...Or Does It Explode?

The Sacred Stone

Two days in a row we cite the New York Times. This time it's not Algeria, but its western neighbor. A lengthy article on reform in Morocco includes this nugget at the end:

The Makhzan - the combination of the royal court, the security services and the ruling elite known by the Arabic word for storehouse - remains impregnable. In one infamous case last year, a journalist was charged with insulting the king by suggesting a beachfront royal palace was to be sold as a luxury hotel.

The prosecutor hauled a chunk of stone into the courtroom and argued successfully that any stone in the kingdom became sacred and thus inviolable as soon as the monarch used it. If building stones are holy, reformers note wryly, it is impossible that the entire record of Hassan will ever come under scrutiny by the Reconciliation Commission or any other forum.

Morocco's national anthem ends by invoking the three inviolate matters in Moroccan life: God, country, and the king (some Moroccans joke that this is rising order of importance). Challenging religious interpretation, Morocco's claims to Western Sahara, and the monarch all remain risky endeavors - just ask TelQuel Magazine.

Snapshot from Algeria's Referendum Vote

So Algerians have gone to the polls to vote in a special referendum on a proposed amnesty for abuses committed during the 1990 civil war that saw the slaughter of over 100,000 people. It's a complex issue, to be sure. But a New York Times report from Algeria offers a glimpse into how far the country has to go in addressing basic voting rights issues:

The government pressed hard to persuade people to vote in favor of the referendum. Opposition voices were not allowed to be heard on television or radio and those opposed to the plan were painted as being against peace. Polling stations were plastered with pictures of the president, and posters calling for passing the referendum. While voters were allowed to cast their ballots in secret, it was very easy for poll watchers to tell how people voted. Blue ballots, which meant yes, could easily be seen through the white envelopes they were tucked into before being dropped into a ballot box.

Of course these abuses are described by the writer in passing, as if so natural that they are barely worth remarking upon.

Inside the Shouk in Tripoli (Lebanon)

Big Ben Ali is Watching You

(Street scene in Tunisia)

 

Scenes from a Saudi Mall - Part II

Saudi Jeans is blogging again and recounts a scary incident at the Al-Mamlaka mall:

It was almost Maghrib (sunset) prayer time, and we were done with our shopping, but we had to wait for a friend of ours to pick us up.

We sat at the food court. A few minutes later, most of the employees at the mall came and sat there. They were chatting, smoking, and killing time, waiting for the prayer time to end so they can go back to their jobs.

Later, we heard some screams, and saw some guys running. "Oh, shit! It's the religious police. Run away!" my friend said. We jumped from our seats, looking for the nearest exit. We took the escalator, and had to leave the mall using the gates of the parking lot.

It was so embarrassing to see tens of twenty-something-year-old healthy men run away at the sight of a bearded man. Of course, the man was companioned by a policeman to protect him, but I think they were doing nothing to be afraid. Are we ever going to get rid of these harassments? When these idiotic religious policemen will stop attacking people's freedoms, and denying their right to choose?

Farah offers her own blogpost about a recent excursion to the Al-Mamlaka mall during Saudi National Day (a celebration of the ruling Saud family). And Saudi Jeans is looking for a female to help him get into IKEA.

UPDATE: Here is a handy guide to the official website of the Saudi Religious Police.

Algeria's Berbers in the Limelight

As the Algerian regime attempts to pass a new bill granting amnesty to military officials for past abuses, there has been renewed attention to Berber discontent in Algeria. (Many Berbers lives in Algeria's moutainous regions, as seen from above at right.) StategyPage declares a  "Berber Blowout Building":

The Berbers,  a people related to the ancient Egyptians, were the original occupants of Algeria. Arab armies conquered the country over a thousand years ago, but, unlike other Arab conquests, most Berbers did not adopt Arab language and customs. Today, about a third of Algerians are Berbers, and speak the Berber language, Tamazight. There has always been tension between Berbers and Arabs, and now Berbers are demanding that their language be made one of Algeria's official languages. The Arab dominated government refuses to consider this. So far, Berber violence has  been in the form of rowdy demonstrations. But the Berber radicals could escalate to guns and bombs.

