Zawaya

First off, we would like to thank the team that contributed in the creation of this open space, and we congratulate the Maghreb people for this initiative made for them, and by them. In this article, all repercussions of an unsound political situation are determined based on a logical analysis, but among the reasons that hinder internal reformation, you did not mention foreign complicity to support regimes that are favorable to their interests, as little has been said on this blatant fraud.

Considering the average growth rate of 3.4% in the region, we deduct that we still need to deploy multiple efforts in order to put us on the path of a real development. It’s true that in the past, certain obstacles – including those coming from elsewhere – had hampered us for a long time. And to bring us together and counterbalance us to use our rights as we acquired them – by huge sacrifices – we no longer mention the past but to take from it tools needed to strengthen democracy, and to protect our societies from excesses. However, this cannot be achieved but when each society benefits from its constitutional rights to the maximum, and when each one of them assumes its responsibilities. In Morocco, where a reconciliation with the misdeeds of the past is already mostly materialized, all citizens are getting ready to be part of action, especially after a long meditation on the turnout of the latest elections of September 2007, which did not exceed 37%, and on the constitutional implications thereof on both legislative and executive power levels. Since then, and under the patronage of His Majesty, a good number of sites had been launched, the civil society has been stimulated, and the National Initiative for Human Development had already been put in action in favor of areas most affected by consecutive drought years. And recently, the Minister of Interior has been seriously committed to continue its fight against various forms of corruption that distort elections, and damage socio-economic development that would follow. What remains now, is to see voters on June 22 – the elections’ day – visit the polls, in bulk this time, as they had committed before the closure of electoral rolls. Contact between future candidates and political parties on one hand, and voters on the other hand, is already underway. A calm atmosphere, without corruption or any other form of influence, is desirable for a proper and transparent implementation of this task. That will help raise the standard of living of citizens, among which only 48% are active – according to the HCP – and to increase the income of the middle class which is still below the national median. There is also the fight against unemployment, which affects 8.2% of the whole middle class comprising 53% of the total population, according to the same source. Unemployment is on the agenda of all development plans, including the Green Morocco Plan which is already funded to run in the short, medium and long term, from now until 2030. Therefore, it is up to individuals, to whom this opportunity is presented, not to revise it but after more than 1500 days. It is up to individuals to organize themselves, as all authorities are unified to offer help, in order to give the country a more illuminated reputation by a high turnout, which would reflect their true stability and their concern to see more investors and more visitors in the country. It is also their responsibility to make justice more efficient and impartial, and this can happen only with the help of a High Commission that would able to create laws to face social constraints, and to convince, then, the executive power which is still as it was since it was issued from the famous 37% turnout. This Commission would surely play its role if it was supported by a large mass of voters that would always constitute its base. It would fulfill its duties even better, when electors and local elected officials that will be issued from June’ elections will be of a better quality. Let’s also hope to see our political parties become persuasive communicators, in order to recover the trust of individuals, and work on controlling illegal influences such as power abuse, and all other forms of corruption. Because if these occur yet once, forgiveness and reconciliation will no longer be appropriate, as we live a time where everything is put into action for the good of our beloved country, Morocco, and our beloved Maghreb, which must be unified against all excesses, and recover peace.

Firstly, I am among the first people who visit Magharebia since its creation, and I still visit it on a daily basis till now, mainly because it’s a website that has a known editorial line attached to the U.S. military, which aims – according to the website’s vision – at encouraging communication and popular openness to media from within North Africa towards the west. However, the serious threat is that, if the website really wants to reach its goal, especially that terrorism which set off a number of motivations aiming at knowing the people of Africa that export terrorism, and looking into its causes. To reach this goal, Magharabia made the same error that the rulers of these countries made, as they transcended the real people who populated North Africa for millions of years, which are the Amazigh people. They transcended them, and then ignored a number of issues that would give an impartial answer about our people, and about the terrorism itself. The biggest mistake also is to consider Moroccans as Arabs, and to call their countries “Arab Maghreb” countries. This way, you demonstrate that you have a huge confusion between Arabs and Amazigh, and the composition of their countries. The search for the secrets of any people in the world now, imposes on any person, institution or organization to be fully aware of the conditions that might give the right answer, which lies in respecting identity, culture, and history, and looking well into them in order to have a special view before taking any position. I really feel very sorry when I find a website such as this one, which is attached to institutions that we take as an example in respecting the rights of other people whatever their gender, color, or location is – as we, as Amazigh people, always hope that our countries will raise to the level of the western example in respecting our rights – but now we discover that the West itself is making the same error, and even following the example of our countries, as Magharebia is doing. In order to satisfy all readers, we urge the administration and moderators of the website to not hurt our feelings, and to work on respecting us better, by not mentioning our region as “Arab Maghreb” – because it’s a human crime that was committed against us, and you are doing the same thing over -, and using instead the term “greater Maghreb”, by respect for both Arab and Amazigh sides. Thank you.

I intervene once again, about the same topic and main aim of this forum, which is the democratization of our countries in the Maghreb. This, without a doubt, will not prevent me from raising some questions, to which I’ll let the readers answer. As a matter of fact, now that we are called to focus our interventions on the elections, shouldn’t we ask questions such as those that hide the concept of election and elite, among the poor who make up the mass all over the AMU? And this election method, glass ballots boxes, ever since it started being used by Algerians in 1989, and which is becoming general, or at least being the norm in Morocco since 1997, with tight control based on all the means, to such extent that some, because of their involvement, are still behind bars. I would say: could this transparency that we gained be ours at this stage, if progress is not made after how we elected Amghar as shown by Jacques Berques in his famous study the High Atlas? Again, with regard to the poor illiterate who are many across the Maghreb, despite the mosques of our ancestors and the Protectorate’s schools, do they really know that electing is testing the best politician among the candidates who are nominated? In reality, the majority of our citizens are not even suitable yet for being mentored in this direction. The proof being that the word “politics” is still a concept of anarchy, as instilled by the settlers. I believe that this reflects, objectively speaking, the truth of our common reality regarding this topic. It is true, however, that those who are in charge have not done everything to change the political culture of the masses, in order to allow other elements to belong to this elite or to another; they have not uprooted poverty despite subsidies that Morocco receives every season, for all means of production (60% for large equipments of farm machinery, 4000.00 MAD/calf,…) etc. Despite that, what’s essential or complementary remains to be wished for, and that’s coaching the parties that prefer to cash in votes to spend up there in their living rooms, or central places. Then, when comparing the situation of Maghreb women who, since their existence, did not taste freedom but when the absolutism of our ancestors allowed them to weave threads for sewing. Today, their daughters, not far, are part of legislative and executive bodies, and will attend on the 19th and 20th of June a meeting to be held in Britain, where the first contract was concluded between the Lords and their king, in 1215; and they will attend with 150 other women to build business connections, not to sew!
Without democracy, Maghreb woman would only have to trace the path of women in the past, under the yoke of violent husbands. It appears, in my view, from our opinions that are freely expressed, that we should support funding for scientific research, so that the economic and politic fields go hand in hand, and that inter-Maghreb forums reach their goals; in the meantime, socio-political research answers us concerning current issues on the political culture of our rich and our poor, especially when taking into account that our relationships are only maintained up to 2.9%, while our relationship with Europe reached 67%, as it was deplored by a Libyan businessman, one of 600 other people from the Maghreb who gathered in Algiers for 2 days in order to reduce the cost of non Maghreb, on the initiative of the MUE, a body set up in Marrakech in 2007, to give new impetus to regional cooperation.
The Maghreb has become for all of us, and for its innocent creatures that are ignorant or miserable, a necessity besides being choice. Thus it is important, in my view, to see the elections clearly, it is necessary to change positions I did not say principles to see from an angle, the current situation, as required by globalization and the traces of colonization. We must take action by using the available tools for us to move forward.
However, if we continue to dig into the faults of the past, we would become weaker with no elections, democracy nor realizing our principles. Let us guide our masses towards making choices if they can, or teach them the know-how of voting for anyone, those who come with or after us will mentor them, because if they are left out, they could become prey to extremism which is in nobody’s interest.
Let’s support the infrastructure that people in power are in charge of, the superstructure will come after to help those who would unify the concept of elections and democracy with today’s concepts, and who could, at that time, fight against this corruption exchange which destroys them one by one with their ungrateful corrupters. As for our fellow Moroccan citizens, the Second Chamber or Upper House, on which depends the impartiality of justice, working conditions of the judges, and their reconciliation with the press; all this requires that we vote in large masses on June 12th.

Hello, and thank you for a great article. I have a few observations to share, if you don’t mind: First of all, does the Maghreb have media professionals to ensure objective coverage in order to guide the public opinion? The public now questions the purposes behind each information used in accordance with ideological directives or orientations. The official channel appreciates the efforts made by those in charge to stop disasters, while Islamists interpret swine flu as a curse from God. The exaggeration in reporting disasters or minimizing their importance can not be subjected to an objective criterion, since the organizations considered as the news sources often give wrong and non-specific information. Therefore, how can journalists commit to accuracy? And how can we determine their responsibility if they are victims of the media blackout themselves? By the way, there is a typo in the French translation: “une équipe journalistique professionnelle”.

