Western Sahara Expert Joins Middle East Institute

Middle East Institute: Press Release

The Middle East Institute is pleased to announce that Jacques Roussellier has joined the Public Policy Center as an Adjunct Scholar. Roussellier, currently a specialist with the World Bank Group, served as spokesman for United Nations peacekeeping operations in Western Sahara from 1999-2001. During his tenure in Western Sahara, Roussellier was actively involved with UN operations in the region, organized and implemented the mission's public relations strategy, and developed relationships with key constituents and regional actors.

Teach a Man to Fish

MoorishGirl: "Give Us Jobs, Not Democracy"

MoorishGirl reports that the main concern of Arab youth is unemployment. Sounds right to me.

My experience in Morocco was that there were large numbers of well educated people who could not find jobs, and my students were generally pessimistic about their chances of finding work even if they obtained a degree.

Of course, sometimes political liberalization is necessary to promote job creation.

Backlash?

Some 20,000 Dutch gather to pay homage to slain controversial filmmaker

"I was debating whether or not to come, but I decided that as a Muslim and as a Moroccan I should take up my responsibility to show that we do not support this act," she told AFP.

The murder of Dutch filmaker Theo Van Gogh (a relative of the painter) by a Moroccan with dual Dutch citizenship sparks fears of a backlash against Moroccans in Europe. Moroccans have become one of the largest groups of immigrants in Europe.

Mounting Concerns over Terrorism in Morocco

The Washington Post reports that persistent poverty in the country's notorious bidonvilles (slums) and a government crackdown on Islamic groups may be contributing to radicalization of Moroccan society. The paper speculates that such radicalization could lead to a greater terrorist threat.

Adoption from Morocco

Adoption of a Foreign Child

The United States Embassy has a statement on adopting children from Morocco:

If you wish to adopt a child abroad, and you are in the United States, contact the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service office that has jurisdiction over your place of residence. Please be advised that securing custody of Moroccan orphans for immigration is extremely difficult as adoption is essentially illegal in Morocco.

I do not know the full story, but my understanding is that the prohibition stems from a desire that Muslim children not be adopted by non-Muslims and so lost to the faith. After all, the King of Morocco is still the Emir Al Moulmenin (Commander of the Faithful).

Malika and I


Malika


Malika,
originally uploaded by Bill Day.


Malika and I are pictured at La Creche Lalla Hasna, where I worked during the summer of 1989 between school years. The Creche was a privately funded charity and day care center attached to the state orphanage, and offered extra care to children from 8 months to 3 years old. The plight of the children was quite poignant, since they were unlikely to be adopted, and the resources at the state orphanage were not sufficient to care for them properly.



During the year,I was teaching English as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the village of Outat El Haj, and coming to the big city was a marked cultural change. (Naturally, it was also cooler on the coast than in the desert.)

Casablanca Volunteers

MoorishGirl discusses her meeting with Karim Tazi, who runs a number of charities in Casablanca, including one that helps people in the Casablanca bidoville (slum) where the Casablanca bombers lived:

I wish people who spend their time talking about bringing democracy to the Arab world and who accuse Arabs of not doing enough would come see for themselves. Maybe then, instead of bombing these people into democracy, they'd roll up their sleeves and help.

My first thought is to wonder whether Mr. Tazi is any relation to the Mme Tazi who sponsored La Creche Lalla Hasna when I volunteered there in the late 90's. The Creche provided enriched day care to orphans between the ages of 8 months and 3 years who lived at the adjoining state run orphanage. The children faced a hard future — illegitimate or born of prostitutes, they were unlikely to be adopted by Moroccans. At the same time, state policy discouraged adoption by non-Muslims, so they were likely to remain wards of the state for a long time. The state run orphanage simply did not have adequate resources to give the children the care and attention they needed.

High Times

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | �7bn cannabis crop strips Morocco of trees and soil

"Cannabis production is expanding so fast in Morocco that it is causing soil erosion and the destruction of long-established forests, the UN reported yesterday."

The increase in production is apparently driven by spiraling European demand. Europe, like the United States, is left in the position of publicly deploring drug production while paralyzed by its own insatiable consumption.