Sufism: A Form of Escapism

http://www.carolradway.com/sufism/sufism.htm

By Larbi Arbaoui

Through fiction and fantasy, the human mind perpetuates and flies high to reach and embrace the clouds which draw dreams that may not be realized or require decades to become reality. Every one of us has experienced this fanciful daydreaming at a certain time in our life. We resort to this fabulous faculty every now and then in an attempt to escape harsh realities or to depict an exotic imaginary life as psychological comfort and a delusive response to the urgent desires of the deprived self.  This is the human mind, but sometimes in pertinent stark separation from the real world. Yet, when this process has become a life style, a mode of thinking and an approach towards one’s life, we start to think about extreme Sufism.

In our talk about Sufism, I don’t mean that branch which promotes individual discipline as a route to reach God through diligence in worship and self-purification of the heart of bad attitudes, avoiding forbidden things and keeping good moral character. I have to draw the dividing line between Sufism as a religious practice and as a thinking pattern that has to do more with escapism, and irrational thinking evoking defeatism and moral decadence.

In this regard, I mean specifically the people who whenever they feel discomfort or lack sufficient tools to change their conditions, resort to dreams and fantasies under the pretext of asceticism and mysticism. Those people, with their imagination that is in most cases beyond general standards of the rational and proper reflection, live in ivory towers being aloof from the real world.  They immerse into a world of their own perception and phantasms, which is subject to abstract laws that have nothing to do with common sense.

Some of these illusionists claim to have established physical contact with the divine as in the case of Sheikh Sidi Mohammed Ben Ali Elzimrani who is buried in Bab Ftouh in the city of Fez.  Through their religious journey in the pursuit of God and true practices, they believe to have had the secrets of the globe revealed to them and were foretold the keys of the unseen metaphysical world. Some of them believe to have intermingled with the “self” of God and belong to His kingdom after a long process of self-cleansing. However, their claims are much ado about nothing, since they can’t provide a practical way by which other people may undergo the same experiences. This is crystal clear evidence that those manifestations happen only in their mere dreams and are far from reality.

These attempts to transcend common sense and human understanding are explained as a total defeat and deficit to participate in the process of change and an inability to function positively in society. Here lies the crisis of intellects who fail to cope with the changes taking place in all the facets of contemporary life.  Instead of integrating into society and contributing to its progress, they prefer to turn to their dreams and myths that are a far cry from their real existence.  This chasm between the imaginary and real world is highly manifested through their thwarting of the concrete world in which they physically belong and by their mythical ideas.

Originally published in Morocco World News

Taroudant, Morocco, June 24, 2012

Sexual Freedom is Conducive to Social Disorder

By Larbi Arbaoui

The proposal to repeal the Penal Code Article 490, which prohibits sexual relations outside of marriage does not please everyone, and rather made so many gorges rise.

This proposal doesn’t provide a solution, but creates more problems and paves the way to endless social and ethical issues. Sexual freedom endorsed by few activists should not be understood as a mere political card aiming to kindle the rough of Islamist-led government. For human right activists, this provision of law is an obstacle to sexual freedom, which – they believe – is one of the freedoms that every individual has to be endowed with. But can we just stop at that level?

Sexual freedom advocated by the so-called human right activists is to be understood as an explicit sexual liberation movement aiming to increase the acceptance of sex outside social institutions, implicitly including heterosexual, lesbianism and homosexuality. These proposals, which are in stark contrast with Moroccan religion and culture, may lead other people to claim public nudity as unalienable personal rights, the normalization of homosexuality as an alternative form of legal sexuality and more likely abortion will be legalized. Before you come down on the side of a certain party, I would like to invite you to consider these facts, which are the result of sexual intercourse outside marriage.

Every year in Morocco, according to figures of the Moroccan Association of the National Institution for Solidarity with Women in Distress (Insaf), quoted by AFP, more than 80,000 children are born out of wedlock. Such alarming figures of homeless and abandoned children call into question the responsibility of everyone and the role of family.

What future is there for babies who are the result of a fleeting ephemeral pleasure? Who is to blame for children who have no chance to have a social status or to be recognized by their fathers? It is up to you to guess under what circumstances these children will be raised and educated so that they can function properly in their society.

Sexual freedom under the pretext of securing individual rights is in collision with the requirements of international human rights, which emphasize the respect of the specificities of a certain nation. These claims are very dangerous to the natural balance and stability of the society. Family is not only a social pretext, under which sexual rapport is practiced legally, but a social institution that affords protection and care for the babies and also a cultural unit which teaches human values and beliefs to the next generations.

Susan L. Brown from Bowling Green State University found that children born to married couples, on average, “experience better education, social, cognitive and behavioral outcomes.” Any violation of family as a social and cultural unit is a knockdown to the history and human values.

People who have no respect for the family, social values and cultural considerations that characterize a certain people are likely to be driven by their uncontrolled sexual desires. I do believe, that sexual desires if not suppressed and controlled outside a social pretext, that will protect both partners, will naturally lead the whole population to chaos and will bring the society to a moral decadence. At the absence of regulations and explicit penal codes, such people, who advocate sexual freedom, will be immersed in an extreme indulgence in sensual pleasures that may be the cause of so many health complications and social disorder.

Originally published in Morocco World News
Taroudant, Morocco, June 27, 2012

Morocco: Power Outages in Remote Areas, Major Concern during summer

By Larbi Arbaoui

This morning I woke up with extra energy and enthusiasm to do my work and keep my commitments, so I had my breakfast early and hurried to my desk. After turning on my computer and placing a cup of coffee at the reach of my hand– a habit of mine, that of drinking either tea or coffee while doing some work– I started writing a report of last week’s extra-curricular activities that were done in my school.  l needed to do this now, so as to get it in on time.  But when the power suddenly went out,  I went off the deep end and was left totally helpless.  A frightening calm prevailed in my room, opposite of what I felt inside.

