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BRETT KLINE , THE JERUSALEM POST
Josef Sebag says he has a fine life in his native Essaouira, though he has no friends here. This retail-artisan heaven for tourists on Morocco's southern Atlantic coast is a town unique in the Arab world for its history of Jewish-Muslim relations. He is often in his casbah antiques and book store, just off the large main square and next to the hippest night spot in town. Sebag does not hang out in the rooftop Taros Café, but does spend a good amount of time in London, Paris and New York. Something about living in Western cultural capitals suits him. He has friends there. Visitors come to see him, from France, Canada and Israel, but most tourists are not insiders in Essaouira, known as "Souira" to the locals. The Moroccan Arabs call him "el yahoudi" (the Jew) but Sebag says it is never meant nastily. He is as Moroccan and Souiri as they are, and they know it. His family has been in Morocco since fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. His store is a must for British, Australian, American and French tourists, as well as for surfers from all over and for increasing numbers of Israelis, especially the ones born in Morocco who don't come as part of organized tour groups. |
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RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan court Wednesday Case Violates Freedom of Expression, Undercuts Government’s Reformist Image Morocco is opening up in some respects, but its treatment of Chekib el-Khayari shows that when someone speaks out in ways that truly bother officials, they come down on him like a ton of bricks. Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch (New York) - | jailed a human rights activist and outspoken critic of government anti-drugs policy for offending the authorities and making unauthorized currency transactions. Chakib El Khayari was given three years in prison and ordered to pay 753,930 dirhams (57,000 pounds) to Moroccan customs, official news agency MAP reported.The Casablanca criminal court of first instance said Khayari deposited money in foreign banks without the authorization of Morocco's Exchange Office. |
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MORDECAI SPECKTOR ----Samuel L. Kaplan, a prominent Minneapolis lawyer and influential DFL Party activist, has been nominated as U.S. ambassador to Morocco Sam Kaplan(College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota)
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by President Barack Obama. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Kaplan, 72, will become one of the few American Jews to serve as envoys to Arab nations. of the great upsets in Minnesota political history by defeating the incumbent Republican U.S. senator, Rudy Boschwitz, in 1990. The Kaplans also supported the candidacy of Keith Ellison, who won the Fifth District DFL primary in 2006 and went on to become the first Muslim ever to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. |
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Photo: MAP
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Guelmim, Morocco-- Fatima Boujnah , 21 years old, was not expecting to start her political career by taking charge of the local affairs of her rural commune, she is the youngest female to be elected president of a municipal council in Morocco. This ambitious, high school graduate was elected to head of the municipal council of "Tizeght" located at 70 km from the town of Tata in southern Morocco. |
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At Airliners.net, this is the first pictures I have seen of Royal Air Maroc’s Boeing 767-300 which had a hard landing back in April 2009. The aircraft was cleared to land at JFK (flying from Morocco). After the landing there was no obvious damage to the plane and it was set up for the return flight. Then the flight crew noticed the damage during the walk-around and it is expected to cost up to $10 million to repair the damaged plane. It is currently thought that the incident was caused by wake turbulence. |
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By Lamine GhanmiLAAYOUNE, Western Sahara, June 11 (Reuters) - When a speaker told a rally in this city that Morocco had changed, dozens of people held up mobile phones so their friends and relatives in refugee camps over the border in Algeria could listen. Western Sahara, a tract of desert the size of Britain, has been the scene of Africa's longest-running territorial dispute since colonial power Spain left in 1975 and Morocco annexed it. The Polisario independence movement, backed by Algeria, took up arms against Moroccan forces. Despite a 1991 ceasefire, thousands of people remain in desert camps in Algeria and attempts to solve the dispute are deadlocked.
