This month, we bring you several stories–a young Moroccan trying to secure his first job, a foreign father for whom getting his first child’s birth registered was almost more taxing than the birth itself, a new wife struggling to help her husband chase down his family book–of what it means to try to cut through Morocco’s vast network of red tape.

We hope you will laugh, feel their frustration, maybe empathize a bit. And if you have a story of your own, don’t hesitate to share it!

These days, they are broadcasting an advert on national TV channels urging people to hurry up and substitute their old regular national ID cards with the new electronic ”biometric” ones. Why the hurry? I want to tell our officials in case they missed it, that our people are overwhelmingly young, technologically aware and in no need for TV adverts to show them the benefits of new tech gadgets. All they’re ask is for administrative rules and regulations to be eased.

The most absurd in this, is that most Moroccans will end up not having the much praised biometric card. So I’m asking: what is the point of forcing everybody to prepare loads of documents including the passport, the driving license and every bit of paper to prove that you were born on this land? Let me explain more about this ridiculous situation because this might not be understood by all.

In order to get the biometric identity card, you need to collect a certain number of documents, among which, a birth-certificate, which is not hard to get from any office close to where you live or in any other place in any city or town in Morocco. So far so good. But the shocking thing is when they ask you to bring the birth “record.” You know, the one with the green paper not the white paper. I think I need to explain more about this because it’s kind of puzzling for those of you not familiar with the delights of Moroccan bureaucracy. In Morocco you have two kinds of documents for a birth-certificate: the white paper that you can get anywhere -proof that the government wants to bring the administration close to the citizens. And then you have the green paper, an ingenious Moroccan invention, that you can only obtain from the one office, in the province, in the city, where your parents registered your birth the day you were born. The green paper is essential. Without it you just can’t have a national identity card.

People keep moving from place to place. Some of us have nothing to do anymore with our places of birth, apart maybe for some who still carry the name of the city as a patronym. Others don’t even know where they were born, having grown up in a different region. I’ll give you an example: a person born in the city of Dakhla in the south, moved north to the city of Tangier for work, and ended up living there and may no longer have any link with his native Dakhla other than the fact that the father registered his birth there. And what about someone born in the city of Oujda in the east, now moved to Agadir in the southern part of the Atlantic coast and who’s health, professional conditions, or financial situation prevent him from going back to his native Oujda?

To extract the birth-certificate (green paper that is) it will cost you just about two dirhams. But how much a travel all the way from northern Morocco to the deep south, or from east to west will cost you. This is something barely mentioned. Is this what they call “bringing the administration close the citizen”? And if this green piece of paper is so important, why the hell do we have to carry the documents we are asked to carry today: what is the point of the so-called “civil status” containing the date and place of birth? What about the passport? The regular identity card? Having carried those for years, I thought they were enough proof of my citizenship. Now I’m told these documents have no legal bearing. What are all those local districts for? Aren’t they supposed to facilitate the withdrawal of our documents? And what is this so-called “electronic government” they keep boasting about? I just don’t know. What baffles me more than anything is the behavior of politicians and parliamentarians. Aren’t they supposed to speak up for the people? All they keep doing is defending their own interests.

One additional condition they came up with when it has first been decided that all Moroccans should have an electronic ID card, is that women who wear the veil, should show their ears in their photos in order for the face and its features to be completely apparent (the photo also has to have specific characteristics to fit into the biometric card). When the condition was first proposed, [Islamist] parties in parliament went mad and created a huge fuss about it. They called it the “visible ears” issue. They succeeded in forcing the government to cancel the requirement. But nobody gave a damn about the issue of the birth record. You know, the green piece of paper remember? They just don’t care because they are a world apart from what the ordinary citizen who can’t afford to pay a bus ticket worries about. How on earth is this citizen, who struggles for his daily bread, will afford to travel to the city of his birth, if it happens to be located far away from where he lives today? This is a very legitimate question. This is the one reason why many Moroccans will not be able to change their old card into brand new e-cards. Nothing will change as long as the bureaucratic conditions stay as prohibitive and stifling as they are today. In this era of “war against terrorism”, the biometric card is aimed primarily at strenghtnning the “national security” of the state. It doesn’t address the real concerns of the citizen. So who’s the real beneficiary of all this?

***

There’s a phenomenon that is very prevalent in our society. It is the fact that the very existence of many children is not recognized by the state when for one reason or another, the father did not register his offspring in the civil status register. I do not think a father wouldn’t register his son or daughter intentionally. It mainly has to do with the fact this is a difficult procedure to go through, particularly for low-income families. The main cause being the complexity of the conditions set by Moroccan law and administration to basically spoil the lives of citizens. The non-use of technology is also a factor at play. Just go visit some government offices. You would think you are still at the beginning of the twentieth century and that time has frozen there forever.

Morocco is well known for the mobility of its population inside the country itself. Many of those born in the north may well move to the south and vice versa. But bureaucracy is causing a lot of trouble in our society. If some parents are blessed with their first newborn, the father will have to travel to the city or the region where he, the father, was born. Otherwise his offspring is in legal limbo. The son or daughter, in case the parents divorce, can well find themselves rejected by their father with little legal recourse. Can you believe this is possible in our day and age? What’s even more outrageous is that this wasn’t the case in the past when newborns could be registered by their parents in any city in the country. Does the government and the officials only know that most Moroccans are poor? That traveling from place to place requires a lot of money, time and effort? That extracting a single certificate may take more than one day? How can the citizen afford to pay for transport, accommodation and food, and how much time can he afford to waste in order to get these documents?

The same goes for marriage. The traditional al-Fatiha mariage (a form of religious ceremonial marriage) is spreading in the country, at the expense of women’s and children’s rights, precisely because of bureaucratic obstacles. Moroccan courts are full of cases where women battle to prove their undocumented marriages and to defend the rights of their children. Things are getting worse and harder to deal with. Where does the government think we are going with this: undocumented marriages, children and future citizens without identity? Is this the progress they are talking about? If nothing changes, we are heading for a national disaster by all measures. Again, I can’t believe this things can happen in this day and age.

Despite all the benefits brought about by the new Family Code, women are still considered minors. Just take a look at the Family Record Book where only the man’s (husband’s) name appears upfront, while the woman’s name is put in a seperate box along with the children, invariably referred to as “mother.” There’s only the husband’s photo in it. If God forbid the husband passes away, the widow is left in administrative limbo, unable to register her own children.

In more advanced societies, photos of both the husband and wife appear on opposite pages and on equal footing on the Family Record Book. This document should serve as a proof for Marriage and should be provided to the couple soon after the wedding. Children should be able to be registered by either one of their parents, in an office near where they live. The way the government currently conducts the affairs of the citizens and their lives is simply ludicrous. We live in the age of the Internet and computers, and there are hundreds of technicians and specialists in computers from both sexes who are unemployed. Can’t we employ them to reform the administration and replace the current inefficient civil servants? The current laws encourage corruption. By just reforming the administration we can create millions of jobs because we live in a very large society. We can find solutions if only we can work seriously.

The bureaucratic aspects of Morocco are numerous and complex. To address them all one needs to write volumes upon volumes of books and not get to the bottom of it. Morocco has to get rid of bureaucracy because it hinders its progress.

• A copy of my college degree, with an official translation
• A copy of my birth certificate, also with an official translation
• Three separate application forms, to be obtained locally
• Proof of employment, provided by my new job
• A fee, to be paid by my new job
• A stamp, to be obtained at a local kiosk

This would be easy…or so I thought.  The first step was on me–gathering all of the required documents.  I spoke little Arabic at the time, but as most of my interactions at this stage were with translators, it was actually quite pleasant.  About two weeks later, and I was ready to march to the proper offices, papers in hand.

But what was the proper office?  Accompanied by a Moroccan friend, we headed to the city hall, surely the first stop (it was right at the end of my street anyway, so no harm no foul).  After a few brief interactions, we had obtained the name of the person we were supposed to see…at the police station down the street.  Fair enough, I thought, no one gets it right on the first try.  We headed down the street to the police station.

Upon arrival, we asked for the gentleman whose name had been provided to us.  Fifteen minutes later, he sauntered in, and with a bit more aggression than I expected, demanded to know what we needed.  I explained, as my friend translated, what it was I was looking for.  We showed him the papers.  He looked over them, stroking his mustache ever-so-carefully, then concluded we were short a few papers.  He explained where we needed to go and what we needed to bring back.  Fair enough, I thought, the process must have changed.  We left to procure the last of the papers.

A few days later we returned, papers in hand, to see the officer.  We showed him everything once again.  He looked over the papers, stroking his mustache ever-so-gently, then told us that no, the translation of my degree needn’t be in Arabic, but in French.  We left to get a new translation.

By the time we had the translation in hand, and all papers together, about a month and a half had passed.  Foreigners are allowed to stay in Morocco for up to 90 days before they are required to either a) leave, or b) have a carte de sejour.  Fair enough, I thought, we have 45 days left, and this shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks.

We returned to the police officer on a Monday, proper paperwork obtained, procured, and translated into French.  This time, thankfully, all of our papers seemed to be in line.  I was told to return Friday for a formal interview.

Friday came, and with friend by my side, I made my way back to the police station.  We asked for the officer, sat down, and waited.  Forty-five minutes later, he hadn’t arrived.  We explained the situation to another officer, who, pointing to a locked drawer, explained that he didn’t have access to his colleague’s papers, and couldn’t we just come back?

Finally, finally, with 30 days to go, I found the officer at his desk and told him he needed to perform my interview, that I only had 30 days to spare.  He commented, if you’d started the process sooner, you would be done already.  Swallowing the urge to smack him in the face, I smiled and sat down, ready for my interview.

He asked me where I went to primary school.  He asked for my employment history–when I started with my previous job after college, he told me that Americans work young and asked me to start with my very first job.  He asked for my previous three addresses.  He asked why I had attended Al Akhawayn University the previous year (how did he know that!?)  He typed all of these answers on what had to be a 30-year-old typewriter, then asked me to return in two weeks to pick up my card.

Hooray! I thought.  Two weeks to spare, and I’ll be a Moroccan resident!

Not so fast…Two weeks later, and no sign of my card.  I went to my boss, panicked–he told me to just go to Spain and come back.  I seriously considered it, as well as its cost: At least 1,000 dirhams that I didn’t have to get up to Melilla or Sebta, or across to Algeciras, and back the next day…and that was without sangria and tapas.  I decided to stick it out.

Each day, I returned to the officer, and each day, he told me it wasn’t completed yet.  One time he even asked me out to dinner, telling me it would “speed up the process.”  Eventually I hit the 90 day mark, and then it was too late to try to leave…I would have to simply stick it out, wait for my card.  I was in no danger, of course…the process had been initiated and it was just a matter of waiting.  Just a few more days, I figured.

But it wasn’t.  By the time I got my card, it was a full four and a half months after I had arrived.  I had to get my boss to call the police.  I had to return at least 15 times.  There’s no real moral to this story: Moroccan bureaucracy is what it is, and without advanced technology and a central database, it’s unlikely to change.  Still, I’m just glad I sprung for the multi-year carte de sejour, so long as it means I get to avoid that cop.

بطاقة بيومترية وموقع على الانترنت لجواز السفر الالكتروني أشياء ادا رآها أي شخص يعتقد أننا قطعنا خطوات مهمة اتجاه التقدم الذي نطمح إليه شعبا وملكا, لكن للأسف هده أشياء لا يستطيع كل مواطن مغربي الحصول عليها بسهولة , لان هناك مواطنين مغاربة إلى اليوم لا يتوفرون على البطاقة الوطنية العادية لأسباب مختلفة أهمها
المساطر القانونية المعقدة.

