El Pais and Le Monde, cry wolf. They refuse to look beyond … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Freedom of the Press, Journalism | Tagged | 6 Comments

Ten Years Later …

Posted on August 4, 2009 by

Like most Moroccans, I remember where I was when, on 23 July 1999 and after a thirty-eight-year reign, Hassan II died. The majority of adult Moroccans today grew up enwrapped by his exalted image and compensatory grandiose achievements which engorged … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Freedom of the Press, HUMAN RIGHTS, MOROCCO | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Morocco: Smothering the Free Press

Posted on July 14, 2009 by

Over twenty independent Moroccan newspapers and magazines, in an unprecedented show of discontent, published blank editorials to protest the government’s legal campaign to silence them. Since the press law reform of 2002, Moroccan media have seen an increase in stiff … Continue reading →

Posted in Al Masae, Democracy, Journalism, Kurdistan, MOROCCO | Tagged , | 5 Comments

In Morocco, an Alternative to Democracy

Posted on July 3, 2009 by

The Washington Post published a highly embellished op-ed titled “In Morocco, an Alternative to Iran,” that you can – but you shouldn’t because it’s a waste of time – read here, by Anne Applebaum in which she exhibited Morocco as … Continue reading →

Posted in Al Masae, Anne Applebaum, Democracy, MOROCCO | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Moroccan Elections: Votes A Dime A Dozen

Posted on June 7, 2009 by

In an expression of deepening discontent and rising popular cynicism, a procession of dozens of Moroccans led by a nonchalant barebacked herd of donkeys walked, last Tuesday, the streets of Nador in northern Morocco to protest an upcoming communal elections … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, MOROCCO | Tagged , | 7 Comments

When Apathy Kills

Posted on April 5, 2009 by

It was a rather nippy day for spring and pouring over this hamlet between Safi and Essaouira. The wet fields and the dirt roads were deserted and every now and then, a car or a truck zoomed by on the … Continue reading →

Posted in MOROCCO | Tagged | 6 Comments

This Much I believe, Morocco

Posted on March 26, 2009 by

When I wrote “Iran ‘Secondhand Network In Morocco,” I commended the government’s response to an outside threat. Some misconstrued my statement as an expression of approval of the government’s overboard security measures against the Moroccan Shiite. I clearly stated in … Continue reading →

Posted in Arab World, Democracy, HUMAN RIGHTS, Iran, MOROCCO | Tagged , | 3 Comments

RAF Delegation At Luke

Posted on March 24, 2009 by

Furthering U.S. – Moroccan military cooperation, a delegation from the Royal Moroccan Air Force is touring Luke Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force’s only active-duty F-16 Fighting Falcon training wing. Located west of Phoenix, Arizona, the base is home to … Continue reading →

Posted in Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin, Military, MOROCCO | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Iran ‘Secondhand Network In Morocco

Posted on March 24, 2009 by

Moroccan authorities are conducting an aggressive country-wide campaign against Shi’a ideology. Over the weekend, a number of individuals, all Moroccan citizens, suspected to be Shi’a adherents have been arrested and “soft” interrogated; their homes were searched and documents believed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Arab World, Iran, Iraq, MOROCCO | Tagged , , | 5 Comments