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By: Matthew Chebatoris The scene after a suicide bomber blew up an internet cafe in Casablanca in 2003
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This May marks the sixth anniversary of the deadly night of suicide bombings in Casablanca. The attacks, characterized by many as Morocco’s 9/11, took the lives of 33 innocent victims, while the attackers, hailing from the slums of Sidi Moumen, lost 12 of their own. Since that dark night, Moroccans have been led by King Mohammad VI on a path to cleanse the kingdom of the scourge of violent extremism. In pursuit of this goal, Morocco has embarked on a multi-pronged strategy to combat terrorism and thwart the efforts of the Algerian-based Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to widen the theater of regional jihad in North Africa. The strategy is comprehensive in nature and sets out multiple objectives which illuminate Morocco’s position as a beacon of hope in the often tumultuous North African political environment. |
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MEPI is funding a new program with the National Democratic Institute, called "Leaders of Tomorrow," which is focused on developing young women civic activists in the Maghreb region. We are particularly interested in participants from Tunisia and Libya but also would like to include young women from Algeria, Egypt and Morocco. It is a year-long selective program designed for young women in North Africa with the interest and drive to become leaders in their communities. The program will include a series of gatherings in Morocco, during which participants will have the opportunity to meet other members of the program, share experiences and learn from accomplished women leaders from across the globe Participants will take part in all of the activities listed below: |
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The Moroccan American Friendship Foundation and the Moroccan Diplomatic Club hosted a conference debate on“President Obama’s First 100 Days”. . The main objectives of this conference was to to assess the political performance of the Obama administration, analyze the Moroccan-American relations through the U.S. Foreign policy framework, and shed light on the principal economic, political and social actors and their role in promoting the long-standing relationship between Morocco and the U.S.
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Casablanca (MAP)- The government will grant Moroccan project holders living abroad a subsidy of 10% of the costs of their projects, Deputy Minister in charge of the Moroccan community abroad, Mohammed Ameur, said on Tuesday. A subsidy ranging between 1 million dirhams and 5 million dirhams will be allocated to the project holder who brings an equity capital contribution in foreign currencies of 25% of the total capital, he said, adding that the project holder can also benefit from bank credits at around 65% of the total investment. |
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by Philip Smet Today, around three million Moroccans live outside the country. In total they send more than three billion euros to the area they come from every year. Has it helped? Moroccans hoist the Dutch flagFouad Haji from Rotterdam was born forty years ago in the Rif Mountains, the area along the Mediterranean coast from which many Moroccan men have left for Europe. They were later followed by their families. This is how Haji, now a Rotterdam councillor, came to the Netherlands at the age of 13. He still visits his homeland regularly and is very critical about what migration has done for his country. |
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For Mr. Kaplan, the only unfortunate part of being assigned to what some refer to as "the goldmine" of US posts, is the fact that he has to follow in the footsteps of the former US Ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Riley. -- Read More | Minneapolis attorney Sam Kaplan, a prominent Democratic fundraiser, is likely to become the U.S. ambassador to Morocco, according to Democratic sources . Sam Kaplan, a top fundraiser for President Obama's 2008 campaign finance committee, is now being vetted and is expected to be named to the ambassadorial post soon. In addition to president Obama, Sam Kaplan has donated to several democratic candidates , including congressman Keith Ellison, soon to be senator Al Franken, as well to the Democratic national committee. Sam Kaplan is surely to be congratulated if he becomes the U.S. ambassador to Morocco, a significant post in a country with which the United States has long had warm relations. Indeed, the first treaty our country ever negotiated was with Morocco in about 1789 -- Read More |
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WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
| Moroccan women religious counselors visiting the US shared personal Visiting mourchidates, or women religious counselors, from Morocco share views at Interfaith Forum in Washington, DC on women's role in strengthening communities, combating domestic violence, building more progressive societies. (PRNewsFoto/The Moroccan American Cultural Center)
| experiences and perspectives with American Muslim and Jewish women leaders at an interfaith forum in Washington, DC, to discuss how advancing women's rights is building stronger families and safer communities, across continents and around the world. "In Islam, women have always served a vital and multi-faceted role," said Ilham Chafik, a visiting mourchidate and PhD in Arabic Linguistics, who coordinates outreach programs for the blind in Rabat/Sale, Morocco. "The mourchidate program in Morocco institutionalizes the role that women have always played, by inviting, training, and recognizing women as leaders in our communities responsible for providing spiritual support as well as health and wellness assistance."
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 names that are not pre-approved by the government bureaucracy.The latest example was reported by The Amazigh Network for Citizenship, a civil advocacy group in Morocco,"on May 15th 2009. It is the case of a Moroccan Amazigh citizen, Mr. Mbarek Oulemda who was denied the registration of the first name of his newborn baby, at the civil services registry of the 3rd district “arrondissement” of AthMellal (province of BeniMellal).
