My Proficiency class had no syllabus this semester--I made up the curriculum as I went along. A benefit of this set-up was that I could write my own final. I chose to make the combined score of their final presentation and their last essay count as their final grade, thus freeing up our last class session. So instead of meeting the last session, we went to a local cafe to chat in English.
The entire experience was very encouraging for me. After a number of discouraging events and encounters recently, it was great to talk with highly educated, highly motivated Moroccan youth.
One of my students, who speaks English very well and who also, incidentally, wears the head scarf, told me her goal is to eventually become CEO of an important Moroccan company. Another wants to go to France or the US for graduate studies. One student, in her essays and her speeches, has outlined what Morocco needs to do to improve the situation of women. Another has spoken eloquently about the beauty of Morocco and the pride all Moroccans should feel for it...and what that pride should entail in their daily life.
One thing I found a bit strange about our weekend coffee was the meeting place. I asked them where they wanted to meet, and the consensus pick was the local supermarket complex. This surprised me. There are dozens of excellent cafes in Meknes, but my students wanted to go to a cafe above the supermarket, filled with shabby green chairs and dirty tables.
I asked them why they wanted to meet there, and they told me that it was the most comfortable for the girls in the class. All the traditional cafes are filled with older men or couples. The environment created by the Western setup made it more friendly to a group of young individuals, male and female.
It's a similar story with McDonalds. In these places, designed with Western standards, there is a space for non-traditional interactions between the genders. More and more Moroccans grow up with an expectation that these sort of interactions and relationships are possible...but only in certain spaces: Western restaurant chains, supermarkets, and malls.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
A Trip to the Bank
"Peace be upon you."
"And upon you be peace."
"I will travel to Europe and I need to change dirhams to euros. How many is it possible to exchange?"
"Oh, about 2000 euros. Do you have your papers."
"I have my passport."
"No, I need your residency card."
"The government still hasn't given it to me."
"I'm sorry I can't help you."
"But I applied for it over five months ago. The government is just slow."
"I'm sorry. I cannot help you. Next."
"And upon you be peace."
"I will travel to Europe and I need to change dirhams to euros. How many is it possible to exchange?"
"Oh, about 2000 euros. Do you have your papers."
"I have my passport."
"No, I need your residency card."
"The government still hasn't given it to me."
"I'm sorry I can't help you."
"But I applied for it over five months ago. The government is just slow."
"I'm sorry. I cannot help you. Next."
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
TIME on Moroccan Expulsions
It appears that TIME is the first mainstream American media to devote significant coverage to the recent expulsions here.
They dare to ask a question that most media outlets, Moroccan as well as foreign, have refused to ask.
The attachment of a video from the day of expulsions seems a bit tacky. I wonder who is filming and what they hoped to capture when they started recording. We don't see much at all. Really, we just hear the cries of children in the background. It is only three minutes from the few hours before the families were forced to leave and the editing jumps around.
The article itself focuses mainly on an ideal of "tolerance" that Morocco supposedly embodied more in the past but does so less now. In very broad terms, this is perhaps true. But it over-simplifies things a great deal.
Even appeals to human rights seem a bit suspect in my book. After Guantanamo Bay, secret renditions, and other excesses in the "War on Terror", the United States hardly has the moral ground to make any sort of accusations about human rights violations.
The Village of Hope deportations are part of what appears to be a widespread crackdown on Christian aid workers in Morocco. An estimated 40 foreigners — including Dutch, British, American and Korean citizens — have been deported this month, including Broadbent and his colleagues. Among them were an Egyptian Catholic priest in the northern city of Larache and a Korean-born Protestant pastor in Marrakesh who was arrested as he led services in his church. And this past week, authorities searched an orphanage founded by American missionaries in the town of Azrou called The Children's Haven.
They dare to ask a question that most media outlets, Moroccan as well as foreign, have refused to ask.
According to the Moroccan government, the deportees all broke the law, using their status as aid workers to cover their proselytizing. "They are guilty of trying to undermine the faith of Muslims," Interior Minister Tayeb Cherkaoui said in a press release.
But were they?
The attachment of a video from the day of expulsions seems a bit tacky. I wonder who is filming and what they hoped to capture when they started recording. We don't see much at all. Really, we just hear the cries of children in the background. It is only three minutes from the few hours before the families were forced to leave and the editing jumps around.
The article itself focuses mainly on an ideal of "tolerance" that Morocco supposedly embodied more in the past but does so less now. In very broad terms, this is perhaps true. But it over-simplifies things a great deal.
Even appeals to human rights seem a bit suspect in my book. After Guantanamo Bay, secret renditions, and other excesses in the "War on Terror", the United States hardly has the moral ground to make any sort of accusations about human rights violations.
Continued Moroccan Coverage of Christian Expulsions
Two weeks after the expulsions of a number of missionaries and also of orphanage workers from Morocco, the Moroccan media has produced a number of more nuanced reports on the events.
The first few accounts parroted the government's line and involved no further investigation. When they did go further, like Aujourd'hui Le Maroc in their 12-14 March 2010 issue, they interviewed Moroccans who made inflammatory comments against Christians and foreigners. In one interview, Najia Adib insinuated that foreigners living in Morocco were very likely evangelists or pedophiles and that Moroccans must be suspicious of all of us.
Most coverage used the government's terminology when referring to the individuals expelled. They operated in "cells", bringing to mind terrorist cells. And the orphanage workers were "missionaries" by definition, despite 10 years of unproblematic existence and their protestations to the contrary. The media repeated the claim that they had stashes of proselytism material, CD's and tracts. The materials have never been produced and the local media has not questioned the claim (until now).
In the case of television coverage, this first coverage from the Moroccan state owned channel 2M is about par for the course. Christian books, almost all of them written in English and obviously not intended for Moroccans are laid out as if they were drug paraphernalia. Some, such as "The Schizophrenic Church" can hardly be considered positive about the current state of Christianity, let alone material for proselytism. Christian music CD's and hymnbooks from the "bust" are on display. At one point, a long shot on a page of the secular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" makes for a laughingly ridiculous argument against the orphanage families. Of course, to Moroccans it all looks threatening.
In a change from this original coverage, the periodicals that came out at the end of last week bore a more nuanced take on the situation. L'observateur du Maroc carried a series of editorials, articles, and interviews that gave time to all involved. It began with an editorial by Ahmed Charai that criticized Western governments defending the orphanage workers and remarking that "Freedom of worship does not mean open door to proselytism", all without actually engaging the actual claims of the orphanage workers themselves.
The next article, written by Salaheddine Lemaizi, focuses on the misery of Ain Leuh, where the Village of Hope was found and quotes a few locals, particularly the local imam. He alleges that the directors of The Village of Hope encouraged the local prostitutes to have children and paid them generously. On the next page, Herman Boonstra, director of the Village of Hope refutes that claim in an interview, saying, "We never had contact with the world of prostitution. Moroccan men were the ones who had contact with the prostitutes, not us."
Two points of conflict appear to be four Moroccans who converted to Christianity and the religious education of the Moroccan children by the orphanage families. Boonstra says that the two anonymous individuals M.A. and M.K. converted to Christianity on their own and not because of The Village of Hope.
The rest of the coverage includes a profile of another foreign orphanage at Ougmas, reactions from various religious and political leaders, and a profile of those "Fools for Jesus" evangelicals. Of course, like so many media outlets, it engages in typical bait and switch argumentation. They take Pat Robertson as an example of evangelicals and then use statistics about money and conversion among all evangelicals to make it appear as if the ideas of Robertson are much more widespread than they actually are. Once again, Moroccans not knowing any better, read this information and feel under siege by a radical foreign religious ideology. It is hardly surprising that attacks have occurred against Christian institutions in good standing.
The coverage in this week's Nichane and Tel Quel is much more critical of the government. The two magazines are run by the same editor, but Nichane is in Arabic and Tel Quel is in French and their stories are not exactly the same.
They begin with an editorial by the editor Ahmed Benchemsi entitled "Shameful!" It takes the Moroccan authorities to task for depriving poor Moroccan children of the love and care they otherwise would never have received. Benchemsi points out the decade-long existence of the institution and the agreements made about religion. He also points out the blatant hypocrisy in the allegation that the state had the children's best interests in mind. In very strong language, he argues that Morocco moves further and further from being a country with the rule of law.
An interesting aspect of this week's Tel Quel coverage is the relationship between the main article and the coverage of The Village of Hope. The main article gives a profile of the new Minister of Justice Mohamed Naciri, the man who ordered the expulsions. We learn that he is a pious rich man at the end of a long career as a lawyer for the royal family. In one notable event he successfully took on the influential French newspaper Le Monde for negative comments it made about a member of the royal family. However, at no point in the profile does it mention The Village of Hope nor the recent crackdown on Christians.
Turn the page, though, and the next article is about the orphanage family expulsions. Like L'observateur du Maroc, Tel Quel goes to Ain Leuh to interview locals. However, they find individuals much more friendly to the orphanage. An educator says that everyone knew the families were Christians and it was never a problem. She further adds that the families never tried to convert the locals and even observed Ramadan out of respect for them. According to Tel Quel's sources, the accusation of proselytism originated with the imam a few years ago and some locals became convinced.
