U.S. Embassy in Rabat Reaches Out to Moroccan Youtubers

In an impressive move, the U.S. embassy in Rabat has created its own channel on Youtube. The channel so far has posted 5 videos from the two Moroccan state-owned TV networks, Channel 1 and 2M TV. The videos, all available to the public, track the activities of U.S. government officials, NGOs, and citizens in Morocco.
The Youtube Channel, named "usembrabat," is only few days old as it was created on April 25th, 2008.
I believe this initiative is much needed in the face of increasing negative coverage of Mr. Thomas Riley's activities by some local Arabic speaking papers such as Almassae and Assabah.

Do We Need Dozens of Fire Victims to Know That We Suck?

The huge fire that unfortunately took the life of at least 55 victims has unearthed the unfortunate realities of substandard working conditions, safety code violations, and the bad crisis management by the authorities.

• The factory "sweat shop" of highly inflammable materials, furniture foam, is in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
• The glass windows of the factory were enforced with iron bars, which prevented the workers from escaping.
• In contradiction with the official numbers about 55 victims, families of workers reported that there were at least 120 workers inside the factory, and wondered where the others are.
  
• The employees tried to escape to the roof but the door leading to the roof was locked.
• One day later, the workers' relatives still can not find any information about the workers.
• 2M TV started its news program with reporting about the death of Bensouda, the former king's adviser, then it moved to cover the death of "55 victims."
• Who is responsible for the obvious violations of fire codes such as emergency exits, emergency plans, and training?

Everybody knows that corruption and lack of laws' enforcement is the main cause of this tragic event. But, there is a sense of complicity amongst all groups within the Moroccan society who turn the blind eye on violations and lax attitude towards the violation of laws. We all let it slide when Mqeddem takes few dozen Dirhams to let you build an extra room in your building or expand a garden to the public domain. We don't complain when a Gendarme lets it slide for 30 Dirhams when your buddy was 20 kms above the legal speed, but we complain about the high rate of accidents in Morocco. The pig picture of the country's situation is made up of small details; and we are almost involved in all those small details. If we turn the blind eye on the small violations, we get paid back in big calamities such as the horrendous road accidents and the mass deaths of impoverished workers at a sweat shop of highly inflammable material.

منتديات كووورة: عشرات القتلى في حريق مهول ضرب �

منتديات كووورة: عشرات القتلى في حريق مهول ضرب �: "في ظل تهاون كبير من رجال الإطفاء و حضور مكثف لرجال الأمن و قعت الكارثة عشرات ان لم نقل العدد يقارب 90 قتيل و مئات الجرحى سقطوا في حادث مهول وقع قبل قليل و مازالت النيران تلتهم الأخضر و اليابس في منطقة لساسفة عند احد مخارج مدينة ليساسفة

وقد شب الحريق ابتداءا من الساعة 9 صباحا حيث كان المعمل يعج باكثر من 300 عام�"

Ideal Friends

I wish the three guys in this video were my friends, get to hang out with them, and ask 'em to play my favorite music. Until I have such friends, I will listen to these guys on youtube.

By ListenArabic.Com - اغاني MP3

Lost her Virginity by Phone

When you think you heard it all, you hear another one. It's in the Arab world again and it happened in Tunisia this time. A man is accused of deflowering a 20 year old even he had never touched her or met her in person. The lawsuit said the young woman lost her virginity during a passionate phone sex session. This might sound trivial, but it sets a legal precedence and needs to be taken seriously, said the plaintiff's lawyer. The 30 year old's crime, said the lawsuit, is that he caused the girl to use her finger to deflower herself when she lost control of herself in the midst of the passionate phone sex session.
ينظر القضاء التونسي في قضية غير مسبوقة، تتعلق بتوجيه تهمة لشاب "بمواقعة" أنثى وإفقادها لبكارتها "عن بعد"، أي عبر الهاتف الجوال.

وبحسب صحيفة "الصريح" التونسية، فإن هذه القضية الغريبة تنظر فيها حاليا الدائرة الجناحية في المحكمة الإبتدائية في مدينة سوسة(143 كيلومترا شرق تونس العاصمة) برئاسة القاضي كمال برقاش، وتترافع فيها المحامية مها مطيبع، وتتعلق بشكوى تقدم أفراد عائلة تونسية تتهم فيها شاباً باغتصاب إبنتهم البالغة من العمر 20 عاما، وذلك بعدما أكد تقرير الطب الشرعي أنها فقدت عذريتها حديثا.

