| If Morroco Were a True Democracy…! |
| JAMAL ELABIAD | ||||||
In the light of the aforementioned characteristics, was Al Jazeera really biased against Morocco regarding the coverage of the protests in the southwestern Moroccan port of Sidi Ifni ? According to some Moroccan journalists, Al Jazeera’s intention behind reporting that people were killed in Sidi Ifni protests was to disturb the public order and tarnish the image of Morocco. “This is not the first time Al Jazeera has done so, and it will not be the last; therefore, the head of Al Jazeera's bureau in Rabat must be sent to prison,” wrote one of them. But why only Al Jazeera was brought to trial and not, for instance, the Moroccan daily Al Ahdath Almaghribiya, which also reported the same story? Many explanations were given to such a contradiction. The following explanation belongs to a Moroccan human rights activist: “Al Ahdath Almaghribiya was not brought to court simply because it is known for defending officials of high ranks in Morocco. If the newspaper makes any mistake, they will surely stand by it, and vice-versa” More importantly, supposing that Al Jazeera is really a biased TV channel aiming at tarnishing the image of Morocco around the world, why it has so far run a number of stories on the successes achieved by the Kingdom of Morocco, such as the Equity and Reconciliation Commission, the self-rule for the Moroccan Sahara, the demonstrations by Moroccans in various parts of the kingdom who were angered when the king of Spain visited occupied cities of Sebta and Melilia, the agricultural reforms in Morocco, the government's projects to re-house slum dwellers, and so forth ? The trial of Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Morocco reminded me of what the French political writer Alexis de Tocqueville wrote when he visited the United States. “You can’t have real newspapers without democracy, and you can’t have democracy without newspapers.” If Morocco were a true democracy, Hassan Rachidi, Rachid Niny, Ali Lambabet, Mohamed Erraji and the like would not be fined or jailed…!
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Comments (2)
Moroccan American
said:
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hile MoroccoBoard.com encourages discussion on all subjects, including sensitive ones, the comments posted are solely the views of those submitting them. MoroccoBoard.com does not necessarily endorse or agree with the ideas, views, or opinions voiced in these comments. This is a moderated forum. Comments deemed abusive, offensive, or those containing profanity may not be published.
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... Abderrahmane, how do you know you that Morocco is a true democracy.If it is , there is something wrong with your eyes or your eyeglasses. Please revisit yourself. |
A sakkaki
said:
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... Morocco is a true democracy,,If you noticed, nobody did even care what you have to say because you are very boring..Be happy I took time to read your boring article.. Abderrahmane |
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