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 WASHINGTON, /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
| -A delegation of mourchidates, women religious counselors from Morocco, will travel to the U.S. to highlight a revolutionary program that has begun training and certifying a select group of women every year to become mourchidates, who work alongside imams (traditional male religious leaders in Islam) to help empower and elevate the status of women throughout society, and promote a moderate, tolerant Islam. During their stay, the mourchidates will participate in interfaith roundtables with American Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders to discuss their experiences and the role of women religious leaders and faith-based community partnerships in strengthening families and interfaith understanding. They will also meet with UN and U.S. Administration officials, Members of Congress, and attend religious services at mosques, synagogues, and churches. |
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Case Violates Freedom of Expression, Undercuts Government’s Reformist Image Morocco is opening up in some respects, but its treatment of Chekib el-Khayari shows that when someone speaks out in ways that truly bother officials, they come down on him like a ton of bricks. Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch (New York) - The sentencing today of the human rights activist Chekib el-Khayari to three years in prison is a stark reminder of Morocco's tenuous and uneven progress on human rights, Human Rights Watch said. El-Khayari, who had criticized public officials for alleged complicity in drug-trafficking, was convicted of "gravely insulting state institutions," and of minor violations of regulations governing foreign bank accounts and currency. |
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ROBERT WIENER A Jewish museum tells bittersweet| Bret Kline 
Josef Sebag says he has a fine life in his native Essaouira, though he has no friends here. This retail-artisan heaven for tourists on Morocco's southern Atlantic coast is a town unique in the Arab world for its history of Jewish-Muslim relations. He is often in his casbah antiques and book store, just off the large main square and next to the hippest night spot in town. Sebag does not hang out in the rooftop Taros Café, but does spend a good amount of time in London, Paris and New York. Something about living in Western cultural capitals suits him. He has friends there. | tale of a storied Diaspora A star of David adorns the dome of a synagogue“Brotherhood” and “harmony” are not the first things a Jewish tourist expects on a visit to a Muslim nation, but this North African country has way of overturning expectations. in Essaouira. Photos by Robert Wiene
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CASABLANCA — At first, the conversation I heard between the Moroccan rug dealer and the American tourist sounded typical.“Where are you from?” asked the salesman in Meknes. “New York,” said the woman. “But your accent doesn’t sound American,” the salesman said, challenging her. “Where are you really from? I think you are our neighbor.” |
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Loan guarantee for up to $100,000 & up to 25 years. The Moroccan government recently decided to give Moroccans Living Overseas the opportunity to benefit from the guarantee Fogarim" for their home loans. They will in fact be part of the population that is eligible for the guarantee “Damane Sakane” (former Fogarim) after the latter has been extended to middle income families |
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Moroccan university Al Akhawayn and Carnegie Mellon of Pittsburgh, PA are planning to build a cylindrical radio telescope of 2000 m2, whose first phase will require a budget of $ 20 million. The telescope will be installed in the Eastern Moroccan province of Figuig. It will map the sky ten times faster than any other telescope on Earth.
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Tangier Offshore Plaza
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The arrival of Western Offshoring Companies , SSII, attracted by Moroccan government incentives, has led to salary inflation of IT expertise in Morocco. Especially because the Government had initially focused its training efforts on the BPO, Business Process Outsourcing, market that is still struggling to take off. Wage inflation, lack of IT profiles, and difficulty in finding on-site expertise. The opinions of those were interviewed converge: the takeoff of the Kingdom in the off shoring has not proceeded smoothly. In the first case, human resources available are relatively limited. Hence the rush of recruiters that has compounded the arrival of many western SSII, attracted by the incentives put in place by the Moroccan government. |
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On April 25th of this year, Noredine was visiting the Big Apple from Virginia when he slipped on the wet floor of the subway station at West 49th and 7th ave in Manhattan. He fell into the high voltage railing which caused him major and irreversible damages immediately on impact. Both his feet were amputated.