We learn to value the importance of things once we miss them, and this was a case in point. Even the buzz produced by my fridge, which I previously consider a nuisance, in its absence I remembered as somehow friendly. I discovered then that going back to those early days, when only limited facilities were at the disposal of our ancestors, must surely be a painful experience for the modern man.

This is not the first time to be interrupted by having the electricity cut off. What’s more irritating is that this happens without people receiving any warning from the electricity companies.  This happens most frequently during summer time. The increased use of electrical devices such as fans, fridges and air conditioners–to name but a few–are the likely reason behind such annoying outages. However, this should not be an excuse to bar the electricity companies from providing good services, when their customers are paying an arm and a leg.

In some remote regions of Morocco when the electricity goes off, one’s life goes next. In few minutes following the cutoff of electricity, your mobile phone as well as your computer can no longer meet your needs because the network connection, which is needed in order for your devices to be useful, depends on electricity as well. One hour’s time after the cut is enough to finish off the water from the tap. And if you are not already familiar with this “local rule” you will be forced to go fetching water from far springs. So just a matter of a few hours is all you need to feel exiled and helpless.

People are cheesed off how the constant cuts of power come without any prior notice. This is especially true when one gets up early in the morning and heads to the bank to learn that, unfortunately, s/he can’t receive service because the power went off. The elderly and children have it even worse, since they are less able to stand the high degree of temperature, and life becomes hellish since they depend on the electronic devices that air-condition their homes, which now become as useless as a fifth wheel from the absence of electricity.

As everybody knows, summer is the best and preferred season for celebrating weddings in Morocco. Among the necessities that the wedding organisers have to consider is that of keeping an electrical generator ready for use at any time. People may risk losing significant amounts of meat and other precious food they’d once preserved in their fridges if electricity were to go off the whole day. Last summer, I was invited to the wedding of a friend. They had us sit in an open space since the weather was very hot inside. People liked the place and everybody was engaged in conversation with one another. To our hard luck, when food was served the power went off. The host was very embarrassed, even though he was free of blame, and he apologised to the invitees every now and then while the other family members were busy looking for an alternative way to help people see their plates well enough to allow them to eat. Some guys enjoyed their exceptional dinner thanks to the help of cell-phone flashlights!

The regular cuts of electricity are a source of discomfort for everybody. Who is responsible for the numerous damages and delays of services that have resulted from the abrupt cuts of electricity? People should start to consider seriously these unacceptable acts and also think of measures to force the electricity companies to back off from allowing so many of these sudden cuts of power.

Originally published in  Morocco World News

Taroudant, May17, 2012

Moroccan women we don’t know

By Larbi Arbaoui

In a small village in the southeast of Morocco, some girls and women are working together in full swing under associations and cooperatives. Some of them have academic degrees while others have dropped out from school at early ages. Yet, their devotion to handicrafts and their desire to help themselves as well as their families are the main factors that have brought them to work collaboratively.

A few years ago, nature no longer provided bountiful crops enough for all the hungry stomachs and did not endow the villagers with spacious green pastures for raising their herds like before. Tourism, which was once a good source of significant revenue, remarkably decreased and the shops designed for tourists were forced to lower prices in order to conform to the purchasing power of the local market. These unexpected changes in the socioeconomic status of the village have paved the way to different social, cultural and economic practices.

This shift at the socio-cultural level of the village has cleared the way for women to work actively from within civil associations and cooperatives that were previously exclusive to men. These women are committed to the activities organized by their associations. They never miss any event to carve out a niche for their products among regional and national exhibitions, held occasionally for such commercial activities. Their happiness for having presented their products in public shows and exhibitions somehow over-dominate the lucrative purpose.

I have personally had the privilege to attend some workshops and witnessed the accomplished work of some of these distinguished women. At the core of their work place, some of them are working individually while others are working collaboratively like bees.

I sat by the weavers. They were three young girls in traditional clothes. For a while, I was captured by the harmonious movements of their fingers and hands while placing threads of different colors crossed the web. The only sounds you can hear were the beats of an iron comb-like utensil hitting the threads to stick them firmly to the web. From then on, the girls sang chorally uplifting local songs accompanied by the rhythm produced by hitting the web. Even talented artists and mathematicians will stay enthralled by the neat equal spaces left between those symbols decorating the rag without using neither rulers nor measuring devices.

I had a short conversation with one of the active member of the association who told me that making handicrafts is time consuming, very laborious and not very lucrative. But in spite of the hard work, she prefers working with her friends in associations rather than setting up a personal project because, she believes, the society is not yet ready to accept a woman running a shop for producing handicrafts or fixing things.

Traveling to work in big city, which may be more rewarded, is worse she added for a girl working far from her own family is not safe. Working within women associations with limited resources is a challenge and finding markets to commercialize their products is the biggest challenge.

Originally published in Morocco World News  Taroudant, May13, 2012

Beggars in Morocco: Reflection on a Growing Social Phenomenon

By Larbi Arbaoui

Taroudant, May 22, 2012

The drought that has befallen the country the past several years successively has further impoverished an already poor social strata. The people from rural regions who live mainly on agriculture are the hardest hit by the implications of this aridity. Having no resources, some of them left their little villages and settled in slums, bus stations and in public squares. They prefer begging than starving to death.

People with special needs are not guaranteed social protection in our country. Both family and society consider them a heavy burden they have to support reluctantly. They do not receive adequate training which can enable them to be integrated in the society and incorporate in the workforce positively. Thus they are forced to beg.  But they are not the only ones begging:  some seem to do it because it pays better than the jobs available to them.

“The best job I ever had was panhandling” is a line from a comedian that contains a seed of truth. Wherever you go, you’re harassed by beggars of all ages and sexes. Boys and girls, young and old advance towards you with outstretched hands. It evokes lachrymose feelings and sympathetic emotions to see such skinny children, sometimes accompanied by their mothers, all in rags, importuning every passerby for alms. They haunt the cafes, mosques, buses and busy streets. Begging has become an annoying social phenomenon. What explains the increasing numbers of beggars in our country is still an enigmatic puzzle.