We must encourage tourism, and we must also show zero tolerance while dealing with any terrorist act. The Maghreb countries are expected to create a common anti-terrorism unit, and a close collaboration between different information services to surround the terrorists… Here I see that the support of Europe’s information services and the support of America as well, may be of great help, either directly by satellite, given their developed eavesdropping and detection programs, which continuously control the movements of troops and traffickers in the southern Sahara region…

well I think we are quiet a bit late for not giving the responsibilities for Maghreb women to be part in political life and to have her say about many things around us from heath, education, home, security, industry, economic and others …

Peace be upon you. I think that women should stay at home, since Allah says {And stay quietly in your houses}.

I ask you to make the tests a little easier now, this year the Math subject was very hard.

Ould baba ahmed, you made us get used to good writing in Mauritania. Now you write as if it weren’t you. What’s wrong?

Said El Kahl – Despite the difficulties faced by university graduates in finding jobs within the Maghreb countries -statistics of the Ministry of Employment in Morocco, for example, show that 3/4 of these graduates can’t get a first job – many get enrolled in programs of self-training and rehabilitation following the requirements of the job market, and some even prefer to migrate to Europe, America and Canada to look for a job, which aggravates the drain of brains and competencies. However, the policies applied by the governments of the Maghreb to modernize and restructure their economies in order to respond to the terms of positive engagement in globalization and the requirements of tough competition, will force all types of companies to rely on skilled manpower. This will open the door of employment and promotion to the educated classes that have professional and technical competencies, and will also increase the importance of the central role played by the baccalaureate degree in opening wider horizons for reshaping the future of employment in the Maghreb countries. There is no doubt that the selected migration policy adopted by European countries will make of the baccalaureate degree a key to obtaining degrees and diplomas that entitle their holders to either engage in the job market locally, or migrate to the West legally. The Moroccan government took a legal action regarding the rationing of obtaining driving licenses for heavyweight vehicles (trucks and buses), by confining that to holders of a baccalaureate degree. This action may contribute to the rehabilitation of the profession of driving, and reduce the rate of accidents in which Maghreb countries score high at the global level.

Contribute with your lessons to promote education in Morocco: www.lycee-azhar.un.ma

N; Algerie. I guess that you mentioned the key issue in the realization of an innovation policy in the Greater Maghreb, which is investment in human resources. It is true that Algeria’s natural wealth (oil) among others should have allowed the country to achieve a thriving economy normally, but this has created a total dependence on oil and hampered the emergence of a sustainable and reliable strategy, thus leading to precarious systems that hinder the development of the private sector which still suffers from traditional banking systems despite the encouragement. It is also true that access to education is free, but with programs that are not geared towards innovation, universities that are basically centers of research and creation, become centers for issuing diplomas that are inconsistent with the requirements of the job market, and the brightest graduates become potential researchers to countries offering better opportunities.. As a conclusion, I think that adapting imported strategies that do not meet local standards, will necessarily lead to repeated failures.

I agree with you, but I think that one of the problems faced by schools in particular, and education in general, is that we haven’t set so far the type of Maghreb people we want to form, should they be educated only? Or should they be able to face all challenges and contribute something to humanity as a whole? I think that specifying this is what will dictate the type of education.

Since the topic is related to innovation, I would like to ask Magharebia to create a special corner that is richer and more flexible, and select the most objective, original and serious among participants and observers as “the best guests”, allowing them to participate without any limits on the number of characters… It is very inappropriate for example to only improvise a few words on the historic, deep and glorious speech of Mr. Obama and then leave… Therefore, it is necessary to create a new corner in Magharebia that’s entitled “the best guest” to enable these guests to participate widely, deeply and usefully… I have many observations and new ideas that I think have the utmost historical importance in helping to enrich the human stock of knowledge and create the most appropriate global ground for the success of promising aspirations and hopes of the new Man who’s being drawn by this exceptionally global and historic speech… It would be useful today to say that a people that does not have the capacity to innovate, is a people living in a cemetery… A people whose soul was beguiled by the past, as were beguiled its energies of renewal and life… Innovation is the highest manifestation of human mental excellence, as it’s a capacity to highlight the endless power of the mind to cope with difficulties, take risks and push humans to discover their talents and not to give in to despair and frustration when confronted with constraints of progress… Political efforts to stimulate these energies for our peoples confirm that Mr. Obama put a finger on the bleeding wounds of the Arabic and Islamic culture of our peoples, which are painful cultural wounds related to the trauma of modern times and the inability of the Arab and Muslim conscience to positively deal with them and warily and actively engage in making their events. These wounds need to be healed smartly and carefully, outside the logic of conceit and the previous “Bush” rush… There is no doubt that the global economic crisis cannot be solved with magic recipes and projected solutions, it actually needs mental and psychological efforts that are more meaningful, effective and evolving. Therefore, the concept of innovation must go beyond mere work in the technical or economic fields to become an integrated creative work… In Tunisia, there is a strong belief in the culture of initiative and innovation at the highest level, and I assure you that the Tunisian State is doing its best to establish these principles, especially among young people, but acceptance by this age group is still slow… The deep psychological structure of the social mentality strongly resists any real change that requires extra efforts… There is even a strong tendency towards laziness and easy money among the majority, and this is a source of weakening the psychological and mental pattern of development for our peoples, even if it doesn’t stop it; this delays development but doesn’t kill it… I noticed that to face unemployment, the Tunisian State is keen to continue the modernization drive in all fields with full seriousness and perseverance, so we see that the Tunisian leadership is giving a good example, not only on promoting innovation but also on materializing it in each of its working and management methods of the State affairs.. Therefore, focusing on developing a culture of innovation according to Mr. Obama might constitute an appropriate international framework to advance the pace of Maghreb cultural values towards motivating the collective will to make more efforts for the development of the internal psychological structure and it was of understanding and approaching things.. This mainly requires from Mr. Obama, before taking any practical step in his program, to understand the psychological mechanisms of the popular mental functioning and the nature of its reactions. Obama’s American humanitarian interventions should be in accordance with the principle of respect for people and privacy, and full maintenance of the principles of independence and sovereignty… “Custodian of the orientation of global innovation issues in Tunisia”. ABDELKADER BEN OTHMEN

Good morning brother Karraky. The content of your article did not really convince me for several reasons that I will not discuss in details, but I will mention one element only, which is finding job opportunities for young people. Can one say that this is linked to education only? I don’t think so, because there are thousands of Maghreb people with the highest degrees, and many of them have very high levels of education, but they can’t find a job. I believe that this issue is linked to the need to bet on investment to create more job opportunities.

The obsession of parties in Morocco is to traffic recommendations only for influential and wealthy people. So how can a good citizen nominate himself as long as dirty partisan hands control the electoral process? I swear, and I say it honestly, the single-party system is genuinely merciful than the current parties, despite its disadvantages.

Said El Maghrebi – The political scene is slightly improving compared to how it was during the reign of Hassan II, since the State is no longer part of the political conflict between the parties. However, the parties have not benefited from this improvement because they favor personal interests and seek parliament seats. This reality concerns all parties, both those that describe themselves as progressive, and those described as administrative and which were created by the State in the past to dilute political action. Trust cannot be restored in the parties unless they create political action and punish corrupt people. Parties that recommend corrupt candidates and nominate them in the elections can never build a modern society and cannot create genuine development.

Hello dear professor. I found this website by coincidence, and was very pleased to find your article here. Nostalgia took me back to the old days when I was your student, and you used to repeat consistently that progress can be achieved only by relying on reason. I remember that you always repeated that law alone cannot change reality. You would wonder why I am repeating your words now, it’s simply because you called on to reconsider the law governing political parties. So do you think, Sir, that the law governing parties in Morocco is capable alone of controlling the partisan scene if there is no genuine will from the parties?

I only see this program as a blind imitation of the west; it is not related to Islam by any means. Unfortunately, people are busy watching Star Academy while the sanctity of Muslims is violated every hour; and our youth is distracted by songs and prohibited things. May God not forgive anyone who worked on this program, or promoted it, or is behind it.

Honestly speaking, Abdelaziz deserves the title, because he has both talent and ethics. What’s an artist without talent and ethics? He/she would not be an artist at the first place – with all my respect to all Arab artists. Since the day Abdelaziz entered the Academy, he did nothing wrong. It’s a sure thing that everyone noticed that, and also that many candidates left while they should actually have stayed; I will not say their names, you know them. There are people who enter the program because they want to become something, and improve their talent. And there are other people who hehehehe… they go there to have love affairs, and some look for a husband, like if all men became extinct from the world hehehe.

Star Academy is just an entertainment, it does not link dignity and homeland, and it has no meaning and no significance. It can be considered a competition on titles, singing and fame. Star Academy.

Hajar is great, I love her so much.

Well done, Basma. Morocco is proud of you.

Love you, 3zozi.