The coverage ends with a discussion of the alleged CD's and tracts that provide evidence of The Village of Hope's malfeasance. As I have pointed out before, the government has not produced any evidence of materialism for proselytism beyond a book of children's stories about Jesus in Arabic and an Arabic/English Bible seen in the 2M coverage. While likely illegal, they are far from a strong case against the orphanage.
The first few accounts parroted the government's line and involved no further investigation. When they did go further, like Aujourd'hui Le Maroc in their 12-14 March 2010 issue, they interviewed Moroccans who made inflammatory comments against Christians and foreigners. In one interview, Najia Adib insinuated that foreigners living in Morocco were very likely evangelists or pedophiles and that Moroccans must be suspicious of all of us.
Most coverage used the government's terminology when referring to the individuals expelled. They operated in "cells", bringing to mind terrorist cells. And the orphanage workers were "missionaries" by definition, despite 10 years of unproblematic existence and their protestations to the contrary. The media repeated the claim that they had stashes of proselytism material, CD's and tracts. The materials have never been produced and the local media has not questioned the claim (until now).
In the case of television coverage, this first coverage from the Moroccan state owned channel 2M is about par for the course. Christian books, almost all of them written in English and obviously not intended for Moroccans are laid out as if they were drug paraphernalia. Some, such as "The Schizophrenic Church" can hardly be considered positive about the current state of Christianity, let alone material for proselytism. Christian music CD's and hymnbooks from the "bust" are on display. At one point, a long shot on a page of the secular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" makes for a laughingly ridiculous argument against the orphanage families. Of course, to Moroccans it all looks threatening.
In a change from this original coverage, the periodicals that came out at the end of last week bore a more nuanced take on the situation. L'observateur du Maroc carried a series of editorials, articles, and interviews that gave time to all involved. It began with an editorial by Ahmed Charai that criticized Western governments defending the orphanage workers and remarking that "Freedom of worship does not mean open door to proselytism", all without actually engaging the actual claims of the orphanage workers themselves.
The next article, written by Salaheddine Lemaizi, focuses on the misery of Ain Leuh, where the Village of Hope was found and quotes a few locals, particularly the local imam. He alleges that the directors of The Village of Hope encouraged the local prostitutes to have children and paid them generously. On the next page, Herman Boonstra, director of the Village of Hope refutes that claim in an interview, saying, "We never had contact with the world of prostitution. Moroccan men were the ones who had contact with the prostitutes, not us."
Two points of conflict appear to be four Moroccans who converted to Christianity and the religious education of the Moroccan children by the orphanage families. Boonstra says that the two anonymous individuals M.A. and M.K. converted to Christianity on their own and not because of The Village of Hope.
The rest of the coverage includes a profile of another foreign orphanage at Ougmas, reactions from various religious and political leaders, and a profile of those "Fools for Jesus" evangelicals. Of course, like so many media outlets, it engages in typical bait and switch argumentation. They take Pat Robertson as an example of evangelicals and then use statistics about money and conversion among all evangelicals to make it appear as if the ideas of Robertson are much more widespread than they actually are. Once again, Moroccans not knowing any better, read this information and feel under siege by a radical foreign religious ideology. It is hardly surprising that attacks have occurred against Christian institutions in good standing.
The coverage in this week's Nichane and Tel Quel is much more critical of the government. The two magazines are run by the same editor, but Nichane is in Arabic and Tel Quel is in French and their stories are not exactly the same.
They begin with an editorial by the editor Ahmed Benchemsi entitled "Shameful!" It takes the Moroccan authorities to task for depriving poor Moroccan children of the love and care they otherwise would never have received. Benchemsi points out the decade-long existence of the institution and the agreements made about religion. He also points out the blatant hypocrisy in the allegation that the state had the children's best interests in mind. In very strong language, he argues that Morocco moves further and further from being a country with the rule of law.
An interesting aspect of this week's Tel Quel coverage is the relationship between the main article and the coverage of The Village of Hope. The main article gives a profile of the new Minister of Justice Mohamed Naciri, the man who ordered the expulsions. We learn that he is a pious rich man at the end of a long career as a lawyer for the royal family. In one notable event he successfully took on the influential French newspaper Le Monde for negative comments it made about a member of the royal family. However, at no point in the profile does it mention The Village of Hope nor the recent crackdown on Christians.
Turn the page, though, and the next article is about the orphanage family expulsions. Like L'observateur du Maroc, Tel Quel goes to Ain Leuh to interview locals. However, they find individuals much more friendly to the orphanage. An educator says that everyone knew the families were Christians and it was never a problem. She further adds that the families never tried to convert the locals and even observed Ramadan out of respect for them. According to Tel Quel's sources, the accusation of proselytism originated with the imam a few years ago and some locals became convinced.
The coverage ends with a discussion of the alleged CD's and tracts that provide evidence of The Village of Hope's malfeasance. As I have pointed out before, the government has not produced any evidence of materialism for proselytism beyond a book of children's stories about Jesus in Arabic and an Arabic/English Bible seen in the 2M coverage. While likely illegal, they are far from a strong case against the orphanage.
Scenes From Morocco: A Destroyed Cross
This is the place where a cross used to hang in Meknes' medina. The Catholics who teach Moroccans languages and career skills in this building do not engage in proselytism but have caught up in the anti-Christian sentiment following the recent expulsions of Christians. Last week, the cross was knocked down and beaten into pieces.
On a positive note, Moroccans who have benefited from their services have volunteered to reconstruct the cross.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
U.S. Congress Supports Moroccan Plan
Morocco and Algeria have been at loggerheads over Western Sahara for decades now. Algerian supported rebels in the Polisario movement are regarded as completely evil by most Moroccans, who don't understand why the Western world is tricked into viewing them as your typical run-of-the-mill separatist movement.
Last week, a number of United States Senators have asked Hillary Clinton to support Morocco's limited autonomy plan for Western Sahara in a significant diplomatic victory for Morocco.
Last week, a number of United States Senators have asked Hillary Clinton to support Morocco's limited autonomy plan for Western Sahara in a significant diplomatic victory for Morocco.
Nevertheless, such explicit letter of approval coming from the major foreign policy decision makers in Washington is a notable win for the Moroccan diplomacy and a significant defeat to the Algerians. The Algerian government has been the chief sponsor of the Polisario separatist movement that has been fighting the Moroccans over for the control the Western Sahara. Algeria has made the Polisario and its row with Morocco as the corner stone of its foreign policy spending billions of dollars in arming and financing the Polisario.
The Two Sides of Development
After a few months in Morocco one gets used to the stark contrasts. But every once in a while, the gap between the parts of the same city that we might called "developed" and those that are not stands out.
Daniel and I went to the medina to eat bisara, a delicious chickpea soup topped with olive oil. Near Bab Jdid we sat down at a dirty plastic table to eat a bowl of the soup which costs 5 Dh (less than a dollar). We also received bread, served in a shabby pink plastic basket not well-shaped to hold bread. The basket fell over immediately, so I tried several times to stand it right-side up without success.
In front of us, trash littered the dirt street. To the left, a man with no feet sat begging. Another man had laid out a piece of cloth with 10 or 12 items on it, including dirty plastic parts, a tape, and a Holy Bible in English. He had no potential customers. None of them seemed to have seen a razor in the past few days, and their clothing didn't seem to have seen a washing machine in the recent past.
A few hours later I found myself in a posh office with colored tiles and glass doors. I was discussing the printing of my business cards with a woman sporting a gigantic diamond ring and dressed in a fancy pink version of the traditional Moroccan jelaba. When she left the well-lit office complete with the newest hi-tech HP printers to go downstairs to check on pricing, I tried to use my Darija with her office mate, a well-groomed man in his 30's: "Lots of colors." I pointed to the clean tiles in red, blue, yellow, and green.
He replied, "It's great, isn't it? Excellent for working."
Daniel and I went to the medina to eat bisara, a delicious chickpea soup topped with olive oil. Near Bab Jdid we sat down at a dirty plastic table to eat a bowl of the soup which costs 5 Dh (less than a dollar). We also received bread, served in a shabby pink plastic basket not well-shaped to hold bread. The basket fell over immediately, so I tried several times to stand it right-side up without success.
In front of us, trash littered the dirt street. To the left, a man with no feet sat begging. Another man had laid out a piece of cloth with 10 or 12 items on it, including dirty plastic parts, a tape, and a Holy Bible in English. He had no potential customers. None of them seemed to have seen a razor in the past few days, and their clothing didn't seem to have seen a washing machine in the recent past.
A few hours later I found myself in a posh office with colored tiles and glass doors. I was discussing the printing of my business cards with a woman sporting a gigantic diamond ring and dressed in a fancy pink version of the traditional Moroccan jelaba. When she left the well-lit office complete with the newest hi-tech HP printers to go downstairs to check on pricing, I tried to use my Darija with her office mate, a well-groomed man in his 30's: "Lots of colors." I pointed to the clean tiles in red, blue, yellow, and green.