هده الأيام يبث إعلان في القنوات الوطنية يحثون فيه الناس على الإسراع من اجل تغيير البطاقة الوطنية من العادية
إلى البطاقة الالكترونية” البيومترية”؟ أقول لمسئولينا الشعب المغربي شعب واعي وشعب تغلب عليه الفئة العمرية الشبابية وشعب يحب كل ما هو جديد ومتقدم من بين أكثر المستعملين للانترنت والتكنولوجيا عددا على المستوى العربي والعالمي ”لسنا بحاجة إلى إعلان لتغيير البطاقة الوطنية نحتاج إلى تبسيط المساطر الإدارية”.

اغلب المواطنين المغاربة سيحرمون من البطاقة البيومترية لسبب غريب يصل إلى التفاهة, ومن خلال هدا الشرط العجيب نسأل ما جدوى كل الوثائق التي بحوزتنا الآن من بطاقة وطنية إلى جواز سفر إلى ممتلكات ورخصة سياقة والى كل ورقة تثبت وجودك في هدا الوطن, ولأشرح أكثر لان الأمر لن يفهمه الجميع. .

حتى تحصل على البطاقة الممغنطة الجديدة عليك جمع بعض الأوراق ومن بين هده الأوراق وثيقة الازدياد أو ما يسمى برسم الولادة شيء جيد ولا يشكل أي مشكلة وأي مواطن يستطيع إحضار هده الوثيقة من اقرب إدارة مختصة قريبة من بيته أو حتى في أي مكان بأي مدينة بالمغرب إلى هنا كل شيء جيد, لكن الصدمة عند ما يطلبون منك إحضار عقد الازدياد دو الورقة الخضراء وليست البيضاء؟ سأشرح أكثر لان الأمر وكأنه أحجية تتطلب التفسير, بالمغرب يوجد ورقة بلون ابيض لعقد الازدياد تأخذها من الإدارة المختصة الموجودة بأي مكان بالمغرب وهدا لتقريب” الإدارة من المواطن” وهناك عقد ازدياد بلون اخضر أيضا تأخذه من المقاطعة التي سجلت بها أو بالأحرى سجلك بها والدك أو ولي أمرك يوم ولدت , إنها عبقرية الإدارة المغربية…وللتسهيل على المواطن عفوا و للتعسير على المواطن ليحصل على البطاقة الالكترونية يطلبون و بإلحاح أن تأتي بعقد الازدياد صاحب اللون الأخضر أي من المكان الذي سجلت به يوم ولدت كشرط أساسي للحصول على البطاقة الالكترونية.

ومن المعروف أن بنو ادم يرحلون من مكان إلى مكان وخاصة المغاربة وصلوا إلى أقصى بقاع الأرض فما بالك داخل رقعة الوطن وهناك من لم تعد تربطه أي علاقة بمنطقة أو مدينة مولده إلا الاسم وربما لا يعرفها لأنه كبر في مدينة أو منطقة أخرى. سأضرب مثال : شخص ولد بمدينة الداخلة بالجنوب انتقل إلى مدينة طنجة بالشمال يعمل هناك ويعيش هناك وربما لم تعد تربطه بمدينة الداخلة أي صلة سوى أن والده سجله هناك بحكم عمله ولان أمه جاءها المخاض في تلك المدينة. وربما العكس شخص ولد في مدينة وجدة الشرقية لظروف ما انتقل إلى مدينة اكدير الجنوبية ولم تعد تربطه أي صلة بمدينة وجدة أوان ظروف عمله تمنعه من السفر أو ظروفه الصحية واهم من هدا الظروف المادية.

استخراج عقد الازدياد يكلف درهمين فقط. ادا أردنا أن نسافر من شمال المغرب إلى جنوبه أو من شرقه إلى غربه من اجل استخراج عقد الازدياد صاحب اللون الأخضر كم سيكلفنا دلك من اجل الحصول على البطاقة الالكترونية؟ هل هدا هو ما نسميه تقريب الإدارة من المواطن؟ و ادا كان عقد الازدياد الأخضر بهده الأهمية ما جدوى الوثائق التي بحوزتنا اليوم. ما جدوى الحالة المدنية التي تحتوي على تاريخ ومكان الولادة ما جدوى البطاقة الوطنية والجواز ما جدوى كل سنين المواطنة التي مضت ونحن نحمل فيها وثائقنا-هل تعتبر وثائق غير معترف بها قانونيا- ما جدوى المقاطعات الموجودة من اجل تسهيل استخراج وثائقنا وما جدوى ما يسمى بالحكومة الالكترونية التي نسمع بها ولم نراها بعد وأين هو شعار” تقريب الإدارة من المواطن”. لكن ما لا افهمه هو تصرفات السياسيين والبرلمانيين عند.نا هل يتحدثون بالبرلمان من اجل مصلحة الشعب أم من اجل مصالحهم الشخصية؟

عندما تقرر أن المغاربة ستصبح لهم بطاقة الكترونية كان من بين الشروط إظهار المرأة التي تضع غطاء على شعرها ”الأدنين” ليكون الوجه والملامح أكثر وضوحا في الصورة, التي حدد لها قياس خاص من اجل وضعها في البطاقة البيومترية. وقتها ادكر أن احد الأحزاب استنفروا في البرلمان وقامت الدنيا ولم تقعد لان المرأة ستظهر أدنيها في الصورة واستطاعوا إلغاء هدا الشرط. لكن شرط عقد الازدياد الأخضر لم ينتبه له احد, لان هم المواطن البسيط لا يهم احد هناك من لا يستطيع دفع تذكرة الحافلة من حي إلى حي فكيف نريد من مواطن في حرب يومية من اجل كسرة خبز أن يسافر إلى المدينة التي ولد بها من اجل استخراج عقد ازدياد اصلي دو اللون الأخضر ولا احد يتكلم وكأن هده النقطة لا تهم نواب البرلمان..إن هدا الشرط هو سبب عدم تغيير الكثير من المغاربة بطاقاتهم القديمة بالبطاقة الالكترونية ومهما كانت هناك إعلانات فلن نحصل على نتائج مادامت الشروط التعجيزية البيروقراطية تخنق المواطن, أن البطاقة البيومترية تهم الأمن القومي للدولة ونحن نعيش عصر محاربة الإرهاب
أكثر ما تهم المواطن بكثير ادا من المستفيد من وراء هده العرقلة….؟؟؟؟؟

قانون وبيروقراطية من اجل تشريد أطفال المغرب

ظاهرة تعرف انتشارا كبيرا في مجتمعنا عدم الاعتراف بالأبناء رغم وجود عقد زواج فالأب لا يضع ابنه أو ابنته في الحالة المدنية, ولا أظن أن الأمر يكون متعمدا بقدر ما يكون الأمر شاقا على البعض خاصة دوي الدخل الضعيف أو المعدوم. والسبب الشروط ألا معقولة ولا منطقية التي تضعها القوانين والإدارة المغربية من اجل عرقلة حياة المواطن وعدم استعمال التكنولوجيا ومجرد دخولك لبعض الإدارات المختصة تعتقد انك في بداية القرن العشرين وان الزمن توقف بهم هناك ولا يريد التحرك.

كما هو معروف المغرب يعرف حركة وهجرة داخلية غير مسبوقة ونجد أن من ولد بالشمال يسكن الجنوب ومن ولد بالشرق يسكن في الغرب والعكس أيضا وهدا شيء طبيعي, لكن المشكلة التي تواجه مجتمعنا هي شبح المساطر الإدارية. ادا رزق احدهم بمولوده الأول وأراد أن يسجله في الحالة المدنية علي الأب أن يسافر إلى المدينة أو المنطقة التي تسجل بها يوم ولد أي ” الأب” ليستخرج الحالة المدينة ليضع بها ولده وإلا تعرض الولد إلى التشرد وعدم الاعتراف به من طرف والده خاصة ادا طال الوقت وكبر الطفل وربما حصل فراق أو طلاق بين والديه. أيعقل هدا ونحن في عصر التقدم والتكنولوجيا؟ والمشكلة أن هدا القانون لم يكن في السابق وكان أي مغربي يستخرج الحالة المدنية من أي مدينة يسكن بها و له شهادة سكنى بها. ألا تعلم الحكومة والمسئولين أن اغلب سكان المغرب هم ناس بسطاء مجرد التنقل من مكان إلى مكان يحتاج إلى الكثير من المال و الجهد والوقت وأن استخراج الحالة المدنية لا يكون في يوم واحد. ادا كان هدا الشخص من مواليد زاكورة في الجنوب وهو يسكن الناظور شمالا قدره أوصله إلى تلك المدينة و رزق هناك بولد أي منطق هدا أن يذهب لزاكورة من اجل استخراج الحالة المدنية, من اجل وضع ابنه فيها وإلا تشرد ابنه وأصبح مجهول الهوية محروما من الدراسة ومن الهوية الوطنية.

كم على المواطن أن يدفع من اجل النقل والمبيت والأكل وكم يحتاج من الوقت خاصة ادا كان لديه ارتباط وعمل من
اجل استخراج وثائق مهمة المفروض أن تستخرج من اقرب نقطة علما أن الإدارات المختصة تملئ المدن والأحياء التي نسكن بها ونفس الشيء في وثائق الزواج اد تعتبر البيروقراطية سببا في انتشار زواج الفاتحة لنفس الأسباب والدي تكون ضحيته المرأة والأطفال والمحاكم بالمغرب مليئة بقضايا” ثبوت الزوجية والنسب” والدي لم يجدوا له حلا إلى الآن والظاهرة في استفحال. إلى أين سنسير ادا ظل الحال على ما هو عليه زواج بدون وثائق أطفال بدون هوية وفي المستقبل مواطنين بدون هوية؟ أيضا هل هدا هو التقدم الذي نحلم به؟ إنها كارثة وطنية بكل المقاييس في عصر الاتصالات واشتراك ملايين المغاربة في خطوط الجيل الثالث من النقال والانترنت .

على كل متزوج حديثا أن يستخرج الحالة المدينة مع عقد الزواج وان تكون هوية الزوجة موجودة بها أيضا كما هو موجود في كثير من الدول المتقدمة. رغم مدونة الأسرة وما جاءت به من اجل المرأة تبقى الحالة المدنية بالمغرب اكبر تمييز ضد المرأة. توجد فقط صورة الزوج واسمه أما هوية المرأة فلا وجود لها. ا يكتب اسمها فقط في خانة الأبناء للتعريف باسم الأم. كما يجب ان يعطى الحق للأم أن تسجل أبنائها في نفس دفتر العائلة ”الحالة المدنية” كما للأب الحق في دلك هناك حالات كثيرة. ادا اختفى الزوج تبقى الزوجة عاجزة عن تسجيل أبناءها رغم أنها متزوجة لأنها لا تملك حالة مدنية والكثير من الأبناء يسجلون بدون اسم أب وكأنهم لقطاء رغم أنهم أنجبوا من زواج موثق؟؟فهل هدا منطق

الحالة المدنية عند المجتمعات المتقدمة يحتوي على صورة الزوج والزوجة و بيناتهما معا في صفحتين متوازيتين وان يكون في نفس الوقت عقدا للزواج ودفتر للعائلة وان يحصل عليه يوم عقد القران وفيه يسجل الأبناء في اقرب جهة ولدوا أو يسكنون بها بدون أي مشاكل. أما ما هو موجود اليوم فهو اقرب من اللعب إليه من تسيير شؤون المواطنين. وتنظيم حياتهم, ولا حجج موجودة للحكومة والمسئولين. نحن في عصر الانترنت والكمبيوتر. يوجد مئات التقنيين والمختصين في الحاسوب والإعلاميات من الجنسين يعانون من البطالة يستطيعون القيام بهده الأعمال بكل إتقان بدل الموظفين الدين لا يعرفون إلا الورقة و الكناش و كؤوس الشاي والقهوة , هده القوانين هي اكبر مشجع على الرشوة التي نحاول محاربتها بلا جدوى. يمكن أن نخلق ملايين الوظائف لأننا مجتمع كبير جدا هناك حلول نحتاج فقط للعمل الجدي .

