The latest attack on record has been a jail sentence pronounced on Monday from a court in Casablanca against Said Laâjal, a journalist in Al Massa'e, a widely read daily newspaper, and his publisher Rachid Nini, a popular columnist. Both journalists have been accused of “publication of false information” in connection with an article on a case of drug trafficking. Nini has declared that he won't be appealing the verdict (source: AFP). Bloggers have been reflecting on the case and the state of affairs.

eatbees, an American novelist, photographer and blogger who lives in Morocco has his suspicions about the real motivation of the prosecutors. He writes:

This is the criminalization of journalism, pure and simple. Reporters sometimes make mistakes and report things that turn out to be false. There are ways to handle that, but sending the journalists to jail is not one of them. I have the strong suspicion that Nini and Laâjal were prosecuted, not because of the facts of the case, but because they embarrassed someone important. Or maybe this was just a convenient way to go after Nini, who as publisher of Morocco’s most widely read newspaper and author of Morocco’s most widely read opinion column, is becoming a power center in his own right.

If Nini follows through on his commitment not to appeal, and goes to prison, it will be an act of courage and of civil disobedience. It will make him a martyr for press freedom in the eyes of millions of Moroccans. Good luck with that, Moroccan state.

It is worth mentioning that the journalist is already under a heavy fine for libel, threatening to bankrupt the whole publication, as blogger Ibn Kafka wrote recently [Fr], referring to a letter alleged to be written by Nini, pleading for a royal pardon:

Rachid Nini vit légitimement fort bien de cette florissante entreprise de presse (dans le contexte ravagé de la presse marocaine)…
[Il] aurait adressé une supplique au Roi […] dans laquelle il demande l’absolution des pêchés – en clair, la grâce pour son journal. Rien ne permet de garantir cette information, qui en soi n’est pas infâmante.

Rachid Nini has raised controversy recently when he publicly disavowed one of his journalists who showed support for colleagues who were being harrassed and prosecuted by the government. Larbi, who is blogging on Comme une bouteille jetée à la mer!, argues [Fr] this doesn't make Nini worthy of a jail sentence nor should the journalist be considered a hero. He writes:

[H]eureusement que tout le monde n’a pas la même conception de la liberté d’expression et liberté de la presse que celle de Monsieur Nini. La place des journalistes n’est pas la prison mais dans leurs rédactions. Cela vaut pour tous les journalistes. Cela vaut pour Monsieur Nini . Et encore plus pour le journaliste Saïd Laâjal. La place de Rachid Nini et de Saïd Laâjal n’est pas la prison mais dans leur rédaction. Je suis bien entendu solidaire avec Rachid Nini et Saïd Laâjal. Parce que la peine de prison ferme qui leur est infligée est injuste au vu de ce qui leur est reproché. Et parce que même Monsieur Nini a a droit à ce qu’il a toujours dénié aux autres : exercer son métier de journaliste et s’exprimer librement, sans intimidations et sans procès arbitraires débouchant sur des peines infamantes.

An opinion shared by Naoufel who explains [Ar] that Press freedom should apply to everyone, even to Mr Nini. He writes:

هو بالنسبة لي شخص وقح .. انتهازي و متملق، يكتب ضد أي شيء إلا الملك..يحاكم الحكومة و الشعب و زملائه في الصحافة لكنه لا يتجرأ أن يقترب من مربع القصر رغم أن اصغر طفل في المملكة التي لم تعد شريفة يعرف أن أصغر قرار لا يمر دون دراية الملك..كتب ضد من كانوا زملائه[…]
الآن..هل نتضامن معه؟
لا خيار آخر

Algerian blogger Adel [Fr], sums up the chain of events that led to the row. He writes:

Ce n’est pas sur le carré vert que le match a commencé à se jouer mais sur la toile. En attendant l’entrée des 22 joueurs sur la pelouse du fameux Cairo Stadium, la rencontre a débuté de manière assez peu banale entre les «Facebookeurs» (membres du réseau Facebook) algériens et égyptiens. Tout a commencé par de simples discussions dans les forums avant que cela ne prenne de l’ampleur. Voulant montrer leur savoir-faire dans la retouche d’image, les Egyptiens ont été les premiers à ouvrir les hostilités en publiant des photos «anti-algérien».

