Dreams of youth!

Back on board of imagination waves, I travel far away to the early age of my youth. I feel fascinated by the plain life and smitten by sweet dreams. Everything was simple, and easy to be reached. Oh! How many palaces, castles, houses…I had in my, both, night and day, dreams. I dreamed of bigger things, bigger than my shrimpy body. But I didn’t know, and wasn’t mature enough to realize how life is going to become complicated and darker, and how all that fortune is going to fade away. Life complication evolves in parallel to my body’s size. The bigger I become, the bigger it turns to be, till it becomes a monster I could not face. And the older I become, the tougher I have to fight, and the more I try, the more I hurt myself, and sometimes others. The dreams that were sweet have become just a pan of tar seeping its bitterness all around. Without hope, the only arm I still own, my ending would have arrived before this time.

About the Moroccan movement 20th February

After the upsurge of movements against corruption and tyranny in North Africa and Arab world, and after the booming of Arab’s democratic spring, as it’s called, Morocco as part of this corrupt world, received the breezes of this wind of change coming from Tunisia, and seen the birth of the movement called 20th February. Since that date, the movement led protests all over the country, all united about the main goal- to fight corruption of all its demonstrations in the country.

There were, and there is, no revolution in Morocco, as it’s the case with Tunisia and Egypt or other countries, but the movement succeeded to open a wide political debate that led to the constitutional change, and the vote of a new constitution in the first of last July, which was largely voted favorably, regardless of how the poll and its campaign passed.

The movement was uniting all streams in the country with their different ideologies and backgrounds, all hand in hand with the main goal, as already mentioned, to fight corruption and to build a new country where all citizens are equal and have complete rights, but lately these mosaic ideologies and backgrounds are very far from each other to lead a unite movement. And this is one of many causes that cause the muffling of 20th Feb’s glow.

The ideological differences are vital in the life of the February movement. For example, if someone is a member or just believe in Islamic group “Jamaat Adl wa Ihsan” “justice and charity” and its extremist views, how could he tolerate someone from the group “Kif Kif” defending the rights of gays, to be with him side by side? Or how could someone from the group of “Mali” who’s calling to breakfast publicly in Ramadan to tolerate a bearded activist from “Adl Wa Ihssan”?

And if there is someone who understood this well, it is the authorities who exploited, and will continue to exploit, the ideological differences to fight each stream inside 20th February by its contrast and to spread as much hate toward the movement as possible, by playing on each one’s beliefs. If you hate “Adl Wa Ihsan” there’s a reason to boycott 20th February, and if you hate “Mali” “Kif Kif”, there still a reason for you to boycott the movement. If you belong to none of these, there still hundred reasons to keep away from adopting the movement. And this is all for the benefit of those profiting from the current situation and change haters.

My experience with languages Tamazight, Arabic, French, English

Whenever I hear the debate rose about languages in Morocco and which one should be the official one in the country, I just think about my experience with languages. My parents and ancestors are Amazigh, and speak only one language Tamazight, and what they know in Arabic is some verses of Coran, they learned by heart in mosques to use in pray. So when I was born, the language that my mother fed me and that I hear everywhere in my surrounding was Tamazight. And then I started to learn classic Arabic, first in the mosque and later when I attended the school where I started to hear also some dialect Arabic, which was a little used by teachers. So up till that stage, I was introduced to three languages. And in the third year in school, another language was added, French.

Before the age of 10, I had to deal with four languages. My mother tongue comes in the first position because it’s the one I use frequently, and my only communication link with my family and surrounding, and then classic Arabic in which school programs were written. And the dialectal Arabic, though it was not much necessary in daily use in rural towns, such where I lived in, as mostly all people are Amazighs, but we tried as children of the town to learn it because we felt embarrassed when we fail to communicate with family members coming from the city, or some foreigners we meet in the surroundings, and also because our older brothers and sisters who attended school learned it.

And when I moved to high school at the age of 16, a 5th language was added to all that mixture, English. And the use of the other languages had become more essential than before. The classic Arabic use was very vital, as it’s required to succeed in school and almost the whole program is in classic Arabic. And dialectal Arabic was necessary to communicate with my peers, some of them who speak only dialect Arabic as it is their mother tongue. French too, had a significant importance in studies.