Greetings. Honestly, they made a mistake by giving the title to Abdelaziz, because the best voice was Basma’s. As I read in those comments, Roula defines the person who would win from the beginning, and then she gives her the title, but that’s not fair before God. However, this program does not respect the laws of Islam. Thanks.

i love star academy is my favrite chow

When Basma sang, she made people cry. And when she didn’t get the title, people cried for her.

It’s really unfair. Azouz does not deserve the title, because his voice is not beautiful at all. The one who deseeeeeeeeeeeerves it is the one with the most beautiful voice in the Academy… but you are a staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar in the eyes of Morocco, you made us proud of you, Basma.

I am Nour from Lybia. Seriously, Abdelaziz doesn’t deserve to win the title, because he has no good looks, nor voice, and not even logic. If Basma or Micho would have won it, it would have been better.

I hate Star Academy. I wanted Basma to win the title.

Why didn’t Basma win the title? She deserves to be a star. Why did Abdelaziz win? Even if he has a beautiful voice, but Basma’s voice is really marvelous.

I think that your article is very interesting; I read it with great attention. However, you should have given us more details about the show. Greetings to the author.

I believe that Star Academy doesn’t contribute in developing real talents, because there are wonderful voices that deserve to be encouraged and assisted to show up and compete with other artists, but Star Academy only helps rich people….. We cannot deny that there are some participants who have beautiful voices and deserve to win, like Bassma, Abdelaziz, Bach, and Ibrahim…. But some are admitted into the show just because of their money and power….. Thank you Magharebia.

I love Star Academy Maghreb, they really choose genuine talents.

What the creator of Star Academy said about Muslims
In the name of God, the most compassionate, the most merciful. Peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings. Here is an interview conducted by a website with Dr. Malhom Aknov, the Israeli creator of Star Academy:
Q: How do you feel today after achieving your biggest wish, which is having Star Academy in Muslim countries?
A: It’s an indescribable feeling… It has taken us a lot of time to reach our goal.
Q: What do you mean by that?
A: I mean that it has taken us many years to spread Star Academy in Western countries, then in Arab ones. We knew that our idea would turn into the most successful plan in the course of the Israeli state.
Q: Why were you sure of the success of this idea?
A: Because we know that Muslims nowadays have drifted away from their religion, and at the same time, Muslim youth has a tendency to adhere to Islam; if this tendency grows, it will destroy our State.
Q: Why were you keen to have Star Academy as a means to reach Muslims?
A: Because we want them to drift away from their religion.
Q: What are you planning for today to attack Islam after Star Academy?
A: We are planning for the invasion of Muslim women.
Q: Why are you targeting Muslim women instead of Muslim men?
A: Because we know that if the Muslim woman deviates, a whole generation of Muslims will follow her.
Q: How do you describe invading Muslim women?
A: Now, we are keen on attacking Muslim women and corrupting them mentally, intellectually and physically more than manufacturing tanks and warplanes.
Q: Are you involved in Star Academy Lebanon?
A: Of course, we donate a substantial amount of money to them every day, and the show is constantly under our control, either the first, second or third seasons.
Q: At the end of this interview, what do you want to say to our Israeli nation? And what do you presage for them?
A: I want to ask all Israeli intellectuals to seize the sleep of the Islamic nation, because if it ever wakes up, it can restore in years what was taken from it in centuries. <><><>
This interview is copied for you because of its importance, and God knows how accurate the translation is. Can you feel the mockery towards Muslims’ dignity by publishing this interview on a website? Because they know that the feelings and pride of Islam have “died” in the hearts of Muslims, except for a few! I swear that if we all open our eyes, we should be jealous and cry blood instead of tears. Many of us will read this interview without feeling concerned or moved, and most of us watch this program and the like, but real Muslims who are concerned about their religion will definitely refuse to watch this program and similar shows, out of love for God and the prophet – peace be upon him -, because the day of judgment is coming, it’s certainly coming. Every Muslim will be accounted on the judgment day for what they have done for our religion. Did concern about our honor and Islam die in our hearts?? We must feel the humiliation that touches Muslims with this talk, and think about the intentions of the Israelis, that are as despicable as themselves. Those who read this and don’t learn anything from it should be worried about themselves and about their end. The least that can be done is boycotting this show, and any similar programs that corrupt minds… And warn our daughters particularly and women in general about them, because they are their main target!! God is sufficient for us against them, and against all those who help them. God is sufficient for us, God is sufficient for us…?? (Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves). The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “Convey on my behalf even if it is only one verse”.

There is no doubt that Star Academy’s results were very fair. It’s a sure thing that Abdelaziz has talent and morals, and we don’t doubt that Basma has talent, as she made us cry the day she sang for kids and childhood, but it’s no secret that she has no decency, which favored Abdelaziz over her. After all, it’s just a show.

Star Academy is a very nice show, it encourages people to get to know each other. Samia from Algeria.

I am Hind.

Basma is a star; they were unfair to her because it’s the prince who helped Abdelaziz. It’s true that Abdelaziz has a nice voice, but Basma deserves to win more than him. Therefore, I call on all Arabs to boycott Star Academy because it was unfair to many people, especially Moroccans, like Basma, Hanae and many more.

Good evening to all Maghreb people. I think that a second season of Starac Maghreb will be an opportunity to show the Middle Eastern countries that we have a very rich and varied artistic heritage.

I love Basma, she is the one who deserves the title.

Greetings. This program is a good show that trains candidates and shows their artistic creativity. It is also an entertaining program that features candidates with good voices that are able to keep going successfully in the artistic field. However, the problem is that the program unfortunately relies completely on the votes of viewers in order to define the star of the show, instead of relying on specialists who can evaluate voices and performances even for a percentage of at least 50%. The votes of viewers are inevitably biased by national pride, and do not support the talent or voice that deserves to win. This is what I noticed in the show this year, because I think that the person who deserves to win the title based on her voice, performance, and the trust of the program’s administration in her is the Moroccan candidate, Basma. It’s an opinion that is shared by many people who love Arabic songs and good voices. I hope that the program’s administration will take this into account, and will establish a jury that can count for 50% of the votes, without bias for any country; otherwise, the show will lose its credibility and public.

I think that it’s a good program, but it’s either Basma or Micho who were supposed to win the title.

Of course there is fraud and discrimination. Who would win? Is it the Moroccan candidate or the Saudi candidate? Of course it’s the Saudi candidate who has the money, even if Basma’s voice is as sweet as sugar, don’t you know? It’s obvious; they are not looking for talents, they are looking for money. Open your eyes, people.

I can easily judge that it’s an outrageous program that does not care about talent, as much as it cares about money, and what I mean is clear.

Hello. How are you, Star Academy’ candidates?

The best candidate in Star Academy 6 is Ibrahim, and he deserves to win the title. As for Basma, she is not polite, and she is very indecent. She also has no good presence on stage, and she didn’t honor us – with all due respect – because she was indecent with guys. A free Tunisian.

Hi. Truth be told, it’s Basma who should have won Star Academy, but it’s not a problem that she didn’t win. I love Star Academy very much. My name is Siham, and I am from Morocco. I love Yahya, Basma, Ibrahim, Khawla, Naser, Tania and Micho.

A united Maghreb? You really believe in that? You’re really naive then.

I congratulate you on your article, and I wish you a good admission. Keep the anonymity.

This is a hideous program.

Dear Madam, I am a journalist and I would like to know your opinion on the professional situation of female journalists, and several other topics in this field. If it’s possible, I would like to email you my questions. Please accept, Madam, the assurance of my highest consideration.

I like the 4 of them, but especially Basma because she is Moroccan.

I love Bassoma, she should have won the title because she deserves it. She is also very beautiful. I am Hamza from Morocco.

People, of course, play a major role, which leads to a big movement.

Things such as Facebook and Twitter express the peoples’ views. Therefore, they are considered an alive voice of the people. Thanks.

The sine qua non condition for establishing a real democracy is a public debate without barriers, in a real atmosphere of freedom; which is exactly what is lacking in the Maghreb where authoritarian regimes managed to condition people and create a state of mind in which citizens (or those who are supposed to be as such) find it normal to practice self-censorship and, by doing that, humiliate themselves to prove that they fit well in the oppression that crushes them with different degrees depending on the country in question. Anyway, the dominant feature in society has become hypocrisy created by fear. The reasons behind fear are not fictitious, of course. But weren’t there reasons to be scared during the colonial period? Wasn’t there repression against dissidence? Yet, that had not prevented people from expressing themselves and struggling to recover their dignity.
Living today in independent and sovereign countries, what has their dignity become? They became an inseparable part of an apathetic society. They became alienated in their own countries. They vibrate to go fight in Iraq, Gaza or Afghanistan, but do not show solidarity with strikers at their home country. They would risk their lives in the sea to go to Europe while knowing they would be discriminated against, rather than seeking work at home. They have no home anymore. This is the secret of the dictatorship’s victory. People have become extras, machines to applaud or to file a piece of paper into a trash-ballot box during the electoral masquerade. The media, whose function is to sound the alarm when things go wrong, have become an extension of the authority and a body of cheap propaganda. They strive to praise the providential prince who receives daily testimonies of admiration from various heads of States from the 4 corners of the globe. And he spends the rest of his time waiting for a disaster to happen in a friend or distant country to send his condolences. Ridicule does not kill; the national media continue to be examples of clowning on which we can no longer count. Fortunately, almost every evil can be treated or cured. The remedy to alleviate the stupidity of national media is the use of Internet communication to avoid sinking into total degradation. But that also requires a certain amount of courage and skills to escape the persecution of Internet users, as dictatorships are in a state of wakefulness. Yet, there is no need to despair because light will always emerge from darkness.