إن أوجه البيروقراطية بالمغرب عديدة ومتشعبة ومعقدة بشكل كبير جدا وادا أردنا التطرق إليها كلها علينا تأليف الكتب والمجلدات ولن ننتهي. على المغرب أن يتخلص من البيروقراطية لأنها حجرة عثرة كبيرة أمام أي تقدم يصبوا إليه. يجب أن يتمكن كل مواطن من الحصول على وثائقه عبر الجهة التي يسكن بها ونحن نعيش على مشارف تجربة الجهوية بالمغرب وعصر الانترنت.

هند السباعي الإدريسي

Challenges

Only when all was said and done, and I finally got my carte du sejour ( and then again when I had to get it renewed ) did I realize one of the major sources of bureaucracy: power. In Morocco, so few people ever have a chance to obtain a position of leadership, that the moment they get even the slightest decision making capabilities they take it to the enth level and use it as an opportunity to keep others down. That’s why you get so many different answers to the same question and nothing is available in print (don’t even ask about getting it online). It’s the same reason you get sent away when you have a piece of required paperwork that has all the information needed, but has wrong title on the top of the page. This results in you having to go across town to get a new version all the while wondering why they couldn’t just use a little correction fluid and rewrite the title at the top of the page. Now, if the page contains the exact same information and nothing is missing, it only seems reasonable. If you don’t believe me so far, just check out how they pound those stamps on the pages letting you know who the boss really is.

Which leads me to the next issue: technology and modernization. Morocco has the ability and Moroccans have the capability of handling a lot of their current procedures online, or at the very least posting exact information on how to go about a particular process on a website in a few different languages. On the same note, they could certainly institute country-wide databases and other applications that would allow for less travel for people from other cities and villages to get an updated carte national, passport and so on. Case in point, an older woman I know well who lives in one city had to travel to her birth city to renew her card, walking 8 kilometers both ways, only to be turned away for not having brought a piece of paper with her. Had any information about what to bring been online, or had there been a computerized system that allowed her to renew from the city she currently lives in, the problem of bureaucracy would have been solved.

Finally, the whole issues of bribery or “padding palms” as I like to refer to it, is probably the biggest beast to tackle. One that would not necessarily change even if the two issues mentioned previously got resolved. The issue is not unlike the age-old battle of whether or not to get rid of the American restaurant tipping system in favor of paying wait staff a living wage. In fact, this is an issue likely to never be resolved because the current system is so ingrained in the society from the top down. The government is resistant to pay a higher wage to employees since they can save money by turning a blind eye to the bribes. The employees can continue to wield power knowing that a little extra money can be obtained with the promise of getting something done, and perhaps they believe they would make more money in the current system than a government raise would provide. Finally, the citizens always know that when they really need something done, they can speed up the process with a few extra dirhams.

Solutions

I use the term solutions as a header very loosely here. What I’ve written below are not solutions to the challenges discussed, but a few ways citizens and expats can skirt some of the potential issues they might face. In reality, it seems there is little that an ordinary Moroccan or expat can do to challenge and change the aforementioned issues. But, being savvy about dealing with them and the people who exacerbate them can make any process a little less aggravating.

Keep every single piece of important paperwork you own in a file, and bring it with you to every visit to the office you are dealing with. If you can, make a copy of each one so when you are about to be turned away, you not only have the document, but you have the necessary copy of it too.

When you are asking for which documents and proofs are needed for a particular procedure, ask the person to write them down or write them down yourself as they relay them to you. Before you leave, repeat the list back to the person giving you the information.
Only deal with one person in each office and upon return visits, do not speak with anyone else in the same office. It really is worth it even if it means you have to come back another day. If you don’t you risk someone taking a look at your documents and telling you that you need different paperwork, when in fact you don’t.

If it doesn’t bother you morally, pay the bribe when it seems like it might get you to the front of the line or get things processed faster. Additionally, look for the guy walking around and talking to everyone amicably- he can get you to the right people and the right places quicker than anyone. If it does bother you, stand your ground and don’t pay (but be prepared to be patient!) If enough people resist the bribery, something may change some day.

For expats, it may be hard to relinquish control and independence, but if and when possible bring a Moroccan and let them do all the talking. It’s just easier, trust me.

If you are a foreigner and need a carte du sejour, start the process the day after you arrive in Morocco. It might be tempting and even seem reasonable that getting started a week or two after you land won’t make that much of a difference. That’s all fine and good if you’re planning a day trip to Spain to renew your three month allowance. If not, don’t waste a day because it can take up to the full three months before you even get the receipt that your card is in process.

In conclusion, there are some quick fixes to the deep-rooted issue of bureaucracy in Morocco. Yet, those challenges which could be instituted with relative ease will always be met with resistance by different constituents. Until one group demands and implements change, nothing ever will.

The civil service is an ancient institution in Morocco. It is the institutional aspect of the Makhzen (the Moroccan establishment). Whether you believe in its present existence or not, the Makhzen provided the backbone of the Moroccan civil service for many centuries.

The pre-modern civil service was not a public service per se. The idea, as A Laroui [Fr] or J. Erckmann [Fr] noted, was more about taming the tribes and imposing the Sultan’s power, rather than serving the public and improve its standards of living. The civil service, as it were, was about maintaining, consolidating, imposing and displaying the imperial power to the rebels or potential ones.

The ultimate goal being of course, the complete submission of the tribes to subjects. The paramount pretext to endless “Harkas” was the Prophet’s saying about Muslims need to be submitted to a Kalif’s authority. The Sultan, as God’s and the Prophet’s representative, has the duty to do so.

Laroui managed to see in the Makhzen the first foundations of modern government. The need of civil service is therefore of an early stage. The modern aspect of it might lay in the attempt to “organize” as it were the basic means for collecting taxes and enforcing the Sultan’s power. Despite all the medieval aspects of such arbitrary administration, there remained two arguments for any modern power that were already taken as sovereign symbols: Regal privilege of circulating money and the Legitimate Monopoly of Violence.

One might wonder why they were subjected to this brief historical review–and I do apologise for it is quite incomplete and subject to debate moreover–It is essential to bear in mind that the past institutions do shape the present ones. However concealed their influence is, it remains so, and perhaps even stronger than one might think. The “modern” -or shall we say, European-style- civil service came in with the Protectorate. For the first time in Moroccan history, the tribes have been tamed; the borders and the land have been controlled, even if it was divided up between the victorious colonial powers. Even with this so-called “modern” state apparatus, the core working hypothesis of the whole shebang remains the same: square the territory, and squash any glimpses of autonomous will. It has been Morocco’s plight to witness the unhealthy mating of French Jacobin centralism, and the Makhzenian perpetual lust for control over the tribes. It may come to a surprise for many of us, but deep inside every civil servant one meets in one’s life to deal with administrative matter, there’s this tradition that makes administrative journeys of hellish nature.

A bureaucracy like this does not meet the requirements Max Weber designed for the true administration. In facts, the whole post argues that the Moroccan bureaucracy is not really one. That’s because the academic definition of it involves a battery of conditions our civil service cannot meet, because of its intrinsic nature.

Let me now present Weber’s definition of Bureaucracy: “characterised by an elaborate hierarchical division of labour directed by explicit rules impersonally applied, staffed by full-time, life-time, professionals, who do not in any sense own the ‘means of administration’, or their jobs, or the sources of their funds, and live off a salary, not from income derived directly from the performance of their job. These are all features found in the public service” These are features of positive connotation: an organization with pre-defined set of rules is unlikely to block, or for its members to take bribes or to bribe for a specific requirement.

Max Weber tends to use a lot of his Ideal-Type methodology, and in real world, no civil service matches that ideal, though some services managed to get closer than others. Nothing of the sort for Morocco, though. Let me walk you through some facts and figures.

Morocco has an overall civil workforce of some 684.889 civil servants (2004 figures [Fr]) These figures are of course pre-DVD, the famous Départ Volontaire Demandé, following which [Ar] the current size of the civil service should be around 640.000, ceteris paribus (a reasonable assumption based on the facts the civil service no longer recruits huge amounts of workforce). This number is distributed as follows:

Our civil service is not, in broad terms, incompetent, in facts, according to the Rapport de Développement Humain [Fr] (a report His Majesty ordered for the 50th independence anniversary), our service is doing quite well compared to African opposite numbers. Its mapped distribution follows quite closely the population’s pattern of distribution. In its own administrative capacity, the civil service has no intrinsic problem of its own.

There are however other problems that outrange these positive points: Though civil servants are evenly distributed among the population, the evidence shows that services are very centralized: central services (Education department not included) gather 80% of the overall workforce. The civil service, in other terms, is mainly administrative, and centralized-oriented on the top of this.

Furthermore, the civil service is ageing, 60% is more than 40 years old. (This figure is bound to be a bit lower now, because of the DVD, but no more than 10% or so).

Finally, there is this question of income. The figures are rather confusing. In absolute terms, the civil service absorbs a lowly part of the GDP (about 13% in 2005, 10.2% in 2008, IMF figures) nonetheless when compared to the total taxes the Moroccan state levies on the economy, the figures are much more important. According to the Finance Ministry [Fr], the total fiscal levy amounts to some 24.5% of the GDP. That means a huge amount of it is devoted only to the payment of their human resources (basically, some 40% of the total budget income, According to the 2008 Budget [Fr]).

The issue is the civil service costs quite a lot, and furthermore its income distribution is quite random, all of which creates frustration among all services, and increases the probability of corruption, blank checks, nepotism and the like.

According to the figures some department are employing large numbers of civil servants, but these receive a lower share of the total income spending. For instance low-grade civil servants (echelon 4 and below) represent 13% of the total workforce but receive only 5% of the total Personnel spending. These are people that didn’t enjoy much real increase in their income for the past years, particularly when one bears in mind the fact that the average working experience oscillates between 20 and 22 years. Surely in these conditions, the temptation of taking a bribe or abusing their position grows on the frustration of income inequality. I would like to add on last batch of data before I can put discuss some policies that could, in my opinion, bring a bit of change about.

Remuneration is a plight and is considered so, as the reports points out, the system is caught up between a purely budget-oriented mechanism, and serious structural weaknesses that successive governments have yet to address (p.117)

The report goes on the various shortcomings of the civil service payroll:

– the payroll criteria ar blatantly obsolete, as it dates back to 1973, rendering it thus ineffective as a determinant of job qualification, simply because a sizeable population of civil servants upgrade their rank with no noticeable change in their tasks. [...] Many civil servants cannot beyond a certain rank after 21 years of service and the likelihood of doing so is insignificant, as they find themselves too young to retire.

– The remuneration is inherently unfair because of the excessive plethoric payroll scale. There is a ratio of 37 to 1 between the highest and the lowest pay in the Moroccan civil service, while the ratio is 7 to 1 In a country of similar characteristics.”

And finally: “To these points already mentioned, one must underline the fact that no merit-based bonus is available in the payroll range. The quota promotion that worked relatively well during the past decades, has been completely wrought-off by the trade-unions claims, which allowed growing numbers of civil servants to upgrade their rank regardless of their performances. ”

Just as the bald man from Lena said: “What Is to be Done?” I discussed in another post [Fr] the possibility of a high level of decentralization (actually, an effective Federal Monarchy) with civil servants much closer to the citizens.

