"Stop Throwing Your Butts Out!"

Daniel and I have learned a valuable lesson recently: being accused of something while innocent is no fun.

For some reason, the Moroccans who live around us are convinced that we are heavy smokers, and, furthermore...that we throw our cigarette butts into the courtyard. GASP! We're pretty awful human beings, right?

Now, first of all, these Moroccans don't have a good grip on fundamental cultural differences between America and Morocco. If they knew anything about America and its anti-tabacco crusade, they would know that smoking has become decidedly uncool where we come from.

But beyond mere conjectures based on cultural stereotypes, surely, they would want to check out the facts before making accusations. Right?

A while back Daniel was in the elevator with the super of our building. Suddenly, the middle-aged Moroccan man launched into a tirade about the disgusting habit of throwing cigarette butts on the apartment grounds. Daniel listened for a while and then protested that he didn't smoke. The super was nonplussed and continued his lecture, assuming it had to be someone from our apartment.

A few days ago, the concierge stopped me with the same accusation, lecture, and request. I informed his that the accusation was false, the lecture unnecessary, and the request illogical. He seemed satisfied with my explanation, "ma kankmish" ("I don't smoke"). So I thought the issue was settled. Daniel and I had both asserted our innocence against slanderous claims. What more is needed?

Yesterday, though, the concierge confronted me again about the same topic. I thought that he wasn't grasping the logical connection between being a smoker and producing cigarette butts that could be distributed on the apartment premises. But then I learned the real reason for his persistence.

He led me up to the first floor (in Morocco, like in most countries in the world, the first floor is the floor above the ground floor) to the apartment of the Hajja, a respected widow whose sons live in Casablanca. When the concierge introduced me she proceeded to lecture me in French on the disgusting habit of tossing cigarette habits into the courtyard. I used my apparently inefficient rebuttal, "Ma kankmish" yet once again to explain my innocence. I also added for good measure "Sahibi ma kaykmish" ("My roommate/friend doesn't smoke"). She seemed undeterred. She merely moved her discourse into Darija.

After another full minute she stopped, but not after having thoroughly indoctrinated me in the filthiness of my habit. I explained that if I ever saw the person responsible for the cigarette butts, I would inform him about his disgusting habit. The Hajja didn't seem terribly satisfied with my offer of help.

So I have two questions:

How do accusations of these type arise? A well-propagated assumption that is not based whatsoever in the facts must come from somewhere.

And, secondly, is this issue over? Or are we going to continue to have to deal with lectures about bad habits we don't have?

Le Monde Covers Christian Expulsions

This is a bit late, but a couple of weeks ago the French daily Le Monde published this article about the recent spate of expulsions from Morocco.

It mentions the expulsion of the Franciscan priest that The Moroccan Dispatches covered last month.

All are suspected of "undermining the faith of Muslims," i.e. the crime of proselytizing inscribed in Moroccan law and punishable by six months to three years in prison. Like others, the Franciscan Father Zaki, who officiated at Larache, in the region of Tangier, did not have more than a few hours to pack his bags.

A first. A hispanophone of Egyptian origin, he was returned by plane to Cairo, where he remained in custody for seven hours without a clear explanation of the reasons for his forced departure. And without a clear grounds for his arrest and deportation, there was no opportunity for recourse. "Was it an error? Did he make a mistake? Nobody knows," sighed Father Daniel Nourissat, in charge of the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes to Casablanca.
...
Tous sont soupçonnés d'"ébranler la foi des musulmans", un délit de prosélytisme inscrit dans la loi marocaine et puni de six mois à trois ans de prison. Comme les autres, le Père franciscain Zaki, qui officiait à Larache, dans la région de Tanger, n'a donc eu que quelques heures pour faire ses bagages.

Une première. Hispanophone, d'origine égyptienne, il a été renvoyé par avion au Caire, où il est resté sept heures en garde à vue sans pouvoir expliquer les raisons de son départ forcé. Et sans motif clair, pas de recours possible. "Est-ce une erreur ? A-t-il commis une faute ? Nul ne le sait", soupire le Père Daniel Nourissat, chargé de la paroisse Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes de Casablanca.

Unlike the official media coverage here in Morocco where the officially recognized churches parroted the government's line, in the Le Monde article Christian leaders in Morocco nuanced their views. While not condoning the illegal activity of proselytism, they indicated that the recent crackdown was a "harsher stance" than normal. One even classified the recent actions as "bizarre".

The reporter also attempted to get an interview with a Moroccan Christians but was unable to do so even under the condition of anonymity. That fact in and of itself should indicate the fear that Moroccan Christians live under. As commenters on this blog have noted, some Moroccans convert to Christianity out of the hope for money and a visa. But to extend that observation to all Moroccan Christians is clearly naive as this Le Monde article demonstrates.

All in all, the article presents an excellent survey of the entire situation. I highlight it here only because of its thoroughness. It is only a simple article that happens to be well-researched and well-written, but it puts to shame most of the local Moroccan press and the vast majority of the foreign press, neither of which have managed to produce much of similar quality.

Scenes From Morocco: The Royal Golf Course

The Royal Golf Course at Meknes rests within the old medina of Meknes. Cut off from the rest of the city by imposingly high stone walls, the golf course barely fits nine holes.

A Regular

After vacation I walked in my favorite local cafe. I said hello to the server as we made eye contact, "Peace be upon you."

"And upon you peace."

