::x:: amarg ::x::

King Mohammed VI of Morocco formally banned discrimination against women during a speech to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Afrique en Ligne, a North African Internet news site, reported Dec. 12.

Officially, the king lifted Morocco’s “reservations” to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the 1979 treaty guaranteeing women’s equality known as CEDAW. Morocco signed the treaty in 1993, but like many other Arab nations, did so only with reservations to clauses that contradicted national or Islamic laws.

Moroccan women’s rights groups hailed the speech, Maghreb Arab Press reported Dec. 12. The king said the reservations were no longer necessary since Morocco passed an updated national family law in 2003 increasing women’s legal rights. The king also touted his reformist views in his speech. “Our country has become an international actor of which the progress and daring initiatives in this matter are readily recognized,” he said.  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In remarks by both its King and Parliament over the past week, Morocco reaffirmed its commitment to continue its wide-ranging efforts to protect and promote the human rights of all its citizens, as a key pillar of the remarkable social and economic progress the North African nation has made in the last decade, which has been a model for the region.

Honoring the 60th anniversary of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, His Majesty King Mohammed VI noted in a speech last week the Declaration’s significance for reforms that have been a pillar of progress and governance in his country. He stressed Morocco’s “unyielding commitment to the universal character of human rights” and “the lofty values and principles enshrined in this historic document… thanks to which human rights have become a common heritage of mankind that contributes to bringing about a world where brotherhood, peace, justice, dignity and equality prevail.”

“This is not just a slogan,” the King said. “It is in fact one of the fundamental demands of mankind, especially when it comes to people suffering the humiliation brought about by oppression and poverty.” Putting the Declaration’s principles into effect “requires strong commitment, active involvement and sincere action to carry out the reforms and changes needed in a bold, albeit wise, manner.”

Morocco’s commitment to strengthening human rights has been demonstrated by the ground-breaking 2004 reforms to the moudawana, or family code, which enshrine equal rights and gender equality for all Moroccans in line with the principles of Islam and democracy, the 2007 parliamentary vote that continued a history of free and fair elections, the 2004 Truth and Reconciliation commission which was established with broad support from civil society to publicly examine past abuses and compensate thousands of victims, and human rights guaranteed by provisions of the Constitution.    more 

He is a so-called ” Imam” 

He commands the respect of hundreds of followers who flock to his mosque to hear his fiery sermons 

He is riding the religious wave that rolls higher and higher every Ramadan.  He is exploiting people’s faith and telling them that there is absolutely nothing wrong with marrying a little girl as young as nine years old.  He says there is reliable precedent in the Islamic tradition to legitimize such a course of action.  Tell the idiot that within all of the world histories there are precedents for pretty much anything.  Tell this pervert that a nine year old girl belongs in school and with her parents not in some other pervert’s bedroom.  Luckily Morocco has come a long way and such pernicious statements are today viewed just as such.  I am happy to hear legal action is being brought against this preacher and I hope he gets some re-education in what it is to be a Muslim in the 21 century and what the core values of Islam are.  He also needs to be taught that in this day and age what he calls marriage to a 9 year old is called pedophilia.       Click here to read  more

The young blogger who spoke his mind about the king’s actions and their impact on the overall development of the country has been freed after an appeal that completely overturned all charges against him.  What is refreshing about this case is that Mohamed Erraji has been released following legal court procedure rather than upon an arbitrary pardon from ” high above.”  Previous cases were “resolved” by a “royal pardon” that ends the legal procedure but does not really exonerate the defendants of the alleged crime for which they are being judged.  Instead of affirming innocence, a pardon actually reinforces the powers that be and grants them a halo of ” magnanimousness” that overshadows the fact that legal procedure and due process have been tossed out the window.  Read more here

This is quite an interesting issue of Saudi Aramco World magazine. Here’s a short excerpt:

If you eat asparagus, or if you start your meal with soup and end with dessert, or if you use toothpaste, or if you wear your hair in bangs, you owe a lot to one of the greatest musicians in history. He was known as Ziryab, a colloquial Arabic term that translates as “blackbird.” He lived in medieval Spain more than a thousand years ago. He was a freed slave who made good, charming the royal court at Córdoba with his songs. He founded a music school whose fame survived more than 500 years after his death. Ibn Hayyan of Córdoba, one of Arab Spain’s greatest historians, says in his monumental Al-Muqtabas (The Citation) that Ziryab knew thousands of songs by heart and revolutionized the design of the musical instrument that became the lute. He spread a new musical style around the Mediterranean, influencing troubadours and minstrels and affecting the course of European music.    click here to read more 

Last posts
Serious reversal for press freedom in Morocco
Morocco Becomes Biggest Importer of Chinese Green Tea
Maroc Telecom lifts its “ban” on Youtube
Mysterious Moroccan rapper Awdellil (Night Horse) returns with a new title
The Sentence is lighter than what the Prosecution requested but Nichane still faces a two month Ban
Sites of Interest
::x:: The American Legation at Tangiers
::x:: Global Rights
::x:: Moroccan Press Review
::x:: National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education’s Resource on Arab Civilization
::x:: Elaph news and culture gateway
::x:: Amnesty International ( for North Africa and the Middle East)
the contents of my old blog in text format
::x:: tamaZirt blog ::x::
all about Morocco and the Maghreb … that northern stretch of African land we call tamazirt

Soccer match viewing right uncover split between worlds0
Posted by Administrator in (Friday June 30, 2006 at 10:04 am)
Unable to watch world cup games on their domestic networks, Moroccan turn to richer Saudi funded sattelite channels to get access. These powerful networks cornered the market and got exclusive broadcast rights to all games. The rates of membership are beyond the budget of most Moroccan families.

Soccer match viewing right uncover split between worlds
MOROCCO: NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE DISCOVERED NEAR EL JADIDA
Moroccan authorities unearthed and reburied 82 bodies of anti-government rioters killed 24 years ago,
Number of worldwide DSL lines to reach 137m by year-end
Morocco Unveils Secret Mass Graves of Prisoners
Comments
Amir Prince-Bey on
Moorish mayhem
Tijani on
First comic book in Tamazight published in Morocco
hale on
Two newspaper journalists get “disproportionate” sentences for libelling a parliamentarian
stouf on
Le Petit Prince translated into Tamazight
Idriss on
A Futuristic Bouregreg
Links
A few links to useful online resources
The American Legation at Tangiers The Tangier American Legation Museum (TALM), a thriving cultural center, museum, conference center and library in the heart of the old medina in Tangier, is housed in the only historic landmark of the United States located abroad. Saved from destruction b
Nador online
my calendar calendar should include an entry for ” updating calendar”
e-mazighen community
::x:: Online Marrackesh One of a bunch of new super active online communities in Morocco
::x:: National Institute for Technology in Liberal Arts Education web resource on North Africa and the Middle East A vast online resource which includes downloadable readings, documented and summarized excerpts from movies and documentaries, audio and video interviews, as well as a large number of great photographs from architecture to popular arts
::x:: Moroccan press review (courtesy of the French embassy in Rabat) Main headlines and stories from Morocco’s newspapers and magazines
::x:: Moroccan Organization for Human Rights
::x:: Le Collectif des Familles de disparu(e)s en Algérie a great resource put together by the families of the disappeared
::x:: Human Rights Watch منظمة هيومان رايتس ووتش
::x:: Great information gateway A very comprehensive information gateway
::x:: Global Rights
::x:: Elaph news and culture gateway a great resource for a variety of news and culture sources from the region
::X:: City of Ouazzane ::X::
::x:: Casablanca Online One of a bunch of new super active online communities in Morocco
::x:: Amnesty International (North Africa and the Middle East)
::x:: A vast collection of resources on the Amazigh world