That means an increase in the local administration staff to a ratio of 1 federal (central) civil servant for every 2 local or regional civil servants. One way or the other, the trade-unions as well as the civil servants will have to come to the idea that their income is not guaranteed, that they must produce an evidence of their work, thus introducing a parameter of performance in the service.

These are implemented for the high levels of officials, and they prove to be working. When one speaks of high-ranking officials, one does not refer to the “high-flyers”. Unfortunately, firsts and upper seconds graduates from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration [Fr] do not count as high officials.

We need a clearer system in the way the civil service recruits its officials, especially for high-entrance levels (those involved in policy-making) a graduate from Polytechnique, Centrale or HEC might be bright, but when lacking knowledge of public service, results can be counter-productive. The problem is, our top-level recruitment is still handicapped by a certain partisanship, and if I may, of tribalism. I do hope that things will change a bit [Fr], and allow in professionals, rather than technocrats, to run the job properly.

Finally, there is a need for a firmer and more direct citizen’s control over their civil servants. It is their money that pays for the administration, and they have every right to know what is done with it. Basically, a first step would be to abolish the sacrosanct administrative principle of “indiscriminate channelling of resources” (Principe de non-affectation des ressources [Fr]), without which things can get clearer for the taxpayer.

Academia provides rich resources for the ways citizens can get involve in controlling the way the civil service behaves and acts. This permanent control deters (or should do so) the service from turning its bureaucracy into an inert body without which nothing can be done. The way I advise to follow is to “hit’em where it hurts”, i.e. the money inflow and the power to produce their own legislation. When those are transferred to local government, say, to smaller autonomous administrative entities, then things become much simpler for the citizen to control.

Please enjoy this fantastic excerpt of “Yes, Prime Minister.”

My first child was born in Casablanca. At the time I had studied just enough Arabic to know common greetings and describe the members of my family. I did not have an adequate knowledge to be able to deal with forms, offices, and the details of life. I didn’t think it mattered until the person who had promised to help me with translation was suddenly unavailable right when their assistance was most needed.

I went alone to the U.S. Consulate, where I knew I could at least find out what was needed as an American citizen to ensure my child’s paperwork was complete on that end. They also supplied me with a helpful set of instructions listing what papers they needed from Morocco and how to acquire them.

I set off on a quest to get an official Moroccan birth certificate. After misunderstanding directions several times, I eventually found the right government office and arrived with all of the correct paperwork. Then, the person sitting at the desk asked me to have my marriage license translated into French. It was the last straw and I broke.

After a brief but somewhat loud exchange during which I used every bit of broken Arabic I knew to refuse the request and point out that the important words were either very clear, as in the names on the license, or were nearly or absolutely identical in French and English, such as “marriage license,” so that there was no possible way that the document could be mistaken for anything else, I was told “It’s okay, you can pay her.”

My file was taken to the desk of another person in the office who took a look and said, “No problem.” Two hundred Dirhams and one day later, I walked away with two official Moroccan birth certificates for the U.S. Consulate and easily acquired the official U.S. paperwork so my child could be a U.S. citizen. I didn’t think anything of the money other than perhaps there was a fee that I didn’t know about beforehand.

My second child was born in Fes a mere 15 months later. My Arabic had progressed greatly by that time, and I had no trouble communicating with either the hospital or any of the government offices. I was able to take the exact same paperwork to the proper office in Fes, they looked at it and made some notes, and then gave me two official Moroccan birth certificates for my second child. No fees were mentioned and I did not pay for anything other than the standard notarization of documents (official stamps to certify copies as conforming to the original documents).

What was the difference? In both cases, I did my best to be polite and humble, ask questions and request assistance while never demanding or being rude. In the first instance, I was a weak and unprotected foreigner who didn’t know what was going on, didn’t have anyone to assist me, and no way to appeal for help. I was stuck, and the people in the office knew it. In the second, I was a knowledgeable and educated man being treated as an honored guest.

The topic this month is centered on red tape and bureaucracy in Morocco. This is but a brief glimpse into part of the problem: service in government offices is not standard and those in better positions are often treated better than those in positions of weakness. There are other problems.

Had I time, I would describe the six month process of obtaining government permission to conduct research in Morocco and the labyrinthine procedure to use that permission to start a consulting firm to assist others wanting to do research from outside the country. I believe the issues of graft and corruption still exist, but seem to be improving. The sheer volume of paperwork and the size of the Moroccan bureaucracy is a problem that remains as strong as ever.

Soon after I got my Baccalaureate, I started applying for any job I learnt of so as to help my fatherless family. My father died of a heart disease when I was twelve, and it was his death that forced my mother to work so as to look after her eight children. Without my mother’s financial help, I couldn’t have enrolled at Fez university.

I applied for a career of teaching soon after I got my first cycle certificate (or DEUG). Among the questions the examiners asked me during the interview was why I wanted to become a teacher. In addition to the reasons I mentioned earlier, I told them that teaching would financially help me resume my university studies.

Before travelling to Agadir in 2007 to enroll at the university, I consulted some teachers who just got their B.A. about the paperwork employees need so as to continue studying at the university. Agadir is nearly 540 kilometers far from Zagora. I was told that all I needed was a written permission from the ministry of education. After a month or so, I was happy to learn from the school headmaster that the ministry permitted me to finish my university education.

The staffer responsible for registering students at Agadir university said after scanning my Baccalaureate and DEUG that I would not be registered till I brought them a transfer certificate from the university of Fez simply because I would not be registered at the university as a first-year student, but as a third-year one. And when I promised him to bring the only missing document later on, he said that “it’s the law that says all employees coming from other universities must bring such a certificate, not me. That means it’s against the law to register any employee without a transfer certificate.”

As for the ministry permission, the staffer told me that the document was of no importance for employees to register at the university. He finally advised me to send an application to the dean of the university asking whether “he can permit me to register without having a transfer certificate for the time being, and promising to present it later on.” I received the dean’s shocking reply the following day. The dean repeated exactly what the staffer at the registration office asked me to do. It was as if the staffer wrote the reply, not the dean.

Right before I returned to Zagora, I recognized how naïve I was when I thought the Agadir university administration would put my name down shortly after I gave them the permission I received from the ministry, and also when I thought it was Moroccan bureaucracy that deprived me of my right to continue my university studies.

I was stunned to learn from some students I made their acquaintance at Agadir university that “the essential paperwork for registering at the university becomes of no value only if you are from Southern Morocco [from the Sahara province].” They also made me familiar with many violations happening everyday at the university, and which are beyond the scope of this piece.

I met some Saharawi teachers in Zagora who confirmed what the students in Agadir university told me about. While one day discussing with them the procedures of registering at the university, I discovered by chance that they were allowed to enlist at Agadir university without submitting a transfer certificate, or even asked to submit it afterwards.

For those teachers, most Saharawi people are the exception to bureaucratic procedures in Morocco due to the fact that they support Morocco’s efforts to find a solution to the thirty-five-year Sahara issue. There are many reasons why I did not agree with those teachers, one of which is the fact that all Moroccans, not only Saharawis, support their country’s efforts to resolve the Sahara issue.

It’s beyond doubt that Saharawis are just an example of those who are exempt from the complexities of the Moroccan bureaucratic system, and that I would have been exempted from submitting the transfer certificate had I been born, for instance, from Smara or Dakhla!

First my husband had to register with the consulate before they would do anything. That took a month. Then they told him he needed to update his Carte d’Identité Nationale (National ID). This had to be done in Morocco and would take some time (read 3 months). Are you still with me? – we’re at 4 months now. Another trip to the consul, whose hours are only 10am to 12pm daily to drop off paperwork, was fraught with more frustration. We had everything together that they wanted. We had a civil marriage, an Islamic ceremony with mosque certificates, we had everything translated and paid the fee and were assured they would call us as soon as it was done. In the meantime we went to Morocco for a vacation and attempted to complete the paperwork there as we were getting nowhere in Wisconsin. It had now been over a year since our son’s birth and it would have to be validated by a judge in Morocco anyway. We spent 3 days going between offices getting this stamp and that stamp trying to complete the process. We even had to go to Rabat to try and complete the process. Our trip to the birth registry was certainly eye-opening. After waiting for well over an hour in a waiting room while the staff literally sat within eye shot drinking tea and chatting we had our turn. And we were told that until our marriage was registered there was nothing we could do. We walked out empty handed; no birth registration, no marriage registration, and no family book.

Meanwhile back in the USA……We heard nothing for months. Finally my husband went back in and was told that there was a new consular and that our original application hadn’t been completed and there were new rules with the new consular. The new rules included the need to have 2 male witnesses, Moroccans, who were registered with the consulate come into the consulate to attest to our marriage. Seriously? Now not only did we have to take time off of work to deal with this situation we had to ask two of our friends to do the same thing. And what if we didn’t have Moroccan friends in the area? We couldn’t register our son’s birth unless our marriage was registered. This was a complete and utter mess. My husband was so upset by this that he told the consular that at this point we just didn’t care anymore. We have given up trying to complete any of these registrations. If at some point down the road we decide to live permanently in Morocco we will take up the battle again but for now, there’s no reason.

I can only imagine what the handling of simple mundane tasks is like every day all around Morocco. I did my fair share of complaining about American bureaucracy especially through the immigration process however our struggle with Moroccan bureaucracy has been a nightmare. There is no rhyme or reason to completing tasks. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the ever-changing rules and procedures, or lack thereof.

Moroccans often boast about their sense of hospitality and the country often presents itself as a tolerant and welcoming land. But to what extent is this true? Morocco receives millions of tourists each year, welcomes a growing number of expats, students, short-term contractors, and increasingly more would-be immigrants, mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa. Many initially intend only to transit through Morocco, but end up settling in its largest cities for various reasons. Moroccan society is, for the first time, facing the problems of integration of this migrant population, and instances of racism and xenophobia are no longer alien to Morocco. At the same time, foreign migrants cannot become citizens of Morocco, and are often left in limbo, able to stay legally in the country only if they can secure a job. How do Moroccans see foreigners who settle in their country? Are fears about the negative influence of this foreign population on Moroccan culture, economy and religion ever justified? Do instances of racism and exclusion of foreigners in Morocco occurred? Should immigration laws be revisited? And what about emigration from the West? Is it beneficial to the country? Are there any justifications for making it virtually impossible for a foreigner to acquire the Moroccan nationality?

بخصوص الجالية المغربية والإسلامية وموضوع الاندماج ،فأعتقد أنه من الأحرى بنا أولا أن نقف عند مجموع الأمور التي باتت تؤرق الرأي العام الأوربي والإسلامي وتصور المسلمين كمضطهدين و مقموعين لا يتمتعون بحرياتهم الفردية في اللباس من برقع وغيرها من الأزياء التنكرية( لأخفاء الكدمات والجروح التي يخلفها الزوج أو الأخ على جسد الأنثى المسلمة)، و لربما نسمع منهم غدا مطالب جديدة من أجل إغلاق البارات ومنع القبل في الشارع العام وممارسة الحب، فقط لأنها أشياء تتعارض مع معتقدهم وتمس شعورهم الديني والأخلاقي، مادام هم أصحاب الحقيقة المطلقة وكل من خلافهم وجب عليه غضب الاههم الواحد الأحد.