Les Egyptiens voulaient expliquer à travers un tel acte que leurs joueurs sont «très forts» et qu’ils sont en mesure d’écraser l’équipe nationale algérienne. Cela donna le top à une guerre d’un genre particulier. La guerre des images et des parodies.

Videos, dubbing scenes taken from famous Hollywood blockbusters, flooded YouTube, placing the face-off at a Homeric level.

In the following video [Ar], posted by hakemvoip [Fr], Mel Gibson is Rabah Wallace (Braveheart), an Algerian war leader who tries to galvanize his troops ahead of the much expected confrontation:

In this other video, Egyptian ulyesis welcomes Algerian fans to what he calls “hell” in Cairo:

Blogger GEMYHOoOD [Ar] posts pictures of thousands of Egyptian fans who queued up in different parts of Cairo, hoping to get tickets for the match. He publishes pictures of the gatherings:

GEMYHOoOD also posts some eyewitness accounts:

The official bus of the Algerian football team, which arrived in Cairo on November 12, was allegedly assaulted by local fans, as the following video, posted on YouTube by Vidéos Mouloudia Club d'Oran, seems to be showing:

The world football governing body FIFA, felt it necessary to issue a warning to the football associations of Algeria and Egypt, reminding both that “the preliminary competition for the 2010 World Cup should end as it began, in the spirit of fair play with the necessary cooperation of all the parties.”

A website, Algerie Egypte Match [Ar, Fr], dedicated to the event and monitoring all kind of news related to the match, was created by Algerian fans.

Within this climate of bitter rivalry, some people created a group on the social networking website Facebook, pleading for more tempered feelings. Laama Bouchema posts a message on the group's Wall saying:

[A]s much as i am angry for what happend to the algerian team, i do not judge a whole nation for what some idiots did! it is stupid what angry fans are doing! for god's sake it wont matter who gets in the [Wold Cup].

Egyptian blogger Lasto Adri [Ar], deplores how what was supposed to be a sporting event, degenerated into a nasty confrontation. She writes:

I See the Light by si David on Flickr

The plan, unveiled in the southern Moroccan city of Ouarzazate during a ceremony attended by king Mohammed VI and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will, according to the local news agency, enable the country to equally divide its renewable energies' national production between solar, wind and hydroelectric sources by the year 2020. By then, renewable energies will account for 38% of the country's overall energy production, according to the source.

Taha Balafrej, blogging on Vue du Maroc [Fr], explains that there might be a viable economic basis for the country's new policy inclination. He writes:

Dans le milieu des affaires, un intérêt grandissant est perceptible. Il faut reconnaître que l’effet Obama n’est pas étranger à cette prise de conscience animée par les opportunités économiques qu’elle engendre. Un pays comme le Maroc qui dépend presque entièrement des importations pour son énergie, et dont les ressources en eau se raréfient, a tout intérêt à rejoindre les pays qui y croient et y investissent.

The solar project, which is both publicly and privately funded, will benefit from American solar and steam technology, which seems to have won the market over traditional investors–primarily French–which is something thestrategist, blogging on Genesis Morocco, unequivocally endorses:

Seems the Europeans are out on this one. A clean shot for [American investors]. I'm all for it, the Europeans cannot match the Americans expertise in managing large scale programs…

thestrategist, publishing an open letter to the Moroccan king, further explains [Fr] his enthusiasm. He writes:

[Cette technologie pourrait] nous libérer des aléas de la pluviométrie en utilisant l'énergie abondante et renouvelable […], afin de dessaler l'eau de mer et approvisionner outre les besoins de l'industrie et des ménages, un système d'irrigation nationale en appoint, voire en remplacement, de la stratégie des barrages…