He headed to the counter, his tray full with dirty glasses and cups. I sat down and pulled out The Economist.

A minute or so later I saw him approaching out of the corner of my eye. I lifted my head to order, "Half..."

He laid down a half and half. "To your health."

"God give you health."

He turned and walked away.

I smiled and began to sip my coffee.

Scenes From Morocco

The Cheap Cultural Cacophony of Ryanair

Ryanair has revolutionized international travel. There is no doubt about it.

Before baggage handling and peanuts were free. Now they are not. Before there were assigned seats; now there is a frenzied dash. And perhaps most importantly, areas of Europe and northern Africa that were prohibitively far apart are now connected by flights costing only a few hours' pay. Unless, of course, you want to take anything substantial with you...then it costs a few hours' pay more.

As I boarded the flight to Dusseldorf in Fes, the couples around me bore witness to what this phenomenon has done for cross-cultural marriages. At least half a dozen Moroccan-German couples were standing in line with me. One German girl was speaking in the phone in fluent Darija. After a quick vacation with in-laws in Morocco, they were headed back home.

The cultural cacophony grew once we boarded the plane. People pushed and shoved and hustled past each other. German, Darija, French, and English could be heard simultaneously.

After everyone got settled, the chaos and confusion continued. The Slovakian stewardess's accented English blared through the sound system to a mostly uncomprehending German and Moroccan audience. A 5-year old Moroccan child blew right past a stewardess in the aisle knocking her sideways. She tried to reprimand him in English, but he ignored her admonishments.

The scene repeated itself returning to Morocco, but it was slightly more organized. A Moroccan-looking fellow sat down next to me. I tried speaking Darija to him, but he just switched to English.

"Are you American?"

"Yeah, and you're Moroccan?"

"No, I'm Dutch."

"Oh, you immigrated to the Netherlands."

"No. I was born there. My dad is Moroccan and my mom is Serbian."

He was headed back to Morocco to visit his grandparents. I have almost spent more time in Morocco than he has, and so I spoke Darija better than him.

I asked him how his parents met.

"Well, immigrants often lived in the same poor neighborhoods and they all got to know each other. My parents met at a wedding....of a Moroccan and a Serbian." He smiled.

I also asked him if he considered himself Moroccan, Dutch, or Serbian.

"A little bit of everything," he answered.

More Religious Persecution Coverage

I am currently on vacation, but I wanted to briefly write up a summary of Tel Quel's continuing coverage of religious persecution in Morocco.

This is from the March 27-April 2, 2010 issue, so this is a little bit late. I picked it up before I went on vacation.

The front page carries a picture of the Cathedral of Sacre Coeur in front of the Hassan II mosque. The caption translates:

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
Despite police harassment and death threats, thousands of Moroccans have converted to Christianity. Today the state is violently reacting to counter the 'threat'.

Yes, those are scare quotes.

The entire coverage is an in-depth critique of the incoherence and injustice of recent Moroccan government activities in the area of religious liberty.

The main article is accompanied by testimonies from a number of Moroccans who have converted to Christianity. All have struggled. Some of their families have disowned them; others are more tolerant. Some Moroccan Christians have lost jobs. All have lost friends.

In the main article, it points out that most Moroccans convert to Christianity more as a result of Arabic media and not from foreign missionaries. This jives with my experience: a number of Moroccans I know have had long conversations with Christian missionaries about religion and none have converted. Some defended Islam while smoking hashish just to piss off the Christians, it that gives you an idea of how many Moroccans understand their Islamic identity. This observation about foreign missionaries, of course, undermines the rationale behind the recent expulsions of many foreigners.

Tel Quel notes that what has been effective in getting Moroccans to convert has been Arabic media such as the television channel al Hayat. Tel Quel carries a profile of Al Hayat broadcaster Brother Rachid, a Moroccan who converted to Christianity and often speaks with Father Zakaria, an Egyptian priest who has been imprisoned twice for baptizing new Christians and now is forced to live in exile. Both live in secrecy after having received numerous death threats.

Another point Tel Quel makes is that the common claim that 150,000 Moroccans have converted to Christianity is false. Using French research, they conclude maybe a few thousand have. Of course, the Islamicists have good reason to exaggerate the number to scare the average Moroccan into thinking he or she is surrounded by a growing Christianization (ironically...the same dynamic in Western countries regarding Islam).

Tel Quel concludes that the reason behind the government crackdown on non-Sunni Muslims has to do with internal politics. By holding a hard line against Christian missionaries and generating heat about it from abroad, they counter radical Islamic talking points about decadent Westernization and Christianization. This explanation, which I have seen repeated a few times now, seems most likely to me at this point.

The article ends with a discussion of a quote from an interview the king Mohammed VI gave to Le Figaro in 2001. He stated that he was the Commander of all the believers: Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Tel Quel quotes one Moroccan Christian pleading to be recognized in the same light: a Moroccan believer under the authority of the king...just a Moroccan Christian believer.

Tel Quel's readers seem to be disappointed with the crackdown. In the letters to the editor section, one Mustafa Laafoui of Kenitra writes in to ask some tough questions about Mohamed Naciri. In one quote highlighted by Tel Quel, he says:

Why didn't the honorable Mr. Naciri oppose the expulsion of the supposed evangelists? Why didn't he insist that these individuals be judged according to the laws set in place?

Other media critical of the government have been shut down recently. And the same could happen to Tel Quel. But as long as they are still around, there will be at least some debate and critical thinking about current events.