When I moved to seek a job, I found that the classic Arabic that we used to study for long years, and that is the official language in constitution is incapable to feed me, and unable to secure a job. Most of the jobs require French, as it is the language of economy, and of course this is related to colonization, and the forced link to the colonizer- France.

Learning all that number of languages was exhausting, and certainly has taken much time and strength, but probably it was preventing me from mastering them all. But, shall we see this combination of languages as positive, or negative? I don’t know.

Learning languages is certainly positive, but not all at once.

Osama died, Obama born!

The release of Barack Obama’s birth certificate two weeks ago, showing that he was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961, ends the assumption and discussion about his birth place. This certificate is a pre-declaration of a political rebirth of Obama and a funeral to that debate, but actually it was a certificate of a real birth that will come a week later, after the death of Osama Bin Laden. Worldwide, the announcement of Osama’s death is related to Obama as he was the announcer, and without doubt, this has renewed Obama’s popularity and will strengthen his position in the presidential elections on the doors. And though the release of his birth certificate has come a week earlier, but, it’s only a week to name the new born. Osama died, Obama born. But, if Osama is not shrouded and buried in the sea, isn’t there a probability that the opposition will take off Obama’s political clothes?

Explosion at "Argana" Café in Marrakech

We all received, with sadness and grief, news of devastating explosion in the “Argana” café in Jamaa Lefna square in Marrakech. News talks about 15 deaths among them 11 foreigners the majority of them are of French nationality, and many others injured. The first thing that came to my mind when heard the news is my brother who lives there. Even, this probability was a little far, as I knew he would be at work at such time, but anything was expected. And, as I thought of my brother, everyone whose relative or family is in Marrakech today April 28th would have the same worries after hearing this sad news. But, what if the presence of his relatives in the place of the attacks is a reality, or what if the suppositions worsen, and his relative got injured or, unfortunately, died. It’s a bad case; no one would like it, for himself or his relatives. For that, we present our condolences and feeling of solidarity to all the victims of these barbaric attacks, that touch the security and serenity of this city and the country as a whole, but who’s responsible? Days will reveal more details.

At this link, you can see some photos of the place of the explosion: http://www.marocroom.com/vb/t2814.html

Revolution in Lybia

After the successive fall down of authoritative systems of Ben Ali in Tunisia and of Husni Mubarak in Egypt, the whole world have been waiting confidently to see the same scenario in Lybia with Muaamar Quadafi after the start of manifestations in the country. After days of peaceful manifestations, “the prophecy” hasn’t come true and Quaddafi didn’t resign or toppled from his position, and the worst even come when the conflict turned to bee an armed fight and Quaddafi started the slaughter against his opponents.

In the first days of the fight, “the rebels” were, or seemed to be, winning the fight and they were moving forward Tripoli, where Quaddafi take refuge. However, now the balance of strength has completely changed, and the rebels forced out of many cities they have controlled earlier, and now Quaddafi has regained his confidence and reorganized his legions and moves eastward, and now he’s in the doors of Benghazi, the last stronghold of rebels.

But where is the west from all this?

Perhaps, the events that boomed suddenly in the Arab world has come in a rush way and the west didn’t have enough time to study all the probabilities of any decision it could make, and western countries don’t want to lose their interests and benefits, even they took a decision against Quaddafi later, especially when the rebels seemed to be moving confidently to win the fight. But now, the rebels are losing, and perhaps, as Quadafi’s son Sayf Al Islam has said, we’ll gain control over Benghazi after two days, and he even said that “the no-fly zone is too late”, that may mean that the west would have helped the rebels before we arrived to that advanced stage and regained control of the country and we’ll crash every one that comes in front of us as Quddafi didn’t stop to repeat.

And what about Russia and China?

Now, Russia and China are against Lybian people, and they fought against the decision of no-fly zone in UN, and they took a promise from Quaddafi to be rewarded for that, and he Quaddafi even declared it. It’s a shame on Russia and China, because they want to take petrol from Lybia, but they forget that it’s mingled with Libyan blood.

And the Arab world?

The Arabs are powerless, and systems of the Arab countries are very sick, and if they are not, nothing of all this would have happened, and now they are being treated clinically, and we have just to wish their cure as quickly as possible. And it’s known that the Arab’s voice is no important in the international policies. What are we waiting, a word from a dead body!