Being a beggar in Morocco is one of the simplest things. Outstretching a hand miserably in any public space is just enough to start receiving coins from people. But to be a successful mendicant, a professional beggar – a beggar entrepreneur- one must accrue experience and develop some tricks including cunning, market savvy and learning by heart certain Qur’anic verses that help awaken the religious compassionate feelings among people. Professed beggars have memorised special prayers and know to use them for their favour in particular moments, places and for different kinds of people. In some regions begging is well-organised. For each area, there is an owner to whom other beggars must pay the right of occupancy. Foreign beggars are strictly denied access to such “private” places. Any attempts to violate this invisible code may lead to serious complications.

The act of touching people for money is, probably for all nations, a despised deed putting down people engaged in such a debased occupation. Some people exercise mendacity as a habit that they can’t stop because they have been grown up with it. Be it an easy task –they believe- they can’t think of an alternative way that will afford them a decent living away from the humiliating act of outstretching hands before people. Another category found is those begging for a meal ticket yet have a prosperous life. They have no charges because everything is begged: food, clothes, transport and money. However, there are people who are obliged to pray for their living. Being even reluctant to beg, at the absence of the familial bond and social care this category of beggars can’t be choosers.

Recorded figures can only indicate the uncertainty of this increasingly threatening social anomaly. The lack of an integrated strategy against begging through a comprehensive approach based on prevention and social reintegration of persons engaged in begging explains the increase of this social problem. It is up to the government to seriously approach the issue. But, If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.

Originally published in Morocco World News

Africa, the shackled continent

By Larbi Arbaoui

Taroudant, May 29, 2012

The Shackled Continent: Power, Corruption, and African Lives, by Robert Guest – former Africa editor for the Economist – is an exhaustive and lively book that tries to explain the reasons behind Africa’s poverty.

 It accounts for the hard economic situation in African and how to make it better «Africa- is in a bad way and this book is my attempt to explain why.» R. Guest. The author makes it clear from the beginning of the book that he means by “Africa” the sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the Arab countries of North Africa. Africa is a mineral-rich continent, with tourism potential and a fertile ground advantageous for agricultural. However, despite these strengths, it is growing poorer. Guest notes that so many factors are the stumbling block to the development of African nations: geography, the legacy of slavery and colonialism, AIDS and bad governance, to name but a few.

Most of the African countries are tropical. Such weather is convenient for many deadly diseases to flourish. “Africa has the worst of them: Malaria, Yellow Fever, rare but deadly viruses such as Ebola, and a host of energy sapping parasites.”

Another factor to blame for Africa’s misfortune is slavery. Although Guest doesn’t consider slavery a serious element contributing to Africa’s poverty for the reason that « the Trans Atlantic slave trade ended in the 19th Century,” so that can hardly explain 21 st Century problems, but, in fact, it has tremendous negative aspects on the history of most of African countries.

Guest admits that it is « easy to find colonial roots for modern problems ». South Africa, for instance, was one of the first African countries to gain independence; however, it remained under the control of a white minority through a biased and unfair system of racial segregation known as apartheid until 1994. African countries have gained their independence, but the colonialists have left most countries under ethnic conflicts and disputes over borders that were intentionally left ambiguous with neighboring countries. Guest claims that the colonialists « left deep scars.» but he adds « they also left behind some helpful things such as roads, clinics and laws.» Despite all these problems handed down from the colonialists, Guest still doesn’t consider all these unfortunate defects as excuses for the modern problems believing that «If colonialism was what held Africa back, you would expect the continent to have boomed when the settlers left. »

AIDS in Africa is the most threatening disease, regardless of all the advances achieved in modern medicine. Guest points out that not only do soldiers and migration help the virus to cross borders, but prostitution, witchcraft, and some cultural beliefs worsen the problem «some young African women believe that without regular infusions of sperm, they will not grow up to be beautiful » these myths must be « rebutted » he adds.

Guest, with powerful arguments and an exceptional lively style, is able to convince the reader that the misery of Africa is caused by African themselves. To solidify his statements, he quotes from the great African Novelist, Chinua Achebe: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, of the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership. » In fact, all the external factors mentioned so far can be successfully overcome if the people in power were not corrupt. African countries would have progressed, he added, if their leaders believed in democracy and engaged seriously in promising projects.

In conclusion, Robert Guest in his amazing book has shed light on the major problems hindering Africa’s improvement. He clearly believes that African countries can improve. It is through access to primary education, reducing bureaucracy, privatization and fundamentally embracing the free market that these countries will prosper.

Previously published in Morocco World News

Rachid Nini: The rest of a warrior!

By Larbi Arbaoui

Taroudant, Morocco, May 30, 2012

Early Monday morning, I head to the cafe and as usual stopped at the book shop. I tried to quickly scan the displayed today’s newspapers and see if there is a worthwhile story. All those glossy pictures on the covers of magazines and the catchy titles didn’t seem to capture my attention or inflame my curiosity. When I stepped out from the shop, I stole a quick glimpse at those newspapers again and astonishingly came to my gaze the picture of Rachid Nini featuring a column on the front page of the daily newspaper, “Al Massae”. Wonders never cease!  Many questions have been blocked my thought as to know why the columnist of “Shuf tshuf” has written in the front page under a different column title?

After the release of Rachid Nini, the prisoner of conscience, who has been behind bars for one full year, most of his avid fans and readers were yearning to read again his famous column “Shuf Tshuf”. Most people were expecting the famous Moroccan columnist to re-conciliate with his pen and resume his press career. But, to everybody’s dismay, Rachid Nini declared in a column entitled “Istirahat Muharib” the rest of a warrior, on the front page of Almassae (May28,2012), the Moroccan daily newspaper that he founded five  years ago, that he gave up writing.