Whilst the majority seems to be supporting the scheme, not everybody is impressed. Jebli, commenting [Fr] on a post published by online news journal, Hesspress [Ar], finds the cost way too expensive. He writes:

[C]e projet solaire va produire 2000Mega Watt/h, pour un cout de 9 milliards de dollars, ce qui est TROP TROP TROP cher.
Une centrale nucléaire, sa construction de bout en bout coute 1,5 milliard de dollars et produit 1000Mega watt/heure.
Ainsi, avec 9 milliards de dollars le Maroc aurait pu créer 6 centrales nucléaires, et aurait produit 6000Mega watt/heure.
Franchement, je ne comprend pas le choix de nos dirigeants, ils choisissent des téchnologies au hasard, sans réflichir, vraiment ils gaspillent l'argent public.

Commenting on the same post, Hay Bin Yaqdan sees in the project [Ar] another stranglehold of foreign powers on local resources. He writes:

Torn between insistent calls for modernization and a powerful conservative drive; caught in an excruciating debate over which languages to include in its programs; overburdened by an opaque and centralized administration, the Moroccan education system has long been the target of passionate critiques, not least among bloggers.

Mohamed [Ar], who's a university student, laments about a methodology based primarily on blind, unquestionable memorization that seems to prevail throughout the official curricula. He writes:

لا يهم أن نفهم ما نحفظ أو أن نحاول فهمه، فقط إحفظ، ثم أتل ما حفظت، ودع الفهم لذوي العقول الراجحة..
لم يكن يفرقنا عن الببغاوات الرمادية الكثير: تلقي مجموعة أسطر وفقرات، نحفظها عن قلب ظهر أو عن ظهر قلب فلا يهم، الأهم أن نستعرض ما حفظناه يوم الرعب: وعند الإمتحان يذل الحافظ أو يهان..
بدأت تتكشف لي معالم الجامعة، تجارب نحفظها لنتظاهر بتطبيقها في المختبرات، أو لنقل شبه مختبرات تحريا للصدق. طُلب من أستاذ نتيجة تجربة فأجاب، سُئل لماذا هذه القيمة بالضبط؟ قال إنها القيمة التي حصل عليها فوج السنة الماضية! حتى الأساتذة يحفظون النتائج كما أنزلت ولله الحمد..

Beside damning rates of illiteracy, figures suggest that high numbers of children are unable to access schools, whilst others abandon education at an early age, as Ammar al-Khalfi [Ar], writing on Nebrass E'shabab, argues. He writes:

The overall budget allocated to education on a yearly basis remains poor. This materializes more blatantly when one looks at the dilapidating infrastructure of some schools. Abderrazak E'ttabi [Ar], blogging on ‘Akrab al-Net reports on the case of a collapsing public school in Ksar al-Kabir. He writes:

الذي سيرى الصور من الوهلة الأولى قد يعتقد أنها صور التقطت من قلب مدينة تعرضت لهزت أرضية أو قصف جوي و موجة من أمواج تسونامي المدمرة ، لكن الواقع و الحقيقة أن الصور الملتقطة هي لمدرسة لم يمضي على افتتاحها سوى سنوات قليلة بمدينة القصر الكبير ، و بالضبط بالحزام الهامشي للمدينة ، تصدعات و شقوق تؤدن بانهيار وشيك قد يتسبب في كارثة كبرى يكون ضحيتها في المقام الأول أطفال أبرياء.

The author publishes those pictures taken by a teacher at the school:

The broader issue of language often appears as a major concern. French is held as the medium for higher education in a country where most people speak vernacular Arabic. Although Berber languages (or Tamazight) have recently been incorporated into the official curricula, some like Ibrahim Murabit [Ar], blogging on Nebrass E'shabab, think it is too little too late. He writes:

Each civilization is measured by the extent and influence of its language and culture. Here in Morocco, we have been witnessing a heated struggle for influence between French, Spanish and English cultural centers, to disseminate their culture and languages, offering their services for symbolic fees; or mostly for free. Why are we self-loathing our culture, history and languages, especially Tamazight, and holding them in contempt?