غير أن الشاب، البالغ من العمر ثلاثين عاماً نفى أن يكون لمس الفتاة أو واقعها، ولكنه اعترف بأنهما كانا يجريان اتصالات ساخنة ومطولة عبر الهاتف الجوال.

وأضاف في اعترافاته أنه انتبه ذات مرة بينما كان في قمة انسجامه وتواصله الحسي مع الفتاة المذكورة عبر الهاتف الجوال، إلى صراخها، لتبلغه بعد ذلك بأن قطرات دم سالت منها وهي منسجمة معه عبر الهاتف.

ورجحت المحامية فرضية أن تكون الفتاة قد فقدت بكارتها أثناء ذلك الإنسجام، باعتبار أن تقرير الطبيب الشرعي يؤكد عدم تعرض الفتاة المذكورة لأي إعتداء جنسي، ما يعني أنها قد تكون في لحظة إنتشاء قصوى "فعلت بنفسها ما كان يجب أن يفعله بها العريس ليلة الدخلة".

وذكرت الصحيفة التونسية، فإن هذه القضية قد تبدو طريفة، ولكنها في واقع الأمر هي سابقة تستوجب فقه القضاء لحسم تفاصيلها وجزئياتها، باعتبار أن "جريمة المواقعة حصلت بكل تفاصيلها، ولكن من خلال الصوت فقط،أي أنها مواقعة عن بعد، ومع ذلك فإنها ظاهريا موجودة بإعتبار ثبوت مظاهرها(فقدان البكارة)،ولكنها فعليا غير موجودة لانعدام عنصر المباشرة،وعدم توفر أحد أهم أركانها".

Embezzlement at Khalid Basri's UPS Franchise

Between $750 000 to $1.2 millions in cash money have been embezzled between 2000 and 2007 , which coincided with the period that the son of former Interior Minister was abroad with his late father, Driss Bassri, due to political conflicts, sources said. The UPS franchise's Financial Director S. F. and General Director M.B. were fired by the Franchise's owner Khalid Bassri, who has hired an auditing firm upon his return from France. He appointed Hafid Ait Ali as Director of Operations and Said Dyani as Director of Sales.
Mr S.F. and M.B. allegedly forged Khalid Bassri's signature at the airport to have access to the cash there. They also allegedly used to pocket all cash from cash transactions and deposit only Check transactions.
The franchise witnessed other firings and resignations . The Transit person at the airport and The doorman H.A. were fired, Dispatcher S. resigned, and another sales person resigned also.

P.S. Names were abbreviated to protect the privacy of the suspects.

Washington Post Editorial, Hamas, Carter, Israel

This editorial has made some unhappy commentators, may be more than some.

ON THE OPPOSITE page today we publish an article by the "foreign minister" of Hamas, Mahmoud al-Zahar, that drips with hatred for Israel, and with praise for former president Jimmy Carter. We believe Mr. Zahar's words are worth publishing because they provide some clarity about the group he helps to lead, a group that Mr. Carter contends is worthy of being included in the Middle East peace process. Mr. Carter himself is holding what appears to be a series of meetings with Hamas leaders during a tour of the Middle East. He met one militant in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Tuesday and was reportedly planning to meet Mr. Zahar in Cairo today before traveling to Damascus for an appointment with Khaled Meshal, Hamas's top leader.

Mr. Zahar lauds Mr. Carter for the "welcome tonic" of saying that no peace process can succeed "unless we are sitting at the negotiating table and without any preconditions." Yet Mr. Zahar has his own preconditions: Before any peace process can "take even its first tiny step," he says, Israel must withdraw to the 1967 borders and evacuate Jerusalem while preparing for the "return of millions of refugees." In fact, as Mr. Zahar makes clear, Hamas is not at all interested in a negotiated peace with the Jewish state, whose existence it refuses to accept: "Our fight to redress the material crimes of 1948 is scarcely begun," he concludes.