In his article entitled the rest of a warrior, Nini  argues that such type of writings  in Morocco leads the author to three ends, either silence,  self-exile or prison. In the absence of a law protecting the right of the journalist to get the news and the right to protect their sources,  Nini has inclined to the virtue of silence believing that “silence is gold” without any explicit and specific reason that led him to favor silence.

Rachid Nini doesn’t want his silence to be understood as that of cowards, hypocrites and wage earners, but as the silence of the wounded warrior who takes his breath up the hill waiting for the coming of his own horse. The metaphor that the journalist used is open to so many interpretations. The readers are to form their own. But, whatever the reasons are, the readers who used to find solace in what he writes won’t excuse his secession. “Once you made the first path, you lost your freedom” a very insightful idea I still recall from an African novel “Season of Migration to the North” by Tayeb Salih.  People have to study the expected consequences before making the first step, and I am sure that Rachid Nini is totally cognizant of the secretes of the fourth estate before engaging in such writings.

Now that Nini is set free, he personally announced the prison sentence for his words and come to a full stop by declaring separation with the column “Shuf Tshuf”, which set him behind bars.  I was wrong to believe that Nini would come out of jail at full strength and an absolute zeal for his cause and freedom of press. Philip Emeagwali says that “adversities such as being homeless and going to prison have made many people stronger.” But, it seems that the prison is much stronger than some people! Though, it cannot all the time silence many mouths, or conquer all the minds. I cannot put it differently better than Thomas Hobbes’ when he says: “he that is taken and put into prison or chains is not conquered, though overcome; for he is still an enemy.”

Originally published in Morocco World News

The concise history of English literature, the early Christian Literature

“The concise history of English literature” is a delightful article that will be published in a series of short articles covering, in a chronological order, eras, movements and events that have shaped and formed the English literature. Through these series, the reader will have a very concise and informative glimpse into the colorful history and evolution of the English literature.

In the previous article we have talked about the early literature and have shed light on an ancient civilization known as the Celts. In this article, we will introduce you to the Christian literature and have an idea about the influence of Christianity on the Anglo-Saxon people.

The coming of Christianity:

Christianty was first brought to Britain during the Roman occupation. Christian missionaries arrived in Britain from two directions, from Ireland (about 563 A.D.) and from Rome (597 A.D.)

The coming of Christianity to England brought about a new way of thinking to the ancient people. Contrary to the pagan beliefs, the idea of a single mighty God had significant impacts on the daily lives of the Anglo-Saxon people. Christianity had reshaped the way people regard literature and made changes in the life of early British people. It led people to live by gentler manners, better morals, and a more civilized way of life.

Nearly all the Christian literature was composed in the form of long poems. With consonant rhyme it was easy for the Anglo-Saxon people to memorize those long poems. Like in all ancient nations, the oral culture was so strong in the English culture and many poems – in spite of their significant length- were handed down orally from generation to generation. The themes dominating those poems were nature, service and precisely praising God.

It had had an immense influence upon their literature; for example, one of the most charming stories in English literature is told of Caedmon. According to the 8th-century monk Bede, this poor man in spite of his ignorance of “the art of song” was able to compose a poem nine lines long one night in the course of a dream. This poem, the oldest piece of verse in English language, is usually known as Caedmon’s hymn, translated out of Anglo-Saxon language into modern English.

It runs:

Caedmon's hymn

Now shall we praise the master of heaven
The mighty of the Maker, the thought of his heart
The deeds of the father. How he, Lord everlasting,
Established of old the source of all wonders.
Creator all-holy, he hung the heavens,
A roof high up reared, o’er the children of men;
The king of mankind then created for mortals
The world, the earth spread beneath them,
He, Lord everlasting, omnipotent God.

(to listen to the old English version click here)





To be continued......
By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taroudant, Morocco, May 10, 2012

The concise history of English literature, the early literature

“The concise history of English literature is a delightful article that will be published in a series of short articles covering, in a chronological order, eras, movements and events that have shaped and formed the English literature. Through these series, the reader will have a very concise and informative glimpse into the colorful history and evolution of the English literature.

The author Mr. Larbi Arbaoui takes us on a journey back in time, to a long and distant past. We are, thus, given images of an ancient culture  huddled around  their camp  fires or singing prayers of thanks and reverence to great powers such as the Sun,  the Weather, and all Mother Earth’s natural forces.

In this article, we encounter an ancient civilization known as the Celts. We are given a glimpse into the wonderful poetry of their bards. The author also highlights interesting details about life in these ancient times such as the Celts deep respect for woman in their culture and their appreciation of all natural beauty.” Simon Michael Murphy An English teacher from England, teaching in Budapest.

The English literature has been pieced together from different languages because of the diversity of influences shaping English history. The oldest literature known as English was written in a Germanic language called Anglo-Saxon; later on a kind of French called Anglo-Norman was used for literary purposes by the aristocracy. Throughout the early history of England –for more than a thousand years– Latin was used for composing serious and dignified literature.

Historians share the opinion that the earliest inhabitants of Britain left no written literature or history. They lived during what is known as the Stone Age, but we should not go far as to say that these people lived without any kind of literature; indeed, they worshiped the sun and said prayers and sang hymns to the weather and other natural forces. Unfortunately, we know nothing about what language they spoke, what songs they sung, and what tales they told as they crouched together around their fires.  While a lot of literature from the oral tradition wasn’t written down, many of these stories still exist today in some form, such as the King Arthur legend and many Irish folk tales (see below).

The Celts: Later on there came to the British Isles a group of tribes speaking various forms of language known as Celtic. This primitive people had many classes of poets, of which the most famous, the bards (professional poet, employed by a patron to commemorate the patron’s ancestors and to praise the patron’s own activities, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bards) sang songs in praise of their chiefs, accompanying themselves with a small harp with five strings. During the middle Ages, Irish and Welsh bards were well-known throughout Europe. These bards, tales and songs served to enrich the great stream of English literature. An ancient author said that the Celts had two passions: to fight well and to talk cleverly.