I think they are very sick, and need to go to a mental hospital as soon as possible. Shame on them; these actions are only carried out by infidels, sick and crazy people.

This is an open letter to all terrorists. I am addressing this letter to you, as a Muslim and as a Sharif, one of the descendants of the prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him). I would not do this if it weren’t a duty, because a Sharif is the best suitable person to clarify to the entire world the true concepts of Islam, which you are so far from, and to tell you: enough playing, and enough sullying the image of Islam in the eyes of everyone. Instead of following the example of the prophet, you have strayed from the path of wisdom and have become ruthless, unscrupulous criminals… Because of you, Islam has become a religion of criminals and Nazis in the eyes of the world, and because of you Muslims have become hunted like animals in China… You have destroyed all hope… Well done, even Sharon was unable to achieve 1/1000000 of your heinous crimes, you are a disgrace to all Muslims because you’re not Muslims, in reality you are nothing but blood-thirsty criminals and mercenaries… By the way, it’s easy to destroy and demolish, but have you ever wondered: what did you bring to humanity apart from horror and blood shedding? Your results: widows, orphans, beggars… Azazel (the great Satan) found his throne of evil in some Muslim countries thanks to your support, because your terrorist attacks have made investors and tourists run away, while women and girls in many African countries sell their bodies and engage in prostitution, even children aged 10 years or older do… Do you know why? To find enough food to feed their families… Is that Islam to you? Your justifications, such as “istehlal”, do not make sense, you are dirty thieves and unscrupulous criminals, you should be ashamed of your actions, which made Muslims lose credibility in front of everyone… You know that you are manipulated like puppets by your leaders … I am asking you in the name of Allah Almighty to review your conscience, if you still have it, before it’s too late… As for Muslims, I am addressing you this call: Praise be to Allah alone, and prayers be upon the Prophet, his family and companions. Dear Muslims, wherever you are or come from, I am addressing this call to you: As you know, every time that a suicide bombing is committed, the prime culprits are Muslims. Have you ever wondered about the reason behind this? Aren’t you trying to solve this problem? I’m sure that you do, you’re asking yourselves these questions and are looking for solutions… This is where I would personally like to intervene to invite you to follow my advice… 1/ If others accuse Muslims, it’s because that every time, and behind every attack, there is an element who claims to be a Muslim… 2/ Is he really a Muslim???? But the answer is no. Dear Muslims, be united and teach the whole world that our religion is a symbol of tolerance, peace and love… Dear Muslims, avoid those who teach you violence, and pay attention to your children who can easily become prey for false Islamists… Dear Muslims, Islam was never a symbol of violence because our prophet taught love to everyone, and he also taught us that Jews, Muslims and Christians are all descendants of Abraham, and brothers… Dear Muslims, do not forget that violence gives a bad image of Islam and our prophet… Dear Muslims, since when did Allah allow us to kill innocent people. Never, since all religions teach love and tolerance…..and peace. Dear Muslims, follow my advice: being a Muslim is being a symbol of wisdom and seriousness, and a sower of love and peace…. not a scandalous sower of fear, who gives a bad image of Islam…. Dear Muslims, from the heart of a country of tolerance and Islam as the Prophet has taught us… From Morocco that follows Islam, since our guide, Amir al-Muminin Mohamed VI, is a descendant of the prophet. Morocco is thus the most representative country of Islam and tolerance, where Jews, Christians and Muslims live in peace under the guidance of a wise king, His Majesty Mohamed VI, the descendant of the noblest family on earth. And like once, when all the descendants of Abraham lived in peace under the protection of our prophet and the Righteous Caliphs afterwards… Dear Muslims, if you want to learn about Islam, then please ask Muftis that are approved by the State, to be sure that neither you nor your children will fall under the guidance of terrorists disguised in Imams…. Signed: Acharif Moulay Abdellah Bouskraoui.

Even if the victims are infidels, these people shouldn’t do that, it’s not a justification for their actions, their sickness is.

I think that the most important safety measure that can be taken in Mauritania is that the threat of coups does not come back to the political arena, as a critical mechanism of change, and I sincerely hope that the Mauritanian people will be called in the future to assess the policy of a civilian government through the elections, and not to recommend those who relied on coups.

This article shows great political mastery, and summarizes highly relevant forecasts and social changes. Cheikhna Ould Ahmed.

Of course, the country is in chaos, they do it and go kill more people. Oh my God, of course, everyonehas to join the Greater Maghreb to put an end to this.

I wish there were more attention paid to the tens of millions of people abducted by dictatorial regimes and deprived from their liberty and the right of choosing freely their governments. We shouldn’t allow the publicity given to terrorists to make us forget that the Maghreb countries, with the exception of Morocco with its hereditary monarchy, were all taken over by authoritarian rulers who seized the power by military coups and kept it through fake elections. People who dared to question their legitimacy were assassinated, thrown in jails, tortured and persecuted. The mass media were taken over to spread propaganda and deprive people from objective and critical information. The worst examples are to be found in Libya and Tunisia who practice the cult of personality. The dictators of those countries are presented as heroic figures. Their word is unquestioned and the flattery and praise they receive from the media have no limits. Not even the sky. The worship of the dictator includes also his family. In Libya the children of Kaddafi don’t only misbehave in Libya but also abroad, as they did recently in Switzerland where they thought they were above the law. When the authorities reacted as they should, Kaddafi cut his oil export to Switzerland. A diplomatic incident followed. In Tunisia a son of the first lady from an earlier marriage stole the expensive yacht of a French banker. Nothing could be done against him. Only a personal intervention of ex president Chirac convinced the Tunisian president Ben Ali to order his son in law to return the yacht to its owner. According to Freedom House ‘The clan of the brothers ad sisters of the president’s wife Leila has been accused of improperly accumulating assets since her marriage with the president’. Tunisians don’t dare to say anything openly because the couple of Ben Ali and his wife Leila is often compared to the Ceausescu couple in Romania during the dictatorship. Both are sharing the power and the dignitaries of the regime crawl before Leila. Such examples can be found in other dictatorships. There was the Peron couple in Argentina, the Marcos couple in the Philippines, the Sadat couple in Egypt, and let’s not forget Hitler and Eva Braun. History offers more examples of ‘infernal couples’ who abused their power and hold whole populations as hostages.

It’s saddening to talk about marginal issues that are in fact the result of bigger issues that are being neglected. Talking about the Algerian stand, and calling on Maghreb countries to join it on a specific position, might hide from us several realities that I wish you had tackled. But I would just like to mention that dealing with the problem of terrorism and finding realistic solutions to it, is the most logical and reasonable thing to do. I think this starts by eliminating the fuse of tension that has crippled the Arab Maghreb, and made the region enter into narrow policies with no horizons. If citizens of the Arab Maghreb countries can’t move freely between these countries, and even the visa system is still present, while what brings the peoples of the region together is much more than what divides them; then it has become necessary today to all peace-loving forces in the world – especially the Security Council – to help restore life to the Arab Maghreb. At this point, there won’t be just one country in the face of terrorism, and we will not see solutions standing as a tree that hides the forest, because the region will become secure, welcome all peoples of the world that wish to explore the region and discover its culture and civilization, and enable them to do so without fear or intimidation. Finally, I don’t think that tourists will come at all, because instead of welcoming them and opening our doors for them to witness our hospitality, we receive them with kidnapping and torture; what evil morals!

It requires honesty and courage to admit that the number one problem of Muslim countries, such as Tunisia, is not really religion, but it’s rather criminality. Corruption, nepotism, power abuse, influence peddling, and the absence of the State of law disturb the practice of free economy, and do more harm to society than a piece of cloth with which some women prefer to cover their hair, while others – like yourself – prefer to show off their trendy haircut. In both cases, I do not see any problem other than the hysteria conveyed by the media and fueled by opportunistic and unscrupulous politicians for whom a contract is well worth ignoring some issues, such as Sarkozy or Chirac who – while visiting Tunisia – praise the human rights policy and close their eyes on dictatorship, but scream of indignation as soon as the Islamic veil is mentioned. To explain their silence regarding the corruption of power and violations that they would not like to see in their own countries, their excuse is that they should not be giving lessons to others. If that is the case, they should be consistent with themselves and stop the policy of selective indignation. In a word, and even though I support the separation of religion and politics, I think that it is more urgent for some countries, under the current circumstances, to rather separate between criminality and State.