He replied, "It's great, isn't it? Excellent for working."
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Ladies of the Night
I can't say that I ever really understood the phrase "ladies of the night" until I lived in Morocco.
Last night I got off work at 8 P.M. Many eateries close between 8 and 9 here, but one of my favorite restaurants, just around the corner from my house, is open much later. So I stopped by and had a quarter chicken while watching the end of the Chelsea/Inter Milan game.
When I left it wasn't yet 10 P.M., but the streets were empty. That's quite normal, as far as Meknes is concerned. Of course, the streets are never completely empty. There are a few people here and there, a drunk trying to get up, a boy huffing glue, a rowdy group of young men joking around...and then every once in a while, you see a man walking down the street with a woman.
At 10 P.M., it's never a man and his wife. And it's rarely a boyfriend and girlfriend. After a few months here, I have come to recognize those couples; those ladies with their night-time company are none other than the ladies of the night.
A number of English phrases come from an older time, a time I have never had access to. So they have no real resonance for me.
But now, in a new culture, suddenly they come alive.
Last night I got off work at 8 P.M. Many eateries close between 8 and 9 here, but one of my favorite restaurants, just around the corner from my house, is open much later. So I stopped by and had a quarter chicken while watching the end of the Chelsea/Inter Milan game.
When I left it wasn't yet 10 P.M., but the streets were empty. That's quite normal, as far as Meknes is concerned. Of course, the streets are never completely empty. There are a few people here and there, a drunk trying to get up, a boy huffing glue, a rowdy group of young men joking around...and then every once in a while, you see a man walking down the street with a woman.
At 10 P.M., it's never a man and his wife. And it's rarely a boyfriend and girlfriend. After a few months here, I have come to recognize those couples; those ladies with their night-time company are none other than the ladies of the night.
A number of English phrases come from an older time, a time I have never had access to. So they have no real resonance for me.
But now, in a new culture, suddenly they come alive.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Village of Hope Proselytizing Material
This clip from DailyMotion was brought to my attention. It reports on the closure of The Village of Hope orphanage as reported by the Moroccan state-owned news channel 2M.
In terms of verbal content, it adds nothing new. The reporter essentially reads the government's official statement and then the statements of the official non-Muslim religious leaders in the country. But it adds a lot to what we know about the materials that the government has termed "for proselytism".
Below, I have composed a list of all the material I could see during the newscast, but allow me to highlight specific books and CD's.
If we assume that the children spoke mainly Arabic and French, then there are really only three books that could be considered targeted at the young children. The first is "Mes chants préferés", which appears to be a hymnbook for children. However, it could just as likely have been strictly for the use by the French staff. An Arabic book entitled "Banurama: Hyat assaid almasiH" appears to be a children's book about Jesus' life with illustrations. There could be no other audience for it besides Moroccan children.
The only other book that might be considered illegal is the Bible translated into Arabic and English. However, that needn't be for proselytizing either. In fact, it is entirely plausible that a dual language English-Arabic Bible was used by Christians to better learn the language of their new country. Every time I have moved to a new country, this being the only exception, I have bought a Bible in the new language to help me work towards fluency.
The rest of the dozen or so books, CD's, and tapes are rather laughable as evidence against The Village of Hope families. The vast majority of the books are in English and targeted towards adults. They are typical of what one would find in a Christian bookstore in the United States, material designed to help Christians better live the Christian life. A book that talks of the failures of Christianity "The Schizophrenic Church" can hardly be considered material for proselytism. The fact that they are in English further casts doubt on their use for proselytism; otherwise, they would certainly be in Arabic or French.
There are some other hymnbooks, but since this was explicitly a Christian organization, we can assume they were used for Christian worship for the Christians. There are also non-religious children's stories in English, notably "The Children's Treasury of Virtues" by William J. Bennett. We must remember that some of the families had their own children with them; the family I met at McDonald's did. So material for children does not mean that it was used to proselytize children. Material in English even less so.
Christian CD's in English such as "Classic Gospel Festival: Joyful" and FFH's "Have I Ever Told You" we can safely assume were also for the family's use. A tape set entitled "How to start a Bible Study in Your Neighborhood" by Jan Howard might seem at first that it was useful for proselytism. However, I highly doubt that the families of The Village of Hope were trying to set up a neighborhood Bible study in their Muslim city. It seems much more likely that the ideas contained on the tapes were used with the families themselves.
One also has to wonder why the 2M reporters found the Spanish books "Historias Biblicas" and "Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective" so interesting that they devoted camera time to them. In this part of Morocco no one really speaks Spanish and none of the families was Spanish as far as I know. One wonders how they got to The Village of Hope in the first place.
A particularly ridiculous part of the report was when they ominously opened up a book of Christmas songs to the classic "Jingle Bells". Apparently, riding in a one-horse open sleigh now counts as an assault on the religious values of Morocco.
So, in conclusion, the real evidence against the families amounts to little more than one book of children's stories about Jesus and a dual language Arabic/English Bible. And the only one that was intended without a doubt for the children, the only claimed object of proselytizing, was the Arabic children's book.
That, in short, is the sum total of the evidence against the families that is available: one children's book.
It is, of course, not insignificant, but it was made to seem much, much worse in the Moroccan coverage of the event. Real reporting would not have used guilt by association and appeals to Moroccan ignorance to make the case. Of course, US media is not much better, particularly when it comes to the issue of Islam, but the principle remains the same.
In both cases, it shows just how profoundly ignorant we all are about the other culture, even as we rush to judge and condemn it.
The Complete List From the 2M Broadcast
"Mes chants préferés" - a hymnbook for children it seems
"Banurama - Hyat assaid almasiH" (a children's book in Arabic about Jesus' life)
"The Children's Treasury of Virtues" by William J. Bennett
"The Singing Word" - a hymnbook
"Job's Gift" by Max Lucado
Tape set - "How to start a Bible Study in Your Neighborhood" by Jan Howard
"Classic Gospel Festival: Joyful" music CD
"Have I Ever Told You" - FFH
"Love is Letting Go of Fear"
"Historias Biblicas"
"Challenging Lifestyle"
"Unholy Devotion"
"Meet Your Church"
"The Schizophrenic Church"
"Beholding God"
"The Journey"
"Songs of Fellowship"
"Baptism" - Michael Green
"Joy"
"Power"
"Little Children Sing to God!" children's hymnbook
"God Can" a children's book by Bill and Gloria Gaither
"A Book of Christmas Carols" - opened up to Jingle Bells
"The Holy Bible" in Arabic and English
"Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective"
In terms of verbal content, it adds nothing new. The reporter essentially reads the government's official statement and then the statements of the official non-Muslim religious leaders in the country. But it adds a lot to what we know about the materials that the government has termed "for proselytism".
Below, I have composed a list of all the material I could see during the newscast, but allow me to highlight specific books and CD's.
If we assume that the children spoke mainly Arabic and French, then there are really only three books that could be considered targeted at the young children. The first is "Mes chants préferés", which appears to be a hymnbook for children. However, it could just as likely have been strictly for the use by the French staff. An Arabic book entitled "Banurama: Hyat assaid almasiH" appears to be a children's book about Jesus' life with illustrations. There could be no other audience for it besides Moroccan children.
The only other book that might be considered illegal is the Bible translated into Arabic and English. However, that needn't be for proselytizing either. In fact, it is entirely plausible that a dual language English-Arabic Bible was used by Christians to better learn the language of their new country. Every time I have moved to a new country, this being the only exception, I have bought a Bible in the new language to help me work towards fluency.
The rest of the dozen or so books, CD's, and tapes are rather laughable as evidence against The Village of Hope families. The vast majority of the books are in English and targeted towards adults. They are typical of what one would find in a Christian bookstore in the United States, material designed to help Christians better live the Christian life. A book that talks of the failures of Christianity "The Schizophrenic Church" can hardly be considered material for proselytism. The fact that they are in English further casts doubt on their use for proselytism; otherwise, they would certainly be in Arabic or French.
There are some other hymnbooks, but since this was explicitly a Christian organization, we can assume they were used for Christian worship for the Christians. There are also non-religious children's stories in English, notably "The Children's Treasury of Virtues" by William J. Bennett. We must remember that some of the families had their own children with them; the family I met at McDonald's did. So material for children does not mean that it was used to proselytize children. Material in English even less so.
Christian CD's in English such as "Classic Gospel Festival: Joyful" and FFH's "Have I Ever Told You" we can safely assume were also for the family's use. A tape set entitled "How to start a Bible Study in Your Neighborhood" by Jan Howard might seem at first that it was useful for proselytism. However, I highly doubt that the families of The Village of Hope were trying to set up a neighborhood Bible study in their Muslim city. It seems much more likely that the ideas contained on the tapes were used with the families themselves.
One also has to wonder why the 2M reporters found the Spanish books "Historias Biblicas" and "Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective" so interesting that they devoted camera time to them. In this part of Morocco no one really speaks Spanish and none of the families was Spanish as far as I know. One wonders how they got to The Village of Hope in the first place.