Frankly, their literature shows not only that they were fierce in battle, but also cultivated the art of poetry. It shows that they held a high respect for women and for the beauties of nature, the fairy charm of flowers, leaf and stream. This all is present in Celtic poetry. Many Celtic poems and prayers had been composed before the coming of Christianity and had been passed on orally from person to person.

An example of a Celtic poem addressing a little bird on a tree:

Little Bird

Little bird! O little bird!

I wonder at what thou doest,

Thou singing merry far from me,

I in sadness all alone!

Little bird! O little bird!

I wonder at how thou art

Thou high on the tips of branching boughs,

I on the ground a-creeping!

Little bird! O little bird!

Thou art music far away,

Like the tender croon of the mother loved

In the kindly sleep of death.

To be continued……….

By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taroudant, Morocco, May 10, 2012

Mr. Benkirane’s Coalition Government: Intentions versus reality

Mr. Abdelilah Benkirane, Head of Moroccan Government

The Islamist-led government in Morocco boasts an unprecedented qualification. Most of the ministers of the ruling party have a high academic educational level and early all of them have shown their willingness to reform the ministry of which they are in charge.

All the ministers of the new government have expressed more than once through different public media outlets that they are ready to do all that it takes to put the statements of the new constitution into practice and to abide by its guidelines.

But unfortunately, press releases and good intentions don’t make politics. In the absence of a strategic program and a clear future vision, all that remains is just talk. Politics is not manufactured by an aura of hopes as it is not based on aspirations.

One swallow doesn’t make spring. Mr Abdelilah Benkiran, head of government, is preoccupied creating a harmonious coalition among the entire political strips that seemed to march to the beat of a different drummer. Observers of the political scene in Morocco would notice how the statements of ministers within the government are in stark inconsistency.

Mr Abdelilah Benkiran has sought, since the early days of his government, to adopt a different strategy in dealing with the social files relying on a religious diction in his direct talks with protesters in Rabat to reassure them. However, the continuation of protests today, both in the capital, Rabat, and in other areas, quickly have proved the limitations of this new approach.

Neither, the populism of Mr Benkirane, the smiles of Mr. Othmani, nor the plainness of Mr Elkhalfi will succeed to convince the angry, unemployed youth, the underpaid public sector employees and the majority of people under agreed standards of living at the absence of concrete projects aiming to create new jobs and eradicate poverty.

The novice government is still having more challenging issues hindering its progress. Even the weather seemed to conspire against it. Agriculture, which is considered a vital and important pillar marking the strength of the Moroccan economy, was effected badly this year by the shortage of rain. Consequently the prices of food get higher. This only is enough to kindle the rough of people and may lead to more strikes and protests.

Another unexpected source of concern to the Islamist-led government came but from the movement of Unity and Reform, the advocacy arm of the ruling party, the PJD. Mr. Ahmed Alhamdawi, head of the movement (MUR), forwarded a strongly worded message to the Government of Mr. Benkirane, calling him to carry on the reform away from excuses.

The existence of corruption lobbyists in Morocco is crystal clear to everyone and exists nearly in all countries. They stand in the way of any attempts to reform once it contradicts their benefits or does not favor their business. However, it is never an accepted excuse to free the government from fulfilling its duties and responsibilities towards people. Before being elected, any government should have a clear program and tactful strategies to attain those goals underlined in their program.

Unlike the previous Moroccan governments, the Islamist-led government is somehow doing well. But to bring significant improvements in living standards, reforming the decaying educational system, creating the thousands of jobs and affording housing to the homeless, it still has a long way in the future.

By Larbi Arbaoui

Morocco World News

Taroudant, Morocco, May 4, 2012

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: The Moroccan Minister of Higher Education and Scie...

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: The Moroccan Minister of Higher Education and Scie...: Larbi Arbaoui, writing for the influential Morocco World News . has given a well deserved serve to the Moroccan Minister of Education for...

The expenssive ticket back home

It is vacation time. Everybody is rushing to the bus station to secure their tickets to their homeland. An unusual activity is observed in the bus station and taxi stands. Passengers with their heavy bags wearing jubilant smiles are bidding farewell to their friends and to shop keepers.  You can notice from a distance that they are very enthusiastic to leave, soon to meet their families and beloved ones. Yet  they are very concerned and worried about the long miles they have to take, too. For some people long distance is never a source of discomfort, but the poor state of many buses and taxis (plus to the crazy speed they run and repulsive treatments of those in charge of them) are, indeed, something that brings concern.

Having not been to my hometown for so long, my heart grew fonder and my desire to see my family and home-folk got even worse. Yet, I had to wait at least three days after the beginning of vacation. Everyone who has traveled by bus during the first days of holiday may be cognizant of the reasons behind my delay.

Traveling mostly by public means during the early and last days of vacation can be a risky experience. In addition to the incredible speed they run, buses, taxis and transits surfeit the number of seats they are allowed to carry, and many deadly accidents result therefrom. During these periods, all the means of transportation don’t respect the prices that are established by and maintained by the government.  Worse, they fleece passengers and make them pay out the wazoo for their tickets, even paying all the way to the final station of the bus regardless of where they want to stop. All these intentionally contemptuous practices and defiance of the law I have eye-witnessed and were usually done before the authorities.

Passengers who may be considered lucky to secure a ticket in those hard times are not always to be begrudged. They are subject to offensive language and repulsive behaviors and treatments. Most of the times buses drive non-stop, and passengers are not given any rest along the exhausting and extended distance. The luggage safety is the last thing for which you may rest assured. Being careless may cost one his/her bags.

Snatchers are generally more lively active during these busy days. Snatchers are not legally allowed to pick up passengers, but since authorities turn a blind eye, they never hesitate to give rides to passengers who are ready to pay incredible sums. These casual opportunists take advantage of the occasional and temporary periods where there is a shortage of approved means of transports and of local people’s desperation. They carry passengers with next to no measures of security for the passenger.