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 King Mohammed VI (Photo: UN) |
by Brad A. Greenberg It’s not every day that leader of a Muslim country stands up and draws attention to the horror of the Holocaust—particularly when it is not simply being compared to Israeli treatment of Palestinians. But King Mohammed VI of Morocco said in March at the launch of a Muslim-Jewish dialogue in Fez that: “We perceive [Yom HaShoah] as a wound to the collective memory, which we know is engraved in one of the most painful chapters in the collective history of mankind. … In its depth as much as in its tragic specificity, this duty of remembrance strongly imposes ethical, moral and political standards which will, tomorrow, be the true guarantors of peace.“ |
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The Moroccan Embassy in Washington in Washington D.C and the "Fondation Hassan II pour les Marocains Résidant a l'Etranger" will select 10 Moroccan children from the USA to participate in its Annual Summer Cultural Program in Morocco along 1,000 other Moroccan children coming from all over the world.
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The government will grant Moroccan project holders living abroad a subsidy of 10% of the costs of their projects, Deputy Minister in charge of the Moroccan community abroad, Mohammed Ameur, said on Tuesda |
Casablanca (MAP)- The Moroccan Ministry in charge of the Moroccan expatriates (MRE) and Morocco's flag carrier Royal Air Maroc sealed,Monday, a partnership under which Moroccans living abroad will benefit from preferential tariffs. The tariffs will be set as of this summer to encourage Moroccan expatriates' tourism in the kingdom. The ministry will also carry out surveys in order to identify the MRE's demands and expectations in this area. |
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For Mr. Kaplan, the only unfortunate part of being assigned to what some refer to as "the goldmine" of US posts, is the fact that he has to follow in the footsteps of the former US Ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Riley. Through interviews and news shows as well as personal accounts from countless Americans (living in Morocco) and Moroccans alike, Mr. Riley was more than just an ambassador - he was a motivator, a supporter and a friend to everyone who knew him while he lived in Morocco for over 5 years.
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RUDY BOSCHWITZ, PLYMOUTH Sam Kaplan is surely to be congratulated if he becomes the U.S. ambassador to Morocco, a significant post in a country with which the United States has long had warm relations. Indeed, the first treaty our country ever negotiated was with Morocco in about 1789. Morocco also has a special Minnesota connection because most of its agronomists during my time as senator were trained at the University of Minnesota. While their role in Middle East matters was nominal (Morocco is a continent away -- more than 3,000 miles - from Jerusalem), King Hassan, during my Senate years, and now his son, the present King Mohammed VI, are direct descendants of the prophet and so are monarchs of special prestige and status. The kings do treat their Jewish minority well. While hardly a "significant" minority as the Star Tribune article states |
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| By JENNY BARCHFIELD, PARIS (AP) |
A soft-spoken slip of a young man, Abdellah Taia hardly looks the part of an iconoclast. But as Morocco's first high-profile, openly gay man, Taia has made it his mission to win acceptance for homosexuals throughout the Muslim world. Taia has defied Moroccan society's don't-ask, don't-tell attitude toward homosexuality — and prison sentences that are still on the books in the North African kingdom — to write five autobiographical novels about growing up poor and gay in the northern coastal city of Sale. The novels, peppered with sexually explicit passages, have catapulted him to fame in his native country and made him the de-facto poster child of its budding gay rights movement. His work has sparked harsh criticism. Taia said some outraged critics have called on him to renounce Moroccan citizenship so as "not to bring shame" on the country. |
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Thanks to all people who sympathized with me in this humiliation. Actually, the experience of being refused one’s newborn’s name by the Civil Registry services in one's own homeland is indescribable, especially when you find out that a citizen like you has just registered his newborn (Saàd) meanwhile yours is rejected. Therefore you feel that you are not like the others (who chose an Arab names). You understand that your status is lower than that of other citizens, you feel like the lowest and the most wretched creature on earth. I am not the first or the last to endure this absurd banning.
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The European Commission on Thursday named and shamed few airlines for failing to address concerns about misleading customers over website ticket prices. The EU's aviation blacklist for online ticket sales included Royal Air Maroc which failed to respond to the commission's 18-month crackdown into misleading claims on airline and air ticket websites in 15 EU countries plus Norway. "This is not just a signal that they have some problems, it is a signal that these companies do not care too much to reply to the consumers' concerns," EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva told a press conference. |
At her reading, organized by Algonquin Books, Washington Moroccan Club and Border Books, in Washington DC, Moroccan American Author, Laila Lalami, described the central character of her second novel in English, "Secret Son", as a poor young man in contemporary Morocco, his aspirations of education and escape from the Casablanca Slum where he lives with his mother, the revelation that his father is still alive and doing well and his sub-sequential adventures.
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