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Moroccan American News, Views and Opinions
Zak Ettamymy
 Zak Ettamymy, born in Casablanca Morocco, graduated from American University, Columbia and NYU. writes articles pertaining to Morocco in terms of politics, economy and sports; with a specialty in the Sahara issue. Zak Ettamymy is a member of the Transatlantic Institute for Policy and Progress a non profit organization that promotes Moroccan interests in the US. Zak Ettamymy has published a book called: Morocco Beyond the Legend.
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 The clemency granted to the self-proclaimed “Gandhi of the Sahara” is another failure of the Moroccan diplomats and Sahara specialists, people who claim to have all the tools to help defend Morocco’s rightful claim to its territories.
We watched with great dismay the disarray and confusion these diplomats express with their action and inaction, their ignorance of the reality and the history of this conflict, their disconnect with the Moroccan person, the real defender of the Moroccan land and a true patriot worthy of respect for his sacrifices liberating this land. |
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 More and more cities are in the process of recreating their image to show case their abilities in competing for investors dollars and sometimes for more; cities such as Beijing, Dubai and Mumbai or even New York. Casablanca, Morocco never got that chance, it never received the local and international focus it deserves, it is a major “Megapole” and an urban center worthy of many perks of modern times.
Casablanca was the scene of a major Hollywood production 70 years ago before Nass Elghiwan, Wydad, Raja even before Marcel Cerdan but it never took off, it never imposed itself, it quietly grew bigger and bigger without muscling out the other cities or forcing its status. |
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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Morocco voted overwhelmingly for Hima’s new party or as some call it movement of Authenticity and Modernity in a quiet election in comparison to Iran’s. The 6 month old party, it may be a bit older than that but not by much, won hands down against the heavy weight institutions such as Istiklal with 80 years of experience and the Ichtirakis with world known militancy and against what was known as the rising star of all parties the Adl wa Attanmiyaa.
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 We grew up knowing that girls from poor families resort to prostitution to better themselves and their families, girls with or without basic education choose the short way to what they think a successful life. Many of them end up unmarried, sick and broken to pieces and very few make it in a high turnover industry.
This vice is magnified to a scary dimension; young girls at the age of 13 sell their bodies to tourists and locals for a mere 200 dh the shocking is that they are getting younger by the day.
We grew numbed to this sadness, somehow we find it digestible to see young girls in bars picking up clients rather than doing home work or enjoying their youth. As if this scene is not shocking any more, as if we letdown our weapons against exploitation of the youth and gave in to pervert tourists buying the virtue of Moroccan kids
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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Morocco cut its diplomatic relations with Tehran and Caracas because of reasons of national sensitivity, Venezuela recognized the phantom republic of the Sahara in 1982 and without interruption. Until late 2008 Morocco was still trying to bring Chavez to some sense, unfortunately Morocco cut its relations with Venezuela at a sensitive time “the War on Gaza” while Chavez was very popular in the Arab street.... |
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 The Arab Israeli conflict has lasted for 60 years, during which fighting and renewed fighting occur systematically, temporary peace time and violence dominated the lives of Jews and Arabs alike. Many ideologies were expressed, tried and failed, many still flourish and thrive. Exodus of the Jews, expulsions of the Palestinians, nationalist struggle on both sides , the rise of the right wing religious sects in Israel and the emergence of the religious Intifada among the Palestinians with Hamas leading the way while Fattah, the more secular faction, drags its feet behind.
The conflict is heart breaking to many, the images of innocent Muslims and Jews, bystanders victims of an unimaginable level of hatred from both sides. The Israeli army is one of the strongest in the world, far exceeding the Arab armies, although it is the third purchaser of arms in the region after Egypt and Saudi Arabia; Israel has created an arsenal of weapons not even superpowers can overcome.