At the absence of a clear insight and a wise strategy on the part of the government to find a solution to this seasonal crisis, people will remain at the mercy of those self-seekers that are looking to take advantage of the chaos in this time.  But whatever it may be like in getting there, seeing your home appear on the horizon feels like no other thing on this Earth.

By Larbi Arbaoui

Morocco World News

Taroudant, Morocco, April 13, 2012

Reverse Emigration of Europeans to Morocco

By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taroudant, April 7, 2012

Birds are known to migrate from the cold countries in the North to warmer places in the South, but throughout recent history people normally migrated from south to north, to bountiful places that afford better living, and to countries where people enjoy a greater amount of political and religious freedom.

People from the South emigrated to European countries, mainly France, Italy and Spain, for many years. Europe was once a dreamland for many Moroccans in the same way that America used to be the dreamland of many Europeans . Europe was a place where everybody can make a fortune even those who are neither skillful nor competent. Strong muscles and physical endurance were the only required abilities needed to keep hunger away from an immigrant’s home. Mining, masonry, agriculture and other  tough jobs were the ones performed largely by migrants. They were indeed exhausting jobs, but they were, for the majority of immigrants, very rewarding. Most of those immigrants did well in their homelands, and now most of them are enjoying secure retirement.

However, when the latest economic crisis hit Europe and America,  job opportunities in those places became fewer. It affected immigrants and natives alike. Only skilled and competent people were able to maintain their jobs, and even then not for very long. People came up with various solutions to cope with the economic crisis. Some gave up their houses for sale or rent; others abandoned their big cars and other costly properties . But others chose to migrate back to the southern countries, where they still can enjoy the luxuries of life with minimal effort. A pension that hardly pays essential bills in a European country can afford the pentioner a much more comfortable life in a southern country.

Morocco is among the countries that have received and are still receiving thousands of migrants from the North. They come from different countries, but the majority have been from Europe. Migrant businessmen have chosen Morocco over other countries for many reasons.  First, the strategic geographic location of Morocco, which facilitates commerce with Europe and other targeted African markets, is a big plus. Second, the political and social climate in Morocco is very encouraging and reassuring to start any lucrative project.

In the last two years, a number of Europeans, especially Spaniards, came to work and live in the northern cities of Morocco. They came to offer their services as skillful agents, private nurses and small private investors with expertise in the hotel business, farming and construction or came as housewives. They work for low wages compared to European standards, but such wages are plenty for them to live a decent life in the cities of northern Morocco.

With such high numbers of people migrating southward, one wonders whether the world is being reshaped. Are we witnessing the economic renaissance of the South? Apparently the southern countries are now living their heyday.

 Edited by Ahmad Azizi

 http://moroccoworldnews.com/2012/04/34150/reverse-emigration-of-europeans-to-morocco/

Facebook: The Dreamlike World

I am no longer the person I used to be. The technological innovation has changed my life to that of a totally different person. I didn’t have any intention to write this article, but I feel that my fingertips are aching, and I can’t help but scratch them. Worse, I have to touch the keyboard to do so. I am a slave to the computer–more precisely, to the internet. My blind devotion to the internet has started only recently. My misery started the day I moved to a new place. I moved from a very sociable place where I was enjoying close friendly relationships with people of my own blood to a place where everything seemed strange and hostile. Consequently, my connection to the virtual community grows worse.

Although overpopulated, my new town seems stagnant. The days are short and quiet. The nights are deadly long , still and have a serene sky with hardly any stars, such a big difference from before! Around them the dying, pale moon blocks the eye. Having been worried by a bunch of stereotypes and prejudices about this new town and its people, I was not in a good mood, nor ready to enter any new circle of acquaintances. I walked to and from the shops mostly alone, seldom with my wife, and only, then, whenever she got bored of the four corners and the different silly TV series. I hardly find any free time for real people and for practicing my hobbies–although much of it is free, the Internet increasingly consumes more of it. My guitar is kept in a corner, and I rarely touch it. Exercise is absent in my new life, except those few stairs I have to walk twice a day.

I feel attached mentally and physically more to the virtual world than to the real world where I live. You can’t imagine how sad I felt the whole day when I learned that my facebook friend, whom I’ve never met, had lost one of his close relatives. Some people may find this weird, but when your real and virtual existences are so complexly interwoven, it scarcely makes any difference. To be frank, I do care for the ”Likes”, shares, posts and comments as much as I do for shaking hands, kisses on the cheek, hugs and smiles.

Facebook, Twitter, Google etc.., have made me a different person. Whenever I see something beautiful or attractive in the real world, I just wish it had a LIKE button to click, as in Facebook. The other day, my wife and I were invited to dinner at my colleague’s house. When I took a mouthpiece from the Tagine that his wife served us, it tasted so delicious that I unconsciously was looking for the LIKE button to express my satisfaction and gratitude. It is not out of my ignorance to those conventions and friendly expressions we ought to say in such occasions, but icons, symbols and language of the virtual world have overwhelmingly occupied my thought so much lately that this was the most natural response to have risen in me automatically.

I have in my Facebook and Google accounts friends that outnumber the “real” ones that I frequently meet. However, can we consider all those people that we have in our accounts, friends? Why do we accept or send invitations to people we don’t know? Maybe it is because the virtual world has norms totally different to that of the real world. The difficulty is when the two become blurred.

By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taroudant, Morocco, March 20, 2012
http://moroccoworldnews.com/2012/03/facebook-the-dreamlike-world/32069

Gospel of Barnabas: Any added value to Islam?

The discovery of an old manuscript of the Gospel of Barnabas by the Turkish authorities raised the attention of the Vatican and kindled considerable debate all over the world. According to the official statement of the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Erturul Günay, the ministry was going to examine the copy, and will announce the results in the near future. Naturally, everybody is impatiently awaiting the display of those results. As Muslims, however, the falsity or truth of the Gospel is unimportant for many reasons.