Mirroring the Moroccan society, conservative and progressive groups often try to fill in the cultural vacuum within universities, animating debates and arranging meetings and lectures. This doesn't always happen without clashes. From Tangiers, Vamprita [Ar] recounts the story of a meeting she succeeded in organizing with fellow undergraduates, inviting some prominent Moroccan comedians. What looked like a successful gathering, soon turned into chaos by some angry conservative students:

Despite successive and ambitious “make-believe” reforms, bloggers seem to echo a wider popular sentiment of the fiasco of a public education system that fails to deliver, leaving the way for a prosperous and lucrative private school system, spread across urban centers and inaccessible to a wide range of the population.

The meet-up was an answer to an appeal launched by a group that first appeared on Facebook calling itself MALI? (for Alternative Movement for Individual Liberties and which acronym means literally “What about me?”). Those taking part in the event were reportedly trying to protest for the abrogation of article 222 of the Moroccan Penal Code which states that “any person known for his/her affiliation with Islam, who ostensibly breaks the fast in public during Ramadan is punishable by one to six months imprisonment and a fine.”

The story sparked a passionate, often heated and at times offensive and polarizing debate in the Moroccan blogosphere and on social networks. Whilst the majority seems to be rejecting the non-observants' action, some have raised the question of freedom of conscience in a Muslim society.

On Facebook a group of solidarity [Fr] with the imprisoned non-observants was created. The preamble reads:

La répression policière que subissent ces militants s'accompagne de menaces de mort quotidiennes de la part de barbus-fascistes qui eux bizzarement ne sont pas poursuivis. Ce laxisme n'est autre qu'une façon d'encourager ces personnes à commetre des actes haineux. Il n'y a qu'à lire la déclaration de la très gouvernementale agence de presse marocaine pour s'en rendre compte.
Le but de ce groupe est de soutenir les militants de MALI, et de réaffirmer notre attachement à la liberté de culte, il ne s'agit pas d'inciter les gens à ne pas jeuner, chacun fait ce qu'il veut.

Chaouki Najib, founder of a Facebook group [Ar, Fr] called “Those fasting and those not fasting, we are all Moroccans” sent a letter to members of his group, denouncing the threats against MALI protesters:

تعرض اعضاء من الحركة البديلة للدفاع عن الحريات الفردية لتهديدات بالقتل عبر
رسائل بريدية. و نشير ان تبني الدولة الى سياسة مغازلة المتطرفين الاسلاميين من خلال اصدارها لبلاغ يدين الصحافية زينب الغزوي التي تعتبر عضوة بالحركة هو تحريض مبطن للغوغاء من الاسلاميين و المحافضين و تهديد مباشر لحياة الصحافية
[…] نحمل الدولة كل المسؤولية ،في حالة تعرض اي عضو من حركة مالي الي أي مكروه.

Naoufel [Ar] wonders whether this story doesn't reveal an aspect of double standard within the Moroccan society:

الحكاية غريبة..اعرف أنها لو وقعت في بلد كالسعودية لنفذ فيهم حد الردة مثلا..عقوبة السجن أو التعنيف تظل هينة مقارنة مع ما كان سينتظرهم في بلاد أخرى أقل تسامحا..و مع ذلك ففي المغرب يمكنك أن تتجول في ساعة الظهر يوم الجمعة بكل حرية..تجلس في المقهى، تدخن سيجارة أو أي شيء..يمكنك أن تزور بارا بالليل أو حتى مرقص..الصلاة غير مهمة..يؤذن المؤذن ما شاء الله له أن يفعل ثم لا تجد في المسجد احد، لكنك في المقابل لن تستطيع أبدا الجهر بإفطار شهر رمضان..ستصبح زنديقا أو ما شابه في نظر الكل ..حتى بالنسبة لزائر البار و تارك الصلاة…

أخيرا، أنا لا أدافع عن مالي..أنا مع حرية التعبير، من حق أي واحد أن يفعل ما شاء..أن أصوم أو لا أصوم أمر يخصني وحدي لكني في المقابل سأحترم صيام أمي و أسرتي و المجتمع..باختصار أريد أن أقول..أنا أتضامن مع مالي و أيضا مع من جرحت أحاسيسه..لكني بالمناسبة لا اعترف بأي ثوابت..