Brother Mahmoud, one can’t imagine any kind of participation without a real political will allowing the creation of frameworks that encourage the integration of Maghreb skills and enable them to activate the various experiences that they benefited from while being abroad. In reality, political regimes in the Maghreb do not want trends that can bring any change that may threaten their existence; the means of oppression are multiple, it would be enough to create parallel associations or parties to stifle any serious activity. Otherwise, how else can one explain further brain drain abroad, despite the difficult circumstances of immigration and the political discourses in the host countries. With all that, the political arena remains a scene for ad hoc and opportunistic activities that feed internal divisions, and charge accusations against all initiatives coming from Maghreb expatriates, as it happened lately on (the pages of) some Algerian newspapers. This – of course – does not leave any options for the will of the Maghreb peoples in order to interact with each other and move forward towards the best. Associations

would you mind correcting :remains a scene instead of area which doesnt suit the meaning.thanks

The interpretation of the Qur’an with what we apply of clear and hidden meanings is a huge responsibility and a serious trusteeship. The decision makers should not allow random people to play with it, nor make it the subject of a trivial competition by including terms that are far from being part of a balanced, insightful, and effective debate method, such as “the feminization of the religious field”, and “masculine ideologies”. This is a field that has experts and scholars who fear God the Almighty, and master the words of God the Almighty by studying them, reading them, and understanding them.

1. Charfi’s comments regarding historical Sunni Islam’s Juristic establishment amount to nothing more then ad hominem attacks. The gender of the Jurists has no bearing on the correctness of the legal or theological positions which they hold or the arguments which they posit.

2. What is wrong with the notion of a Juristic establishment having a monopoly on the interpretation of Law? Who should interpret the Shariah… a class of highly trained Jurists and Lawyers…. or Bill the bloody butcher?

We are talking about a highly sophisticated legal tradition…

As for the fundamentalists… they like the author are products of modernity. The socio-political and economic programs which they promote(not to mention the approach to knowledge which bore them) are utterly modern in orientation and have no precedent in classical Muslim thought.

GOOD ARTICLE CARAMEL.AHMEDSALEM

Thank you very much Souheila Bourezg for this interesting article. We are only a few days away from Ramadan, and we have to get ready for it. It’s even a duty to spend our time in worship and getting back to the Almighty Creator; this won’t happen unless we stop wasting our time. I hope that God accepts all of your deeds, as well as this forum’s, that serve the Moroccan community in particular and the Islamic world in general. Hassan from Ouarzazate.

The holy month of Ramadan is a month of piety, mercy and forgiveness. Many of us criticize series and programs broadcasted during Ramadan, like the Fawazeer for example. In my opinion, time management is very important. There is a time for prayers, a time for preparing food – especially for ladies -, a time for worshiping, and then there is a time for breaking the fast. After that, Muslims need some physical and mental rest to watch the programs they like, and which are especially designed for this holy month. So if they like watching Fawazeer, they just revitalize their minds after being inactive. And if they watch funny shows, it’s good because doctors advise us to laugh from time to time. And if they watch drama series, then it’s okay because all series are inspired by the reality of our lives, and they are for the majority sad series that make the viewers cry and react to them, thus cleansing their hearts. As for the remaining time of the night, when calm prevails and movement lessens, it’s a time to perform prayers, and worship God until the morning if one wants. Therefore, I am not against satellite channels, quite the opposite, because we gather, have fun and watch programs in a convivial family atmosphere. Besides, programs and channels compete yearly to produce the best content. If satellite channels have changed Maghreb families, then I think that they have changed them towards the best, especially with the presence of Islamic and educational channels.

Ramadan is the month of repentance and asking for forgiveness from God Almighty. It’s a special month for Muslims, the month during which the Qur’an was revealed in the special night of al-Qadr.

Worship God as if you see Him and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you.

Peace be upon you. I would like to say that we should repent to God especially in this great and blessed month for all Muslims, may God protect them. I hope that we will live up to start Ramadan in the best of conditions and health. I would also like to advise all Muslims who are looking forward to Ramadan to avoid watching useless movies, thanks. Happy Ramadan to all. Your sister Sara from Oujda. Sara Lah

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a happy Ramadan. Interesting topic! Ramadan is a month of worship, and should be an opportunity for Muslims to get closer to God. Unfortunately, it’s quite the opposite that’s happening. People are more concerned about series and movies. Do you agree with me?

You are right about everything you said. Frankly speaking, Arabs have almost gotten rid of all their traditions, because of the computer and satellite channels.

Peace be upon you, my brothers and sisters. Satellite channels have certainly changed a lot in our society (customs, traditions, mentalities,…), and Ramadan is also concerned by this change more negatively than positively. Many individuals and families became isolated, as they spend most of their time watching TV and forget about family relations and Ramadan traditions. More importantly, there is the issue of forgetting some of the rites of our religion, and dropping or postponing them for the sake of satellite channels or the Internet. I am not generalizing, there are still some people who are not affected by that change and who are not yet taken by this technology. This does not mean that I am against modern communication technologies, this is just a call for people to be careful and try to optimize the use of these technologies without giving them priority or forgetting the teachings of our religion, our traditions and our good customs in this holy month.

You are right. But if I would like to know, is the Internet haram or not? I actually mean Yahoo!.

Peace be upon you. I am Yazid. Happy Ramadan. I love Ramadan.

This is a great article, from a competent writer who deserves respect.

Ramadan is approaching, so have you gotten closer to God, O Muslims? Dear Muslim brothers and sisters, fear God who created you and provided you with your subsistence needs. My brothers and sisters in Allah, what a world we live in! You see evil and immorality with your bare eyes, and cannot do anything about them. We ask God to forgive our sins, because we only see evil and immorality in this world.

May God guide the sons and daughters of Islam to where their good is. Ramadan is indeed a month of hard work, and achieving proficiency at work is equivalent to worshiping. Thanks to the author, the website and anyone reading these words.

Muslims must know that the month of Ramadan is supposed to make us feel the suffering of the hungry and the poor, and to share this feeling with them through the sharing of goods and helping the poor and needy, and providing a little comfort to people who – in most cases – have forgotten that they are human because of our negligence… Unfortunately, most Muslims behave with an unparalleled selfishness during this month, and think only about the prestige of shopping and how to garnish their Ramadan tables, which is often done out of pride… For some people, they have become like cattle, for them this month aims at shopping too much, and eating all night long; for others, they are shopping all day long out of prestige, and to show others that they are rich enough… So please show a little bit of humanity and wisdom.

Peace be upon you. Ramadan is a month of worship and drawing closer to God, and not a time for over-eating and drinking. The prophet (pbuh) forbade excessive eating.

Fasting is beneficial for health??? Not like this…. One day a week, for a total of (24 hours), drinking herbal tea… yes, that might be beneficial… but 30 days of half fasting and eating, smoking, drinking alcohol, etc, at night… this damages one’s health, all doctors agree on that, even Muslim ones… Nothing dietetic in all this… nothing… it’s only a great shock to the body that completely changes its habits in 24 hours… That’s dangerous….. Happy Ramadan…. Sorry for my French.. I hope that you will understand what I am trying to say….

Yes, yes, you are right. Muslims think that Ramadan is a month of food and movies.

A big thank you for this stimulating article! Jana

I have been reading Zawaya’s articles since its launch, but there’s one thing I cannot understand: why don’t journalists stick to the topics they are supposed to discuss?

Happy Ramadan, and best wishes of happiness, health and success to everyone. I truly like the beta version of the new website. The writing style (in Arabic) of the various authors (especially Dr. Mohammed Cherkaoui) is very good, and there are virtually no mistakes. That’s a very good thing. Similar websites are becoming more numerous. Quality is the first element that should be acted upon to make a website stand out from the crowd, but quality alone is not always enough. Other factors to consider are: communication around the website, choosing appealing topics, regular updating and a good moderator.

The key ideas can be classified into three categories: physical health, psychological health, and lifestyle. One of the most important advices to give during the summer is to avoid dehydration, and to drink at least two liters of water daily, especially for old people. Also, do not forget to separate between the main meals, because that really helps with digestion and sleep. FH. PS: I do not have an Arabic keyboard at the office where I am right now. FH

I am happy to be the first to comment. This topic is worthy of discussion. Thank you, Magharebia, for allowing everyone to express their opinions. I really think that justice has been done in the case of the bombing of Pan Am.

Everyone – including yourself – knows that the release of al-Megrahi was not done out of humanitarian concerns, it was rather a deal between Libya and the United Kingdom. The judiciary that accepts a deal to release someone, can also accept a deal to accuse them. So before you accuse Libyans of being backward, you should rather look at those that you hoped would apply justice in the world, and look at civilized people whose lies and falsity you believed, while forgetting your Arab identity that’s being stepped on every single day in Palestine, Iraq and other parts of the globe. And now you think that it’s too much for the Libyan Arab people to celebrate this victory, even if it’s a false victory in your opinion, despite your failure and submission as an Arab. That is strange, very strange.

Hello professor. I do not agree with you this time on the ideas you exposed in regards to the release of the Libyan citizen. The issue is not related to what you mentioned about enriching the legality of the political system; the case has another dimension. I think that you know very well that all cases that pass through the Security Council have two facets: a visible one that’s said to have the purpose of maintaining global peace and security; and a hidden one that defends the interests of the permanent members of the Security Council, where secret negotiations are carried out, and concessions are made. The Lockerbie case followed the same path, and I insist that the West today has no right whatsoever to comment on the release of al-Megrahi, because it accepted the principle of compensation at the first place, and therefore the issue is over for the West. On the other hand, the Libyan people has the right to celebrate the return of one of theirs, especially in light of a widespread feeling of injustice about Libya having been dragged into this case, while it had nothing to do at all with the bombing of Pan Am.

