Morocco is celebrating Eid ul Adha next Sunday, so Merry Eid from the Moroccan Blogosphere(Blogoma).
Let's joke about…Baby!
The controversy over Nichane continues its escalation. Actually, and according to Farid it's virtually escalating since only the Moroccan blogs are concerned whith no major Media support(Fr).
The view from Fez writes about the “disturbing” silence off the major Moroccan media.
A very well coordinated campaign by conservative forces has been pushing for the baning of the satirical journal Nichane. Disturbingly a number of journalist “fellow-travellers” decided to abandon ethics and principals and join the campaign. Freedom of the press should be a non-negotiable, but for some it appears that at the first sniff of trouble they opted for self-interest. Thus they fueled the traditionalist camp and gave no support to the government who found itself in a difficult position caught between the highly popular reforms on one hand and the rising tide of political Islam on the other.
Eatbees posts the petition to defend Nichane which he considers “not just a statement of support for Nichane, but a call to change the laws governing the press in Morocco.”
Foulla asks her readers to react “wisely” to this unexpected situation.
You may not agree with the approach The Magazine Nichane choose to cover the subject, but I'm sure you do believe censorship is not the solution . Nor is throwing a bold and talented writer to jail !
Samir posts Mohamed Ashab‘s article about the controversy.
However, the banning of a newspaper could have serious impacts on the country's records regarding human rights, and freedom of expression. This raises serious problematic issues about the freedom of the press: where it starts and where it ends?
You can read all the blogs about the ban of Nichane in Le magazine des blogs au Maroc (Fr).
The blank day
Bloggers from Tunisia decided to protest against the censorship of some tunisian blogs. Many Moroccan bloggers answered the tunisian call and left their “e-paper” blank on Monday the 25th.
eatbees wrote an interesting piece about it, wondering what would be the most efficient way to express opposition to censorship.
The ones and the others
Ms Hjiouj wonders(Ar) if Mecca can be independant of KSA while Issam complains from the sexism of some Moroccan women!(Fr)
Rayhane posts about the new Moroccan rap star BIGG while antiphon regrets the fading(Fr) of Mohamed Rouicha(Fr), a star of the Moroccan folk music.
Rafiq addarb posts a review about Carter's new book Palestine Peace not Apartheid(Ar) while Said Ben Jebly reminds his readers of Mehdi Ben Barka(Ar).
In a musical footnote I urge you to visit Amine and Loula and enjoy their music boxes.
5 comments
Farah Aid Moubarak said, bonne année , meilleurs voeux de santé, de réussite et de bonheur.
farah aid moubarak said wa sana saida tadkhal 3lik bi sa7a wa salama wa bah ma tmaniti
quote “…Disturbingly a number of journalist “fellow-travellers” decided to abandon ethics and principals and join the campaign. Freedom of the press should be a non-negotiable, but for some it appears that at the first sniff of trouble they opted for self-interest…”
While we are all for ‘press freedom,’ what about the freedom of some journalists NOT to hold the same opinions as yourself? How can you know they were acting out of ‘self-interest?’ Who is to say that YOU are not acting out of sef interest in printing this; in fact, as a journalist, everything they do, and especially everything they write -or gets published -is done ‘in their own interest,’ as they are paid to collect facts, then present them in a particular point of view. Just as your Blog is doing, by opinionating on the suitablity or not of other journalists actions that do not tie in with your own ‘viewpoint.’
(Why is it that every commentator on the so-called left -and even worse the ‘liberal’ leg of the political tripod (the inventors of that marvel; political correctness) believe that they have THE Holy Grail; the One and Only True Viewpoint? To me, the simple ‘Governments are Bad, Peace is Good’ dogma (still doing the rounds ever since the 40’s) that I devoutly followed like everyone else -when an impressionable youth, is just as old fashioned, reactionary and ultimately extemist in outlook (all Idealists seem to be zealots; they instinctively despise compromise) as fundamentalism, fascism, communism or dictatorship.
I know we need a press, politicians need watching. But Journalists are so powerful, with no other motive force than commerce no matter HOW they dress it up, that these days they need watching just as closely.
I would still rather be ruled by and have policy dictated by elected ministers than newspaper tycoons.
Eid mobarak Farah :)