Season of Melancholy

In an inattentiveness moment, smile was snatched from our lips, and all despair of the world hugs us and sculptured scratches of anger on our pale foreheads, and draw grooves of melancholy on our hearts. Anguish, distress and all their synonyms befriend us, and swear to chase us wherever we go. Clouds of pain jammed on our skies, and almost leave sparks of happiness’ sun burnish our dusky days. Heat of hope that gives meaning to our life lows down, but we still try, as possible, to keep our deep senses warm to avoid freeze of a merciless snowy storm of hopelessness that will definitely end our last chance of survival.

Are women equal to men in Morocco?

No one could deny that Moroccan women have gained more rights and their position has changed from what it was on, decades before. In the past, Moroccan woman wasn’t allowed to do different jobs and seen incompetent in different terms including the taking of responsibility and leading positions. Of course there were exceptions, but in general woman had one responsibility, that of taking responsibility of home tasks and children.

And now, there is a noticeable change, and woman has invaded many fields that were till the near past inappropriate for her to access. Therefore, and as woman is a part of society and has an important role in it, many changes have came to society with that change of woman’s position from a housewife to a woman that works and passes most of her time outside.

Before, woman was waiting in her parents’ home for a husband that will come and ask for her hand for marriage, and automatically he will take responsibility of preparing everything for this marriage and provide financial conditions for this new family; either they live separately, or together with the husband’s parents, and in her turn she’ll take care of her husband and expected children, and of course her husband’s parents if they live with them.

Now, after woman has started to work as the husband, and both genders have equal rights, many things have stood unchanged from the past. In marriage for instance, woman still rely on man to prepare everything for new family and take all financial responsibilities that he, in turn sees them as his pure own, though she’s able to help. Also, man sees house tasks as pure woman’s responsibilities she had to do even after a long exhausting day at her work outside, and there are husbands that may lay for hours at home waiting for their wives to come from work and go cook their meal, and if there are children means more duties.

I do not generalize, and I know that there are exceptions where both share everything from emotions to ambitions arriving to duties and rights, including the right to take decisions, but mostly everyone sees equality from his own view and there still much far from what equality is or should be.

Pleasure of writing

Though I don’t regularly post on my blog, but I habitually write. Sometimes about my bio, others about any topic that comes to mind, and sometimes just travel inside my mind to check if there’s some inspirational stories and try to form words and sentences to feel the pleasure of writing and at the same time bear its pain. The challenge I always faced is the inability to finish my writings and I stopped many articles, that I still think are about good or at least worth to write about topics, at the middle of the way and never come back to finish them. I’m not a professional writer or blogger, but I’m intrigued by writing practise. And from time to other, I intend to share some of those writings on the blog. Yes, it’s true that a blog importance is mostly measured by how much interaction and comments it receives, and despite my blog receives less comments and have only few on some posts, but I think, though I should not judge myself, that content I post is not that bad but interaction is affected by the number of visitors of the blog, and this is my blog’s problem due to the lack of optimization. Nevertheless, I keep posting, since I’m pleased when practicing writing and also since there still at least some people that comes across my posts and have look. And I still keep some hope that I could receive comments on my future posts, who knows?!

Battle in mind

From time to other, when my ideas go in clash between each other and the struggle intensifies bit by bit, I could hear the noisy hits of arms and drums beats in my head. And when the bitterness of the battle rises and the brawl between the tough ideas is increasing, I could feel the flames of fire burning on my head’s walls. If a rival wins the fight, then the war eventually ends and pain slowly gets over, but when the battle lasts for long without a winner, each legion took its troops back. The fight certainly would be resumed later, presumably between the same armies or between others, but what’s certain, war never ends and if it does there’s no need to my existence.

Shrubs of grief and sorrow

When doors of a heart are closed and no light let in, trees of darkness and shrubs of grief grow up in the deep of its corners and flowers of anguish bloom all around! When the grass of sorrow is irrigated with water of gloom, it propagates more and more. And when all those plants of distress are left without mow, we can see but a garden of misery and depression.

The resume of work after holidays!

