Moroccan Boy Wins Interntional Quran Recitation Competition

Here is an piece from The Peninsula on the International Young Quran Reciter contest that was held in Qatar, and the first place winner Abdul Basit Abdul Fattah Warrash from Morocco.
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Moroccan wins Quran recitation contest
Sunday, 28 August 2011 03:32

DOHA: Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (JCC) and the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Qatar celebrated the conclusion of International Quran Recitation Competition in “Laylat Al Qaree Al Saghir” (The ‘Young Reader’ night) yesterday.

The Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Dr Ghaith bin Mubarak Al Kuwari and Mahmoud Bouneb, Executive General Manager of Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, handed out prizes to the first three winners namely Abdul Basit Abdul Fattah Warrash from Morocco and Amjad Yehya Nasser from Yemen, and Noura Al Shahama Taqiyah bint Nouri Najmi from Malaysia who have successively won QR100,000, QR75,000 and QR50,000.

A prize of QR50,000 was granted to the best recitation by a non-Arab contestant, which was dually won by Bilal Nour Eddine (11 years old) from Indonesia and Zakaria Faydallah (10 years old) from Bangladesh, and a prize for the best teacher valued at QR30,000 went jointly to Mozah Bint Mohamad Center for Holly Quran and Islamic affairs (Qatar) and Wahat Al Furqan Quran teaching Center (Egypt).

The event, attended by Islamic scholars, teachers and public figures, took place in Katara Cultural Village. “Laylat Al Qare Al Saghir” aired live on JCC and QF Radio, and was also broadcast via JCC website (www.jcctv.net) and the competition webpage (http://www.jcc-quran-competition.tv/)in addition to the Arab States Broadcasting Union and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

It showcased live participations of children from Al Quds (Jerusalem), Baghdad, Cordoba, Toronto and Brasilia and hosted children from China, USA, Niger, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Tajikistan, and Thailand who have excelled in reciting from the Holy Book.

Over two thousand participants from different nationalities across the globe - aged between 9 and 12 years - took part in the preliminary competition. In the final stage, three children competed by reciting verses from the Holy Quran at the “Laylat Al Qaree Al Saghir” event in front of a panel of qualified jury and judges. The winners were selected based on their diction (Tajweed), performance, melody and voice.

Dr Ghaith bin Mubarak: “We value this fruitful partnership with Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, the children’s channel of choice that took this remarkable competition worldwide and reached out to the young talents in Quran reciting.”

The Moroccan Debate Over Eating in Ramadan and Religious Freedom

Here is an article from the Global Post about daytime eating during Ramadan and the controversy over religious freedom.

Yet, to eat or not to eat during the daylight hours of Ramadan (the month when Muslims believe the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) may not really be the crux of the problem.

Certainly no one is under the illusion that everyone in Morocco (or other Muslim-dominated countries) is fasting as Islam requires. There has to be a delicate balance between personal freedom and the personal sacrifices that come from living as a minority in a place with a dominant culture. For example, for Muslims living in the United States, which is technically a secular country, Christianity is obviously the dominant order. A certain amount of respect has to be given to Christian holidays and beliefs in order to be cordial and be a good neighbor, co-worker etc, even if one fundamentally disagrees with the basis of the faith.

Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, yet there has to be a middle ground based on respect. As the Qur'an tells believers to say to non-believers " To you your way and to me my way." It is going too far to make people renounce Islam in order to eat at McDonalds! Believers can be weak (in faith or knowledge), or they can even have legitimate excuses to eat. At the same time the Qur'an also says that there is " no compulsion in religion." True faith cannot be forced upon someone, and certainly not by laws and police.
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Morocco: Controversy over religious freedom

Despite its new constitution and other reforms, Morocco is not a secular state.
Aida Alami August 20, 2011 08:48


CASABLANCA, Morocco — The slogan displayed on the profile pictures of hundreds of Moroccan Facebook users was stark: “In Morocco, Eating Kills.”

The message referred to the incident two years ago when six Moroccans were arrested for having a picnic during Ramadan in protest of a law banning eating in public during Ramadan.

Two years and a new constitution later, Morocco still doesn't have provisions guaranteeing more religious freedom for its citizens.

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the debate over the introduction of more secularism is again in the spotlight because of Article 222 of the Moroccan Penal Code: It mandates a one to six month prison term for anyone "well known for their affiliation to Islam" who breaks the fast in public.

