Morocco: Discussing a Free Thinker’s Legacy · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

The death of Moroccan philosopher and social theorist, Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, has gone with little notice in the media. Yet al-Jabri's contributions over the last decades to the uphill battle between rationality and religious thought has probably never been so relevant as today. There has been an outpouring of tribute to the man and his work over the past weeks, but if the death of one of the most liberal Arab thinkers earlier this month has brought such an overwhelming sympathy, it has also uncovered the underbelly of Arab intelligentsia, one that is deeply divided along the lines of separation between passionate liberalism and firm conservatism. Over at the blogosphere and social networking websites, reactions were divided between those whose Jabri's thinking helped reconcile modernity and tradition, and those who see in the philosopher's work yet another attack against religious authority. Here are some of the reactions.
Medersa by Piero Sierra in Flickr
Abdeslam Ben Abdelali was one of al-Jabri's students. Writing on al-Awan, an online blogging platform dealing with philosophy and current affairs, he shares his thoughts [Ar] about the late philosopher:
Mustafa Lemoueden blogs on SidiSlimane.com. He writes [Ar]:
Reactions poured in from across the region. Mohammad Omar is a Jordanian blogger. He writes [Ar] :
[كنت أعيش في] حلقة مفرغة إذن، حلقة تدور حول نفسها تبحث عن إجابة السؤال “البسيط”، الذي طرح قبل 150 عاما، مع “بداية عصر النهضة العربية”، ويعاد طرحه يوميا منذ “خمسين عاما على هزيمة الثقافة العربية”،، لماذا تخلفنا وتقدم غيرنا؟…
بهذا السؤال بدأ الجابري مشروعه في نقد “العقل العربي”،،، وأسس لمفهوم “العقل المستقيل”،،،
عندما تعرفت على مؤلفات الجابري حينها، اختلفت كل نظرتي، لا بل وطريقة حياتي، فلم اعد ذاك الشاب الذي تكفيه النصوص وحفظها، ولا يكفيه الإعجاب بالجمل الثورية، وبالشخوص،،،
الجابري هو بداية رحلتي من اليقين إلى الشك، هو “لحظة وعي”، اشراقة،،،
When I first discovered al-Jabri's work I completely changed my views and even the way I live. I was no longer that young man who merely read and memorized some texts or who would be satisfied by the mere admiration for revolutionary phrases or personalities.
Al-Jabri is the beginning of my journey from certainty to doubt. He is my moment of awareness; an enlightenment.