A particularly ridiculous part of the report was when they ominously opened up a book of Christmas songs to the classic "Jingle Bells". Apparently, riding in a one-horse open sleigh now counts as an assault on the religious values of Morocco.
So, in conclusion, the real evidence against the families amounts to little more than one book of children's stories about Jesus and a dual language Arabic/English Bible. And the only one that was intended without a doubt for the children, the only claimed object of proselytizing, was the Arabic children's book.
That, in short, is the sum total of the evidence against the families that is available: one children's book.
It is, of course, not insignificant, but it was made to seem much, much worse in the Moroccan coverage of the event. Real reporting would not have used guilt by association and appeals to Moroccan ignorance to make the case. Of course, US media is not much better, particularly when it comes to the issue of Islam, but the principle remains the same.
In both cases, it shows just how profoundly ignorant we all are about the other culture, even as we rush to judge and condemn it.
The Complete List From the 2M Broadcast
"Mes chants préferés" - a hymnbook for children it seems
"Banurama - Hyat assaid almasiH" (a children's book in Arabic about Jesus' life)
"The Children's Treasury of Virtues" by William J. Bennett
"The Singing Word" - a hymnbook
"Job's Gift" by Max Lucado
Tape set - "How to start a Bible Study in Your Neighborhood" by Jan Howard
"Classic Gospel Festival: Joyful" music CD
"Have I Ever Told You" - FFH
"Love is Letting Go of Fear"
"Historias Biblicas"
"Challenging Lifestyle"
"Unholy Devotion"
"Meet Your Church"
"The Schizophrenic Church"
"Beholding God"
"The Journey"
"Songs of Fellowship"
"Baptism" - Michael Green
"Joy"
"Power"
"Little Children Sing to God!" children's hymnbook
"God Can" a children's book by Bill and Gloria Gaither
"A Book of Christmas Carols" - opened up to Jingle Bells
"The Holy Bible" in Arabic and English
"Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective"
Catholics Also Targeted in Crackdown
Evangelicals have operated for years in Morocco, with their main purpose being the conversion of Muslims. Catholics have operated for longer, but purposefully have not engaged in proselytizing. So it came as a surprise that a Catholic priest was also detained and then exported during last week's crackdown.
The following passage comes from a Franciscan friar who teaches language classes in Morocco:
The Catholic line in both speech and practice has been that of avoiding proselytizing. Like the US ambassador, this friar only asks only for transparency and due process in the expulsions.
The following passage comes from a Franciscan friar who teaches language classes in Morocco:
On Sunday the 7th of March, five minutes before mass began; the police in the city of Larache entered our friary and arrested one of our confrères, Rami Zaki, a young Egyptian friar still in initial formation who was spending a year with us. He was ordered to go with the police, had no possibility to collect anything, and was given no explanation for his arrest.
Simeon, who was preparing to celebrate mass, had little opportunity to react other than to ask the reason for the arrest, to which he was told to be quiet or he'd be arrested too. Simeon immediately phoned our major superior, Manuel, who drove from Rabat to Larache (c. 1.5 hours); and, after mass, they went together to the police station to inquire about Rami.
The police in Larache were just preparing to transport Rami to Rabat and were not willing to talk about anything. So Manuel and Simeon followed the local police to Rabat. Once there, the Rabat police took charge of the case. They demanded Rami's passport, but Manuel refused to give it to them unless they provided a reason for his arrest. After a lengthy discussion and the assurance by the police that Rami would be returned to Larache within a short time, Manuel surrendered the passport. Fifteen minutes later, the police informed Manuel that orders had been changed and Rami was to be taken to the airport in Casablanca and put on a midnight flight to Cairo.
Again Manuel and a few other friars loaded into the car and followed the police for another hour and a half. At the airport, the Rabat police handed Rami over to the jurisdiction of airport security, who permitted him to talk briefly with Manuel and the others before he was put into isolation.
The friars returned to Rabat, but learned later that evening that Rami was not on the plane. The next morning, Monday, they attempted to make contact with Rami although they were unsure where he was. As it turned out, Rami was kept in isolation for another 24 hours and was put on the Monday midnight flight to Cairo. By the time he was put on the plane, he had already spent more than thirty-six hours in police custody deprived of all rights to contact anyone and without any reason being given to his guardians for his arrest. We do not know how he was treated: but certainly there was an interrogation and it is reasonable to think that the police were not concerned about any of his immediate needs or comforts, such as food, adequate clothing, cleanliness, or rest.
When Rami was put on the plane, his passport was taken from him and given to the pilot who later surrendered it with Rami to the police in Cairo. He was detained by the police in Cairo for another seven hours for interrogation before he was permitted to telephone his community of friars. From Sunday, the morning of his arrest, to Tuesday afternoon, when he was released – a total of more than 50 hours – Rami was deprived by the police in Morocco and Egypt of any of his human rights.
THE CONTEXT:
This action by the various levels of Moroccan police was a well orchestrated event. It occurred at exactly the same time that sixteen evangelical protestants were arrested in different parts of the country: fifteen who took care of an orphanage near the town of Azrou (where we Catholics have a chapel and where we friars go weekly to say mass), and one who was at prayer in his church in Marrakesh. Obviously it was their intent to make the arrests on a Sunday, when there was little possibility for members of the Christian communities to contact superiors, embassies, officials of the Moroccan government, or the press.
In the recent past, a number of protestant evangelicals have been expelled for breaking the law of the country which prohibits proselytising. The mainline churches – Catholic, Orthodox, Reform, Anglican, and others, as well as Jews – have always expressed their gratitude for the tolerance shown them and for the permission to celebrate in their churches. Furthermore, they (or at any rate, Catholics) have insisted that conversions should not be sought and that we live and work alongside and with the Moroccan people, witnessing thus to our common faith in one true God.
It is not unusual to have occasional waves of Islamic protest and arrests; typically they are the results of local incidents (such as the intrusion and involvement of various Christian groups into the local society, thus begetting reactions of suspicions of proselytising, etc.); but we Catholics have not experienced any arrests or expulsions for the past thirty years.
...
As concerns Rami, it is possible that his teaching children in our Franciscan educational centre at Larache might have been an immediate pretext. If he was actively trying to convert his young students and corrupt their belief, then he deserves to suffer the consequences of the law of the country. It is difficult, however, to accept his total deprivation of rights, the police's refusal to state the charge, the involvement of three different levels of police, and the Interior Minister's, at least, tacit approval – many of which are a corruption of their own civil law: When Manuel finally spoke to the Interior Minister, he denied any knowledge of the event, said the Governor of the province of Larache took the decision, and gave Manuel a telephone number where the governor could be contacted!
The Catholic line in both speech and practice has been that of avoiding proselytizing. Like the US ambassador, this friar only asks only for transparency and due process in the expulsions.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The Village of Hope: Clarifications and Questions
The Moroccan Dispatches continues to cover the recent expulsion of Christians from Morocco. Some issues are becoming clearer but some are not, raising questions that must be asked, especially since neither the foreign nor the domestic media have not done so.
Shias Also Targeted
The Moroccan government has reiterated that this crackdown is not targeted at Christians or Westerners: Shia Muslims have also been deported. All Christians criticizing the expulsion of Christians must keep this in mind. Morocco has made it clear that it desires to be a nation of Sunni Muslims, and it will take measures against any person or group who attempts to change that identity, whether they are Christian or not.
It has been suggested in the comments of this blog that Morocco conducted these raids and expulsions for reasons we might describe as Realpolitik. The thought is that the Moroccan government wants something, and their turning a blind eye to missionary activity can be a future bargaining chip. A possible political cause for these expulsions could be U.S. support for Western Sahara in its independence struggle against Morocco.
However, I doubt the Obama administration cares that much about evangelicals that most likely voted for McCain, but it is at least worth mentioning as a possibility. Furthermore, viewed in the larger context of all foreign religious missionaries being expelled, (Muslim and Christian; American, Iranian, Dutch, South African, and Kiwi...) it is doubtful that this crackdown is in any way directly connected to America's diplomacy in the region.
Journalistic Use of Sources
I suppose this goes without saying, but different journalists use different sources. And if you read through enough of them, three clear groups of sources begin to emerge: the Moroccan authorities, the Christian missionaries and foster families, and the diplomatic representatives of their governments.
In the Moroccan press, at first, only the statements of the Moroccan authorities were reported. The French-language Moroccan weekly Tel Quel's coverage consists of a summary of the official news release by the Moroccan government. However, in today's Al-massae, Morocco's most widely-read newspaper, the front page article gave space to America's ambassador and his frustration at the way in which the raids and expulsions were carried out.
Foreign press agencies, including Reuters and Agence France Presse and the BBC are also representative of this pattern, citing only Moroccan and foreign authorities. While they do not seek the opinions of the expelled Christians themselves, they occasionally cite official Christian representatives in Morocco and even the international organization that sponsor the missionaries.
A notable exception is the Associate Press, whose journalists, unlike those of every other major press agency, managed to find The Village of Hope's website.