After two weeks of vacation I resumed work this morning, and I needn't to tell you how boring is the first day at work after days of holidays. Concerning sleep, I didn't find any problems with it this morning since I used to wake up during holiday days at the same time as I used to when at work; but what I used not to be familiar with is to make any mental efforts or be punctual for any appointment, and this is all what I’ve to do as I’m back to work. I may have made some physical efforts, but I always tried to keep away from any stress and anything that could cause some of it because I know that situation won't last for long and I'll be back to the hustle and bustle of the city and strain of work.

I passed my holidays with my parents in a calm and small town that was lying in a deep sleep near a lake, and nothing was disturbing that calm except some rush July storms that passed quickly, before they left for the permanent quietness, may be just to remind people of their existence. With the hot weather there, I passed hours in the lake swimming as if I wanted to wash something from over my shoulders and I actually managed to get rid of some of the pressure and with it some of my shoulders' skin. I also took the advantage of these days off and visited some members of family and some old friends. Two weeks has passed as if two days but holidays really make the difference!

Moroccan Thinker and Philosopher, Abed Gabri has died

The great Moroccan Thinker and Philosopher Mouhamed Abed El-Jabri has died yesterday, in Casablanca, Morocco, in age of 75 years old after a long trip full of creativity and hard work, especially in the study and criticism of the Arab mind, announced the Moroccan news agency, MAP.

Mohamed Abed al-Jabri was born in “Figuig”, east of Morocco in 1935 where he took his primary studies and then left to Casablanca, where he obtained a Graduate Diploma in Philosophy in 1967 and Ph.D. in philosophy in 1970 from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Mohammed V University in Rabat, where he worked as professor of philosophy and Arab Islamic thought.

Prior to that, he traveled in 1958 after the independence of Morocco to Damascus to get a BA in philosophy, but he did not finish his studies there and returned to belong to the young Moroccan university where he completed his academic trip.

He was active in cells of the National Action against French colonization of Morocco in the early fifties of last century, as he was a noticeable leadership in the Socialist Union of Popular Forces party to which he, for long time, served membership of its political bureau before retiring from politics, and devoted his full-time to his Academic and intellectual Affairs, according to the same source MAP.

Gabri left several books in which he addressed the criticism of the Arab mind and cultural heritage issues, democracy, state and national identity.

Among his many works: Our Cultural Heritage and Us: Contemporary Reading of our Philosophical Heritage (1980), Tribalism and the State: Features of Ibn Khaldoun’s Theory in Islamic History (1971). He also wrote Introduction into the Philosophy of Sciences (1982), Introduction to the Koran in three parts, Gaining Insight into the Problems of School Education (1973), Towards a Progressive Understanding of Some Cultural and Educational Problems (1977), The Contemporary Arab Discourse (1982), Problems of Contemporary Arab Thought (1986), Unity of Morocco (1987), Cultural Heritage and Modernity (1991), Towards Rebuilding Contemporary Arab Thought ( 1992), The Question of Culture in the Arab World (1994), , Democracy and Human Rights (1994), The Intellectuals of Arab Civilization (1995 ), The Question of Identity: Arabism and Islam and the Maghreb (1995), Religion, State and Applying Islamic Law (Shariaa law) (1996), and The Arab Project of an Enlightenment: A Critical Review (1996) and many other essays and contributions to press.

However, the main of his works is Criticism of the Arab Mind, which was issued in three parts: The Genesis of Arab Thought, and The Structure of the Arab Mind, as well as The Arab Political Mind.

Morocco, and the whole Arab world have lost, a beacon of light in the cultural studies, God bless his soul and fold him with his mercy. Amen!

The margin of trust in society has minimized

Aristotle said once that “Man is a social animal”. Means that man could not live alone and he must get in relation with the members of the society around him. Man needs companionship, friendship, love…etc. But nowadays the margin of trust in society has minimized. Does the world became crueler and everyone takes much care to his own interests and has tendency to care more about his own welfare as an individual, or man has always been like this?

Human relations have broken and idealistic qualities such as true friendship, true love…etc, become questionable. Does the fastness mode of life is a cause of this break down or there are more reasons for this problem that could not be denied? Man concerns more about what is beneficial for him as individual and does not interest much for the other including the community in which he lives –society.