This situation is of course more complicated. (1) Historians do not know for sure where the Berbers originated. Schoolbooks in Morocco, which also has a large Berber population, expediently used to claim the were originally from Arabia, though such passages have recently been dropped. (2) More than 1/3 of Algerians are Berber, in fact probably more than half the population has Berber ancestors or relatives. (3) The Tamazight language is not spoken by many young Berbers in Algeria, and in general the younger generation varies greatly on how it identifies itself primarily: as Berber, as part of the "Arab" world, or as Algerian.

Qualifiers aside, Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika spent much of last week trying to contain Berber passions.  The Algerian press service reports:

Bouteflika declared on Thursday (22 September) in Constantine, "Arabic is the national and official language, which does not mean we cannot learn Tamazight and its various dialects". Pointing out no country in the world has two official languages, he said "We accept Tamazight as a national (but not official) language." The statement came in reply to calls for Bouteflika to declare Tamazight a second official language for Algeria. (APS)

As The Moor Next Door notes, this is ridiculous:

With all the travelling Bouteflika has done to Europe, America, Japan, China, Iran, and sub-Saharan Africa, you'd think he'd have observed some things. For instance, when Bouteflika visited South Africa, did he not see that South Africa has eleven official languages? Living in denial is something that the government has gotten accusomed to.

Bouteflicka also tried to appropriate Berber (also known as Amazigh) identity by declaring: "We all are Amazigh arabised by Islam." It's a fascinating statement by the current head of the Arab League.  In a sense, he's right. Most Algerians - and Moroccans and Tunisians - are Berbers whose familes  underwent a process of Arabization.

The current revival of Berber political and civic organizing is in part identity politics - a sort of "Berber is Beautiful" campaign - as well as yet another example of post-Saddam attempts to roll back pan-Arabism in the Middle East. The big question that remains is how the current young generation will identify: many have been effectively Arabized and know no Tamazigh. Others want nothing to do with Arab identity, like this new blogger.

Meanwhile, just as President Bouteflicka was delivering his speech on Berber identity, his regime was barring a major international human rights group from visiting Algeria: The International Federation of Human Rights League (FIDH) has cancelled a mission to Algeria after being denied entry visas. And UPI reports: "Algeria considers constitutional amendment to allow third presidential term":

According to an official source cited by UPI, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been presented a proposed constitutional amendment allowing him to run for a third five-year term. State Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem said Tuesday (20 September) the move might take place after the 29 September referendum on peace and national reconciliation. The amendment would also give the president more powers than parliament, including the appointment of the prime minister.

Protests in Paris over Tunisian Repression

Via TunEzine comes a photo gallery of a protest on the streets of Paris over censorship and other civil rights abuses in Tunisia. It's nice to see a mix of French and Tunisian expats coming together to demand accountability from the regime of Tunisian dictator Ben Ali.

Signs in this photo read (rough translations): "Solidarity with the Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists", "Abolish the Gangster State",  "Ben Ali, we will win."

Blast from the Past

TelQuel Petition Signatures Pass 7,000

We've been following the case of Morocco's groundbreaking TelQuel magazine for some time - recently noting a new petition to support the magazine against a bogus case of defamation rigged by a judge linked to King Muhammad VI.

That petition now has garnered over 7,000 signatures. Reading through the thousands of names is both interesting and inspiring. Most are from individuals living in Morocco, a sign that TelQuel's brand of taboo-busting progressive journalism has a following. And that the readership will mobilize some grassroots activism when push comes to shove.

If you haven't signed already, go here to enter your last name, first name, job, and city. It takes all of 30 seconds - and it's good exercise for your freedom.

Guess Who?

Muammar and Booty-flicka pal around at a recent summit. Offer your own photo caption in the comments section below.