· July, 2009

Stories about Morocco from July, 2009

Egypt: Fox News Creative Chaos

  30 July 2009

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia reacts to a mistake on Fox News, where Egypt is placed on a map instead of Iraq. Our Morocco author Jillian C York makes a similar observation here.

Morocco: A Decade with Mohammed VI

  24 July 2009

When in July 1999, king Mohammed VI of Morocco ascended to the throne, the expectations for change and progress were such that many international observers foresaw an albeit difficult but inexorable march that would lead the country to a prosperous, liberal and democratic future. Ten years later, many bloggers and online news websites commemorate the first decade of the reign of Mohammed VI with hope for a better tomorrow.

Morocco: Electoral Boycott Campaigners Acquitted

  19 July 2009

Ibn Kafka reports [Fr] on the acquittal of seven Moroccan pro-democratic activists. He recalls the circumstances and the legal basis upon which the defendants were sued in the aftermath of last month's communal election when they publicly campaigned for the boycott of a poll they deemed undemocratic.

Morocco: First Femal Mayor Loses her Seat

  18 July 2009

The View from Fez reports on how 33-year-old Fatima Zahra Mansouri lost her council seat as the first female mayor of the city of Marrakesh, after a controversial administrative court ruling disallowed the vote on the basis of alleged irregularities. “Mansouri's Party for Authenticity and Modernity (PAM), which swept the...

Morocco: Free Speech Call to the King

  15 July 2009

Allal El Alaoui, a Moroccan blogger based in Rabat, reports and links [ar] to the open letter written by Khalid Jamai, 65 – a Moroccan veteran journalist known for his positions on freedom of speech. According to El Alaoui: “The main topic of his letter deals with coercive measures that...

Morocco: Changing Nothing and Everything

  14 July 2009

As summer in the kingdom wears on, bloggers across Morocco all seem to be talking along the theme of change. From the foreign experience in Morocco to the freedom (or lack thereof) of the press, the blogoma is waxing philosophical on a variety of topics.

Morocco: Ahmed Marzouki tops search results

  12 July 2009

Moroccan Laila Lalami writes: “I was somewhat surprised to discover recently that one of the most common search terms that lead readers to this blog is ‘Ahmed Marzouki.’ Marzouki is a former political prisoner who spent 18 years and 3 months of his life in the infamous Tazmamart jail.” The...

Morocco: Learning Arabic

  7 July 2009

Ahmed, at Moroccan group blog Blafrancia [ar], links to a news article which says that more foreigners interested in learning Arabic as a foreign language have started intensive summer classes in Morocco than in previous years.

Morocco: An Alternative to Iran?

  3 July 2009

A recent article in the Washington Post has caused quite a stir amongst Moroccan bloggers, as well as on Twitter and in forums. The article, which suggests Morocco as a model for democracy coexisting with Islam to be used in Iran, has been criticized for going too easy on the Moroccan regime, as well as for projecting Western values onto both countries, writes Jillian York.