Day after day, I wonder do really true qualities, in which I believe, still exist somewhere, or my naïve view to this cruel world really caused this distorted image of society. Do all these questions, to which I can’t find convincing answers, are legitimate or just posed by the bad experience I may have come across? But, I think, I am not the only to ask these questions.

You are a happy butterfly

You swim in the wind of sentiments,
You are a happy butterfly.
The truth I say,
Of course, you no longer need sweets.
A child you aren’t,
Angel it isn’t?


A sweet and beautiful flower like you,
Everyday to be watered,
Not to let shriveled.
Affection and love to be poured on you,
Much care and heed.
Indeed!


Your honesty and sincerity I always liked.
No hypocrisy or deceit,
No evil mate!
I wish you better life and a best follow.
Someone who could know,
Your grief to mow!


I haven’t tried to eulogize,
If don’t like, I apologize.
This I realize.
With few words I just want to praise,
And let my honey in a daze,
Her, I want to amaze!

Happy New Year!

Today we are leaving 2009 and looking forward to receive the new year of 2010. We are turning one of the pages of our lives’ book and curiously move to see what’s on the next. Whether the year was good or not, it has gone and taken a part of our life. Whether we liked it or not, it will soon become the past. Of course, there must be losers and winners. Those who haven’t earned much might have earned few and those who haven’t lost much might have lost few. There are some who had wishes to fulfill certain goals in the elapsed year but haven’t succeeded and probably will receive the next year by the same wish. There are others, who’ll give up their old goals and follow new ones. But, others have no goal in this life and go as if a ship barking in an ocean without compass. Besides, there are some who got bored of wishing change to know its way to them and after long wait, they accepted that fait accompli and surrender to that bitter situation. They indulge in their despair and accept things as they are. We all wish if we could receive the New Year with happy celebrations and baskets of flowers, but it’s not possible. Those who celebrate and eat sweet cakes and count how many gifts they receive are those who see life’s teeth because it mostly smiled at their faces, but others who can’t see its teeth but instead its canines because she never smiled to them, have nothing to do with those celebrations. The leaving or the coming of a year is the same and bring nothing new to their miserable life. They do not know light colors, but just dark ones. The best wish, with which we could receive this New Year, is to wish happiness to every miserable all over the world. Happy New Year miserable!

Love yourself!

Grief and sorrow.
Sworn, me to follow!
Sadness and despair,
Given me their care.
Whenever I go!
Whoever I know!
Happiness I don’t believe.
No joy could achieve.
In sadness I wander,
always lost in anger.
Moments of ease are few.
My dark days not new.
Hard times are permanent.
No delight or enchantment.
I’m alive or dead,
or just feeling so sad?
Need help or hope,
or just a peace of rope?
A friend tried to cure,
and did the best to assure:
And told me these words,
Here are them in what follows:
“Make end to that wrath!
Nothing deserves that fight.
Hear your reason!
But not words of season.
Your soul is hearing you,
And your feeling’s over you.
Be strong and go along!
What’s gained from being sad?
It’s no better that song,
of souvenirs and cry.
Whatever you lie!
about yourself, and wish to die.
This is no remedy,
But a peace of comedy,
You always play,
Whenever unable to say:
I failed in my fray.
There’s much to finish.
Why you want to perish?
Give yourself a second chance!
to learn how to dance,
and play on strings of life!
And be at strife.
Tomorrow comes after today,
and we all travelled from yesterday.
Although your despair now,
Grief is like snow.
That melts by temperature,
and becomes just water.
Dry your tears!
And wash your sins!
Look forward!
And keep self assured.”

Beautiful people have a chance of better life!