As a result, Moroccans who are non-practicing Muslims are obligated to respect the fast in public, while others escape abroad to avoid the restrictions.


"I am fortunate to live abroad because during Ramadan, Islam is forced upon people regardless of their beliefs,” said Habib, a 27-year-old engineer who lives in Paris. “To most Moroccans, being Muslim is not a personal choice of faith but the identity of an entire community that one is obligated to be a part of.”

MALI ( the acronym in French for Alternative Movement for Individual Liberty), the group that held the protest picnic, was formed in 2009. It campaigns for more individual freedoms. Its members have been arrested and intimidated by authorities and members of the general public since launching their first action, the picnic.

“It was not Ramadan that was 'targeted' but instead, we demanded freedom of religion and conscience, the freedom to believe or not, to practice or not, to be a Muslim or not," said Ibtissame Lachgar, 36, the co-founder of MALI and a political activist. “It is a spiritual choice that is personal and individual. We wanted a symbolic action that can really point the finger at the contradictions between the law and international treaties ratified by Morocco.”

Morocco's current political system is not compatible with the establishment of a secular state following the Turkish model, said Pierre-Jean Luizard, a historian and researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research in France.

“Morocco is a special case since the king is also the Commander of the Faithful," he said. "The Moroccan political system is based on the religious legitimacy of the sovereign, which gives secular claims a revolutionary character, and which is not the case in other Arab states. However, this does not mean that secularism is an absent claim as a value, with its corollaries: equality of citizens, freedom of conscience and religion and women's rights.”

One element that Morocco shares with other Muslim countries is that Islam, having been the main framework of anti-colonial struggles, became the language of the society, said Luizard. “What can be perceived as the conservatism of an entire society is also a reaction against the West and against overbearing authoritarian and corrupt regimes — like Morocco — supported by the West itself,” he said.

Abdelillah Benkirane, the leader of the main opposition party, The Islamist Justice and Development Party, condemned demands for a more secular state during a meeting in June, a few days before Morocco’s ruler, King Mohammed VI, introduced the new constitution to the people.

“They want to pervert the faith of this nation and Ramadan to no longer be sacred," he said. "They want to picnic during the holy month and set an example for young people, for your children. It seems that future reforms will restore 'sexual deviance' [homosexuality] — we may see people who say publicly that they are 'sexual deviants'."

Benkirane warned his audience that establishing more religious freedom in a new constitution would threaten the country’s foundations. "If the king adopts it, we will have a serious problem," he said. "Morocco is a Muslim state, and the country’s religion is Islam.”

But an ideological commitment to secularism on the part of the state is not necessarily a prerequisite for democratization, according to Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, a professor at Northwestern University specializing in religion and politics.

“There are many, many modalities for managing and negotiating across lines of religious difference, both historically and today, that do not fly under the flag of the doctrine of secularism,” she said. “Advocates of democratic change, wherever they find themselves, would do better to work for a deep pluralism that engages both 'religious' and 'secular' views conventionally understood rather than boxing themselves in with a commitment to secularism.”

Other Moroccans, like Sara, a 19-year-old student from Marrakesh don’t feel too concerned about the lack of religious freedom. “Except the other day when I tried to eat at Mcdonald’s in Marrakesh: I was asked to leave or they would call the police,” she recalled. “They told me they couldn’t let me eat there unless I proved I wasn’t Muslim. I asked myself right away, how do you prove such thing?

Latest Ramadan Lecture at the Royal Palace in Casablanca

Here is a piece from the state-run Moroccan press (MAP) about the latest Ramadan lecture given before King M6 and broadcast on TV. It covered the subject of family in Islam.
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HM the King Chairs New Ramadan Religious Lecture

Casablanca - HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, accompanied by HRH Prince Moulay Rachid and HH Prince Moulay Ismail, presided, on Thursday at the royal palace in Casablanca, over a new religious lecture, the sixth such talks held during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The lecture was delivered by Bahija Cheddadi, member the local ulema council of Kenitra, on "the foundations of the family in Islam", drawing on the Quranic verse: "And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect."

The speaker stressed, from the very start, the need to renew Islam’s conception of the family with regard to many issues that challenge today this fundamental nucleus of society, in the context of changes taking place in the world, especially in the economic field and in connection with the exercise of freedoms.