رغم كل هذا إلا أننا نربط كل العداء الذي يكنه بعض الأجانب للجاليات الإسلامية بمسميات كالعنصرية
وكراهية المهاجرين، وننسى أو ربما نتناسى سلوكيات وأفعال هؤلاء المهاجرين التي تتقاطع بالمطلق مع قيم الدول المستضيفة التي دفعت من أجلها دماء وسنوات نضال طويلة من أجل تقديس القيم الإنسانية وحقوق الإنسان في كونيتها وضمان استمرارية أساليب الحكم الديمقراطية…
احد هذه السلوكات المتخلفة والتي هي نتاج العقل الإسلامي المهاجر، هو ما تقوم به مجموعة من الحركات الدينية الإسلامية بالكثير من الدول الأوربية كفرنسا وبلجيكا وغيرها… والتي تنشط تحركاتهم خلال الحملات الانتخابية للقيام بتوجيه رسائل لكل المسلمين تدعوهم لمقاطعة الانتخابات والمطالبة بتطبيق الشريعة، معتبرين أن ارقي ما وصلت إليه أوربا من أشكال الديمقراطية والتي تسمح لأبسط مواطن بالحق في الترشح لرئاسة الدولة، كفرا وأمرا مخالف لشريعة الاههم الجميل.

معظم المهاجرين المغاربة المستقرين حاليا بالخارج لم يهاجروا من أجل التحصيل العلمي أو الالتحاق

مباشرة بوظائف خاصة، بل هم بشر يبحثون عن من يشتري جهدهم العضلي فقط مقابل المال، يجهلون كل شيئ عن البلدان المستضيفة، لغة، معتقد، عادات وتقاليد….. يكون مصيرهم في أفضل الأحوال الاستقرار في أحياء كبرى تأوي غيرهم من المهاجرين، يستمرون على نفس الوتيرة لمدة سنوات وهم غير مندمجين، فقط يلبون رغباتهم من الأكل والجنس وبيع الجهد العضلي، أطفالهم لا يلجون المدارس أو ينقطعون في سنوات مبكرة، فيكونون بمثابة جيش احتياطي من أجل العمل وممارسة الشغب الدعارة والسرقة… كل ذاك ما هو إلا حافز للآباء من أجل دفع أبنائهم نحو التدين: وبالتالي التطرف وكراهية ثقافة البلد المستضيف!

أسلمة أوربا أيضا من المشاكل التي تزيد من حجم العداء ضد المهاجرين المغاربة والمسلمين، حتى بتنا نسمع ونقرأ على بعض المواقع الالكترونية للجالية العربية المقيمة بأوربا ب ( جمهورية أوربا الإسلامية) التي تفتخر بدنو موت الحضارة الأوربية مستشهدين على ذلك بانخفاض معدل الولادات لكل أسرة أوربية مقابل نسبة الهجرات الإسلامية المرتفعة نحو بعض الدول الأوربية! وكذا تحويل مجموعة من الكنائس القديمة إلى مساجد… فما هي حدود صبر هذا المواطن الأوربي العلماني يا ترى؟

انتشار الحركات الإسلامية الراديكالية، والتي هي في الأصل لا تمثل سوى حقيقة الدين الإسلامي كونها لا تعتمد على التأويل أو التفسيرات التي تراعي مصالح أطراف معينة بل تعتمد في توجهها على نصوص دينية من القران والسنة قطعية الدلالة وواضحة لا تقبل أي تحريف أو تبرير، هذه الحركات لا تنشط علنا وتتخذ من الانترنت المدونات والشبكات الاجتماعية بوابة لها من اجل نشر خطاباتها ودعواتها الدينية لمحاربة الديانات والمعتقدات الأخرى والمطالبة بتطبيق الشريعة الإسلامية…

من هنا فإن مجموع ما يطالب به المسلمون بأوربا لا يمت لهم ولا لثقافتهم المبنية على الحقائق المطلقة وكل من خالفها يعد كافرا وجب فيه العقاب الرباني ونظرات الاحتقار والشفقة بأية علاقة. فالاههم هو الذي أنعم عليهم بنعمة النور والمعرفة، وبالتالي وجب على الكل احترام خصوصيتهم الدينة حتى وان كانت تتعارض ومبادئ حقوق الإنسان الأساسية، كالحق في الحياة والاختلاف، وإلا فإن السيف الإسلامي جاهز لتلبية نداء الله!

Why did you come to Morocco?

I’m studying in Rabat and I came to Morocco on a scholarship program for foreign students. The most brilliant students with a Bachelor’s degree receive a grant from the Moroccan government. Personally, I have been informed about the Moroccan government’s grant and this is the reason behind my presence in Morocco today.

What strikes you the most about Morocco?

It is the cosmopolitan character of Morocco that challenges me the most. Morocco hosts annually more than 500 students from different backgrounds, either from Africa or Asia. We are 250 to 300 Togolese students in Morocco, with about 40 in Rabat.
This is an opportunity for all of us (students) to be in contact with other cultures in a spirit of brotherhood and friendship. But the picture is not completely rosy. There are all those little difficulties one might encounter in a multicultural society. Our destiny though is forged daily from experiences we get while being away from our families.

What’s the most obvious difference here in comparison to Togo?

In Togo, you have less opportunities to interact with students of other nationalities and you gain less in terms of maturity, because back home, the family is always around to help if need be. In Morocco you are more responsible. We live thousands of miles away from the family, therefore we develop skills to support ourselves. That’s my point of view and the experience I live through.

Do you have any hobbies in Morocco?

I love football and I practice after school when I can afford time for it. We sometimes organize tournaments and even a mini African Cup of Nations. Our results as a football team are a reflection of those of our national team. As the Hawks (nickname of the Togo football team), we often get eliminated in the knock-out stages. Besides football, I participate in activities organized by the Coordination of Students and Interns of Togo in Morocco (CESTOM) http://cestom.free.fr/index.php/accueil, which is also the diplomatic representative of Togo in Morocco since the closest Togolese embassy is in Libya. Since 2007, CESTOM helped organize annual cultural events where we have the opportunity to show our talents as dancers, singers and so on. … We meet between Togolese around our national dishes.
During the holidays we go out, visit the tourist sites, go to the beach etc …

How easy was it for you to integrate into the Moroccan society?

I will not lie to you, integration is not easy. The population of Morocco is mostly Arab and Muslim. This differs greatly from the environment in which I was raised. If you are a Christian, it is also more difficult to live his faith and evangelization is prohibited in Morocco. Without foreigners, the churches would be empty.
From my side, I can not speak of full integration. I still can not understand certain practices and habits not to mention racism that is unfortunately a reality in Morocco. This concerns foreigners in general and sub-Saharan Africans in particular. We do not hang around a lot of Moroccans. Some are very nice but others just want to take advantage of you.

In Morocco, there are many clandestine African immigrants. What is your relationship with them?

Our relations are not particularly positive. Let’s say it is simply an entente cordiale. Clandestine immigrants are sometimes involved in illegal activities and the students do not take the risk by being friends with them for fear of being arrested. We’re not in Morocco for the same reasons. Our brothers live in hiding, waiting for an opportune moment to try to immigrate to the other side of the Mediterranean. The students are here legally. Moroccans do not make the difference. It distorts the idea they have of us.

Will you stay in Morocco?

If I’m staying in Morocco, it is because I really have no other choice. The living conditions of students here are not the best in the world. I deplore the lack of equal treatment of students. All students are not housed in a university campus. Some, if not the majority, live in apartments often located in areas deemed dangerous. These students do not have the financial means to live in the city.

Others are relatively well established in the dorms. They pay a sum 6 or 8 times lower than that paid by other students living in neighborhoods. Students living in dormitories are paying about 50 dirhams (US$5) to 200 dirhams (US$20) per month while the rent for those staying in the rooms (often two or three) is 750-1000 dirhams (US$75-100) per month and for those who live in apartments (often 3, 7 to 8 people) it ranges between 1800 and 3500 dirhams (US$180 and 350) a month. The housing is relatively cheaper in most small cities but more expensive in large ones like Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, Fez and Rabat.

Those who deal every day with the harsh realities of the neighborhoods are torn between paying their rent (which gobbles up almost all of the 75 euros, equivalent to 97 US dollars, allocated every two months by the Moroccan State) and paying for studies. In comparison, the minimum wage is 10.64 dirhams per hour (about US$1.30) or 2110 dirhams per month (US$260). Students struggle as they can to minimize daily expenses.

The likelihood of finding a scholarship for studying outside of Morocco is minimal. Basically, life is far from being good in Morocco for students who come from poor families. In addition, after graduation, we do not get the same wages as the nationals.

What are your plans for this summer?

I was planning to leave for the holidays but plane tickets are expensive. In addition, the Togolese government is cutting the vacation subsidies enjoyed by students so far after the first two years. My promotion has not had the chance to benefit from them. This will soon be three years since I have not seen my family, my relatives and friends. I miss them all. I commit myself to finishing before returning definitively to see my family.

Christophe, thank you for this interview and good luck.

As a preliminary to the forum and at the behest of Mohamed Bernoussi, the Secretary General in Charge of Moroccans residing overseas, and Driss El Yazami, president of the Overseas Moroccan Community Council, the French research agency BVA conducted a survey that covered six European countries and collected the views of over 2000 young first and second generation immigrants between the ages of 18 and 35. 94% of young “Moroccans” currently residing in Europe maintain strong ties to the Kingdom and consider themselves “Moroccans” as well as citizens of the host nation.

The BVA survey fails to communicate what being “Moroccan” means to today’s diaspora and the descendants of previous generations of immigrants who have demonstrated they are proactive contributors to the societies within which they evolve. Their assimilation into the social and cultural fabric of their host nations is complete. Those who have attained citizenship and pledged allegiance to the flag and the principles of their adoptive nations realize all of a sudden that they now live in a truly democratic society and enjoy more personal liberties and political rights than in Morocco. In Holland, Belgium, and France, Moroccans have climbed up the political ladder achieving prominence within their communities and earning the respect of their peers and colleagues. Proclaiming their “Moroccan identity” stems from a need to belong culturally that is encouraged by the democratic communities of which they are an integral part because it reinforces its diversity, not from their loyalty to the King and deference to the Kingdom’s political institutions which they consider corrupt and partisan. Complaints against the dishonesty and incompetence of the diplomats and civil servants in Moroccan embassies around the world abound and were never heeded by the authorities. According to an article in Yabiladi, five hundred Moroccan immigrants residing in southern France signed and submitted, in 2007, a petition to Morocco’s Ambassador in Paris to seek redress against Mohamed Bernoussi who at the time was the consular officer in the French southern city of Marseille since 2002; he was accused of extorting money from those seeking consular services; he treated the people he was to protect and serve contumeliously. Mohamed Bernoussi is now the Secretary General in Charge of Moroccans residing overseas. Go figure.

The government has long recognized the positive role Moroccans residing overseas play in stimulating the national economy; in 2009, the country saw an influx of over 5.86 billion dollars thanks to its immigrants and their descendants. Being a source of foreign currency is not the only reason the Moroccan government has ramped up the intensity of its courtship of the diaspora. In the past two decades, the number of Moroccans residing overseas has tripled. Today, there are 3.4 million Moroccans calling other countries home. Over seventy thousand children of Moroccan descent are born overseas every year. They constitute a human terrain over which the Moroccan government feels it is imperative to gain control and maintain the initiative. Lack of control over the Moroccan diaspora could constitute in the long term a strategic political and national security vulnerability that will erode the King’s sovereignty and subvert his leadership and that of his government. A Trojan horse of monumental proportions. The threat, in the eyes of the Moroccan government, are not only those violent Islamic extremists recruited by al Qaeda or some other terrorist group in banlieue mosques, or POLISARIO sympathizers, but also those Moroccans who, as citizens who subscribe to the just values of countries that are steeped in a tradition of true democracy, view Morocco’s government as a soft dictatorship, but a dictatorship nonetheless. So far, Morocco ‘strategy to address the threat remains one-dimensional, relying solely on human intelligence; in areas where there are large congregations of Moroccans – most of Europe, Montreal, Washington D.C., New York, Orlando, Boston, Middle Eastern countries – the Moroccan secret service, through Moroccan embassies, deployed informants to collect and report on disruptive elements, created news media forums that caters to the Moroccan immigrant population while assessing atmospherics and identifying subversion, organized associations, formed soccer teams.

