Zawaya

Selma Herraz

Selma Herraz is an Algerian journalist who has been working for “Al Khabar” newspaper for the past three years, and worked previously for “Annahar Al Jadid” and other newspapers. Herraz started her journalistic career in the cultural field prior to specializing in social issues. She won a jury award in the 2010 edition of the annual competition “Media Star”, which awards Algerian journalists for the best press material on information and communication technologies.

Opinions by this panelist

When physicians are marginalized, the Algerian slogan for treatment becomes, "ask the experimented, not the doctor"

Hundreds of thousands of doctors and pharmacists graduate every year in Algeria and the Great Maghreb, with the main mission of providing citizens with health care. However, reality is different, since 35 million people - the total population of Algeria… more

Social Media, a latent force moving the peoples

New technologies experts affirm that the impact of social media is increasingly growing at an unprecedented rate. As a matter of fact, social media have made great strides in terms of mobilizing peoples and encouraging them to participate in public… more

Rejecting exclusion and promoting citizenship for a more democratic Maghreb

Tunisians will soon take part in the first free elections in the country following the revolution that put an end to the era of tyranny and dictatorship. However, leading Tunisia to a successful conclusion and protecting the revolution from relapsing… more

Coordination with the Pompidou Group to clamp down on drug smuggling networks

Morocco is taking a step forward to protect the Maghreb from drug trafficking. By joining the euro-Mediterranean Pompidou Group tasked with combating addiction and drugs, Morocco - a big producer of cannabis - is taking a major step forward to… more

Bahanga's death... Relative calm until a new leader emerges to serve Western agenda

The most optimistic analyses of the Sahel's future estimate that the death of the most extremist rebel Tuareg leader, Ibrahim Ag Bahanga, heralds the return of stability and calm to the region. Actually, tension in the Sahel has been fueled… more

Maghreb governments should be impartial and protect the elections from deviation

For the first time in its history, Tunisia - where the Arab spring was triggered - is organizing elections with no pre-determined results. These elections are taking place in exceptional circumstances, as opposites are competing for the votes of Tunisians,… more

Foreign assistance may also be a Trojan horse!

The volatile security situation in the Sahel - which is under the control of jihadist groups -, worries Western countries and the U.S.A. in particular even more than neighbouring countries, especially after Tripoli’s fall. Therefore, concerting efforts to curb intercontinental… more

Will the Arab spring make the Maghreb Union rise from its ashes?

Optimistic Maghreb people expect the popular movement and the fall or liberalisation of dictatorships to affect the AMU's future, and revive its paralyzed body. The AMU is drained by conflicts and crises between its member countries. Since its establishment, the… more

Employment in the Maghreb: Between the dreams of the youth and the responsibility of the State

The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, did not only spread the spark of revolution and trigger the Arab spring, but also unveiled the suffering of the youth that represent 60 percent of the Maghreb population. Tens of… more

Orfi marriage: Wives held in abeyance and children without identity documents

Orfi marriage - called Fatiha marriage in Algeria - is widely prevalent in the Mashreq, and to a lesser extent in the Maghreb. In the absence of a civil contract, the law does not recognize this type of marriage, where… more

Waiting for 'Arab Spring' in education

With the new political context in Tunisia and Libya, it is now time to bring schools in line with the changing conditions. The countries that shed dictatorships now seek to project a different image of themselves. One way to do… more

Radicalism, the art of fishing in troubled waters

Radicalism has struck again in the Maghreb in wake of the difficult transitional period in Tunisia, the insecurity in Libya, and the crisis in Mali. In the meantime, Algeria is watching cautiously, as it was the most affected by this… more