Islam, in this regard, lavished great attention to the family with the establishment of standards and legal provisions that govern the behaviour and practices each of its members, she said.

The constitutive act of marriage is the most decisive element in conjugal life, said Cheddadi, stating that its provisions are intended to preserve the interests of the spouses, the sustainability of this relationship, and the avoidance of any defect or failure that could affect the validity of this sacred act.

In the conclusion of the marriage, the validity of the form is as important as for contractors who must be converged with the objectives of Sharia’ (Islamic law) in the matter.

Following the lecture, HM the King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, was greeted by several Muslim figures and scholars coming from all over the world.

Last modification 08/19/2011 04:00 PM.
©MAP-All right reserved

King M6 Distributes Ramadan Foodstuffs to the Poor in Temara / الملك يطلق عملية رمضان

Here is a short piece from the Moroccan National Press on some Ramadan charity being carried out by King M6. Another Moroccan publication, Hespress has video of the distribution here. Ramadan Mubarak to all!
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HM the King Launches in Temara Foodstuff Distribution Operation on Occasion of Ramadan

2 August 2011


Temara — HM King Mohammed VI handed out, on Tuesday the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, food baskets to needy people in Al Massira neighbourhood in Temara (near Rabat).

- Around 58 million dirhams earmarked to finance the "Ramadan 1432" operation.

- The initiative will benefit 2.37 million people from 473,900 households.

This marks the launching of a 58 million dirhams ($7.2 mln) operation which consists in delivering foodstuffs to the needy, especially the widows, the elderly and the disabled.

The operation is to benefit 2.37 million people from 473,900 households, 403,000 in rural areas, across the Kingdom.

Each household receives a basket containing 10 kg of flour, four kg of sugar, five litres of cooking oil and 250g of tea.

5,000 people are mobilized to carry out this operation monitored notably by two field-based committees to ensure the supply of these centers, identify the beneficiaries and distribute the foodstuff.

Ramadan in America with Moroccan Immigrant, Karim Moukrime

Here is a piece from the Springfield News-Leader about Muslims in America fasting Ramadan. It highlights one specific Moroccan immigrant, Si Karim Moukrime.
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Ramadan: Faith through prayer and fasting
Americans adjust personal schedules for Ramadan; in other nations, communities switch day and night.

Jul. 30, 2011 |
Written by
Linda Leicht

Monday morning, hours before the sun comes up, Muslims around the country will arise to eat and pray. It is the first day of Ramadan, and once the sun rises most Muslims will begin fasting -- refraining from eating, drinking, smoking, sex and any other wordly temptation -- until the sun sets again that night.

Karim Moukrime is looking forward to it. "All Muslims look forward to Ramadan," he insists.

A native of Morocco, Moukrime has loved Ramadan since he was a little boy when the entire family and community would observe the cycle of fasting and eating, with days and nights switched, special foods served and gatherings planned.

He also loves the prayers and the renewed emphasis on reading the Quran and living a good life.

"We try to be the best people we can be for the sake of God," he says. During this time, Muslims believe that the doors of heaven are opened, while the doors of hell are closed and Satan is chained.

"Ramadan is the holy month when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him," Moukrime explains.

Daylight fasting

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, required of every Muslim.

Throughout the month, which will conclude Aug. 31, Muslims will not eat or drink even a sip of water during the daylight hours.

With daylight lasting as long as 14 hours at this time of year and temperatures soaring into the three-digit range, that can be a challenge.

So Moukrime will start his day about 3:30 a.m., about three hours before the sunrise. Then, he will prepare food -- suhoor, drink as much as he can, and will pray. He will then crawl back into bed to rest until he has to get up to teach his 10:30 a.m. Arabic class as Missouri State University.

While most countries with a majority Muslim population will adjust schedules during Ramadan, living in the United States means activities continue as usual.

For Moukrime, that means teaching classes, attending meetings, going to the store and other daily duties. But he makes sure that he stays cool and gets plenty of rest.

"Naps are good," he says. "Naps are very good."

In the evening, he will try to relax until sundown, when he will eat iftar -- breakfast. He will start with water and have some harira, a tomato lentil soup that is traditional in Morocco, and maybe a small selilou -- a pastry his mother made for Ramadan with crushed almonds, flour, sesame, sugar and spices. He points out that it is important not to overindulge after a long day of fasting. Later, he will eat a more substantial meal.