On the other end of the spectrum, many foreign blogs and Christian news sites quote only the expelled Christians, ignoring the official authorities of all countries.
The Definition of Adoption
When we do take into account the statements made by all the major players in this situation, some discrepancies begin to emerge. In regard to The Village of Hope, one of the most notable discrepancies is over the definition of the word "adoption".
If my understanding is correct, non-Muslims are not allowed to adopt Moroccan children. For this reason, the families at The Village of Hope never legally adopted the 33 children in their care. I assume that if they had tried, they would have been rejected by the authorities because of their open Christian identity.
However, in the Al-massae article today as well as in other Moroccan news outlets, Moroccan official have accused The Village of Hope families of illegally adopting the Moroccan children. Perhaps this an issue of translation, but to my mind, 'adoption' means the legal and official process by which an adult or adults take responsibility for a child. If that is the case, I don't see how they could have been in violation of the law on adoption, since they weren't allowed to adopt in the first place, but only serve as foster parents.
Now, if 'adoption' means the assumption of parental responsibilities regardless of legal status, then clearly the families of The Village of Hope had adopted the children; that was the orphanage's mission. And since it existed legally for over a decade (and for longer in another form), the Moroccan authorities were obviously aware that these families were taking on parental responsibilities for these children.
Proselytism Material
One of the clearest conflicts between the stories given by the Village of Hope families and the Moroccan government regards materials for proselytism. However, in both the official news release and in further news reports in the local media, Moroccan authorities have claimed that there were dozens of leaflets ("prospectus") and CD's meant for proselytizing. The Village of Hope states that there is no basis for this charge.
Now, some Christians have asserted that it is completely normal for Christians to have religious texts and CD's. I do not doubt that the families of The Village of Hope had Christian media. The question is what was contained on that media. Lacking an actual presentation of the CD's and tracts/leaflets it is difficult to know whether the Moroccan authorities correctly discerned their purpose.
Once again, a fair hearing in the media and in a court of law could have addressed these issues and allowed the interested public to make up its own mind on the subject.
Shias Also Targeted
The Moroccan government has reiterated that this crackdown is not targeted at Christians or Westerners: Shia Muslims have also been deported. All Christians criticizing the expulsion of Christians must keep this in mind. Morocco has made it clear that it desires to be a nation of Sunni Muslims, and it will take measures against any person or group who attempts to change that identity, whether they are Christian or not.
It has been suggested in the comments of this blog that Morocco conducted these raids and expulsions for reasons we might describe as Realpolitik. The thought is that the Moroccan government wants something, and their turning a blind eye to missionary activity can be a future bargaining chip. A possible political cause for these expulsions could be U.S. support for Western Sahara in its independence struggle against Morocco.
However, I doubt the Obama administration cares that much about evangelicals that most likely voted for McCain, but it is at least worth mentioning as a possibility. Furthermore, viewed in the larger context of all foreign religious missionaries being expelled, (Muslim and Christian; American, Iranian, Dutch, South African, and Kiwi...) it is doubtful that this crackdown is in any way directly connected to America's diplomacy in the region.
Journalistic Use of Sources
I suppose this goes without saying, but different journalists use different sources. And if you read through enough of them, three clear groups of sources begin to emerge: the Moroccan authorities, the Christian missionaries and foster families, and the diplomatic representatives of their governments.
In the Moroccan press, at first, only the statements of the Moroccan authorities were reported. The French-language Moroccan weekly Tel Quel's coverage consists of a summary of the official news release by the Moroccan government. However, in today's Al-massae, Morocco's most widely-read newspaper, the front page article gave space to America's ambassador and his frustration at the way in which the raids and expulsions were carried out.
Foreign press agencies, including Reuters and Agence France Presse and the BBC are also representative of this pattern, citing only Moroccan and foreign authorities. While they do not seek the opinions of the expelled Christians themselves, they occasionally cite official Christian representatives in Morocco and even the international organization that sponsor the missionaries.
A notable exception is the Associate Press, whose journalists, unlike those of every other major press agency, managed to find The Village of Hope's website.
On the other end of the spectrum, many foreign blogs and Christian news sites quote only the expelled Christians, ignoring the official authorities of all countries.
The Definition of Adoption
When we do take into account the statements made by all the major players in this situation, some discrepancies begin to emerge. In regard to The Village of Hope, one of the most notable discrepancies is over the definition of the word "adoption".
If my understanding is correct, non-Muslims are not allowed to adopt Moroccan children. For this reason, the families at The Village of Hope never legally adopted the 33 children in their care. I assume that if they had tried, they would have been rejected by the authorities because of their open Christian identity.
However, in the Al-massae article today as well as in other Moroccan news outlets, Moroccan official have accused The Village of Hope families of illegally adopting the Moroccan children. Perhaps this an issue of translation, but to my mind, 'adoption' means the legal and official process by which an adult or adults take responsibility for a child. If that is the case, I don't see how they could have been in violation of the law on adoption, since they weren't allowed to adopt in the first place, but only serve as foster parents.
Now, if 'adoption' means the assumption of parental responsibilities regardless of legal status, then clearly the families of The Village of Hope had adopted the children; that was the orphanage's mission. And since it existed legally for over a decade (and for longer in another form), the Moroccan authorities were obviously aware that these families were taking on parental responsibilities for these children.
Proselytism Material
One of the clearest conflicts between the stories given by the Village of Hope families and the Moroccan government regards materials for proselytism. However, in both the official news release and in further news reports in the local media, Moroccan authorities have claimed that there were dozens of leaflets ("prospectus") and CD's meant for proselytizing. The Village of Hope states that there is no basis for this charge.
The Moroccan authorities have not produced any evidence of the alleged offence
Now, some Christians have asserted that it is completely normal for Christians to have religious texts and CD's. I do not doubt that the families of The Village of Hope had Christian media. The question is what was contained on that media. Lacking an actual presentation of the CD's and tracts/leaflets it is difficult to know whether the Moroccan authorities correctly discerned their purpose.
Once again, a fair hearing in the media and in a court of law could have addressed these issues and allowed the interested public to make up its own mind on the subject.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Village of Hope Publishes Official Statement
Yesterday all the foster families from The Village of Hope signed this first official statement since the expulsions.
Right off the bat, they respond to the concern that I raised in an earlier post about education in Moroccan culture.
Later they praise the king and the international reputation of Morocco, and directly appeal to him to reunite them with their foster children:
After the official statement is posted a waiver that volunteers were required to sign. It requires volunteers to avoid proselytism but encourages them to openly identify as Christians. If every volunteer signed this statement and followed it to the letter, then The Village of Hope is absolutely in the right. The way to verify such a claim would be to talk with a number of the volunteers as well as with those who observed them during their stay and see if they can provide confirmation.
All in all, the statement is a pretty powerful refutation of the authorities' claims against them. They allege that neither they nor volunteers engaged in proselytism or defamed the King, Muhammed, or Islam. The children received an Islamic education and they were given love, expensive medical care, and material comfort.
Of course, I have never visited The Village of Hope. So I have no way of verifying any of the claims lodged against them. They very well could be true. A decade of passed inspections and good relations with the neighboring community inclines me to think otherwise, but their truth is not outside the realm of possibility.
And if they are true, then surely the authorities would be able to provide substantial proof and explanation of their aggressive actions against the families. But there has been no real public discussion or explanation of these actions. The local media marshaled Moroccan Jews and Catholics to roundly condemn proselytizing without actually knowing the details. Outside of Morocco, there has been nothing but support for the expelled foster parents.
A proper response would have involved a full discussion and debate both in the domestic and international public square as well as a full presentation of the evidence before a court where the foster parents would have had the right to defend themselves against the accusations. Then everyone involved would have been able to decide for themselves whether the government or The Village of Hope was in the right.
None of these things has happened. And if there is any tragedy in this situation that rivals the removal of children from their longtime foster parents, it is that there has been not even an inkling of due process or real debate.
Right off the bat, they respond to the concern that I raised in an earlier post about education in Moroccan culture.
VOH has always operated with the full knowledge and agreement of the Moroccan authorities with the overt understanding that the overseas workers are Christian. It has also always been understood that the children would be raised in a Muslim/Christian environment but would also be fully immersed in their Moroccan culture in terms of love for their country, language, education and knowledge of Islam.
Later they praise the king and the international reputation of Morocco, and directly appeal to him to reunite them with their foster children:
We openly and unashamedly appeal directly to the King, as a Father himself, to act with mercy and help us reach a point of compromise and reunite the 33 children with the only parents they know.
After the official statement is posted a waiver that volunteers were required to sign. It requires volunteers to avoid proselytism but encourages them to openly identify as Christians. If every volunteer signed this statement and followed it to the letter, then The Village of Hope is absolutely in the right. The way to verify such a claim would be to talk with a number of the volunteers as well as with those who observed them during their stay and see if they can provide confirmation.
All in all, the statement is a pretty powerful refutation of the authorities' claims against them. They allege that neither they nor volunteers engaged in proselytism or defamed the King, Muhammed, or Islam. The children received an Islamic education and they were given love, expensive medical care, and material comfort.