In that fight, no act of terrorism is out of bounds for the Hamas leader, who endorses the group's recent ambush of Israeli civilians working at a fuel depot that supplies Gaza. The "total war" of which he speaks was initiated and has been sustained by Hamas itself through its deliberate targeting of civilians, such as the residents of the Israeli town of Sderot, who suffer daily rocket attacks.

These facts would hardly need restating were it not for actors such as Mr. Carter, who portray Hamas as rational and reasonable. Hamas is "perfectly willing" for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "to represent them in all direct negotiations with the Israelis, and they also maintain that they will accept any agreement that he brokers with the Israelis" provided a referendum is held on it, the former president told the newspaper Haaretz. Compare that claim with Mr. Zahar's own words on the opposite page. In fact, Mr. Zahar has called Mr. Abbas "a traitor" for negotiating with Israel -- a label that is, in the Palestinian context, an incitement to murder.

Mr. Carter justifies his meetings with familiar arguments about the value of dialogue with enemies. But he misses the point. Contacts between enemies can be useful: Israel is legendary for such negotiations, and even now it is engaged in back-channel bargaining with Hamas through Egypt. But it is one thing to communicate pragmatically, and quite another to publicly and unconditionally grant recognition and political sanction to a leader or a group that advocates terrorism, mass murder or the extinction of another state. That is what Mr. Carter is doing by lending what is left of his prestige to an avowed terrorist such as Khaled Meshal -- or Mahmoud al-Zahar.

The Last Moroccan

Here is a story covered by the BBC about a Moroccan human rights activist who was jailed by the three Moroccan kings. Mohamed Bougrine says he is ready to go back to jail again.


Mohamed Bougrine is called 'the prisoner of three kings'
Mohamed Bougrine has been a constant thorn in the flesh of the Moroccan authorities - resistance fighter, dissident and human rights campaigner. James Copnall meets a man who expects to return to jail, despite a recent royal pardon.

Seventy-two-year-old Mohamed Bougrine is not just the "prisoner of three kings".

He also held another title - Morocco's oldest political detainee - but that no longer applies.

At the beginning of the month, the old man was given a royal pardon, following several months in jail for what the authorities termed "lacking the respect due to the king".

Mohamed had taken to the streets in solidarity with men who had been locked up on a May Day march.

Armed struggle

Since he was a teenager, Mohamed has been campaigning against what he sees as evident injustice.

First it was the French colonisers. Then it was the Moroccan monarchy that replaced them.

A committed left-winger and human rights activist, he does not flinch from admitting he participated in armed movements against the state.

At first, it is difficult to reconcile that flinty portrait with the man who steps out of his house to greet me, a maroon cape billowing around him, a fluffy white hat on his head and a friendly gleam in his eyes.

Inside his modest but impeccably tidy home, Mohamed is true to the traditions of Moroccan hospitality, keen to make sure his visitors are at ease, while his wife, Fatima, pours mint tea from a burnished silver pot and distributes pastries.

But when he starts to describe his six jail terms, the steely strength of his determination becomes clear.

First arrest

"I was arrested for the first time 17 March 1960," he says, every date stuck in his mind.

"I was freed on Thursday 30 December 1966."

He had taken up arms against the royal army, and was heavily beaten in prison, he says.

That experience did not come close to stopping him.

Map of Beni Mellal

Mohamed was imprisoned four times under the next Moroccan king, Hassan II, sometimes for supporting resistance movements, at other times for his political activity.

Hassan II was highly regarded for his political skills, but presided over a dictatorial regime in which opponents and human rights activists were regularly rounded up and tortured.

Mohamed does not try to hide the crimes he committed which led him to jail - indeed he seems proud of his personal acts against the regime.

But in the middle of his story, narrated in a clear, even voice, he suddenly loses control of his emotions.

Twenty-six of his comrades were killed in prison, he explains - and as he does so his voice cracks.

Then, he says, struggling to get the words out, they stripped his mother-in-law naked in front of him, to humiliate them both.

Difficult years

Suddenly the upright militant can no longer keep the tears from flowing.

Fatima hands him a paper tissue and he wipes his eyes, apologising profusely for his lack of control.

"I love my wife," he says, in a quiet but firm way that brings a timid but very proud smile to her face.

The many years Mohamed spent in jail were clearly extremely difficult for his family.