The so-called Gospel of Barnabas is not recognized by the Christian denominations because it is considered inconsistent with the principles of Christianity. It is contrary to the religious and historical backgrounds of that religion since it teaches that Christ (peace be upon him) foretold the coming of a messenger, Mohammad (peace be upon him), after him, and, in line with Islamic belief, the Gospel treats Jesus as a human being, but not a God.  Therefore, the gospel was thwarted by Christians who believe only in those collected by the four apostles: Matthew, Luke, Mark and John. Some believe that the gospel was written in the fifteenth century by a Catholic monk who had recoiled from Christianity.

With the appearance of the Barnabas gospel, there is much talk in the media on whether the gospel in question is one of the original versions of the sacred book known as the Gospel of Barnabas or not. Regardless of its contents, I do personally look at this gospel as a book with nothing more than archaeological value. As Muslims, we do not need a copy of the gospel no matter where it comes from to tell us that Christ (PBUH) foretold the coming of our prophet Mohamed (Peace be upon Him).  Simply, because our holy Quran reads “And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” (Surat A?-?af: 6). We have in the Quran and the Sunnah enough evidences sufficient to confirm our faith.

More than that, some people are naively counting on some scientific discoveries to prove the righteous beliefs and predictions stated in the holy Quran and the Hadith. Religion, I believe, is a matter of faith which requires belief more than proofs. Once we keep the faith in Islam as a true religion we should take all that is stated in the holy Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) for granted. It is no use looking for materials outside the Islamic religion to prove its credibility. I am not against scientific truths, but I believe that science is a process of right and wrong whereas the Quran content is absolutely true.

Those who are searching for anything to strengthen their faith are not already comfortable with the evidences and reassurances given by their religion. The essence of every religion is faith; and faith is loyalty to a supreme power that does not primarily rest on logical proof or material evidence.

By Larbi Arbaoui

Morocco World News

Taroudant, March 15, 2012

http://moroccoworldnews.com/2012/03/gospel-of-barnabas-any-added-value-to-islam/31377

Patterns of Religious Commitment among Young Moroccans

Religion among Moroccan young people is not the monolith that Westerners might believe it to be. It is chiefly characterized by a contradictory combination of religious practices like being committed to the five regular prayers a day, that is the essence of true belief, and indulging in certain irreligious practices such as drinking alcohol, smoking and having illicit relations with the other sex. Although some young people apparently condemn and despise all the acts that have no religious basis, they still cannot help avoid being involved in such practices. These obvious contradictions between strict religious guidelines and the uncontrolled needs and desires of young people lead to internal tensions; this therefore gives birth to various patterns of religious commitments.

In Morocco, there is a kind of implicit consensus about religion as an indispensable social value. Yet, young people may fall into several religious categories. These categories may appear widely different; however, in principle they have many similarities. All of them regard Islam as their supreme ideal and background.

Unlike Muslims, Christians, or at least most Christian friends that I know, it is not obligatory to follow straightforwardly and faithfully all the teachings of Christianity so as to be considered a Christian. Once, I asked one of my friends who is a French Christian spontaneously about his religion. He replied surprisingly “je suis un Chrétien non pratiquant” which means in English, I am a non practicing Christian.  I could not understand, then, how one can be called a Christian but at the same time seemingly not care about the responsibilities and instructions of Christianity. Because, in Islam one is practically a Muslim once she / he obeys faithfully the precepts and responds to the five pillars of Islam.

In the first category are those young people who do their utmost to keep their appearance in accordance with what is depicted in some “Islamic television channels” and conceived as the image of a young Muslim. Influenced by these channels and other forms of media, this category of Moroccan young people has adopted a totally different style of dress. For males, they put on short pants, jellaba and a black or white hat always on the top of their heads, while wearing a potent cologne that can be smelled from afar. For females, they put on a black or brown fabric from head to toe.

Another category is that of young people who are influenced by the artificial ornaments of the modern world. Like all young people in Europe and America, they keep abreast of the latest fashionable clothing styles, listen to rock and hip hop music, and watch the latest movies produced by Hollywood. They feel proud to have girlfriends or boyfriends and never feel embarrassed to walk with them openly in the streets, or even introduce them to their families. With respect to the aforementioned facts, the religious faith, among these young people, is constantly present. Personally, even though they look different to the first category, I can’t name them but Muslims.

There are also some individuals who identify themselves as “atheists”. Even though they maybe not officially or publicly declare their nihilism, it is well known among their friends and colleagues. Nevertheless, it is observed that religious practises predominate their daily life. They always say “Bismilah” in the name of Allah whenever they want to eat or drink, and “Hamdolilah” thanking God at the end of every meal, in addition to other numerous religious expressions. In general, their language is full of religious expressions. One would say that the Moroccan language is religious par excellence, but a true atheist is a person who is known for his conscious denial of the existence of a supreme being. Practically, they exclude the use of any religious expression in their language, which is not the case of “Moroccan atheists”.

What best characterizes all these Moroccan young people are the mutual respect they have for one another.  No one forces their beliefs on the other. Tolerance is not a newly acquired human value for Moroccans– we are famous for it– but rather a virtue inherited from father to son.

By Larbi Arbaoui

Morocco World News

Taroudant, Morocco, March 11, 2012

http://moroccoworldnews.com/2012/03/patterns-of-religious-commitment-among-young-moroccans/30887

International Women’s Day: A Day of Gratitude

http://moroccoworldnews.com

As International Women’s Day gets closer, my perplexity gets more complicated. My eagerness to dedicate something very special to women on the occasion of the anniversary of International Women’s Day heartily increases. I wish I were a poet to give birth to an everlasting, rapturous rhyming ode; praising the woman who raised me with unconditional tender and care, giving thanks to the girl with whom I drank life from the same breast and also paying homage to the woman to whom I gave my heart with blessings of the Almighty.