A few times a week, the members of the Islamic Center in Springfield will meet together for Iftar. With a diverse membership, representing a variety of countries and cultures, the food is always interesting, says Moukrime. And the community will celebrate Eid al Fitr when Ramadan ends.

"Ramadan mode"

Dr. Bill Bayazed, an internist at St. John's Hospital and a native of Syria, remembers the excitement of staying up all night during Ramadan and sleeping all day, but in the United States that is not usually possible.

"I remember when we were kids we could not wait for Ramadan," Bayazed says. "It brought up such feelings of joy and happiness. ... It was so much fun."

The community would "switch into Ramadan mode," with each community participating in its traditions and rituals.

"The whole community goes into this ritual," he explains. "You go to prayer early, before sunrise. People stay up all night."

Both men are clear about one thing, that observing Ramadan is an important part of their faith journey.

"It's all about your relationship with Allah," says Bayazed. "Whether you do that with your heart, your body or your work. It is about your devotion to Allah, to God."

Young Moroccans Unlikely to Stop Pushing for Democratic Change

Here is an article from the New York Times on the Moroccan youth movements dissatisfaction with what some believe to have been a move towards democracy in the country.
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Morocco's Democratic Changes Fail to Appease All

By AIDA ALAMI
Published: July 20, 2011

RABAT, MOROCCO — A stressed middle-aged woman in a taxi in Casablanca looked with disdain at thousands of protesters on a main avenue. “We are fed up with them,” she told the driver. “Can’t they just leave us in peace. They wanted a new constitution. They got it. What else do they want?

“They are fighting for our rights,” he replied. “I hope they keep on marching until our health and education systems are fixed and corruption, the biggest ill of this country, is gone.”

A landslide vote in a July 1 referendum paved the way for a new constitution, introducing more freedoms and gender equality. The constitution was approved by 98 percent of those who voted, winning King Mohammed VI congratulations from world leaders, including President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But critics dispute the validity of the referendum, saying that only 13 million of 20 million eligible Moroccans were registered to vote. They also say the constitution fails to enshrine significant separations of powers within the government.

Leading democracy activists including the February 20 Movement for Change, which began on Facebook and has carried out a series of rallies in major cities, have rejected the outcome and pledged to continue to fight for the establishment of a fully democratic state.

Abdeslam Maghraoui, a political science professor at Duke University in North Carolina specializing in North Africa, said the referendum was a short-term fix for Morocco’s problems.

“It seems that the monarchy and its supporters have managed to pull together a hasty and contested constitutional referendum,” he said. “This will give the monarch a few weeks or months to claim a political victory.”

Mr. Maghraoui said irregularities in the voting process and opposition from large segments of civil society, the main Islamist movement and some political parties had delegitimized the process.

“I would not be surprised at all if we go back to an atmosphere of crisis and possibly violence before the end of the year,” he said.

When the February 20 movement started organizing, shortly after the fall of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, the Moroccan regime activated an extensive propaganda campaign to paint protesters as enemies of the state manipulated by the Western Sahara liberation movement, Polisario.

Still, the movement, linking human rights activists, small leftist parties, youth activists and a banned Islamist party, Justice and Charity, mobilized thousands of people in more than 50 cities and it has since organized marches every Sunday, countrywide.

Its most significant victory has been to raise awareness among Morocco’s politically disengaged youth, who for the first time decided to get involved. Two weeks after taking to the streets, the movement gained ground when the king, in a speech on March 9, promised significant constitutional changes and the introduction of more personal liberties. He then appointed a commission to draft a new constitution, which he unveiled on June 17.

Still, the king’s call to Moroccans, citing the Koran, to vote for the charter was perceived by opponents as an improper interference in the process.

Mehdi Soufiani, a 24-year-old law school student in Rabat, said: “The king is an arbitrator. He shouldn’t have influenced the voters, making the vote about his popularity and not about whether the constitutional changes are what the country needs.”

In July, an organization of Moroccan students in France, Cap Democracy Morocco, which advocates the establishment of democratic institutions, organized a three-day workshop in Rabat that invited young people and scholars to a discussion titled, “Thinking Democracy After February 20.”

Younes Benmoumen, a 24-year-old graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Studies and president of the association, called the referendum a plebiscite on the king and the constitutional changes only cosmetic.