His son grew up without his father for the first five years of his life - and everyone was shocked when Mohamed was arrested again last year.

His royal pardon came just a few days before King Mohamed VI visited Beni Mellal on a tour of the regions.

The long road leading past Mohamed Bougrine's house, named after the king who first imprisoned him, is crowded with the red and green Moroccan flags, and larger-than-life portraits of the current sovereign, to celebrate his day in the town.

It was another reminder of the cult of personality around the king, one which has scarcely changed over the years.

'Despotic regimes'

Mohamed Bougrine seems a good person to ask if life in Morocco is improving under Mohamed VI.

Hassan II's son received high praise for opening up Morocco when he came to the throne in 1999.

King Mohamed VI of Morocco
The King's talk of reconciliation does not impress Mohamed Bougrine

Prisoners were released, more rights granted, and some of the abuses of the past were admitted, for the first time.

Still, the old man in the white hat is not convinced.

"Hassan II ruled the country with an iron fist," Mohamed says.

"Mohamed VI rules with an iron fist - but in a velvet glove."

"He talks about reconciliation and humanitarian issues, but it's all a bluff."

Mohamed Bougrine says he has no personal problems with the three kings who have locked him up, and has no desire for revenge.

But he wants a true democracy for his country, and says almost all Arab regimes are despotic.


I don't think I have been in jail for the last time
Mohamed Bougrine

His 27-year-old son - the one who hardly knew his father growing up - is already a human rights campaigner, ready to follow in his dad's footsteps.

As I get ready to head back to Rabat, I ask Mohamed a last question.

After more than a decade in jail, after being tortured and humiliated, and at his advanced age, would he be prepared to go to prison again for his beliefs?

The response was as firm as this extraordinary man's convictions.

"I don't think I have been in jail for the last time, and it doesn't scare me," he said. "I am fighting for a better Morocco."

8 Years Old Yemeni Girl Divorce her 30 Year Old Husband

Another bizarre news from the Arab world came from Yemen, where an 8 years old girl took her 30 years old husband to court and manage to obtain her divorce. The smiling girl talked to the media and said she initiated the request and found help from a female Yemeni lawyer.
Answering a question from the judge, The girl's father said he had no option as two other daughters were kidnapped. The first one was kidnapped after the father refused to marry her to the kidnapper. He then was forced to accept the marriage' proposal since his daughter was already in her kidnapper's hands. The second daughter, mother of 4 kids, was kidnapped few years later by the same man.
The sad news about this story is that this marriage was consummated.

صنعاء، الوكالات: قضت محكمة يمنية أمس الثلاثاء بفسخ زواج الطفلة نجود محمد علي البالغة من العمر ثماني سنوات، لكونها لم تصل بعد إلى مرحلة البلوغ، رغم تزويجها منذ شهرين وذلك بعد شكوى تقدمت بها نجود ضد والدها محمد علي الأهدل وزوجها السابق فائز علي ثامر الذي يبلغ من العمر 30 عامًا. وتسود في اليمن عادات قبلية تعرقل تطور القوانين الاجتماعية فيه. وتعد نجود أصغر زوجة يمنية تتقدم إلى القضاء حتى الآن وقد نالت تعاطفاً عالمياً معها حيث اهتمت العديد من وسائل الاعلام ومنظمات حقوق الإنسان داخل اليمن وخارجه بقصة نجود. وأمرت المحكمة عائلة الطفلة بدفع ما يعادل نحو 250 دولارًا كتعويض للزوج السابق.

وقالت محامية الطفلة والمدافعة عن حقوق الانسان شذى ناصر إن الفتاة القاصر نجود محمد ناصر، أقامت دعوى في نيسان (إبريل)، تطلب فيها الطلاق لأن زوجها يسيء معاملتها جسديا ويرغمها "على ممارسة الجنس معه بعد أن يضربها". وقالت المحامية إن أحد الأشخاص الذين حضروا الجلسة تطوع بدفع التعويض لكنها لم تفسر لماذا حكمت المحكمة بالتعويض.