When I wrote that the political power in Libya used the release of al-Megrahi to amplify its legitimacy, it was merely an objective observation about the conduct of rulers somewhere in the world, bearing in mind that the politicization of a number of events that are far from politics is applied in all countries; I think that periods preceding the elections are a good example of that. Political powers have a politicization mechanism that may turn any transient event – even if it has nothing to do with politics – into a mechanism to support their legitimacy, which is something that no one else got hold of in the community. This is what I was referring to in my article; and I did not apply an emotional approach. Thank you for your interest in reading this article.

This is a real problem for families of school-age children, especially with the substantially increasing expenditure in Ramadan due to misconceptions about food and nutrition. However, not all low-income families are burdened with school expenses the same way. Families who choose public schools endure lower costs since education there is free of charge, and they are offered assistance from the National Initiative for Human Development to educate their children; while private schools costs are excessively high, paid monthly and in advance, with no consideration to social aspects. Private schools exaggerate also in terms of the required school supplies that might even never be used during the school year. Families who choose this type of education are truly suffering, especially if they belong to the low-income families’ category. These families are driven by their quest for quality when they enroll their kids in expensive schools, which often prompts them to resort to consumer loans, thus putting extra pressure on the family’s budget during the repayment duration; that is if these families do not resort to another loan to pay the first one, and there begins a long list of problems that leave an impact not only on the family, but also on society as a whole.

I actually did not intend to comment on Zawaya, but your article has intrigued me in many ways, given the interest it raises from citizens. Whilst one cannot deny that the purchasing power has fallen dramatically due to the lousy incomes and rising prices, one should also point out that Maghreb markets have become real messes where all sorts of products are flowing, informal markets are alarmingly flourishing, and merciless business Barons dictate prices amidst the total absence of State control. All this leaves consumers unprotected, since the policy of let-do does not radically address the situation. To remedy the high prices of products, parents resort to second-hand American stocks where items cost 50 Algerian Dinars. This new trend attracts even the middle class which finds that the items sold there have better quality even if they are used. Associations

I am wondering how the Moroccan families manage to survive, the majority of the citizen is living with an average of 3 to 4000 dhs/month and believe – Morocco is more expensive that England.

Over there – in occasions like "School entrance, Religious and other holidays the prices of almost everything drop more than 50%. In our country and the rest of the third world/under-developing countries is the opposite.

But with BARAKAT ALLAH, people survive!

Rgds

Sorry ,by “politique du bricolage” I meant the policy of temporary solutions .

The competition Maghreb channels face from other international stations during the month of Ramadan is fierce. This is due to the fact that these foriegn channels present to the viewers TV programs that are far more interesting than those presented by our Maghreb channels. These TV programs are well-organised to fit into the needs of the viewers be they adults, teenagers or old-aged.

I agree with you that this law did not come in response to popular demand. The Tunisian people does not even want elections, because it’s convinced that they are shameless farce and cheat. Besides, the election results are a foregone conclusion: the President, with all his magnanimity, has already decreed the number of seats to be given to the puppets that he baptized as being the “opposition”, way before the “elections”.
The majority will be formed by other puppets from the Democratic Constitutional Rally which applauds every time that the President violates the constitution or steps over democracy with his military boots. I also agree with you that lowering the voting age will have no impact on the “elections”. Their value has been lowered and will enable the Architect of Change to score a majority and make Stalin and Brezhnev turn over in their graves out of jealousy. But not Saddam who had scored 100%.
Our Architect would love to score as high, but in order to steer clear of a quarrel with his Western protectors, he must control his eagerness. Besides, I would like to point out that for the 2004 elections, he lowered (this word is in vogue) his popularity from 99.1% to 94.49%. This devaluation was intended to exhibit his democratic penchant to President Bush who had held a breakfast in his honor at the White House. During this ceremony, Bush asked him at a press conference to release his grip on the country in order to allow the voices of the opposition and the press to be heard. To please Bush, Ben Ali has devalued his popularity by almost 5%. How much will he still devalue to please Obama? He could be more creative by granting voting rights to babies without omitting to have the dead vote as well.

Lowering the voting age is part of a complete reform system that should be considered in its fullest context, taking into account what has been happening in the Tunisian political scene for many months… Away from the conflicts between the authority and the opposition, this electoral law amendment can be considered a positive change, and an embodiment of the proposals of Tunisian youth resulting from “the year of dialogue with youth” in Tunisia, which led to several reforms for their benefit, including lowering the voting age from 20 to 18 years… The Tunisian – an independent antagonist.

Al-Batoul Bent Ismail, I really liked your idea about how extremism is mainly based on an ideology, which requires another ideology to fight it back. It’s true that this idea is mostly correct, but I think that fighting extremism goes through a number of steps. Firstly, on the short run, there should be a security approach. Then, solutions should be planned on the long and medium terms, by calling intellectuals and all community stakeholders to engage in an intellectual process that aims at studying the ideology on which extremism is built first, then creating a counter-ideology that promises pluralism, acceptance of others, and respect of freedoms and rights.

Good evening, brother Mahmoud. Let me start my comment with the conclusion of your article. Requesting the support of big powers -mainly the United States – to restore stability in Somalia is very likely (it’s probably even the biggest concern of the USA itself), not for the sake of Somalia, or Africans, but rather in order to dry the channels through which al-Qaeda elements leak out; as the Hadith states, “the believer is not stung from the same hole twice”. However, the equation cannot be solved by force, and past experiences have proved that. Therefore, it’s also required to bring in private laboratories in order to replace the ideology that produces extremism, and find temptations that will attract back the unguided people. I agree with you, thus, that there should be a political solution along with a security intervention. NAT ALGERIE

This gangster who pretends to be eccentric or lunatic should never have been admitted into the United Nations compound. America should have caught him as he got off the plane and delivered him to the International Criminal Court to be tried for his crimes. Weirdoes of his kind and his Mafia friend Berlusconi bring shame to the international community. During the 30s of the last century, the international community tried to compensate with thugs of the same species, one in Germany and one in Italy. The result was catastrophic: A terrible world war with tens of millions of deaths and unprecedented havoc. It is better to think starting from now about how to neutralize these fanatics. They chose to outcast themselves from society and they don’t have the slightest self respect.

Such a speech can’t be delivered but by a courageous person who feels pride for his country and religion, and this is not new for someone like Colonel Muammar Kadhafi, the brain behind the Third Universal Theory and the unifier of Africa.

Hello, how can this scatterbrain be that arrogant? He should first control his children, then educate his people, and finally try to evolve himself to the human level in order to be able to claim the primates rights and highlight the concerns of the community of monkeys.

Dear Professor, most Arab intellectuals consider all suggestions coming from Colonel Muammar Kadhafi with a lot of suspicion, but they are wrong this time, because the Colonel’s invitation has received unanimous African support. I think that an African country should be granted the right to join the club of the elite in the Security Council as soon as possible, in order to stop all maneuvers made against Africa in the Council. China is the best example to follow; without its presence, the United States wouldn’t have remained idle in front of the insurgency of North Korea, as all the American attempts to infiltrate into North Korea through the Security Council have been blocked by the Chinese rock which calls for dialogue and understanding instead of war.

Arab countries must establish a real democracy. It is likely that all Arab leaderships have a typical vision of the governance of their peoples, and have no intimate ties with them. The eternal series of ideas that some Arab presidents and kings have are unequivocal: Inheritance of power, misuse of authority, violation of human rights, plots, and the like that makes them look like a shopping list. Instead of curing the evils of the peoples, rulers turn against their own people by strengthening security and buying weapons to defend their deep ideal which is the throne, even if it was built on sand. I prefer a system that resembles that of the United States where the strength of the country results in empowering the human being and the citizens’ ability to act and to improve their destiny and the destiny of others, by insight and working out their minds. That leads to having a modern and civilized society that can be hopeful and move forward. The American system has proved, despite temporary fluctuations, to be able to be at the top of all democracies and all economic, social and political systems.

The last paragraph of your article dots the i’s. It is high time for the peoples of Africa to have a real representation, starting with an internal one. This can in no case be achieved by a buffoon like Kadhafi, who uses slogans that he tramples every day. The independence which should have provided freedom and dignity to the former African colonies has often brought them a customized curse with monsters such as Mobutu, Idi Amine, Bokassa, Bongo and the like. So as to not ruffle feathers, I will not list their alive alter egos who still exist in the Maghreb and in sub-Saharan Africa. To refer to them, we use the euphemism of authoritarian regimes. But honestly, who could defend the thesis that criminals like the ones I have just mentioned could represent Africa at the Security Council to enforce its rights or enhance its prestige? The major powers who created the Security Council more than half a century ago, suffered from myopia back then and were unable to see 2 or 3 decades further. Nobody foresaw the wave of independences that would free Africa from Mafia and dictatorial regimes and impose a new form of internal colonialism on it; often with the complicity of former colonial powers that have armed the new dictatorships which have become attractive markets to sell their weapons to, among other interests. As for repression, it continues by interposed dictators. A Security Council that cares about the future of the world should cure its former myopia and take the current situation into consideration. It should make it clear that the true meaning of independence is the sovereignty of the people.