“There is a complete absence of a democratic spirit in the constitutional reform process,” Mr. Benmoumen said, “and no actions were taken to show a willingness of the regime to change.”

During a debate at the Cap Democracy workshop, many raised concerns that the movement had failed to assemble crowds as large as in Tunisia and Egypt and said it risked running out of steam and dying out.

Fouad Abdelmoumni, a member of the Coalition for Parliamentary Monarchy, a group of parties and activists that supports February 20, told young people at the workshop: “A push for radical change in society is only starting to bloom. It will not easily happen. Protesters are going to need to show endurance and patience because the road is still long.”

Najib Akesbi, an economist who teaches at the Institute of Agronomy in Rabat, predicted that the coming legislative elections would send people into the streets again. He said the referendum vote was flawed by coercive pressures from imams and local government officials, vote rigging and one-sided broadcast media coverage.

“Absolutely nobody knows what the majority of Moroccans think as a result of years of repression,” he said. “The movement remains strong in its fundamentals, at its core, and the protesters remain very determined. After Ramadan and summer, the protests will very likely intensify in September.”

Analysts say the newly engaged if widely disparate groups of young Moroccans are not likely to stop pushing for change. That assessment echoes what the young protesters themselves say.

“We are fighting for something meaningful and we will win,” said Mr. Benmoumen. “We are not subject to any deadline, and the course of history is on our side.”

Jewish Moroccans in the Netherlands: Balancing Between Cultures

Here is an article from Radio Netherlands about Moroccan Jews who live in the Netherlands. They are all at once, Moroccan, Jewish, Dutch, and also sometimes Israeli.
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Jewish Moroccans in the Netherlands: Balancing Between Cultures
Published on : 3 July 2011

Stories about Dutch Moroccan youths verbally abusing or physically threatening Jews crop up fairly frequently in the Dutch media, and politicians - especially Geert Wilders and the Freedom Party - call for hard measures against “Moroccan street terrorists". What's it like to live in the Netherlands if you're both Jewish and Moroccan?

By Jannie Schippers and Mohamed Amezian

Victor Bohbot, 56, has seen the climate in the Netherlands change over the years: “I came here in 1974, the entire country was pro Israel. When I was a soldier in the IDF, met lots of Dutch truck drivers who would come to Israel to volunteer."

Until very recently, Victor ran a number of restaurants in Amsterdam, Deventer and Bussum. In 1984, he and his family left ‘for good’ and went back to Israel. However, four years later they were back in the Netherlands. “It's difficult. What am I? For the Dutch, I'm a foreigner but I'm also not a real Israeli or Moroccan".

Cross the road
Out on the street, some people comment on the Star of David that Victor wears around his neck. He says, “A little while ago, I was standing outside when a group of kids came along, about 14, 15 years old." When he greeted them in Moroccan slang (‘la bas?), everything was all nice and friendly: “When they realise I speak Arabic, everything is okay on the surface, but the way they look at me..."

Victor says that in recent years numerous Jewish Moroccans have emigrated to Israel from France: “There have been a lot more incidents in France; people really don't feel safe. I know someone who goes back and forth every week. He sent his family to Israel but he still works in Paris." Victor does not believe that it will get as bad in the Netherlands as it is in France: “The Jewish community here in the Netherlands is much smaller and much less visible". Even though Victor says he will never leave his Star of David at home because it's safer, he won't wear a yarmulke in the streets and only puts it on when he gets to the synagogue. “I don't think it's necessary to be provocative. If I see a problem walking towards me, I cross the street. My brother thinks that's cowardly; he doesn't let anybody get away with being abusive.”

"I'm one of them"
Jacob al-Malagh, a 47-year-old Jewish Moroccan mechanic, comes into contact with Dutch Moroccans on a daily basis: “About 70% of my customers are Moroccan; I work with Moroccans and for Moroccans." He meets members of the small Moroccan Jewish community in the Netherlands – between 50 and 100 people – at the synagogue and during the holidays. Jacob says his strong bond with Israel has never caused him a problem in all the 26 years that he has lived in the Netherlands. “Moroccans treat me like one of them and according to the Dutch, one says I'm an Israeli, another sees me as a Moroccan or a Jew, while another thinks I'm Dutch. I really don't care what anyone thinks.”