وذكرت تقارير نشرتها الصحف اليمنية أن زوج الطفلة كان يضربها ويهينها للحصول على حقوقه الزوجية، بينما كانت الطفلة تهرب منه من غرفة إلى أخرى. وطلبت نجود من أبوها وأمها وعمتها تطليقها من زوجها، إلا أنهم رفضوا بالقول: "اذا تريدي هذا روحي المحكمة واشتكي، نحن ما نتدخل". وبالفعل، ذهبت الطفلة إلى المحكمة، حيث سألها قاضي محكمة غرب الامانة محمد القاضي عما تريده، فقالت إنها ترغب في الحصول على الطلاق، واشتكت على والدها وزوجها. وبالفعل أمر القاضي المحكمة بتوقيف الأب والزوج، بعد الاستماع إلى شهادة الفتاة، التي اتهمت زوجها بالاعتداء الجنسي والبدني عليها. وأطلق سراح الأب في وقت لاحق لأسباب صحية.

وقالت الطفلة إن زوجها اعتاد أن يأتي بأفعال سيئة معها، وأنها لم تكن لديها فكرة عن معنى الزواج. وأضافت أنها كانت تعدو من حجرة لأخرى للهرب منه ولكنه في النهاية كان يتمكن من الامساك بها وضربها ومواصلة فعل ما يريد، مشيرة الى أنها عندما كانت تريد اللعب في الفناء، كان يضربها ويطلب منها الذهاب لحجرة النوم معه.

وبعد إصدار الحكم، قالت نجود بوجه باسم "أنا الآن فرحانة بالطلاق وأريد ان أذهب لأدرس". وأشارت الى انها كانت تدرس في الصف الثاني ابتدائي قبل الزواج. واوضحت للصحافيين "انا قالوا لي اتزوج وأبقى في بيت أبي حتى أبلغ سن الـ 18 لكن أبي وأمي أجبراني على الزواج بعد مرور أسبوع من كتابة العقد". وأضافت "سأعيش في بيت خالي لكنني لست غاضبة من أبي لأنه لن ينفعني احد غيره وأنا سامحته".

الطفلة نجود محمد علي والمحامية شذى ناصر أ ف ب

بدت الطفلة، التي ارتدت لباسا اسود مثل معظم بنات ونساء اليمن، غير مهتمة كثيرا حين كان القاضي يتلو شكواها بحضور والدها والزوج. وقال والد البنت وهو عاطل عن العمل ولديه خمس بنات "زوجتها يا سيدي القاضي برضاها من شدة الخوف عليها من اناس يريدون أن يأخذوا أولادي".

وفي مسعى لتبرير تزويج الطفلة قال الوالد "ان احد الأشخاص اختطف قبل عدة سنوات احدى فتياتي وهرب بها واجبرت على تزويجها به وفي وقت لاحق عاد واختطف اختها وهي متزوجة ولديها اربعة اطفال وهرب بها وتمت ملاحقته وقبض عليه وهو الآن في السجن".

من جانبه قال الزوج "انا تزوجتها برضاها ورضا والدها واهلها" مضيفا ردا على سؤال وجهه إليه القاضي عما إذا واقعها جنسيا قال " نعم دخلت عليها واما الضرب لم أضربها". واضاف "أنا ليس لدي مانع من تلبية طلبها بالطلاق إذا كانت هذه رغبتها".

واوضحت المحامية شذى ناصر التي تطوعت للدفاع عن الطفلة ان هذه القضية" ليست الوحيدة في اليمن" واضافت "اعتقد ان هناك آلاف الحالات المشابهة من الزواج المبكر" مشيرة الى ان منظمات المجتمع المدني والمنظمات النسوية تطالب مجلس النواب بإصدار "قانون يحدد سن الزواج ب18 سنة".

وتتوقع المحامية شذى أن تكون قصة تحرير نجود مقدمة لتحرير كثيرين مثلها.

'Sexual Frustration' Leads to Illegal Immigration

ٍLack of sexual freedom leads Algerian youths to take on the ocean and flee to Europe, said Jamal Ould Abbas, Algerian Minister of Cooperation. It sounds as if there was some major all-year-along-mating season that pushes those young men to search for their mates elsewhere. According to this minister, Algerian youths are so unhappy about their sex life, or lack of it thereof, that they are ready to risk their lives and immigrate illegally to Europe.
It's unfortunate how a minister who is trying to spin a little makes an ass of himself. He is basically saying that there is no problem in Algeria except lack of sexual freedom for youths. Unemployment is not an issue at all in Algeria, and so is poverty and freedom of speech.