Of course, I have never visited The Village of Hope. So I have no way of verifying any of the claims lodged against them. They very well could be true. A decade of passed inspections and good relations with the neighboring community inclines me to think otherwise, but their truth is not outside the realm of possibility.
And if they are true, then surely the authorities would be able to provide substantial proof and explanation of their aggressive actions against the families. But there has been no real public discussion or explanation of these actions. The local media marshaled Moroccan Jews and Catholics to roundly condemn proselytizing without actually knowing the details. Outside of Morocco, there has been nothing but support for the expelled foster parents.
A proper response would have involved a full discussion and debate both in the domestic and international public square as well as a full presentation of the evidence before a court where the foster parents would have had the right to defend themselves against the accusations. Then everyone involved would have been able to decide for themselves whether the government or The Village of Hope was in the right.
None of these things has happened. And if there is any tragedy in this situation that rivals the removal of children from their longtime foster parents, it is that there has been not even an inkling of due process or real debate.
US Ambassador on Expulsions
Samuel Kaplan, the United States Ambassador to Morocco, sent out this email yesterday:
Notice that he does not take issue with the charge of proselytism, which the long time residents of The Village of Hope do dispute. The families assert that they did teach the Koran as required by Moroccan law and culture. They further state that they never hid the fact that they were a Christian organization and that the children naturally took part in their Christian activities. On repeated occasions, The Village of Hope passed inspection by the Moroccan authorities.
It is becoming clearer and clearer that the serious issue in this case is due process of law. The laws were not consistently applied, and excessively severe measures were taken. If there had been consistent standards throughout the process, either The Village of Hope would not have been allowed to be established in the first place or certain activities would have been curtailed since the refounding of the orphanage over 10 years ago. Furthermore, if there had been due process of law, the families would have been allowed a hearing in a court of law or in a real public forum before their exportation.
None of these possibilities occurred.
Warden Message- Expelled Americans
March 11, 2010
Dear Fellow Americans,
The events of the last few days are undoubtedly of concern. As most of you already know, a number of Americans have been expelled from Morocco. Many of those expelled were long-time Moroccan residents.
While we have not communicated with each person who was expelled, we believe that, in each case, alleged proselytizing is the Moroccan government's stated reason for such action.
My colleagues and I have been continuously in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express our dismay over the action taken. We have not disputed or questioned the laws of Morocco. While the Moroccan Constitution provides for the individual right to practice one's religion, proselytizing is strictly prohibited. Rather, we have expressed, in the strongest possible terms, our distress over the manner in which the expulsions were carried out.
The refusal of the Government to grant a hearing where the affected parties could be heard violates fundamental rules of due process.
Moreover, the failure of the Government to grant an appropriate period for those expelled to attempt to put their affairs in order is neither fair nor excusable. In addition, the potential harm to those left behind is obvious and real.
We do not seek to alter the laws of Morocco. We need to be assured that our citizens are treated in accordance with universally accepted standards of fairness. I will continue to monitor this situation, and will speak out for the interests of American citizens.
The U.S. Embassy in Rabat is located at 2 Avenue Mohamed El Fassi and can be reached at 0537-76-22-65. Consular Services are located at the U.S. Consulate General in Casablanca at 8 Blvd. Moulay Youssef.
Should you have questions, I urge you to contact our American Citizens' Services Unit at the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca at 0661-79-70-00 Monday through Friday from 8 AM until 5 PM. After hours or on weekends, please call 0661-17-23-67
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Kaplan
Ambassador
Notice that he does not take issue with the charge of proselytism, which the long time residents of The Village of Hope do dispute. The families assert that they did teach the Koran as required by Moroccan law and culture. They further state that they never hid the fact that they were a Christian organization and that the children naturally took part in their Christian activities. On repeated occasions, The Village of Hope passed inspection by the Moroccan authorities.
It is becoming clearer and clearer that the serious issue in this case is due process of law. The laws were not consistently applied, and excessively severe measures were taken. If there had been consistent standards throughout the process, either The Village of Hope would not have been allowed to be established in the first place or certain activities would have been curtailed since the refounding of the orphanage over 10 years ago. Furthermore, if there had been due process of law, the families would have been allowed a hearing in a court of law or in a real public forum before their exportation.
None of these possibilities occurred.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
UPDATE on "The Village of Hope" Raid
My last post inspired a number of informative responses. After having combed the news and read through their responses, here are some further thoughts on The Village of Hope raid.
The Structure of The Village of Hope
In the comments section, Mona reports that the parents did teach the children the basic tenets of Islam. In response to my question about culture, she points out that the structure of The Village of Hope allowed for constant interaction with both Moroccan and foreign culture. The orphanage was divided into a series of houses that could hold up to 10 children each with one set of foster parents. So in each of the individual houses, the Moroccan children spoke the language of the foster families, whether Dutch, English, or French. But it seems that in the communal areas they engaged with the other children and Moroccan staff in Arabic.
The Role of Radical Islam
As I sift through the news coverage of this event, I have noticed that a continuous strand in some Christian coverage is to credit some current of radical Islam in Morocco for the raid. Take this quote from CBN News which follows a purely descriptive report:
These sort of comments show a profound ignorance of the political situation in Morocco. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has absolutely nothing to do with these expulsions!
The Moroccan king has suppressed both far leftists and hard core Islamicists for decades now because they are both a threat in some form to the more moderate monarchy. Events in January further demonstrated the royal hand in politics when the king replaced a significant number of ministers. Those in Morocco seem aware of this, pointing out that the raid order came from the newly installed Minister of Justice Mohammed Naciri. He is not from the popular Islamicist PJD party, which is necessarily a moderate Islamicist party in order to even operate in Morocco. What Westerners must realize is that there has never been the same sort of separation of church and state in the Arab world that we have. So even the moderate parties recognize the primacy of Islam at least in name. Being exclusively Muslim does not mean being radically Muslim.
This ignorance in evangelical Christianity of the basic dynamics in other countries and of their most important news items is one of the things I have always struggled with. Anyone who took the time to talk with someone a bit from one of these countries, read a book, or follow the news would not make these blatantly false insinuations. An organization claiming to give "Christian news" should take the time to actually learn about the people and nations it is trying to love and serve, let alone report on.
On the positive side, the coverage by World magazine has been fair and factual.
Volunteers vs. Families
Mona further notes that there is a difference between the families, who maintained a continuous presence in the country, and volunteers, who would come for short stays. She alludes to the possibility that the volunteers engaged in proselytizing. If this is the case, the case against expelling the families is weaker still.
The Human Toll
A number of responses to my post, as well as much of the online outpouring of emotion, deals directly with the human aspect of this raid. The Village of Hope was probably the best thing that ever happened to these children. Some families had been there for a decade, loving and caring for these orphans. While that bond could not be legally legitimated because of the parents' Christian faith, it was as close as you come to real parenthood.
Now the children will go without the only group of people who ever really showed them love. The parents' emotional attachment to these children was strong, and so their bereavement will also be strong.
On the response page to the World Magazine news coverage, Ralph had this to say:
Going Forward
For those of you who believe in the power of Facebook groups, one has been started here. There was a Twitter feed, but it has been shut down, at least here in Morocco. When I tried to access it, I received the warning, "Hold up! Sorry, the profile you were trying to view has been suspended due to strange activity." I do not know what this means.
Articles appear to be in the works at The New York Times and at Tel Quel. The Moroccan Dispatches will link to them if they are indeed published.
Finally, if you are Muslim, I ask you to think and talk about your relationship with Christians, on a personal and national level. While we may disagree on many fundamental points, surely we can agree on certain humanitarian principles and consistency in the application of national laws.
Christians, let us take time again to contemplate our own faults, our own sins, even as we have striven to do God's work. We are not perfect, and the means does not justify the ends, even in Christian work. Let us take time to learn and respect other cultures.
And if, as it seems the case at The Village of Hope, this has occurred, let us take refuge in prayer, supplicating for justice and love for all those involved.
The Structure of The Village of Hope
In the comments section, Mona reports that the parents did teach the children the basic tenets of Islam. In response to my question about culture, she points out that the structure of The Village of Hope allowed for constant interaction with both Moroccan and foreign culture. The orphanage was divided into a series of houses that could hold up to 10 children each with one set of foster parents. So in each of the individual houses, the Moroccan children spoke the language of the foster families, whether Dutch, English, or French. But it seems that in the communal areas they engaged with the other children and Moroccan staff in Arabic.
The Role of Radical Islam
As I sift through the news coverage of this event, I have noticed that a continuous strand in some Christian coverage is to credit some current of radical Islam in Morocco for the raid. Take this quote from CBN News which follows a purely descriptive report:
The expulsion of foreign Christians could be linked to the rise of radical Islam in Morocco-- a threat that CBN News has reported for years.
"I think we should be very concerned about the continued operation, cultivation, support and probably growth of al Qaeda cells in North Africa," radical Islam expert Steven Emerson told CBN News in 2005.
These sort of comments show a profound ignorance of the political situation in Morocco. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has absolutely nothing to do with these expulsions!