Bad reputation
Both Jacob and Victor say that politicians such as Geert Wilders only make the problem worse. According to Victor, “He has very extreme ideas. Wilders is not pro-Israel, his real focus is internal Dutch politics." Jacob avoids politics: “As soon as someone starts yammering about Arabs and Jews and Muslims I say sorry, that's nothing to do with me. What other people do, that's up to them. I live in the Netherlands and I want to live in peace with everybody else".

Victor has noticed that both his son and daughter have distanced themselves from the land of his birth: “My son doesn't want to admit that his father is from Morocco. Moroccans have a really bad reputation here in the Netherlands and he doesn't want to be a part of that. But I can't forget where I come from. My grandfather always used to say that if you don't know where you come from, you’ll never know where you're going."

(Partial) History of Jews in Morocco
After the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Jews were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire, including what is now modern Morocco. In 1492, Jews and the remaining Moslems were expelled from Catholic Spain and many ended up in Morocco. Moroccan Jews had a specific niche in society and had their own synagogues. After the establishment of the state of Israel in the wake of the Second World War, many Jews left the country, fearing outbreaks of religiously-motivated violence. There are less than 5,000 Jews left in Morocco.

Buying the King Some Time: Morocco's Referendum is a Very Small Step

Here is a piece from the Economist, which offers a well-rounded, honest look at the recent referendum and how it does not really address the most pressing economic and quality of life issues for the average Moroccan.
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Morocco's Referendum
A very small step
The king has offered some reforms, but the opposition is not satisfied

Jul 7th 2011 | BENSLIMANE |

WITH the easterly wind, the shergui, enveloping them in hot desert air, most of the residents of Benslimane, a sleepy town in north-west Morocco, waited till dusk to vote in a constitutional referendum on July 1st, pressed by officials who wanted a strong turnout for what has been as much a test of King Mohammed VI’s popularity as a poll about reform.

Businessmen backing the yes vote held celebratory street parties. Imams at Morocco’s mosques were instructed to preach in favour of what was heralded as the king’s constitution. But even in conservative Benslimane, some 800 dissidents campaigned for a boycott. A headmaster at a local school serving as a polling station was overheard muttering that the whole exercise was a masquerade.

The result—98.5% in favour—drew guffaws of disbelief from members of the February 20th movement. The coalition of leftists, independent liberals and Islamists from the banned Justice and Spirituality movement surprised many when its protests for social justice and democracy drew thousands of sympathisers across the kingdom earlier this year. It called for a boycott of the referendum.

The new constitution includes some important reforms. It establishes human rights as core principles, recognises Berber, spoken by many Moroccans alongside Arabic, as an official language and calls for gender equality. It gives new powers to the prime minister and parliament and inaugurates a much-needed overhaul of the judiciary. It no longer deems the king sacred, though he is still “Commander of the Faithful”.

Critics complain that many of the new constitution’s articles refer to “organic laws” that have not yet been written, making the extent of some changes uncertain. Others depend on the creation of special commissions, mostly headed by the king. Political parties, a majority of whom backed the “yes” vote, only saw a draft of the constitution at the last minute. No mention is made of King Mohammed’s promise, which came in a speech in March, of moving towards a parliamentary monarchy. The king remains—directly or indirectly—in control of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, or as the new constitution puts it, a “supreme arbiter” of political and institutional life. In many respects, the new constitution merely codifies an existing method of governing that allows the palace to micromanage at its whim.

When the February 20th movement was launched, inspired by the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions earlier this year (but never calling for the king’s head), it drew much public sympathy. Many Moroccans felt enthusiastic about Mohammed VI, dubbed the “king of the poor” at the beginning of his reign in 1999. But less so in recent years, during which press freedoms were dramatically curtailed, incidents of torture returned and corruption increased.

Yet many Moroccans have been frightened by the attempted regime change in Libya and Syria. “We want transformation without violence,” says Saad Eddine Othmani, a leader of the opposition Islamist Justice and Development Party, which supported the new constitution. “This…is a beginning.”

General elections expected later this year could bring further change. But although the new constitution may have bought the king some time—helped by a doubling of food and fuel subsidies, the creation of new government jobs and the boosting of civil-service salaries—the regime is still not dealing with people’s main grievances, notably failing public-health and education systems, and rampant corruption. The political elite needs to take note, cautions Omar Belafrej, the head of a left-leaning think-tank. “There is little goodwill left.”