The percentage of Moroccans immigrating legally is rather bleak when contrasted to that of dispossessed young men with no real opportunities temerariously undertaking the exceedingly dangerous and sometimes deadly migration north; these young Moroccans, literally, flee Morocco initially lured on by promises of prosperity in Western countries, but mostly impelled by enduring governmental neglect and unabated scarcity at home.

Their stories don’t always have the cloying feel of adventure tales. For years they toil, eking out an existence in the gutters of their adoptive cities through the vicissitudes of an immigrant’s Spartan life; they navigate, often in isolation, the complex labyrinth of cultural and linguistic adaptation. They have to make decisions in response to situations their Moroccan upbringing never prepared them for; they learn by trial and error as they contemplate secularism versus religiosity, a common culture versus an undiminished ethnic identity. All along, they harbor a nostalgia that cuts through their psyche like the Jaws of Life. They are constantly nagged by the tug of those familiar places that haunt their childhood memories. The first few years in an immigrant’s life are an emotional and physical crucible that sets the men apart from the boys. Unlike Western expatriates living in Morocco, Moroccan immigrants seldom consider the option of returning home when beset by failures; such a return is considered a letdown by their families and friends, a sign of weakness in the face of adversity. Quite a few, through sheer pertinacity and ingenuity and with no assistance from the Moroccan government, achieve noteworthy professional careers. Ironically, it is only then that the Moroccan government embraces them and considers them assets.

Moroccans residing overseas today no longer contemplate a return to Morocco (except on vacations.) Those who relocated to the Middle East are an exception to this rule; they are denied legal protection and their grievances are seldom addressed by local authorities and the Moroccan diplomatic missions. In fact, Moroccan female immigrants in the Middle East often complain about how they are equally abused by their Middle Eastern sexist sponsors and the personnel of Moroccan Embassies who ask them for sexual favors in exchange for administrative services.

Racism in many shapes and forms is still part of the immigrants’ daily life. It is true that for many Moroccans in Europe and the United States, especially those who were indoctrinated into violent Islamic extremism or involved in criminal activity, 9/11 ended the immigrant dream. It has certainly reshaped the political agenda in Europe and the U.S. and shook the core outlook each individual Westerner had on Islam and Arabs. Of course, Islamophobic sentiments existed long before the terrorist attacks of 9/11 happened, but no one can deny that the horrific events of that day not only heightened such emotions that previously were widely condemned as racist and teetered on the edge of society, but engendered a new wave of antagonism. An extreme right movement that is unabashedly parochial emerged from the shadows, supported by politicians and news outlets and stoking the Christian atavistic fear of Islam, to launch a stunningly potent smear campaign against not only the malevolent Islamic extreme right fringe, but also the pro-Islamic initiatives moderates champion within their communities. Still, the majority of Moroccans residing abroad would rather remain in countries where there is a due process to mitigate injustices and where the law is unequivocally above all.

Pourquoi êtes-vous venu au Maroc?

Je suis étudiant à Rabat et je suis venu au Maroc dans le cadre d’un programme de bourse d’études à l’étranger. Les élèves qui ont décroché avec brio leur baccalauréat bénéficient d‘une bourse du gouvernement marocain. En ce qui me concerne, je n’ai été informé que de l’octroi de cette bourse marocaine. Ce qui explique ma présence au Maroc aujourd’hui.

Qu’est ce qui vous marque le plus au Maroc ?

C’est le caractère cosmopolite du Maroc qui m’interpelle. Le Maroc accueille chaque année plus de 500 étudiants venus de différents horizons que ce soit d’Afrique ou d’Asie. Nous sommes 250 à 300 étudiants togolais au Maroc dont une quarantaine à Rabat.
C’est une aubaine pour chacun de nous (étudiants) d’être en contact avec la culture des autres dans un esprit de fraternité et de convivialité. Le tableau n’est pas totalement rose. Il y a toutes les petites difficultés qu’on peut rencontrer dans une société multiculturelle. Notre destin se forge chaque jour à partir de l’expérience qu’on acquiert, étant loin de sa famille.

Quelle est la différence la plus flagrante avec le Togo ?

Au Togo, on a moins de chance de côtoyer des étudiants d’autres nationalités et on gagne moins en maturité parce que la famille est toujours prête à nous venir en aide en cas de besoin. Au Maroc on est plus responsable. Parce qu’on vit à des milliers de kilomètres de la famille, on développe des facultés à se prendre en charge. C’est mon point de vue et c’est l’expérience que je vis.

Quels sont vos loisirs sur place ?

J’aime le football et je le pratique après les cours si mon temps me le permet. Nous faisons parfois des tournois et nous organisons même une mini Coupe d’Afrique des Nations. Nos résultats sont à l’image de l’équipe nationale. Comme les Eperviers, nous nous faisons souvent éliminer en phase d’éliminatoire. Outre le football, je participe aux activités qu’organisent la Coordination des Etudiants et Stagiaires Togolais au Maroc (CESTOM). C’est aussi en quelque
sorte la représentation diplomatique du Togo au Maroc. L’Ambassade du Togo la plus proche est en Lybie. Depuis 2007, la CESTOM organise chaque année des journées culturelles où nous avons l’occasion de montrer nos talents de danseur, de chanteur etc.… Nous nous retrouvons entre togolais autour de mets du pays.
Pendant les vacances nous sortons, visitons des lieux touristiques, allons à la plage etc…

A–t-il été facile de vous intégrer ?

Je ne vais pas vous mentir, l’intégration n’est pas facile. La population du Maroc est majoritairement arabe et musulmane. Cela diffère profondément de l’environnement dans lequel j’ai été élevé. Si on est chrétien, il est également plus difficile de vivre sa foi et l’évangélisation est interdite au Maroc. Sans les étrangers, les églises seraient vides.
De mon coté, je ne peux pas parler d’intégration totale. Je ne comprend toujours pas certaines pratiques et habitudes sans parler du racisme qui est malheureusement une réalité au Maroc. Cela concerne l’étranger en général et ceux venant de l’Afrique subsaharienne en particulier. Nous ne côtoyons pas énormément de marocains. Certains sont très gentils mais d’autres souhaitent seulement vous utilisez.

Au Maroc, les clandestins africains sont nombreux. Quels sont vos rapports avec eux?

Nos relations ne sont pas particulièrement au beau fixe. Disons que c’est simplement une entente cordiale. Les clandestins sont parfois trempés dans des activités illégales et les étudiants ne prennent pas le risque d’être amis avec eux par peur de se faire arrêter. Nous ne sommes pas au Maroc pour les mêmes raisons. Nos frères vivent dans la clandestinité en attendant un moment propice pour tenter d’immigrer de l’autre coté de la Méditerranée. Les étudiants sont installés ici légalement. Les marocains ne font pas la différence. Ca fausse l’idée qu’ils ont de nous.

Pensez-vous rester ?

Si je reste au Maroc, c’est parce que je n’ai vraiment pas d’autre choix. La condition de vie des étudiants ici n’est pas la meilleure du monde. Je déplore l’absence de traitement égal des étudiants. Tous les étudiants ne sont pas logés dans une cité universitaire. Certains, sinon la majorité vit dans des appartements souvent situés dans des quartiers réputés dangereux. Ces étudiants ne disposent pas des moyens financiers pour vivre en pleine ville.
D’autres sont relativement bien installés dans les cités universitaires. Ils payent une somme 6 ou 8 fois inférieure à celle que paie les autres étudiants logés dans les quartiers. Les étudiants logés dans les cités universitaires payent à peu près 50 dirhams (dhrs) à 200 drhrs/mois tandis que le loyer de ceux qui sont logés dans les chambres (souvent à deux ou trois) est de 750 à 1000 dhrs/mois ou ceux qui habitent dans des appartements (souvent de 3 à 7ou 8 personnes) déboursent entre 1800 et 3500dhrs/mois. Le logement est relativement moins cher dans la plupart des petites villes et plus cher dans les grandes comme Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, Fès ou Rabat.
Ceux qui font face chaque jour à la dure réalité des quartiers sont partagés entre le paiement de leur loyer (presque la totalité de la bourse de 75 euros par mois allouée tous les deux mois par l’État Marocain) et les études. En comparaison, le SMIG est de 10.64 dhrs/heure (environ 1Euro), soit 2110 dhrs/mois (environ 200 euros). Pour les dépenses courantes, les étudiants font comme ils peuvent pour les minimiser.
La chance de trouver une bourse pour des études à l’extérieur de Maroc minime. En gros, c’est loin d’être la belle vie au Maroc pour les étudiants issus de familles moins aisées. De plus, après les études, nous n’obtenons pas les mêmes salaires que les nationaux.

Quels sont vos projets cet été ?

Je projetais de partir pour les vacances mais les billets d’avion sont hors de prix. De plus, l’État togolais a couper les droits de vacances dont bénéficiaient les étudiants après les deux premières années. Ma promotion n’a pas eu la chance d’en bénéficier. Cela fera bientôt trois ans que je n’ai pas vu ma famille, mes proches et amis. Ils me manquent tous. Je me suis résigné à finir avant de rentrer définitivement et de revoir ma famille.

Christophe, merci pour cet entretien et bonne continuation.

As a young woman starting her career in international development, I can certainly relate to young Che’s situation, and I know for a fact that many of my peers feel the same way. I am far from wealthy, but I’ve been university-educated in a Western country with a gracious social net, strong health care system, and a great record for women’s rights in comparison with the majority of the world. Yet this same education has made me curious about the developing world, and it is my goal to one day work in Morocco, as I’ve spent many years studying the nation. Firsthand experience seems to be the natural next step.

Of course, I am not the first to want to do so, and despite the legendary Moroccan hospitality, life can be downright hostile if you present yourself the wrong way – in other words, if you’re not a tourist. And why shouldn’t it be? Though large NGOs and “volunteer tourism” organizations are present and profitable in Morocco, the fact is that many ill-trained foreigners looking to move to there for paid work may be taking work away from a native Moroccan who desperately needs the money. Additionally, while it may not be easy for a Westerner to live and work in Morocco, it is even harder for a struggling Moroccan to secure a visa to Europe or North America simply to look for a job. In my experience, welcoming as they may be, Moroccans are quite wary of Westerners moving to their nation. They are willing to deal with the influx of tourists who choose to stay a week in Marrakech, but much less welcoming to the possibly naive Western immigrant who has exoticized their country. For all they know, this person may be wealthy and has better opportunities at home, but chose to come to Morocco to live out his or her camel-riding, Casablanca dreams – far from reality for most Moroccans. And after all, even in aid work, aren’t Moroccans more qualified to develop their country than any foreigner would be?

While it’s true that unfortunate and ignorant creatures do exist, there are a growing number of people who have pertinent skills, a healthy curiosity, and good intentions at heart. The problem is that misinformation exists on all levels and on both sides of the fence. As is often mentioned on this forum, Morocco is quite the shlada, and so one account of Moroccan life can differ greatly from another, regardless of whether the story comes from a Moroccan or Western mouth. Truth in communication is also lacking on both ends: each side wants to present their country in a favourable light, while failing to understand that what one person considers positive may not been seen as such by another. The need to be defensive can also arise, especially in terms of religion and culture. A Canadian may boast to his newly-immigrated Moroccan friend that Canada is an open, free, and understanding country; the Moroccan may not see it that way when his Canadian friends invite him out for a beer during the month of Ramadan. An American woman conversing with a female Moroccan exchange student may not realize that in parts of Morocco, some women are disempowered and illiterate, and will never have the chance to attain such education; in her Moroccan friend’s mind, this is not the case. It is scarcely any wonder, then, that so many Western-developed aid projects fail horribly, and take Moroccans down with them. Additionally, just as how some close-minded Westerners believe that immigrants will insult and degrade their country, there exist Moroccans who feel that their culture, religion, and beliefs will be eroded by Western immigrants with a pompous attitude who will eventually try to take power. It is indeed a personal affront to have an outsider come into your homeland and tell you what to do, if that is the case. Even worse may be the fact that arguments can arise among Moroccans themselves about whether or not the Western world really is better educated and more affluent, as this can create divisions about who should lead projects.