As an Algerian, I think that Arabs do not need neither a seat at the Security Council, nor weapons of mass destruction. Look at Iran who is creating a whole mess with a small atomic bomb. So I will let you judge how things could be with Arabs who have a great maniac tendency towards bloodshed, and a perpetual thirst for war with small and low-potential neighbors.

It is about time to uproot Africa as a former European colony and try to forge new relationships with the United States. Why? The answer is very simple. It is known in public international law that countries should have relationships with each other and sign contracts and agreements. So far, so good, but what does a country such as France do? It takes advantage of wealth, lightly deals with ethnic problems, commits genocide, wrecks traditions and customs, uproots peoples, forces natives to embrace Catholicism, and finally leaves the country in a total chaos, that’s what France does to its colonies. As for the United States, it’s totally the opposite, “business is business”, just like a Poker game. However, Americans do not like those who play square music, although they value agreements when they are well done. I choose the U.S., because they are better and more profitable than Europe which is covetous and greedy for the treasures of others without offering any compensation. The USA would make a good partner for a real future for Africa as a whole without any exception. No for the European Union.

Algeria is the gateway of the United States to Africa. I would really like to see serious strategic relationships or even geopolitical ones between the United States and Algeria, in a very broad framework of cooperation. This will be hard on Quai d’Orsay, but this needs to be materialized based on a deep mobilization of diplomats who use common sense in order to create unexpected events especially when foreseeing the future. Africa has suffered a lot, or even too much in my opinion, and now is time for the brave. We always try to see the glass half full and give a chance to others; we have no choice, the U.S. is the best candidate for this mission in Africa, give it a chance, one single chance, and perhaps Providence will play its role in bringing peace and prosperity to Africa.

THE THREE MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS SHOULD COEXIST. Whether we like it or not, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are the only three monotheistic religions that exist in the world. In the Arab Maghreb, Jews and Christians represent a small minority among religious communities, besides the Amazigh which represent an ethnic minority among Jews and Christians. What should be done is very simple: the State should start by approving laws in the respective parliaments, encourage associations and civil society to join the cause by having their actions aim to make peace reign, educate people who are either xenophobic or extremist to become more tolerant towards any minority, regardless of the type of the said community or minority, attempt to create discussion forums, use peaceful weapons that consist of new information and communication technologies, organize meetings between different parties, try to bring minorities closer together and reassure them within the frameworks of meetings, conferences, and symposiums, give the floor to those who wish to convey their message, concerns, and fear of tomorrow, and last but not least, exchange views on the horizon and the future of relations between various communities and the State which is the guarantor of sovereignty, the establishment of peace and the maintenance of public order.

Hello Mrs Saidoun. I always read your articles with great pleasure, especially on such sensitive subjects. Thank you for your perseverance, God bless you. Naim

The expression “infiltration of values” should not be used by someone who is discussing an objective case, because by using it, the person labels herself as intolerant without being aware of it, which is unfortunately the case in the entire article… Religious, linguistic, and political freedoms are interrelated, and whoever questions that is serving an agenda of some sort… Fundamentalism is a political expression; when it doesn’t find free space, it inevitably reflects itself in ways that we certainly hate, but which are the outcome of our visions and practices… Europe and America that have suffered a lot for the establishment of obvious civil rights did not prevent any political or civil expression but by the law created by everyone, and through social legitimacy with real or relative democratic tools. Such a thing does not exist in our societies especially after some families and intellectual elites which are thought to be secular or modernist, or even jurisprudential groups, defined themselves as a real proxy for colonization… I believe that freedom is holier than any religion… because the true essence of religion is freedom itself… and any ritual – of any kind and for whatever reason – that detracts freedoms, is necessarily a form of oppression and tyranny… and this is what we must focus and reflect on and care about… instead of repeating and reiterating outdated literature, and dividing communities into categories that are the mere product of our imagination rather than the reality around us… For a society that suffers from poverty, unemployment, monopoly of power, and the marginalization of the community’s events… and which is bullied by an elite from the outside of its social and intellectual environment, and which does not take into account the society’s concerns, it’s only natural for such a society to produce forces that express their rejection in an extremist, violent, or fundamentalist way, and that’s a fact that was witnessed by all societies without exception… Our condemnation and dispraise for this matter does not alter the truth… A glance at the international community gives us a living proof… For example, Turkey cannot have something like the Taliban movement, and on the other side, Afghanistan cannot produce a party like the Justice and Development Party, unless the social and historical conditions change… and these are slow changing conditions by nature.

Yes, Sir, prevention is better than cure. You just discussed a very thorny issue and you were right to the point about its cure, not only thanks to your journalistic style, but also to your security expertise. You have provided us with a plan to avoid hooliganism in African stadiums using our own available means. You are more than a journalist, you are an expert in the security of stadiums.

I think that this article is well written and covers many aspects related to hooliganism. However, I believe that in order to effectively fight this danger, we should first understand the frustrations of those who engage in violence because that is actually the core motive. Too much bitterness and frustration lead to irresponsible and dangerous behaviors. I believe that psychologists should do their job in respect to solving this problem. In our Maghreb countries, this phenomenon has not yet worsened despite some sparkles here and there. But we should be cautious about it, as you said: prevention is better than cure.

This is a real first aid session. Flexibility is the best way to achieve non-harmful solutions. Youth nowadays are well aware of themselves, but show otherwise on purpose: they take drugs, get drunk, sow discord, and make late-night noise. Please check contemporary history books and try to understand, dear Guertili, why on May 1968 in France, the youth wanted to be identified by what they are, and be self-identified as themselves independently of anyone, including the State, since any control coming from anyone is considered repressive for them, let alone writing useless chapters and sub-chapters, dear Watson. Even sports journalism is very outdated, everything has to be redone if we want to save what remains of the future of youth. This youth rebels, and there has always been a turning point across the spatial-temporal data where young people wanted change, and the best ways for that are stadiums, music etc.. Finally, I see a lot of inefficient and less operative journalistic literature. I prefer renewal rather than the modern nihilism, which is voracious and overwhelmed with nothingness.

Business intelligence or strategic foresight. Where is the human being’s place in all this?? I don’t deny that any laboratory, company, or country only runs after its interests in their relations with others; however, respecting human beings is not a sin either. Doing business, whether on the macroeconomics or microeconomics level doesn’t matter, what matters is that it should achieve an international consensus, respect for others, and a fair sharing of wealth. Nowadays, oil and other resources of wealth are a source of misfortune, and no one is spared. Everyone is driven by this current of infamous greed that keeps spreading its domination and gathering many supporters without reservations. The spirit of large multinationals which are strengthened by very sophisticated means and always thirsty for power and money, have even destabilized the majority of poor or developing countries: it’s the phobia of the future and the fear of impoverishment. These countries should act under the influence of the giants of pharmaceutical services supported by their respective special services and wrapped in a flawless canvas with concrete covers. Nobody can guess their true motives and what will be the ultimate purpose, especially that the third world is managed by fools, so what will be new in the menu tomorrow, doctor? N1H1 is just another artistic creation, and you should be part of the elite to be able to play in its orchestra because there no room for the weak; these should only consume the direct fruit of the strong’s reflections, of these people who are too Illuminati and too hasty for an uncertain future for a bruised, hungry, and distressed humanity.

The problem is rather economic.

DEAR SAID LAKEHAL, PLEASE BE OPEN MINDED AND INSIGHTFUL. We should not embellish things only to please the others (French history to be reviewed, among others). Viruses can only live for a few seconds in the air, what are you claiming here? That you master VIROLOGY? These are stupid stories; broth for the dead and for the uneducated and the third world in particular, join the song; well then I dismiss these ideas!!! The need for staggering funds is common among pharmaceutical companies, their colossal charges induce scientists to consider fooling the whole world with several fake issues. Look at the war machine, look at the history of the famous Skull and Bones, Al Gore and his story about the end of the world, the greenhouse effect and all the fuss about global warming. Wake up my friend, otherwise you would be just an ODDBALL, unless you’re paid to say such things that make no sense. I apologize for my naive arrogance. Thank you.

As far as analysis is concerned, the article is very distinguished, especially since the author used statistics as a method. This made the message precise and deep. We, sons of the Maghreb, really need precision and scientific approaches, far from impulsiveness and emotions. However, the professor focused on one point, saying that the Third World is experiencing what is worse than swine flu. He mentioned some diseases associated with physiology. But, he should have stated some social diseases which corrode both individuals and groups at the same time, including drug addiction, intolerance in opinions, school or sport violence. Our crisis is deeper than an occasional epidemic which will not last more than a few months or even one year. We sons of the Maghreb and Third World live a crisis of identity, crisis of civilization…We need a vaccination for the mind not the body. Son of Sabasseb, Mohamed Ghadbani, Tunisia.