While chatting with a friend, she told me that “people who could be successful in life are those born rich or those who’re beautiful”. Of course, my friend said so because of her depression and she is conscientious that what she said is completely wrong for the reason that there are a lot of people born poor and sometimes have no beauty, if not to say ugly, but arrive to build a successful life relying on their self efforts and competences. After going on talk, she said that what she can not bear is when she sees some people who do not have any competences, and sometimes may be stupid, and occupy some interesting positions while hundreds of people who couldn’t be compared to them on the level of competences are jobless and automatically live a miserable life. I found nothing to say, just she’s definitely right. Of course, we are not jealous of that person who occupies certain position even if he is not at the level of it, but we sympathize with those who’re better than him hundred of times and do not have such chance. It’s not a problem of chance or luck or destiny, it’s a question of nepotism and inequity. Of course; such favouritism existed and exists in all societies but when it clearly floats on the surface of society, it questioned the social justice.By the way, my friend is beautiful :-)

Earthquake hits Morocco

When I woke up this morning, a friend told me jokingly that “there was earthquake!” I didn’t give much importance to what he said and went on preparing myself to go to work. When I arrived to work, as usually, I got in one of the online newspapers to see what’s going on. The first headline that surprised me is that of the earthquake that hit Morocco last night in 1:45 am. Then, I realized that my friend was serious and not joking. The quake was of 5.5 degrees on the Richter scale. And it is said that the quake was sensed in different cities including Tangier, Marrakech, Rabat, Kenitra, Meknes, Fes, Casablanca, where I am, but not in my room because I was just immersed in deep sleep before half an hour. The quake did not cause any casualties or victims because it is identified in the midst of the Atlantic, away some 300 km west of tangier. And it is also reported that the quake is detected in Spain and Portugal. Now, I realize that my sleep is really so deep and even if a bomb or a rocket fall near my head, I can sleep peacefully, may be till I wake up in the cemetery.

Violence against women

The number of women victims of violence around the world is always in raise. And as a complex phenomenon, violence has not only a reason. And here in Morocco, where violence against women is incredibly in increase, I see that among the reasons that help in the spread of violence against women is the bad education children may receive. For me, I see that, at least in popular neighborhoods, man is given some superiority since he’s a child and this pushes him to abuse woman when he becomes adult. In these popular neighborhoods, where women are victims of violence more than other places, and even if this is the effect of different social, cultural reasons…etc; it’s also because of that superiority that masculine has always felt over feminine. This superiority turns to be violence either when a woman wants to show resistance against that man’s patriarchy, or even when she is subjective to his abuses and shows no refusal. And that man who felt always superior over his sister, the daughter of neighbors, and sometimes even over his mother, won’t show any respect to his counterpart in society, woman.

Violence against woman is a complex social problem, but I think, such education has a hand in the production of such man who practices violence and show less respect for woman. But, what’s more dangerous is when those women who are victims of violence rarely find someone to fight on their behalf. And this situation helps in the endurance of their sufferings. And, I think that there is not enough associations in this domain, and those who exist do not work effectively especially in popular neighborhoods and rural towns.

Le nombre de femmes victimes de violence dans le monde est toujours en augmentation. Et comme un phénomène complexe, la violence n'a pas seulement une raison. Et ici, au Maroc, où la violence contre les femmes est incroyablement en hausse, je vois que parmi les raisons qui participent à l’augmentation de ce probleme est la mauvaise éducation que les enfants peuvent recevoir. Pour moi, je vois que, au moins dans les quartiers populaires, l'homme a certaine supériorité depuis qu’il est enfant, et cela le pousse à l'abus de femme quand il devient adulte. Dans ces quartiers populaires, où les femmes sont victimes de violence plus que d'autres endroits, et même ç’est l'effet de différentes raisons sociales, culturelles ... etc; c'est aussi à cause de cette supériorité que le masculin a toujours senti. Cette supériorité va se transformer et devenir violence, soit quand une femme montre sa résistance contre le patriarcat de cet homme, ou même quand elle est subjective à ses abus et ne montre aucun refus. Et cet homme qui se sentait toujours supérieur à sa sœur, à la fille des voisins, et parfois même à sa mère, ne va montrer aucun respect à son homologue dans la société, la femme.

La violence contre la femme est un problème social complexe, mais je pense que cette éducation de la supériorité pour le masculin a une part dans la production d’un homme qui va pratiquer de violence et montre moins de respect pour la femme. Mais, ce qui est plus dangereux, est que ces femmes, victimes de violence, rarement trouvent quelqu’un qui va combattre à leur part. Et cette situation contribue à l'endurance de leurs souffrances. Et, je pense qu'il n'y a pas assez d'associations dans ce domaine, et ceux qui existent ne fonctionnent pas efficacement en particulier dans certains quartiers populaires ou dans les milieux ruraux.