The Moroccan king has suppressed both far leftists and hard core Islamicists for decades now because they are both a threat in some form to the more moderate monarchy. Events in January further demonstrated the royal hand in politics when the king replaced a significant number of ministers. Those in Morocco seem aware of this, pointing out that the raid order came from the newly installed Minister of Justice Mohammed Naciri. He is not from the popular Islamicist PJD party, which is necessarily a moderate Islamicist party in order to even operate in Morocco. What Westerners must realize is that there has never been the same sort of separation of church and state in the Arab world that we have. So even the moderate parties recognize the primacy of Islam at least in name. Being exclusively Muslim does not mean being radically Muslim.
This ignorance in evangelical Christianity of the basic dynamics in other countries and of their most important news items is one of the things I have always struggled with. Anyone who took the time to talk with someone a bit from one of these countries, read a book, or follow the news would not make these blatantly false insinuations. An organization claiming to give "Christian news" should take the time to actually learn about the people and nations it is trying to love and serve, let alone report on.
On the positive side, the coverage by World magazine has been fair and factual.
Volunteers vs. Families
Mona further notes that there is a difference between the families, who maintained a continuous presence in the country, and volunteers, who would come for short stays. She alludes to the possibility that the volunteers engaged in proselytizing. If this is the case, the case against expelling the families is weaker still.
The Human Toll
A number of responses to my post, as well as much of the online outpouring of emotion, deals directly with the human aspect of this raid. The Village of Hope was probably the best thing that ever happened to these children. Some families had been there for a decade, loving and caring for these orphans. While that bond could not be legally legitimated because of the parents' Christian faith, it was as close as you come to real parenthood.
Now the children will go without the only group of people who ever really showed them love. The parents' emotional attachment to these children was strong, and so their bereavement will also be strong.
On the response page to the World Magazine news coverage, Ralph had this to say:
I’d just like to correct some of the information here. I know one of the families concerned personally, a wonderful family, and have just spent this evening with them as they try to process the shocking events that came upon them like a whirlwind. Their work was progressing well, all conditions and expectations of a home for children were satisfied and a recent inspection was fully supportive. Then, in the space of a few hours they were forced to board a bus and leave screaming and desperately upset children who couldn’t understand why the only people who had given them love and care were cruelly being forced to abandon them once more. And this was supposedly done in their own interests!
Just to clarify – Village of Hope has functioned for years as a place that Morocco has been happy to place children for fostering, with the Christian ethos and basis always clear and never hidden. What has happened is a shame on Islam and the government minister who sanctioned it, for Jesus is also recognised as a prophet in Islam. All love and care given to these children has been given by people devoted to Jesus who simply wanted to follow his example in caring and loving those rejected and abandoned by this world. They knew well enough not to proselytise in the community – but freedom of religion is constitutionally permitted in Morocco – or was until these recent events. My friends are a family with their own children who obviously have Christian books – the presence of which is the supposed “evidence” of law-breaking and criminality!
Please pray for the children left behind, one of whom is only 19 months and disabled, others of whom had to be reassured that they were not to blame for their parents being thrown out.
Going Forward
For those of you who believe in the power of Facebook groups, one has been started here. There was a Twitter feed, but it has been shut down, at least here in Morocco. When I tried to access it, I received the warning, "Hold up! Sorry, the profile you were trying to view has been suspended due to strange activity." I do not know what this means.
Articles appear to be in the works at The New York Times and at Tel Quel. The Moroccan Dispatches will link to them if they are indeed published.
Finally, if you are Muslim, I ask you to think and talk about your relationship with Christians, on a personal and national level. While we may disagree on many fundamental points, surely we can agree on certain humanitarian principles and consistency in the application of national laws.
Christians, let us take time again to contemplate our own faults, our own sins, even as we have striven to do God's work. We are not perfect, and the means does not justify the ends, even in Christian work. Let us take time to learn and respect other cultures.
And if, as it seems the case at The Village of Hope, this has occurred, let us take refuge in prayer, supplicating for justice and love for all those involved.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Christian Orphanage Raided
A few weeks ago while waiting for my roommate at the McDonald's here in Meknes, an American family passed by. And by "American family" I mean an American couple and two or three young Moroccan children that were obviously not theirs.
The couple was wearing very comfortable-looking sweats emblazoned with "Calvary Chapel" in large letters clearly betraying their Christian affiliation, or at least to my eyes. They stopped and talked to us a little bit, explaining how they worked at an orphanage an hour or so outside of Meknes and how a trip to McDonald's is a huge event for their kids. In our short and friendly conversation, they were quite open, which surprised me a bit given that Christian proselytism is illegal here in Morocco.
But Morocco is also a country without a strong sense of rule of law. Just because a law exists doesn't really mean anything. If you get pulled over for speeding, you pay the cop and go on your way. The few times a Moroccan gets taken in for hashish possession or for frequenting a prostitute the same thing happens. Mainly the poor are punished for breaking the law. When it comes to alcohol sales, the law is blatantly and openly violated every day. Even though it is technically illegal for Moroccans to sell alcohol to Muslims (which most Moroccans are required to be), alcohol is sold everywhere without recriminations.
I learned yesterday that the Village of Hope Orphanage where that couple worked was shut down by the Moroccan authorities. This follows in the wake of a series of expulsions of Christian missionaries in the past few months.
The Village of Hope is different, though. The orphanage, which took in children no one else wanted, was established with Moroccan approval and had existed in some form since the 1950s.
I know very little about this case. All I have is an email from a friend in Rabat, this Moroccan press release in French, my short encounter with The Village of Hope couple, and this history of The Village of Hope from their website.
As I mentioned, it's hard to know what really is permissible and what is not in Morocco since a rule on the books does not necessarily mean anything. So perhaps, the Moroccan authorities turned a blind eye for the past few decades just as they do with alcohol, hashish, prostitution, and speeding. Or perhaps The Village of Hope hid some of their activities. I do not know.
The new crack-down seems to be sparked by the Moroccan authorities' realization that Christian evangelicals are aggressively targeting Moroccans, as this quote from the press release hints:
These raids are taken within a broader fight ("s'inscrivent dans le cadre de la lutte") against evangelical attempts to shake the faith of Muslims ("ébranler la foi des musulmans").
Another thing I do not know is how The Village of Hope found children and took them into their homes, a place which sound quite nice. I assume it was not the pseudo-kidnapping that got American missionaries into trouble in Haiti after the earthquake. But even if their adoption of the children was in the clear, I do not know what they stated to the authorities about the religious teaching given to those Moroccan children.
Their website is rather discreet in its description:
To the Christian ear, the part about "training up each child" is clearly a paraphrase of Proverbs 22:6 ("Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." NASB). It's essentially a coded message that the children will receive Christian teaching. A Muslim reading the same description would not catch the allusion. Whether or not the Moroccan authorities knew that instruction went on at all is another unknown. I think it's obvious, but then not all Christian organizations teach Christianity. The Catholic church is involved in a number of humanitarian activities devoid of Christian teaching.
I am curious about what sort of education they received. Generally, I believe in religious liberty. But depending on the law, Christians should also render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. We could debate what that means when it comes to a country without a strong rule of law tradition, but there are ways to minister to Moroccans while still staying on the right side of the land.
Now, religion is one thing, but culture is another. I'm curious what these children were going to do once they grew up. The ability to reintegrate into Moroccan society is important enough for The Village of Hope to mention (how I understand "Well balanced and thoroughly equipped young people"). And yet that would be difficult for those children if all the teachers and families at the orphanage are American. Not knowing even the rudiments of Islam or the omnipresent cultural reminders of it presents a challenge to anyone trying to integrate into the culture.
The couple was wearing very comfortable-looking sweats emblazoned with "Calvary Chapel" in large letters clearly betraying their Christian affiliation, or at least to my eyes. They stopped and talked to us a little bit, explaining how they worked at an orphanage an hour or so outside of Meknes and how a trip to McDonald's is a huge event for their kids. In our short and friendly conversation, they were quite open, which surprised me a bit given that Christian proselytism is illegal here in Morocco.
But Morocco is also a country without a strong sense of rule of law. Just because a law exists doesn't really mean anything. If you get pulled over for speeding, you pay the cop and go on your way. The few times a Moroccan gets taken in for hashish possession or for frequenting a prostitute the same thing happens. Mainly the poor are punished for breaking the law. When it comes to alcohol sales, the law is blatantly and openly violated every day. Even though it is technically illegal for Moroccans to sell alcohol to Muslims (which most Moroccans are required to be), alcohol is sold everywhere without recriminations.
I learned yesterday that the Village of Hope Orphanage where that couple worked was shut down by the Moroccan authorities. This follows in the wake of a series of expulsions of Christian missionaries in the past few months.
The Village of Hope is different, though. The orphanage, which took in children no one else wanted, was established with Moroccan approval and had existed in some form since the 1950s.
I know very little about this case. All I have is an email from a friend in Rabat, this Moroccan press release in French, my short encounter with The Village of Hope couple, and this history of The Village of Hope from their website.