Thankfully, the world of development work is beginning to smarten up and realize that aid projects tend to work best when they are locally driven, run by not only development experts but by locals who can keep the project running long after their Western coworkers depart. However, keeping an open line of communication and lowering hostility is the key here. Privilege is relative, and does not have to be a bad thing – developing relationships and mutual understanding will lead to progress rather than exploitation. It is dangerous to let fear and anger become pervading emotions in any population, as it so often is when it comes to migration issues. While it is clear that migration laws take time to change, whether in North America, Europe, and Morocco, keeping lines of communication open and not treating Western workers as rich tourists will go a long way in terms of educating both sides. These days, knowledge travels quickly, but so does misinformation. Increased cooperation will simply make sure that the message is clear and complete.

In my head, I pictured life in Morocco a little differently from reality. In my vision of what our apartment would look like, I thought in opposites. I pictured a typical kitchen and bathroom, but more utilitarian furniture. For some reason I conjured up the image of a metal framed bed and sparse end tables. A tiny closet tucked in the wall that would only fit a third of the wardrobe I was bringing with me. It was only two weeks before we were to board the plane that I learned about the squat pots. It never occurred to me that we wouldn’t have running hot water. This list can go on, but I think you get the point.

I’ve been told before my visions of Morocco were naïve. Fine. Looking back now, two years later, I suppose I can admit that they were. But, perhaps you’ll see why in a moment. I met my husband very early on in his arrival to the United States. He took showers and ate hamburgers and hot dogs as if he’d been doing these things all his life. While he was impressed by the scenery and big cars, he never really seemed phased by the clothes dryer or shopping in the one-stop-get-everything-you-need- stores like Target. Thus, I had assumed this was at least somewhat typical of his life in Morocco. I didn’t ask otherwise, because I was more interested in other parts of his life at the time, nor did I ever think we’d end up living here.

After we had been in Morocco for about 7 months I turned to him one day and said “when you came to America, were you totally amazed at how it was compared to here?” I just couldn’t believe that he adjusted so quickly given the vast differences in daily life between the two countries. To my surprise he replied “of course” and went on to describe a few things that he noticed so early on…I can’t remember any examples now. But, I do remember feeling relieved that it wasn’t just me who felt these differences.
After two years here what I’ve learned is this. Everyone has a different experience in Morocco. There are some expats who have the means to create a life in Morocco not that different from their lives in America (or other developed nations) so that they can find living in Morocco charming and wouldn’t dream of moving back. There are others who come here with grand ideas of living an exotic life, but can’t handle the differences and head back a little sooner than they had planned. No two stories are the same, and it can often be hard to relate to each other when one feels connected and present in Morocco while another feels isolated and can’t deal with one more bucket shower in the hallway.
As for me, I’m really quite proud of having stuck it out here, but I have missed everything about America more and more as each day passed. I’m leaving here a stronger, better person having learned many lessons in patience and humility. Yet, I know longer feel bad for wanting to go back to the comforts of my homeland, even if people consider such desires as materialistic.

First, empires succeeded to each other: Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans. Law and Philosophy flourished, major cities were born as well as countless Gods. Ensued Rome and Carthage, then Islam that finally marked the arrival of a power in the Eastern territory.

The Arabs who converted to Islam lived through a Golden Age thanks to scientific knowledge and dexterity in martial art. And soon, the powers of the West and East enter an era of hostilities. The Crusades were launched. Meanwhile the fall of Byzantine opened the doors to six centuries of Ottoman rule. Two World Wars later, the Mare Nostrum still knows no respite: an Arab Revolution that has failed, followed conflicts in the Gulf and the Balkans, conflicts for oil, and the confirmation of the American influence.

Then when Man invented powerful means to communicate, to move and to migrate, cultures were forced to interact. The foreigner was ultimately to be considered as equal in rights in one’s own land. But tensions accelerated and spread with a frightening domino effect. Nevertheless, and despite some lurking disputes over territories here and there, the world rejoiced while watching the planet transform into a Global Village. Samuel Huntington warned of a war of civilizations, and the attacks of September 11th confirmed that prediction. This tragedy, the work of extremists, was witnessed live the world over, triggering simultaneous reactions from all sides and marking, by its violence, the end of the truce.

Globalization stimulates intercultural tensions. Our means of travel, discovery and communications are faster and powerful: the South moves to the North in search for work, for an increase in standards of living or looking for knowledge and learning in leading academic institutions; the North moves down to the South for investment in emerging fresh economies or simply looking for a sun bath. And as if these two opposite movements were not complex enough, the South now moves often towards the South. Sub-Saharan Africans now migrate towards North-Africa, a territory that is slowly but surely transforming from a land of transit into a territory for residence and education. This has forced a country like Morocco, already beset with a deep identity crisis, to consider the new sub-Saharan element in an already complex equation.

Migration flows and directions are manifold. Morocco, long famous for its hospitality, seems it wants to keep that stranger away; most likely a reaction that is reminiscent of ingrained anti-colonial sentiments, a chauvinistic reflex or even a protective reaction that wants to preserve Muslim morals.

Shaken by the Western Sahara conflict and affected by claims from ethnic minority Berbers, national unity is threatened. The arrival or foreigners therefore only exacerbates these tensions.

Morocco’s opening of its economy and the launch of major projects has made the country more attractive: “The kingdom has become the preferred destination for job seekers in Europe. With the economic and financial crisis looming, European managers are seeking new opportunities.” (Excerpt from TelQuel weekly magazine, published in Morocco from June 26 to July 2nd, 2010.)

The integration of European employees in Morocco is not occurring easily. Those Europeans are often French, and Morocco, formerly a French protectorate, maintains a strong French tradition. The language of communication and even certain customs are already there to make the French resident’s stay comfortable. But the constraint comes from elsewhere. Westerners are increasingly idealized but if they fail to respect certain rules they risk heavy consequences. However, Western transgressors are only dealt with by parliamentarians, or populist journalists like Nini* who propagates the voice of the average bitter, anti-colonial Moroccan citizen, but in the same token, assumes that the European residents are de facto gifted by virtue of their origins, implying some kind of human superiority.

The African student is the new foreigner. Sociologists and journalists are looking very little into the subject given that it is a rather recent phenomenon. From my point of view, I noticed that many of them choose to live within their own community. I also noticed, unsurprisingly, that the few who had Moroccan friends were mostly Muslim girls, often veiled, forming a circle of Akhawates (Sisters).

Then came the worst of all: proselytizers, hiding in NGOs. Busted then expelled for proselytizing, which is illegal in Morocco, these foreigners were teaching Christianity in a country very attached to its own religious values. The U.S. Secretary of State who said that Morocco should respect freedom of worship is completely missing the point. For the eviction did not sanction a religious practice, but religious acts of propaganda, which are improper regardless of the territory and the dominant religion.

Despite the fact that politicians reiterated the importance of making clear the legal obligations of residents and also those regarding their employers, Morocco does not make the reform a priority, since it still perceives itself more a land of transit than a land that offers residence, education and investment. Moroccans roar their anger each time traditional values are touched and this anger manifests itself when the non-Muslim West attempts to export its morals and dogmas into the country. Among citizens, as in the legislature, the rule is the same: secular globalization from the North will not pass. Neither will it pass from the South.

In neighboring Europe, the problem is quite similar, but a bit more violent: the killing of a “blasphemous” filmmaker; extreme reactions to a caricature of a man considered perfect, prophet Muhammad; the banning of the full face veil in the countries of freedom of worship.
Then there is Al Qaeda, the crowded suburbs of immigrants in the outskirts of major cities and the burden of a heavy past that pressures and produces the social exclusion of a whole generation of young European Muslims. Foreign workforce was extensively exploited in the 70s and while workers were supposed to help local industries flourish, hopes were that they would leave their religious and cultural values at the borders; a grotesque miscalculation given the current social outcome. Humans migrate but their values do make the journey as well. Thinking that both can be dissociated, led to irreparable damage.

The complex history of the Netherlands for example, is interesting given the migratory movements that the country has witnessed: the Golden Age and the VOC, then Spinoza, Marrano philosophers, Calvinism, the advent of free painting expression and the arrival of Protestants and Jews who took refuge there. And since the 20th century, everything that was considered sinful started to embrace legality in the Netherlands: the consumption of cannabis is tolerated to a certain limit, prostitution has his temple in the Red Light District, the prostitutes pay for retirement, pass interviews and benefit from social security.

When the Netherlands started experiencing its first modern waves of immigration – mainly Turkish and Moroccan- no foreign resident had the obligation to speak the Dutch language. The model of integration was Communautarism and was not at its beginnings. Verzuiling, a system that encourages the segregation of different communities, was still an institution. Each community was defined by its religious, political or ethical thinking. There were Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, secularists, socialists, conservatives… Individuals from different communities had the right to attend Arab, conservative, Jewish or secular schools according to their affiliation. It went even further: public broadcasters split their air time between different communities. Whether on TV or on the radio, each frequency was divided into time slots whereby each group gets air time according to the size of its population.

So everyone lived in its own cultural mold, without really being encouraged to meet the Jewish or atheist neighbors.

With the massive influx of Muslim immigrants, many facilities were put in place to accommodate them. In 1967 the first mosque was built in the Netherlands. Today there are 500. The call to prayer is allowed once a day and more frequently on Fridays and holidays. The veil is not banned in public institutions such as schools, unlike in France.

Tolerance was therefore real. But the frail Dutch model collapsed like a crumbling dam.

The Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, known for his insulting stance against Islam and the Jewish community, was murdered with incredible violence by a young Moroccan extremist. (Pim Fortuyn, leader of the far-right party suffered the same fate at the hands of a “green militant”.)

Children and small children of the first Moroccan workers who were so far accustomed to live within their community with no requirement to merge into the Dutch society, are finding themselves more and more excluded from the labor market. Crime is becoming more prevalent among immigrants compared to natives.

The Netherlands, who preferred to continue on their double standard tradition of Verzuiling are now facing a deadlock. They subsequently decided that tests should be passed by every would-be immigrant before becoming a resident. Elections had to be canceled recently following a sweeping victory of the far right, certainly the result of social frustration. While in France, the land of secularism, a similar model to that implemented in Holland is to be followed: no religion will prevail in the public sphere where Republican values of equal rights and therefore responsibilities, are to be shared.

The impasse was however the same for these two distinctive models of integration.

Language and individual freedoms are as essential to social harmony as common history. The identity of a people seems to be defined by its past, and unfortunately, not only by the present or the future that is being built.

For Europe, the identity is built around Christian morals, cultural revolutions and, for more recent generations, the trauma of World War II. In France it’s all about the French Revolution, Marianne, Gastronomy, local folklore, and regional specificities. In the Netherlands it is about the history of West Indian docks, the polders, the impressive artistic heritage, national mastery of agricultural, commercial exports etc.

This identity is structured around traditions, but especially around a common history.

The foreigner, in this case the Moroccan, is the holder of a different set of values and a different past. Born in a family of Arab Muslims, he or she is free to attend an Islamic school**, had little opportunity to embrace contrasting values when adulthood requires him or her to live and interact with the natives. The exclusion is then fast.