“Ethics” – a beautiful philosophical word as usual. I will allow myself to say “Stop!!!” here. How, in 2009, with the full panoply of new technologies and information and technology, can a man who claims to be universal not know to differentiate between the essential and the contingent? In his studies on “judgment”, Immanuel Kant, like any old fox of German philosophy, deduced that what is sensory is perceivable, what is perceivable is intelligible and what is intelligible is always in the sphere of knowledge. I am not giving a lecture on philosophy here, rather simply reminding those who know how to advise themselves – where is the history of the ozone and all the scientific jargon that follows behind it, including diseases, greenhouse effect and planetary danger? Personally, I would rather say to those who hold this so-called knowledge that they ought to let it go. You must believe when we have normally functioning brains. The same one who created the Bilderberg Group also created Hitler, and this evil being thought he was above humanity. Mental manipulators always use secretiveness as a main technique. What disgusts me most is these pseudo-intellectuals who adhere to a lie. Perhaps this is in the hope of accomplishing something without even thinking that they have become complete accomplices to this machination. My words may sting, but I need to be honest with myself; otherwise, my fate is my own ruination with my own will. To me, ethics is all humanity in its entirety. The earth can handle six billion, so why not have ourselves live in harmony and serenity? Genetics is my favourite of sciences, so I have a database on a few unhealthy practices in certain “top secret” laboratories.

American English is the most important language; it is an essential language for those who want to progress across space and time. Even Islam encourages individuals to learn foreign languages that have a direct interest for the community. I am sorry, but a foreign language does not affect the religious, cultural, or any other heritage at all. Quite the opposite, foreign languages beautify the culture that is the very essence of any civilization. For my part, for example, I would like to see English replace French in national education in Algeria, because knowledge is currently entirely based on an important factor, which is English, starting from the web. We can achieve economic objectives by strengthening appropriate pedagogic tools. You can witness the progress of the American society by yourself: knowledge and culture are free. So as I said previously, things are much better with the Americans, and we should not worry about the future with them. However, with France and the French, it’s always turning around the bush, and that results into: civil war, poverty, unemployment, and distress. If we look at the American side, there is Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar etc.; I’m not exaggerating, we must face the truth. Let me even push the envelope, if they are all predators I prefer a lion or a tiger over a jackal or a kitten. If circumstances are appropriate, I prefer the right train. “Life is like a woman and wouldn’t like to see but one warrior”. Technology, medicine, and even social sciences are the results of American research. In libraries, the best books that offer good knowledge are American books.

Wow, Moroccans have started making some progress. That’s great, we have to celebrate that, it was high time this happened, because we, Moroccans, are treated unfairly. People used to call Moroccans idiots, but now we are showing them who we really are, hahahaha, yaaaahoooooo!

ASSALAM,PEACE UPON ALL OF YOU IN THE MAGHREB.ITS SHAME ON MOST OF US IN OUR GREAT NATIONS,IT SEEMS THE NEW GENERATION CAN NOT EVEN SPEAK ARABIC.WE MUST GO BACK TO THE OLD SYSTEM IN OUR SCHOOLS,I GROW UP IN SALE MOROCCO AND OUR GENERATIONS BACK THEN USE TO SPEAK FLUENT IN ARABIC-FRENCH AND ENGLISH.WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SYSTEM IN OUR SCHOOLS,I SUGGEST:THE MORNING FOR SCIENCE AND LANGUAGES,THE AFTERNOOON FOR THE SPORT ETC…AS SKILLS,SUCH,CONSTRUCTION,ELECTRICITY,CARPENTRY,ELECTRONIC ….WE MUST TOO ,OTHERWISE WE WILL NOT ACHIEVE ANYTHING AT ALL,AND WE WILL IN THE FUTURE HIRE CHINESE PEOPLES TO DO THE JOBS IN OUR NATIONS.

hahaha

Hi! How about human rights? Do we forget them? wwww.ho-net.net

The relationship of politics with the climate and the environment is useless in the Arab Maghreb countries.

I am Algerian,
This is very true, and I came to realize after living many years in the USA that Moroccans are the closest people to Algerians. We are really brothers in all terms. I hope the politics will allow these people to carry out their dream of unification.

I am Hichem from Algiers. We will always be brothers. Moroccans and Algerians will remain the closest peoples regardless of the political conflicts, we love you dear Moroccan brothers.

I decided not to comment on your article until the game between the two brother countries is over, and I realized that some of the things that you mentioned in your article are actually true. The political authorities of both countries have used this game to distract their peoples’ attention from the disadvantages of politics. Consequently, the constant criticism towards the authority turned to talks about teams. Many cities in both countries witnessed the preparation of public forces in order to control the results of expanding the politics’ circle, as you said, to include sports. What a pity to see Arab peoples substituting the victories in all areas of life by football victories.

Peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings. What unites the Algerian and Moroccan peoples is bigger and greater than what separates them. The political leaders in both countries should hold consultations and dialogue with each other for the good of the Maghreb peoples and the region as a whole.

In deed your writings Mr Mahmoud are always objective and very true,I say that as an algerian citizen because what yousaid about people in both countries is real as we as people feel we share many things and in spite the political tension and the closing of borders,we don’t see any austerity towards each other as the case concerning Egyptians from whom we are really scared ,I mean any algerian now is afraid to send one of his family to Egypt but we are very confident if we go to Morocco,what I want to say is that we as people we are aware that historical,cultural and economical factors made us certain that our unity is unavoidable for to ensure our future and the next generations’s. Thanks again for your essay in the name of both peple.

Peace be upon you Moroccan brothers. I’m Algerian and I love our Moroccan brothers. Algerians are a brotherly people who love you for the sake of Allah. Conflicts exist between our respective political systems, but not between our peoples. We hope that God will bring us together. May the Moroccan people always remain dear to our hearts. Your brother Murad, Algeria.

That’s really very true. I am from Morocco, but I was saddened over the loss of Algeria more than I was over the loss of Morocco. Let’s put en end to our disagreements and unify the two countries instead of just opening the borders between them, because we are one people that was separated due to the greed of power seekers. I hope to see the big Maghreb united some day.

God willing, all the borders between Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania will be erased, to become one country with one president.

Yes, hello. I am Algerian, and I hope that we stop turning our backs on each other. We are brotherly countries, and the kingdom of Morocco is my second home, so why all this? It’s not because of the Sahrawi people that we should ignore each other totally. Yes dear politicians and leaders of both countries, we, young Algerians, are not interested in politics; what we really want is to exchange projects, build up bridges between our nations, and to see the borders open immediately. Morocco is not Israel after all; it’s a beautiful country that we like so much. We, Algerians, are linked to the Moroccans by blood, and we have the same language and culture, and even Islam, this religion that should unify us forever. Long live the big Arab Maghreb. I am sending a big kiss to all our Moroccan brothers, with my wishes of prosperity and happiness. Your brother Mounir, from Constantine.

According to the Algerian written press, Moroccan authorities have issued permissions for Moroccan citizens to organize and prepare thousands of Algerian flags, in order to march in major Moroccan cities if Algeria is qualified for the World Cup. Many thanks to my Moroccan brothers, and do not worry, the borders will be open, even if it’s only to prove that we, Maghreb people, are what we are, and have many flaws like all other human beings. However, the flaw that we Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians, Libyans and Mauritanians do not have, is that of being hypocritical, treating our guests poorly, or receiving them with stones, as was the case in Egypt. I actually remember that during a football game between Algerians and Moroccans and which Algeria had won on the Moroccan ground, the reaction of the Moroccans was very exemplary. Moroccans have always well received and welcomed the Algerians, unlike the Egyptians who believe that they are the lords of the Arab world; for them, the rest of the Arab world is only slaves and servants. The whole world saw how the Algerian national football team was received on November 14th by the Egyptians who are proud to be the descendants of the Pharaohs (). It seems that they question their Arabic identity (?). As a conclusion, I strongly believe that football can indeed serve as a bridge between Morocco and Algeria. Long live Algeria! Long live Morocco! Long live Tunisia! Long live Libya! Long live Mauritania! Djallel Blida.

Moroccans and Algerians have always been brothers, and recent history had proven that when the borders used to be open between the two brotherly countries. I hope that the borders will be open again. Long live the big Maghreb people, and I wish victory for the Algerians in the coming game, and for the game to be dominated by sportsmanship.

Big talkers are not always great doers. Algerians crashed the [] Pharaohs in Khartoum, with a lot of fair play and discipline. I would like to thank the supporters who have proven to the FIFA that they have a good heart and the willingness of a potential power, which helped the national team to overcome the nightmarish moments they had lived in Egypt. So well done! 1-0! 1, 2, 3, viva Algeria! A big hooray to the national team, the Algerian people, and above all the president of the republic of Algeria, Bouteflika, who did an unforgettable gesture. And finally, many thanks to all the Sudanese people who strengthened our victory [].

Peace be upon you. Our Moroccan brothers are certainly a part of the Algerian people. So down with politics, my brothers, down with politics. Your brother Abdelkarim from Algeria.