As I mentioned, it's hard to know what really is permissible and what is not in Morocco since a rule on the books does not necessarily mean anything. So perhaps, the Moroccan authorities turned a blind eye for the past few decades just as they do with alcohol, hashish, prostitution, and speeding. Or perhaps The Village of Hope hid some of their activities. I do not know.
The new crack-down seems to be sparked by the Moroccan authorities' realization that Christian evangelicals are aggressively targeting Moroccans, as this quote from the press release hints:
L'ensemble des mesures prises par les autorités marocaines s'inscrivent dans le cadre de la lutte menée contre les tentatives de propagation du crédo évangéliste, visant à ébranler la foi des musulmans.
These raids are taken within a broader fight ("s'inscrivent dans le cadre de la lutte") against evangelical attempts to shake the faith of Muslims ("ébranler la foi des musulmans").
Another thing I do not know is how The Village of Hope found children and took them into their homes, a place which sound quite nice. I assume it was not the pseudo-kidnapping that got American missionaries into trouble in Haiti after the earthquake. But even if their adoption of the children was in the clear, I do not know what they stated to the authorities about the religious teaching given to those Moroccan children.
Their website is rather discreet in its description:
New housing units have been designed to accommodate a married couple and 10 children. We believe, that parents will within this family environment be able to spend time, energy, patience and concentration in order to actively become involved In the child reasing process. There will be 10 housing units so the home will, when fully occupied, be able to house 100 children. We would endeavour to train up each child in the way he or she should go, so that when they are mature they will not forget the training they have received. The results will be well balanced and thoroughly equipped young people.
To the Christian ear, the part about "training up each child" is clearly a paraphrase of Proverbs 22:6 ("Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." NASB). It's essentially a coded message that the children will receive Christian teaching. A Muslim reading the same description would not catch the allusion. Whether or not the Moroccan authorities knew that instruction went on at all is another unknown. I think it's obvious, but then not all Christian organizations teach Christianity. The Catholic church is involved in a number of humanitarian activities devoid of Christian teaching.
I am curious about what sort of education they received. Generally, I believe in religious liberty. But depending on the law, Christians should also render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. We could debate what that means when it comes to a country without a strong rule of law tradition, but there are ways to minister to Moroccans while still staying on the right side of the land.
Now, religion is one thing, but culture is another. I'm curious what these children were going to do once they grew up. The ability to reintegrate into Moroccan society is important enough for The Village of Hope to mention (how I understand "Well balanced and thoroughly equipped young people"). And yet that would be difficult for those children if all the teachers and families at the orphanage are American. Not knowing even the rudiments of Islam or the omnipresent cultural reminders of it presents a challenge to anyone trying to integrate into the culture.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Morocco on European Levels
An alert reader points out this BBC graphic, which shows how Morocco is the only African country with internet usage comparable to Europe.
Morocco is the only African country with Internet usage over 31%, putting it in the same category as the developed world. Other Muslim countries making the cut include Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia.
They join almost all of Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Colombia.
Morocco is the only African country with Internet usage over 31%, putting it in the same category as the developed world. Other Muslim countries making the cut include Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia.
They join almost all of Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Colombia.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
La révolution DARIJA
If you are American, imagine for a moment that all the billboards along the US interstate system are written in Middle English. Further imagine that all the written advertisements that you daily encounter in stores, newspapers, and around town are in that same Shakespearean English and those that aren't are instead in French.
Fortunately for you, in this imaginative world, television advertising is in modern day English, but that's about it.
You have now glimpsed in part the Moroccan linguistic situation.
Until just a few years ago all advertising was either in standard Arabic or in French. If the French connection sounds a bit strange to you, it's not. Almost a millennium ago, England was colonized by the French-speaking Normans for 200 years, irrevocably altering the Germanic tongue we now call Old English. Even after they left, French was still the language of prestige--what you spoke when you wanted to impress your boss, a girl or a literary audience. Today Morocco is no different. French colonialism has irrevocably altered Moroccan Arabic and Moroccan culture.
English-speaking peoples have had a good 700 years to move past these societal effects of French colonialism, but in Morocco, French language and culture still maintain a prestige that neither their own tongue (Moroccan Arabic, or Darija) nor standard Arabic (Fus-ha) holds.
Since the advent of Moroccan advertising in the 1970's, French and standard Arabic have been the languages of choice. The language that people actually speak in their homes and even in most places of work was used only in television advertising.
Now, though, that is beginning to change. For the growing lower middle class, written advertisements are being produced more and more in Darija, a phenomenon that was discussed in the February 20-24, 2010 issue of the Moroccan weekly Tel Quel.
At the end of the day most Moroccans are still swayed more by French, but this shift is yet another movement towards a greater usage of Moroccans own language.
Fortunately for you, in this imaginative world, television advertising is in modern day English, but that's about it.
You have now glimpsed in part the Moroccan linguistic situation.
Until just a few years ago all advertising was either in standard Arabic or in French. If the French connection sounds a bit strange to you, it's not. Almost a millennium ago, England was colonized by the French-speaking Normans for 200 years, irrevocably altering the Germanic tongue we now call Old English. Even after they left, French was still the language of prestige--what you spoke when you wanted to impress your boss, a girl or a literary audience. Today Morocco is no different. French colonialism has irrevocably altered Moroccan Arabic and Moroccan culture.
English-speaking peoples have had a good 700 years to move past these societal effects of French colonialism, but in Morocco, French language and culture still maintain a prestige that neither their own tongue (Moroccan Arabic, or Darija) nor standard Arabic (Fus-ha) holds.
Since the advent of Moroccan advertising in the 1970's, French and standard Arabic have been the languages of choice. The language that people actually speak in their homes and even in most places of work was used only in television advertising.
Now, though, that is beginning to change. For the growing lower middle class, written advertisements are being produced more and more in Darija, a phenomenon that was discussed in the February 20-24, 2010 issue of the Moroccan weekly Tel Quel.
At the end of the day most Moroccans are still swayed more by French, but this shift is yet another movement towards a greater usage of Moroccans own language.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Scenes From Morocco: Rabat at Night
As seen from a private house in the kasbah. Within sight are Rabat's coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, the medina, and the Hassan Tower rising in the distance.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
From the Classroom: Proficiency Presentations 3
The third presentation in my Proficiency class dealt with Marrakesh and tourism in Morocco.
Since 2001, Morocco has very actively pursued foreign tourism as a means to boost the economy. In 2001, there were 4 million tourists, a number officials sought to raise to 10 million within a few years.
Morocco has a long tardition of tourism: it is an exotic destination with a romantic image in the Western world. It has great diversity in geography, ethnicity, cooking, and languages. It is very close to Europe and not too expensive. And with the assumption of the throne by Mohammed VI, there was more political impetus behind reform that would help increase tourism.
One key change was the issue of human rights--many Westerners choose travel destinations with human rights in mind. So there were changes put in place to reform Morocco's image on human rights. Infrastructure was improved and money was invested in areas crucial for the tourism industry.
The section on Moroccan tourism in general ended with a discussion about the problem of identity. If Morocco is always selling its own culture, at what point does it become only a product to be consumed by Westerners and not actually their own culture anymore. Sex tourism was also mentioned as a downside of this tourism boom.
The second part of the presentation, given by a student from Marrakesh, dealt with the history and sites of Marrakesh. It has been an important city since 1062, and the succeeding dynasties (Almohades, Merinides, Saadines, Alaouites) all have used it in some way or another.
Important tourist sites include Jamaa EL Fna, a gigantic open square with big restaurants in the open, snake charmers and modern shopping. Night clubs like Pascha, local swimming pools and food were all also mentioned.
The conclusion was that Marrakesh is a beautiful mix of tradition and modernity.
Since 2001, Morocco has very actively pursued foreign tourism as a means to boost the economy. In 2001, there were 4 million tourists, a number officials sought to raise to 10 million within a few years.
Morocco has a long tardition of tourism: it is an exotic destination with a romantic image in the Western world. It has great diversity in geography, ethnicity, cooking, and languages. It is very close to Europe and not too expensive. And with the assumption of the throne by Mohammed VI, there was more political impetus behind reform that would help increase tourism.
One key change was the issue of human rights--many Westerners choose travel destinations with human rights in mind. So there were changes put in place to reform Morocco's image on human rights. Infrastructure was improved and money was invested in areas crucial for the tourism industry.
The section on Moroccan tourism in general ended with a discussion about the problem of identity. If Morocco is always selling its own culture, at what point does it become only a product to be consumed by Westerners and not actually their own culture anymore. Sex tourism was also mentioned as a downside of this tourism boom.
The second part of the presentation, given by a student from Marrakesh, dealt with the history and sites of Marrakesh. It has been an important city since 1062, and the succeeding dynasties (Almohades, Merinides, Saadines, Alaouites) all have used it in some way or another.
Important tourist sites include Jamaa EL Fna, a gigantic open square with big restaurants in the open, snake charmers and modern shopping. Night clubs like Pascha, local swimming pools and food were all also mentioned.
The conclusion was that Marrakesh is a beautiful mix of tradition and modernity.
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