This sentiment of moral hypocrisy is echoed by Jillian C. York on her blog. She writes:

What concerns me is this: There is also a great portion of society that drinks, and does other things that are haram, but are condemning the protesters for disrespecting Islam. This attitude brings to light something I noticed in Morocco: That Ramadan seems to make everyone an expert on Islam, and a great Muslim. Many of those who might ignore religion throughout the year will at the very least fast (or give the illusion of fasting, even to their own families), often taking it further, lecturing their friends who don’t pray or chastising them for not making it to the mosque. Lest you think I’m exaggerating, I’ve witnessed this myself numerous times. In August, I’d be clubbing in Marrakesh with Moroccan friends, drinking and dancing; as soon as Ramadan started, I was the black sheep.

Many, like Amar Al Khalfi [Fr], who blogs on Nebrass Ash'abab, perceived a conspiracy in the action of the non fasting protesters:

تجرأت حثالة معدودة من الشباب في المغرب على الإفطار الجماعي في نهار رمضان علانية، في محاولة للاستهزاء بالشعائر الدينية الإسلامية واستفزازا لمشاعر الصائمين في محاولات يائسة لاختراق الهوية الإسلامية للمجتمع المغربي، وخلق الفتنة، وزعزعة الأمن الروحي للمغاربة، بدعوى الحريات العامة والفردية.

Across the blogosphere a flurry of attacks on MALI members ranging from insults, to heinous comments can be seen. Among them is this excerpt by H'med Lehmani [Ar] on regional online news website Oujda City:

خرج علينا مجموعة من الفاشلين تتزعمهم امرأة… يريدون أن يفطروا في رمضان أمام الناس حتى يشعروا أن لهم حقوقا وحتى يقولوا بأن في المغرب ديمقراطية ، ولكن نست تلك الفاشلة قضية مهمة كان عليها أن تراجع فيها كتب الفلسفة والقانون – إن كانت تعرف مثل هذه الكتب – أن الديمقراطية لا تعني حماية حقوق الفاشلين في الحياة إذ لا قيمة لفاشل حتى يكون له حق أصلا

P.S.: Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Morocco is signatory, states that…

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Citoyen Hmida [Fr] describes the scene in Rabat, the capital. He writes:

Des milliers de voitures sont immobilisées sur toutes les artères de la ville depuis les premières heures de la matinée.
[…] Il a suffi de deux heures de pluie, d’une belle averse bien arrosée, pour que Rabat soit totalement immobilisée! […] A l’intérieur de la ville, des files interminables de véhicules sont bloquées sur les principales artères et sur les grands boulevards!
Des centaines d'élèves n’ont pas pu arriver à leurs établissements : leurs bus sont bloqués dans les embouteillages! […] Ce que je rapporte là ne concerne que ce que j’ai pu voir ou que j’ai pu recueillir par des témoignanges directs! Que se passe-t-il dans les quartiers populaires? Y a-t-il des dégats plus importants que des embouteillages et des bouchons […] Qui est le responsable de cette lamentable situation? Va-t-on encore être à la merci de la pluie? Des inondations peuvent se produire, bien sûr, chez nous comme n’importe où dans le monde! Mais cela intervient quand les moyennes de précipitations sont hors-norme! Pas à la première averse de l’année, pas quand les égouts sont bien entretenus, pas quand les équipes d’intervention sont prêtes et bien entrainées, pas quand LES SERVICES MUNICIPAUX FONT CONVENABLEMENT LEUR TRAVAIL!