If only my guitar skills were good enough to compose a soulful melody enfolding my devotion to these women. Being unendowed with such lofty talents, I will try, hopefully to succeed, to bring into view the accomplishments and significant contributions of women to the prosperity of Moroccan society. Because the issue is so big as to be covered in an op-ed, I will highlight precisely some contributions of Moroccan rural women to the welfare of their communities.

Women have always had an influential role in the prosperity and growth of any community. In most patriarchal societies, though, women’s work is hardly regarded as being productive. Therefore, their work is belittled even though it is rewarding and demands great physical and mental efforts. Both men and women’s work are productive, but men’s work is given a higher value and rewarded financially and symbolically more. In Morocco in the regions to the Southeast, women often do the whole work, yet they are perceived to be the weakest components in the structure of the society.

Cooking for the family, breeding cattle, rearing children, making garments, pinning yarn, weaving, sewing and mending clothes are all daily tasks that fall within the scope and responsibilities of women. To accomplish these daily exhausting activities, they have to wake up at the crack of dawn. Worse, they ignorantly believe, or are made to believe that these kinds of work are part of their natural roles and obligations. Any complaint of the harshness of work is perceived by the women themselves as a disgraceful weakness and widely condemned by men.

Domestic work is all work provided by the family in order to meet the needs of its members. The burden of this work lies mostly on the shoulders of women, but it is not recognized as productive. Suppose that, if a family had to pay for others to take on these same chores, ones now done voluntarily by women, they would then notice just how big a sum of money would be required to cover the expenses of a cook, server, maiden and a farmer (to name but a few).  Such a family would have to pay through the roof to keep all its members comfortable; but thanks to women, many families enjoy the services free of charge.

More than that, women are required to please their husbands, parents-in-law and their children. They have to devote their affections to their husbands, and secure them a relaxing psychological atmosphere even at the expense of their health. Women also are the ones who receive the anger of the husbands, their failures and frustration. They are blamed for not being able to give birth to a baby boy while, scientifically, men have the deciding gene with the Y chromosome. If a woman gets a divorce, again, she is to blame and consequently being reduced to the mockery of society even if it is not her fault.

I ardently advocate equality; however, I do not mean by equality that women are, or should be completely like men; but they must be treated equally. This means they are entitled to equal opportunities and value.  Through equality, gender relations can be those of cooperation, communication and joint support.  On a day like International Women’s day, let’s think of ways to help ease the burdens of the women in our lives, or at least thank them for the work they do selflessly for us.

By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taroudant, Morocco, March 7, 2012
http://moroccoworldnews.com/2012/03/international-womens-day-a-day-of-gratitude/30313

The Portrait of the Others in American Movies

Of all cultural forms, cinema is best suited to reflect the culture, the political ideology and orientation of a given nation. Cinema was and still is a powerful means to manipulate and reshape the thoughts of the audience. Irrespective of one’s educational level, an avid cinema fan is likely to passively consume all presented material. Through many films, especially war movies, American film makers were perfectly able to establish the idea of otherness and the American as an undefeated super hero. Only by watching a few movies, one may end up adopting stereotypes; such as Russians threatening world peace, the French are to be ridiculed, Mexicans are drug dealers and Arabs are sex-machines, if not terrorists.

In most American movies, the setting, length, casting and techniques may vary, but the story remains the same. Always, there is an immense threat targeting the world from outsiders and sometimes aliens. Thanks to their intervention at exactly the right time, human beings will enjoy a safe life and the natural rules will be in a harmonic balance again. They introduce themselves as indispensable peacekeepers, appointed not by divine right as was in the feudal system, but by a highly sophisticated advanced technology implemented in the making of their movies.

In fact, they are not to blame. They have got all that it takes to make amazing movies responding to the universal aspirations. They were able to entertain the whole world. Personally, I stood enthralled and astonished by the intricate worldly-wise techniques and high-tech technology used in the newly released movies even though the story sounds monotonous and boring.  The unprecedented technology used in these movies is breath taking whether it exists in the real world, or it is only a mere fiction. To commercialize the idea of American superiority is not a sin, but to falsify history, debase some ethnic groups and disregard other nations is an unacceptable immoral practice.

As a Moroccan, I will never find it mortifying to introduce “Said Jemmani” to the world as the wisest person of all his time. Neither will I feel it is exaggerating to present the myth of “Aicha Qndisha” as the most powerful invincible woman, who along with other militants was able to expel the colonisers from Morocco. According to the myth, she had super-powers that made her stronger and more ferocious than Superman, King Kong, the Hulk and even Hell Boy. Unfortunately, such myths will never go beyond the oral folklore to make their way to the screen plays of Moroccan film makers, if we do not consider the cultural richness and moral lessons these myths communicate.

This week, I watched G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, a less biased American science fiction and action movie directed by Stephen Sommers.  The story is about an elite military unit, known as G.I. Joe, whose mission is to retrieve nanotech-based warheads before they are used to destroy the world. The thing that attracts my attention in this movie, and makes me love it, in addition to it being technologically advanced, is the significant heroic role given to some foreign actors namely Said Taghmaoui and Byung-hun Lee. Said Taghmaoui, a Moroccan actor, is a member of the G. I. Joe team who, with his excellent skills in computer science, helped the team track the enemy and destroy the missiles before they were used against their targets. At the end of the movie, whether it is the direct message of the movie or my own interpretation, I learned that peace is the fruit of a collaborative work.

By Larbi Arbaoui

Morocco World News

Taroudant, Morocco,, February 24, 2012

The outcry of a montane

Through my window appears,

Clearly, the lofty mountain.

It kindled intense feelings and fears

In my heart akin to that of a swain.

The wind bring to my ear

A freezing scream, certainly, of a montane

With barely enough clothes to wear.

Abruptly, I abhor snow, wind and rain.

 

January 4th, 2012

Taliouine