Morocco

Please, will somebody notice us?

by Haitham Sabbah June 11, 2005

That is the plea of the 408 Moroccan prisoners of war currently held by the Polisario Front in the Western Sahara. With many having been incarcerated for over two decades, they are currently the longest-serving POWs in the world. Six recently released POWs who met with The Washington Times told their tragic tales of torture, [...]

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Drinking, dancing and smoking: the real lives of Middle East teenage girls?

by Haitham Sabbah May 27, 2005

Leila Marrakchi’s ‘Marock’, a debut film from new Arab women director, deviate from traditional themes: “It’s not your typical Arab film. I wanted to get away from all that,” says Marrakchi. “At the same time what is seen in the film is a part of what actually does exist. I wanted to leave those subjects [...]

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Can SESAME become an oasis of peace in the Middle East?

by Haitham Sabbah May 27, 2005

Here’s some good news from the Jordan: Israel, Iran, Syria, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Palestine Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Algeria, Jordan and many other countries from around the globe (click below graph for a list of other countries), need no “Open SESAME magic” to be able to cooperate on an advanced scientific project. In [...]

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A Look at Islamic Militancy in Morocco

by Haitham Sabbah May 16, 2005

No, this is not a Palestinian refugee camp. This encampment was home to 11 of the 13 suicide bombers who detonated explosives-laden backpacks at five targets in Casablanca May 16, 2003, killing 46 people and injuring more than 100. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

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Nancy Ajram banned from Marrakech

by Haitham Sabbah May 7, 2005

Nancy Ajram in town? That means: sexual harassment, theft, excessive alcohol consumption resulting in violence, people fainting; all took place during the concert in Marrakech. The mayor of Marrakech in Morocco has announced that Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram will not be permitted to hold any future concerts in the city to avoid the reoccurrence of [...]

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Celebrating ‘Circumcision’ of Human Rights in Morocco

by Haitham Sabbah May 3, 2005

[Reuters] Morocco’s King Mohammed has pardoned more than 7,000 prisoners to mark the circumcision of his 23-month-old son, state media said on Friday. They include 534 seriously-ill inmates, 19 pregnant women, 20 elderly, 629 youths who have developed professional skills during their detention and 5,888 other prisoners who have nearly finished their sentences, state radio [...]

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Arab Discriminates Against Women. Why Is That So?

by Haitham Sabbah December 1, 2004

Last week, Guardian-organised event at which more than 100 young British Muslims were brought together at University College London. The delegates came from all walks of life, and held a wide range of views. The one thing that came across very clearly was that the media are often wrong to refer to “the Muslim community”, [...]

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