Energumene [Fr] blogging in We Are Watching You shares pictures of the Rabat main train station and comments sarcastically:

Gare Rabat Agdal inondée, ce Matin.
Le nouveau ruisseau au bord des quais de Trains : Une idée ingénieuse pour décontracter les voyageurs.
Vous croyez que c'est la faute aux ingénieurs qui ont foiré leurs plans d'aménagements, ou les sociétés de travaux publics qui s'engraissent à coups de travaux bâclés ?
Détrompez-vous Mesdames, Messieurs, Nos ingénieurs sont très performants : Ces inondations sont préméditées, Ils viennent d'inventer le Train-Glisseur. Un train qui ne marche pas que sur des rails, mais aussi sur l'eau.

Here are some of the photographs:

Gare Rabat Agdal Creek

Gare Rabat Agdal under water

Mohamed El Kortbi, blogging in Partageons nos passions, also shares [Fr] a picture from inside of Agdal train station:

Inside Rabat Agdal

And Ibn Kafka [Fr], shares these pictures taken at the international airport of touristic Marrakesh:

Marrakesh airport under water

Marrakesh airport under water

Marrakesh airport under water

Writing in Arabic, Issam [Ar] reports on the flooding of the newly inaugurated tunnel under Boulevard Roudani, one of the most congested arteries of Casablanca, the over 3 million populated economic capital of Morocco. He shares the following video, shot by an amateur at the Roudani Boulevard tunnel and circulated on YouTube:

Issam writes:

قبل بضعة أيام، غرق الممر الأرضي “الجديد” المشيد بالدار البيضاء (الروداني)، بعد أمطار ليلة واحدة فقط. سطروا من فضلكم على كلمة (الجديد) هذه ألف مرة، فالممر قد افتتح مع بداية شهر يونيو الماضي فقط.. وقد فاقت ميزانيته الثلاثين مليون درهما..

In some parts of Rabat, concrete collapsed in the streets trapping cars and buses, adding to the general bewilderment, as this video shared [Fr] by Energumene shows:

Inundations have not struck only poor neighbouhoods. In the following video, shared by online news blog Entre nous marocains [Fr], it appears that water flooded affluent parts too:

By Y on Flickr

At least five Moroccan independent journalists will appear before a judge later this month in Rabat, the Moroccan capital, after having published articles in their newspapers, Al-Jarida al-Oula, Al-Ayam and Al-Mishaal, in which they challenged the official announcement about King Mohammed VI's health. It all started when on August 26, the Royal Palace, in an unprecedented move, revealed that the monarch has contracted “a viral, benign disease” and needed convalescing for five days. The next day, the Moroccan press started commenting on the announcement, mostly praising the transparency of the palace, some (citing anonymous sources) associating the king's illness with the hypothetic “abuse of immunodepressants to treat asthma.” Bloggers soon joined the debate. After a while, a wave of rumors and gossip emerged, giving way to speculations and all kinds of interpretations. Then authorities started calling in and arresting journalists who were submitted to long hours of questioning on the sources of their information, with some interrogations lasting for more than 40 hours.

Most bloggers denounced the attacks on journalists which, according to the official news agency [Fr], were based on the Press Code used by the prosecutor to accuse journalists of “publication offense,” “libel,” “bad intentions” and of spreading “false information” and “untruthful facts.”

Solidarité Maroc, a citizen online platform campaigning for human rights in Morocco, publishes a letter [Fr] of solidarity with the journalists by veteran activist Khalid Jamai [Fr], who writes:

Ils ont des armes, des commissariats, des fallaka (forme de punition corporelle); mais nous avons les mots, ceux que l’histoire incruste dans la mémoire des temps futurs. Il faut dire que nous, nous sommes rentré dans l’ère de “Amoula nouba” (”A qui le tour”). [D]es dizaines de quotidiens et hebdomadaire eurent à subir les affres de la censure, des interdictions, des procès, des amendes faramineuses, uniques dans l’histoire de la presse.
Demain à qui le tour…
Pourtant : au début ce fut le mot. Le mot que l’on ne peut mettre derrière les barreaux, ni assassiner.