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 I am not going to hide my personal conviction and my genuine and honest opinion about this issue; I am a big supporter of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara. But I would like to answer this question as we go through this article as unbiased as I can be. |
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 Mostapha Ben Ali was earning $ 60,000.00 per month in Morocco! that is $ 720,000.00 per year. He was the CEO of 2M. In a country where the soldier guarding the nation is still earning $ 200 per month , Mostapha Ben Ali was earning equal to a squadron of 300 soldiers, a regiment of men with enough courage to defend an entire city. One man earning the salaries of 300 brave Moroccan soldiers, this is the extreme injustice a man can accept. |
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 Holocaust denial is considered as a crime in many countries in Europe, although it is not criminalized in the United States because of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. It is also not an offence in the United Kingdom, but the laws against libel or inciting racial hatred may apply. Many people are put in jail for publicly expressing doubts that such atrocities actually happened.
The president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is one of the most vocal at dismissing the holocaust, he perhaps uses it for local consumption but it sure ignites a lot of attention throughout the world, Israel uses his words to claim that all Muslims and Arabs around it are anti-Semitic.
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 Morocco has submerged itself in what some economists call it passive economical output. Since the end of the colonization and to benefit the super powers it was lead to believe that agriculture economy is the best solution for this bright newly independent nation; yet this idea was deceiving and plain misleading morocco was France’s farm for products it couldn’t replicate and a good and cheap source of fish for the big brothers in Europe
Almost 60 years have passed and the country is still trapped in this farce, claiming that the agriculture is the future of Morocco. The only real successful agricultural country in the world is the USA and only because it is a much advanced farming economy as well as supported by a strong strategy of political and cultural world reach and markets at its mercy
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 The dream to retire in Morocco is dissipating by the day, most Moroccans living abroad consider Morocco for their retirement, while they try hard in their youth to accomplish career, prosperity, family and a house in Morocco. Why? Simply to live the golden age in a quite village on morocco’s beautiful coasts.
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 In a despicable show of football, the Moroccan team lost in Casablanca to Gabon, a far less sizable adversary than the rest of group A. The Moroccan team’s performance was unbelievably below standards, I was shocked as the minutes rolled by watching our professional players run around the field with no clue on how to organize an attack. Meanwhile everyone knew that the lineup was wrong from the beginning; Taarabt has shown to be efficient and well prepared technically and physically to tackle any African player. The. $ 600,000.00 per year coach thought differently and to the spectators dismay and mine he had to wait until the shame of 2-0 occurred to rectify his monumental mistake in the lineup and alas his gesture was too late.
As soon as Taarbat played next to AL Hamdaoui we got so close to the goal we thought that these two may reverse the curse. The ball hit the poll 2 times, one penalty was not given and one goal was scored in the last minutes of the game.
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 An episode of TAHKIK or Investigation on AL MAGHRIBIYA caught my attention as I was watching TV. I watched with dismay and huge disappointment the lack of respect to the patients by the health system in Morocco, the country of compassion by excellence.
I’ll explain: The show talked about a man whose daughter’s right hand was amputated by a Clinique without explanation and for reasons that were too obvious, mal practice at birth. This man was accused being crazy and delusional; meanwhile he simply wanted to know why his daughter was taken out of the hospital by a private car to a Clinique without his consent and was left without reasonable care to a point of lose her limb
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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This is a question we Moroccans forget to ask our selves, we also forget to analyze the candidate, scrutinize him and his policies, demand a clear standing about issues that concern us as a group, a small group, but a potentially influential one, the Moroccan Diaspora; with its Muslims, Jews, Educated, Laborers, Students and mothers of a generation of Moroccan-Americans all have one passion, Morocco and its well being. |
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ZAK ETTAMYMY
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 From the Green March to the autonomy proposal, Morocco has demonstrated leadership in peaceful endeavors to solve the "Western" Sahara issue. Restraint and diplomacy were Morocco’s strategic choices, I don’t think that we were successful in balancing both and many times the diplomacy side lost flair, many countries decided to recognize the ‘RASD’ because our diplomacy was ill guided in the 80s and 90s, Algeria and the Polisario made grave mistakes too, they ally themselves with the wrong countries, so everyone lost a few diplomatic battles no one lost the war yet and no one should.
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