With this torn identity, some young people fall into the hands of Islamist networks. Islam being open to all and especially in perpetual quest for new followers, becomes the last refuge. For, apart from faith, Islam does not require a specific language or folklore from its followers. This openness is therefore very attractive to people who feel doubly rejected both by their country of birth and their country of origin, leaving their personality in shatters.

In Morocco, the story is almost similar. Nobody, not the students from Sub-Saharan Africa, nor the investors nor the proselytizers disguised as NGOs, nobody is welcome unless they silence their own values, even if they are living in a country where identity is multiple and rich.

Finally, it is paradoxical how the origins of all these conflicts of civilizations constitute also an asset on which to build. The Global Village wouldn’t exist without globalization. Insisting on complete integration is counter-productive, even suicidal because it leads to conformism and goes against diversity which is the essence of survival. Unfortunately, the problem of migration is much more complex and is in need for a consensus. The question that needs an answer is: when will that happen?

* Rachid Nini is a controversial figure in journalism in Morocco. He is the founder of al-Massa’ newspaper where he writes a column prized by his readers. Critics accuse Nini of populism. He managed however to make his publication the “first title of the Moroccan press.”
** In the Netherlands public non-secular schools are also subsidized by the state.

The thing is, that if you’ve grown up ethnically white in an American or Dutch middle class neighborhood, Otherness is probably not a feeling you are accustomed to. I’m not talking about that sense of ‘being different’ that we all experience from time to time, or that feeling of just not being able to ‘connect’ to any other individual in our environment. What I am referring to is not an internal feeling, but rather an externally imposed sense of difference. A perception of Otherness in the eyes of our social environment that is based on unchangeable (and often inborn) aspects of our appearance, and that we ourselves are unable to control or change. That sense of Otherness that anyone who has grown up as part of an ethnic minority will be overly familiar with.

-Charlotte, a Dutch-American anthropologist/blogger in Morocco

Morocco has long been traversed by others. Passed over by Phoenicians and Romans, Jews, Carthaginians, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, Morocco is full of outside influences, yet has still managed to remain fairly insular. Morocco has been described as “proud and unruly”, and in terms of resistance, it always has been. Despite centuries of colonization, there is still a strong Amazigh identity. Despite attempts to crush it during periods of pan-Arabism, it remains, as does a uniquely “Moroccan” sense of identity, despite how different the coast is from the interior, the Atlas from the Med.

That Moroccanness is often at the expense of inclusiveness is an understatement. Talking with other foreigners who have lived there, and with Moroccan friends born elsewhere, or who have lived abroad for a long time, there is one common thread: Everyone speaks of feeling like an outsider.

Of course, this manifests in different ways. For some, it’s a matter of personal feeling, of a sense that they can never quite grasp Morocco’s intricate culture, its complicated language. For others, it’s literally public mocking. Walking down the street with a Chinese-American friend who was teaching in Fez, I witnessed this firsthand: No fewer than three teenagers shouted “Jackie Chan!” at him. No harm meant? Perhaps, but harm most certainly felt. For Indians, it’s shouts of “Sharukh Khan”, and for white women, it’s constant sexual harassment.

For me, however, it wasn’t the sexual harassment–however prevalent–that bothered me as much as it was feeling like an outsider, both from Moroccans, and in a way, from other foreigners.

As to the latter, the issue is this: Morocco has a lot of wealthy European expatriates who essentially live in enclaves of whiteness. Few learn Arabic, bother to understand Islam, or otherwise assimilate. Happy to live amongst themselves, the problem with these expats, for me, is twofold: I don’t have the money to fit into their world, but more importantly, their legacy means that I am automatically assumed to be like them–wealthy, unconcerned with local problems, and unable to speak Arabic–by many Moroccans. That means I get spoken to in French, no matter how many times I insist on Arabic. That means I am skinned alive by salespeople who think I can afford to spend 100 dirhams on their useless trinket, and it means that, for some young men, I am easy prey.

Of course, this predicament is possible to get out of, at least mostly: You learn Arabic, then insist on it. You wear a caftan to the occasional wedding. You learn how to bargain, fiercely. You treat those young men the way Moroccan women do, with a turn of the head or a tfoo.

Then there is the other issue: As a foreign woman, no matter what you do, you are outside of the rules. You are not bound by the rules of your parents, who might insist you marry a certain man or be home by a certain time. You are not bound by the rules of society, which might pressure you not to drink or to dress more conservatively. You are not bound by gender roles, which means you can sit in whichever cafe you wish and smoke a cigarette if you want to. You are free, but at the same time, if you do those things too much or too overtly, you run the risk of remaining an outsider, impossible to gain respect from certain friends, or at least from their parents.

And so, being a foreigner in Morocco–or at least, a foreigner who wishes to fit in–is a balancing act between being yourself and assimilating. It is rejecting those things that don’t fit (for me, Islam, conservatism, and evening tea) and trying on those things that do (Arabic, djellabas, and cheap buses). It is essentially an experience of being the Other, something that makes a lot of Americans and Europeans infinitely uncomfortable, but which is the daily experience of so many who have moved from East to West.

Post-script: For some background information, I moved to Morocco at 23, alone and living on a Moroccan teacher’s salary. Young white women in Morocco are not entirely uncommon, but they are usually tourists, or Peace Corps volunteers in mostly rural areas, or students who come for a year to study Arabic or on Fulbright scholarships. Therefore, as one of perhaps three young white women in Meknes at the time, my experience will likely be different from others’.

Moroccans are known for their hospitality, their openness and understanding, their tolerance and virtues. Moroccan women however are not known for their love of foreign women who marry Moroccan men. It started as a few stares here and there when we would go to visit Morocco, but when we befriended many Moroccans it became obvious that there was something else there. Out of a handful of 10 couples all of the men had married an American woman first, and only my husband and one other were still married to that woman. The eight other Moroccan women didn’t have to verbalize what was apparent to the two of us remaining.

Perhaps it was an anomaly however it was clear that we were looked at as starter wives and that eventually our husbands’ would divorce us and find the “real” wife from home. This might sound like paranoia but I’ve heard this tale and seen it countless times on my own. It has also made me realize that as an outsider I will never be fully accepted into the circle. Even if I speak perfect Darija, am a Muslim and do stay with my husband I will always be an outsider and the inner sanctum that Moroccan women inhabit will forever elude me as an outsider.

Moroccans are generous, hospitable, open armed and tolerant of others, but that is a layered reality. On the surface there’s the reception and drinking of a the’. A little deeper is the sharing of a room in a home, or a meal. Further yet is a marriage to a non-Moroccan and even children with them. Deeper is full acceptance into a household and a culture, the final step, and one I dare say simply isn’t done-no matter what the circumstance.

During that visit I had the privilege of meeting tons of people everywhere we
went. Some were hucksters wanting money for a “tour” or to take us to a trinket
shop, however most were genuinely nice people who seemed to enjoy meeting
and talking to American tourists willing to spend time learning instead of gawking.
A couple of experiences stand out in my memory and were instrumental in a later
decision to move to Morocco.

Deep in the Southern Souss plain, in the town of Tiznit, I sat in a public area in
the shade during a hot part of the day. A young man, obviously a student, came
and sat next to me and began practicing the English he was learning in school.
We had been enjoying a nice conversation for only about 10 or 15 minutes
when I found myself invited to bring all of my friends and have a meal at the
young man’s house. We gratefully accepted and found ourselves escorted to the
modest home of a typical, lower-economic-status working class family. We were
treated like royalty with a huge, multi-course dinner and hours of gracious and
friendly hospitality.

As the sun was setting, we were asked where we planned to stay that night and
we gave the name of a local one star or unclassified hotel we had found in the
guidebook. Our hosts insisted that we not check in to the hotel and that we stay
at their home, even after we refused multiple times. Finally, we assented and
accepted their kind offer, the five of us staying the night sleeping on the couches
in the main room of the house and sharing the squatty potty with the family next
door as well as the family with whom we were staying.

This scenario was repeated several times all over Morocco, in big cities like
Marrakech and Fes as well as smaller towns. We were always treated with great
deference and kindness as our hosts offered us food and housing, which we
always refused the first and second times they were offered, but those offering
were usually so insistent that we gave in and were humbled to watch Moroccan
families sacrifice to treat us like kings.

The next year I returned with a different set of friends and we toured new areas
of Morocco using the same method, self-guided “let’s see how real people live
and meet as many as we can” flexible-schedule travel following our interests
and fate. We never failed to meet kind and friendly Moroccans everywhere we
went and, even though we sometimes stayed in hotels and ate in restaurants,
we always went away from a town thrilled that we had visited and we again went
home with great stories of kindness and hospitality.

It was at that time that I was looking for a change in my life, a new adventure. I
packed my bags and moved to Morocco, thinking I would study Arabic for a while
and see where that led. I stayed for seven years, first working at a language
school and later starting and running a consulting firm working with foreigners
looking to do research or business in Morocco.

In some ways, Morocco was consistently hospitable to me the entire time I lived
there. It was different than when I was traveling, perhaps because in the earlier
instance people knew they wouldn’t be hosting me for a long time, but just a day
or two, whereas once I lived there, once you open the door and allow someone
in your home, you don’t close the door to them again unless you want to break
off the relationship. Even so, people consistently treated me with gentleness,
kindness and respect and for me, Morocco was an easy place to make friends
and live (it helped when I learned Arabic, and especially became highly proficient
in the local dialect).

However, not everything was sunshine and roses. Systematically, Morocco is
not hospitable to foreigners. It is unusually difficult to get a work visa (you must
first prove no Moroccan is qualified to hold the position for which you were hired).
Starting a business is a bureaucratic nightmare; for me this involved trips to
multiple government offices in more than one city, interviews with people in each
one to explain what I was doing in the country and why, a background check
with the police and extensive questioning that was occasionally uncomfortable
and weird in its implication that I might be up to no good, and I couldn’t apply for
a resident visa until the process was complete…a process which outlasted my
tourist visa by 4 months, so I had to travel out and back in to Morocco several
times just to stay legal.

Most people I met in Morocco, when I told them I lived and worked there, had
one of three reactions. Some were thrilled and expressed joy at my presence.
These became my friends as time went by. Others acted glad but soon asked
me for a job, either for themselves or relatives or friends. I can’t blame them
as I could easily see how difficult it can be to find work, but I could only hire a
limited number of workers and the constant barrage was sometimes taxing.
The third group looked at me with suspicion or derision, either because I was
a foreigner who may be taking jobs from Moroccans (even though I was doing
things impossible for locals to do, according to the paperwork I had to provide the
government demonstrating so), because they thought I was there for nefarious
purposes as a spy or a missionary, or in a few cases because I was a dirty infidel
who didn’t and couldn’t live up to their conservative-fundamentalist religious
standard of morality. Thankfully the last group was the smallest by a large
margin, and I should also interject that I ended up becoming friends with some
people who started out in our relationship as members of that group.
In each government office I was forced to visit, from the Ministry of Education
in Rabat to local bureaus in Fes or Casablanca, workers were apologetic and
kind. Some even asked me why my dossier was sent to them and why anyone
thought their signature should be necessary as they smiled, sighed, and signed.
I was given the impression in one or two places that processes would be faster
with a little money to grease the wheels, but I was never explicitly asked and
never paid a bribe. I know this has not always been true for foreigners, but was
never an issue for me. However, the detail and expense made starting and
running a business in Morocco something I do not wish to repeat. Even closing
my business took time, visits to many offices, and lots of signatures. This is
what made Morocco less than hospitable for me as a resident foreigner. It was
near hostility in the midst of one of the most welcoming society I have ever
experienced and another example of what makes Morocco such a difficult place
about which to generalize. I’ll go back and spend time with the people and culture
I fell in love with, but only to visit. I don’t expect ever to live in Morocco again.