A Moroccan about the world around him blames the journalists and calls for more “journalistic maturity.” He writes:

We don’t need self-proclaimed serious political newspapers dedicating their front pages to speculate on the king’s every sneeze and cough and divert the public’s attention from grave issues such as the recent utter failures of Morocco’s craven and politically naïve diplomats in addressing the Western Sahara issue. We need an independent media that exercises not self-censorship, but good judgment and selflessness in the conduct of their duties; one that adheres not to Delphic influences, but to personal conscience and unwavering character. Freedom is a greater responsibility; Al-Jarida Al-Oula, Al-Ayam and Al-Michaal demonstrated in this particular case that they could not strap it on and take charge. Let’s hope this is nothing more than a snag.

It is not the first time this year that journalists have found themselves in the dock. Unlike previous affairs, Bluesman notices [Ar], this time around the accused may find themselves abandoned:

هذه القضية تختلف عن باقي القضايا والسبب أن الصحافيين المتابعين وجدوا أنفسهم بمفردهم في ساحة المعركة بعد ان تخلى عنهم زملاءهم الصحافيين في سابقة خطيرة تؤكد شيئا واحدا ان المخزن نجح في شيئين
الاول تخويف الجسم الصحفي
والثاني زرع الشقاق بين الصحفيين

The debate over the issue took at times some unexpected turns. Kissing the hand of the monarch in Morocco is a centuries old custom which, although not compulsory, most Moroccans feel compelled to perform in order to show their allegiance to the king. Larbi, citing an editorial by journalist Rachid Nini who suggested the banning of the practice for prophylactic reasons, deplores [Fr] the fact that the custom was not being disfavored for the good reasons. He writes:

Ainsi donc il faut abolir le baise-main non pas parce qu’il représente une pratique venue d’un autre temps, non pas parce qu’il est humiliant pour la dignité humaine, non pas parce qu’il représente un étonnant contraste avec le Maroc moderne chanté à tout bout de champs. Non il faut l’abolir pour protéger le roi contre la saleté et les microbes que portent, forcément, ses sujets, leurs mains et leurs bouches.

For an outsider, it is difficult to comprehend the Moroccan authorities' repeated attitude towards the media unless it is put in the context of the Moroccan system of governance which places the king above the rest of the mortals. Jillian York, blogger, activist and fine connoisseur of Morocco, writing on KABOBfest, wonders sarcastically, but almost in disbelief, about what could the journalists have published so nasty as to prompt such reaction from the authorities. She writes:

So what could the false story have said? […] That he had cancer? That he was dying of lung disease? Alas, no. The journalists reported on the King’s alleged contraction of…the flu virus.

Moon by Voobie on Flickr

Al-Kanz is an online information website that deals with Muslim consumers' issues in France. The website notices [Fr] that unlike previous years, France's big distribution labels have chosen to publicly specify their target consumers. In France there is pusillanimity attached to the slightest mention of religious communities, which has to do with a certain reading of laïcité, whereby the media, political parties and businesses, avoid targeting specific religious groups for fear of being accused of Communitarianism:

Si, il y a quelques jours, nous déplorions la frilosité répétée des grands noms de la distribution lorsqu’il s’agit de dire clairement que la cible de leurs opérations commerciales à l’occasion du mois de ramadan n’est autre que celle des consommateurs musulmans, il faut bien avouer que nous avons droit cette année à quelques surprises.