قال وزير التضامن الجزائري جمال ولد عباس إن غياب الحرية الجنسية والعلاقات العاطفية المطلقة وراء هجرة عشرات الشباب الجزائريين إلى الخارج عن طريق الهجرة السرية. وأوضح ولد عباس في حوار مع إذاعة الجزائر الرسمية امس الإثنين في سياق حديثه عن أهم أسباب انتشار ظاهرة هجرة المئات من الشباب الجزائري بواسطة ما سمي بقوارب الموت عبر البحر باتجاه أوروبا أن هناك من الشباب من يغادر بسبب عدم توفر الحرية (الجنسية) والعلاقات العاطفية المسموحة خارج الإطار المشروع . وأشار الوزير الجزائري إلي أن ثقافة المجتمع الجزائري التي لا تسمح بمثل هذه العلاقات والحريات أفضت إلي علاقات غير شرعية في الخفاء تسببت في أشياء غير مرضية بالنسبة لنا مثل ظاهرة الأمهات العازبات . وأحصي الوزير ولادة أكثر من 3 آلاف طفل غير شرعي بسبب هذه العلاقات. وقال ولد عباس ان بلاده تحاول إحداث توازن بين مطالب التيار الإسلامي ومطالب التيار العلماني إزاء مسألة الحريات الشخصية، لكنه شدّد علي أن الحكومة ستحترم الإسلام في هذه المسألة.
		16-04-2008

Husni Mubarak's Statue Toppled

Well, almost. Egypt seems to be boiling while President Husni Mubarak has been spending most of his time in the resort town of Sharm Sheikh. During the last three years, voices and movements of dissent have been emerging in different flavors and fashions. While they all failed to shake Husni's ground, every movement seems to be stronger than its predecessor. The giant, the Egyptian people in this case, is slowly waking up from its hibernation, or rather a coma. In an environment that smothers peaceful demonstrations, the authorities look like an accomplice in pushing for a violent revolt of the masses.
The following footage is quite symbolic to me; it bizarrely reminds us of what happened to another tyrant in the region. And It all started by his statute being toppled down.

Then Came "Fitna", Then Came "Schism"

Well the argument about religion, stereotype, and propaganda continues to make victims, fans, and audiences. In an attempt to counter Gilders' "Fitna," someone responded with a similar video, Schism, but the subject this time is the Bible, not the Koran. I personally disagree with issuing such a video even if it made a valid point -- criticizing any attempt to attack any religious group by cherry-picking some texts. Going that path, would open a worm of can and I Say You Say, etc.. It also prevents from having an intelligent interfaith dialogue that the world is much in need of.

Dreaming in Morocco And The Need for a Good Listener

Watching this video, I came to realize something. I don't know how representative the video of Moroccan youths, but they all seem to have one thing in common-- they want someone who can listen to them.
The video shows some intelligent, ambitious, struggling, optimistic, and smart youths. Life is not easy up there and doesn't offer much to smile about , but they are not surrendering. Unfortunately, there is nobody at the government level who is willing to sit down, listen, listen, and listen. Then, they can work with them to come up with creative solutions to provide them with tools of production and continuous education that empower these young men and women.

Prison Break is 'Inside Job'

Moroccan Justice Minister believes the 9 bombing convicts who evaded Kenitra prison had definitely received help from inside and outside elements, said Al-Massae Arabic daily. He also ordered a full scale investigation to find the accomplices within the directorate of prisons in the Kingdom. Raids of Department A at several prisons where Salafist convicts reside have reportedly revealed suspicious items such as empty bags, which can serve to empty dirt from the tunnels.This statement at the highest level confirms our previous suspicions, which are also echoed by many Moroccans.
More importantly, this evasion risks sending most feared signal to the youths - Al-Qaeda local affiliates can bail you out if you ever get caught supporting, conducting, or planning violence and terror.

العياقة و السياقة

شريط كوميدي قصير على العياقة و الواقع الإفتراضي عند الشباب ديالنا. الكوميديين من الأردن و لكن الظاهرة ما عندهاش حدود. الستونات ديال الممثل كيقتلو بالضحك.