Morocco Struggles with Surge in Street Vendors

Here is an article from Magharebia.com on the apparent problem of informal street vendors threatening small shop owners in Moroccan cities.
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Morocco struggles with surge in street vendors

After reviewing an alarming new government report, Moroccan officials are working to integrate cart operators into the formal sector.

By Hassan Benmehdi and Siham Ali for Magharebia in Casablanca - 08/07/11

A street vendor may have launched the Arab Spring, but the proliferation of roadside carts in Morocco is straining residents' nerves.

After unemployed Tunisian graduate turned vegetable vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself afire, igniting a democratic revolution that spread from Sidi Bouzid to Tahrir Square and beyond, Maghreb police became wary of cracking down on illegal carts.

Law-enforcement officers once confiscated street vendors' wares and forbade them from occupying public spaces. With the threat of arrest and loss of goods now gone, however, merchants have pushed their barrows into the busiest spots.

In Morocco, the situation is becoming critical.

"These traders have installed themselves along the alleyway beside the mosque, preventing motorists and pedestrians from passing," says Moussa, who lives in Casablanca's Oum Rabia I.

"After the vegetable sellers with their carts, the kitchen utensil sellers appeared on the square, and they were followed by the live chicken sellers, who even dare to slit their throats and pluck them on the spot, causing inconvenience for the neighbourhood," he tells Magharebia.

The informal traders are also having an impact on local businesses. Si Arroube, a public-sector worker, says that ever since street vendors in Casablanca's Belvedere and Roches Noires districts began offering items at rock-bottom prices, some small shops have been forced to close.

"These mobile traders don't pay rent or municipal tax," he explains. "The small retailers can't survive the competition."

Ahmed Ktiri, an economist, agrees that the phenomenon of street vending is having negative repercussions on the formal sector, due to illegal competitive practices.

"The youngest people should be offered training, and at the same time, jobs offering acceptable and viable conditions should be found for them," he suggests.

It is more than just price wars. Hassan, who lives in the city centre of Casablanca, says that the streets are no longer as clean as they used to be. "The goods are inexpensive, but these carts are a nuisance," he tells Magharebia.

For unemployed young Moroccans, however, they provide an income.

Informal trading is becoming a way of life for many young Moroccans.

"I have a family to take care of and if I don't sell anything, I risk ending up on the streets with my children and wife," says Aziz, a young street vendor of fish.

The government recognises the urgent need for a solution. "We must accept that we now need a new approach to integrate these people better into the formal sector," Trade Minister Ahmed Reda Chami told legislators in May.

"We need to create and set up new markets and spaces, but we also need to involve other departments, such as the interior ministry, and local authorities," Chami said.

Economic Affairs Minister Nizar Baraka said that the Moroccan government is paying particular attention to the issue and that help is on the horizon: "The main thing is to bring about a transition from the informal to the formal sector, that's what needs to happen."

A recent study commissioned by the Ministry of Trade revealed that Morocco now has 238,000 street vendors, 90% of whom are men. And since some 70% of them never went beyond the primary level in school, their employment options are limited.

The government report's recommendations will be implemented soon, Trade Minister Chami said in June. The aim, he said, is to integrate street vendors into the formal sector in order to improve their standard of living.

Absorption and integration of the informal sector would reduce poverty and exclusion, agrees Abdeljalil Cherkaoui, the president of REMESS (the Moroccan Network for Solidarity and Social Economy).

The informal traders, meanwhile, are in desperate straits.

Charaf Hamdani is a 35-year-old father of three who holds the baccalaureate. For the last five years, he has worked as a street vendor selling fruit. His decision to take up this vocation came after several years of unemployment, during which his wife supported the family. He hopes to have his own shop one day.

"I've suffered a lot," he tells Magharebia. "You can't afford to be sick. No one protects us. On the contrary, our activity is regarded as unofficial. I'd really like to switch, but I don't have the money for that."

His average monthly wage is between 2,000 and 2,500 dirhams.

Mhamed Daouli, who is 47, has been a street vendor for more than 15 years. He has sold fish, clothes, furniture and vegetables. At the moment, he is selling underwear. He does not believe the government's promises and feels that officials are merely trying to get rid of street vendors by sending some of them to markets far away from town centres.

"They need to find solutions within cities," he says.