The holy Muslim month of Ramadan is not only a month of austere prayers and fasting, it is, as many bloggers pointed out this week, basically a period of social gatherings and caring for the poor, aiming at transcending social divides and strengthening family ties. Algerian blogger Adel, quoting al-Watan [Fr] daily newspaper, refers to [Fr] government initiatives to alleviate poverty, intended to coincide with the start of Ramadan, but he deplores widespread mismanagement:

A l’approche du ramadan, le gouvernement s’est penché sur la pauvreté en Algérie. Il a promis de débloquer 3 milliards de dinars (30 millions d’euros) pour assurer les besoins alimentaires de base pour les 1,2 million de familles démunies recensées. Un récent rapport du PNUD fait état de l’augmentation du taux de pauvreté dans le pays, où un Algérien sur trois vivrait au-dessous du seuil de pauvreté […] “Etat riche, peuple pauvre” est le slogan le plus utilisé par l’opposition pour décrire une gestion opaque et inégalitaire des ressources du pays.

Ramadan is undoubtedly a month of frenzied consumerism. Speculators, taking advantage of the surge in demand, usually push commodity prices up. But as Maghreb Info [Fr], an online news website reports, some regional governments are announcing strong measures to ensure supply and price stability:

Le gouvernement marocain annonce des mesures pour l’approvisionnement normal et régulier des marchés, mais aussi pour lutter contre la spéculation. Les autorités marocaines soulignent la nécessité de veiller au respect des prix des produits alimentaires, et annoncent un très net renforcement des contrôles sur tous les points de vente au Maroc.

[L]e ministre [algérien] du commerce annonce avoir recruter 1500 agents de contrôle supplémentaires chargés de débusquer les éventuelles spéculateurs.

During Ramadan every able-bodied Muslim is supposed to observe fasting from dawn until dusk, refrain from smoking or acting in a socially improper manner; or that's the theory at least. Some contend that antisocial behavior tends to increase during the holy month as Tunisian blogger ART.ticuler argues[Ar], referring to a social study published some years earlier. He writes:

وتوصل الدكتور أحمد المجدوب إلى أنّ جرائم السطو المسلح والنشل والسرقة تزيد في شهر رمضان، كذلك تزيد معدلات الجرائم الزوجية كالضرب والإهانة والطرد من المنزل والقتل لأتفه الأسباب خاصة قبل الإفطار أو خلال العشر الأيام الأخيرة من الشهر الكريم

Incidentally, Moroccan blogger Ibn Kafka describes [Fr] how he was assaulted after a meeting he held with blogger friends, gathering in a pure Ramadanesque tradition when people socialize and stay in cafés until late at night. He tells the story:

Nous nous étions rencontré, cinq bloggeurs, pour discuter et passer du temps ensemble après le ftour […] [N]ous avions fini par nous faire éjecter [du café où nous sommes restés] bien au-delà de la fermeture. N’ayant pas terminé la discussion, nous sommes restés près de dix minutes à papoter devant le café, entourés de marchands et badauds. Ainsi que de cinq ou six salopards armés de machetes, transportés sur deux scooters, qui nous avaient repérés […] J’avais ma sacoche avec mon lap-top, et un autre bloggeur un sac-bandoulière où l’on met portefeuille et papiers. C’est nous que les salopards visèrent: l’un d’entre eux, par derrière, tira ma sacoche. Me retournant, je vis un petit type de vingt ans, pantalon et blouson noir, agitant une machete, entouré de comparses, quatre peut-être, deux ou trois avec des machetes. J’ai eu le réflexe de lâcher tout de suite, la sacoche ne contenant que mon laptop, une clé USB et un chargeur pour mon mobile.

Whilst not all Muslims strictly abide by all five tenets of Islam, failing to observe fasting during the holy month is little tolerated. Notwithstanding, some have gone as far as to openly disclose their non observance, like some Moroccan bloggers who decided to create this group [Ar, Fr] for dialog on the social networking website Facebook.

A novel and arguably progressive initiative that apparently Jalal Aaouita, a commenter amongst others, is not prepared to accept. He writes:

Beyond the controversy, the profusion of blog posts during this week suggests that blogging and social networking on the Internet have become part and parcel of social activities during Ramadan along with dedicated viewing of soap operas on TV, compulsive shopping and… prayers.