What's with the Prison Breaks?

Nine prisoners who were serving sentences for their role in Casablanca's suicide bombings in 2003 have spectacularly escaped their prison in Kenitra by digging an 8-meter tunnel to evaporate in the big city. Despite the subsequent manhunt, which is still going on, none of the escapees has been arrested. But there are some indications that help from inside might have played a big role in it.

• This escape is not the first one involving Al-Qaeda suspects in Arab jails; there has been a pattern:
  

1. February 6, 2006 : 23 Al-Qaeda supsects escaped from a Yemeni jail by digging a tunnel from inside, while conspirators helped digging from the outside .
2. April 2, 2008: One Al-Qaeda suspect escaped from a Mauritanian court by excusing himself to the bathroom, and then headed to somewhere else than his jail.
   
3. April 3, 2008: Serving long sentences for their involvement in Casablanca bombings. nine Salafist Jihadists escaped their prison in Kenitra in a spectacular way by digging an 8 meter tunnel and jumping up the prison's outer wall.

• Kenitra's prison is notorious for being the scene of previous prison breaks. Nino, a Ceuta-based drug lord, managed last year to buy his way out of the infamous prison. None of the prison guards was suspended or punished after the Spaniard's evaded.
  
• Back to this weekend's evasion,Coincidently, the dog of the prison's director , along with its cage, were removed few days ago from the prison. According to Almassae daily , the tunnel's end was right where the dog's cage used to be.
• So far in the history of Moroccan jails , two types of prisoners have managed to evade -- the Al-Qadea members and the drug dealers. The common denominators amongst the two is that they both belong to cash-rich powerful rings. The prison guards can be easily coerced because not only they are underpaid, but they also work in a very corrupt environment where only money and bribes rule. It's the culture of prisons in Morocco, just like it is the case with prisons in developing nations.
  

Moroccan Minister Calls for End of Adhan

In what seems to risk creating an uproar amongst the Moroccan Islamists, the Communist Moroccan Minister of women's Affairs , Nezha Sqali, has asked Minister of Islamic Affairs during a private cabinet session to put a stop to dawn's call of prayer in tourist-populated towns and neighborhood in order to provide comfort and tranquility.
The secularist Nezha Sqali will certainly be criticized for mixing between the call for prayer during Dawn and the chanting that precedes it. While addressing the Islamic Affairs' Minister, she inquired why the call for prayer last around 1 hour, while she meant the chanting that precedes the call for prayer.
The secularist politicians and Academics are known to be the Islamists' number one enemy in the Moroccan kingdom. This will certainly be viewed by the PJD as an attempt to undermine the Islamic character of the Moroccan daily life.
The Women's Affairs Minister has accused the Minister of Islamic Affairs of leaking the incident to the press for political motivations.

Saida Fikri in Town

The talented Moroccan singer Saida Fikri, who has been living in the U.S. for several years after she had been boycotted by State-owned Moroccan TV and Radio, is going on a North American tour starting tomorrow April 5th.
Her first tour show will take place on April 5th in the Chain Federation in Astoria, NY. Other shows are as follow:

• April 10th, @ Tower Auditorium in Boston, MA
• April 18th, @ Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre in Washington, DC
• April 26th, @ Kola Note in Montreal, Quebec

For more info check Saida Kikri's website. Yes, spreading the word for the sister.

Another Moroccan Blogger Quit Citing Fear and Despair

A Moroccan Arabophone blogger decided to stop blogging in light of the exorbitant fine imposed on Al-Masae Arabic daily newspaper.
"Not out of fear," said blogger Mohammad Said Hjiouej . "But out of lost hope in any upcoming reform . Everything is collapsing : Education [ministry]causes vomiting, the Judiciary causes terror, Health causes panic, and the Security causes disgust. Except for prices and taxes; they increase with fervently unprecedentedly and shamelessly. "

But the blogger admitted later in his posting that" he feels a little scared even if he tries to ignore it."
Hjiouej's blog is in Arabic, and he generally writes about literature, Moroccan politics, and the current state of Arabic language in Morocco. He is an avid proponent of the Arabic language and its use in the professional and public spheres in Morocco.