SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study AbroadSIT Digital CollectionsMorocco: Field Studies in Journalism and NewMedia Independent Study in Journalism (ISJ) Collection

Spring 2016

Religious Tensions in Moroccan CollegeCampusesJulia CabreraSIT Graduate Institute - Study Abroad, julia_cabrera@my.uri.edu

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Recommended CitationCabrera, Julia, "Religious Tensions in Moroccan College Campuses" (2016). Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media. Paper10.http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/moj/10

Independent Study in Journalism (MOJ) Religious Tensions in Moroccan college Campuses By Julia Cabrera Fez, Morocco Print with Photographs May 8, 2014

1. The Pitch.

For more than four decades, the Moroccan state has fueled tensions between leftist and religious students on campuses. This is an attempt to weaken the leftists who demand democracy in this North African kingdom. This story will look at students caught in this ideological war: students who feel discriminated against for their religious beliefs and secular students who are trying to resist the predominance of religion. Professors and Deans are also struggling. For example, with new rules that let a student leave class to pray, raising concerns about the balance between education and religion.

2. Development & evolution of the story idea. Explain the process by which you arrived at this story idea. How did the idea evolve into the pitch? What is this story’s relevance to your personal interests and course of study at your home institution? Why did you produce the story in the format you chose? From my first days in Morocco I was drawn to the topics of religion and the role of women. I wanted to pursue a story on religious minorities, and how these minorities practice in Morocco .My leads never took me far enough to have bases for an actual story. I then followed my second interest by learning about the Hijab. In America we are in some way taught to think that Muslim women, or women in the Arab world are veiled s a form of oppression I was highly interested in the fact that women did have a choice, and while some women undergo oppression, there are many who wear the hijab because they choose to. I was particularly interested in younger women, specifically in college as some women that I met said their professors often make comments about the hijab. After talking to my advisors I fond out about violent clashes that were happening in some Moroccan universities due to opposing religious and political ideology and I thought it was the perfect combination of my interest. 3. Sources, interviews, scenes. How did you find your sources, your elements, interviews and scenes. What/who are they? What problems/challenges did you encounter in reporting this story and how did you solve them (or not solve them). Once I had fallen in love with my topic I did a lot of research about the clashes and the deaths that derived from it. This gave me a good idea of whom I should speak to. Luckily my partner has many friends all over morocco. She contacted a friend who studied at a university in Fez and

he arranged for us to meet with the Marxist group. Once on the campus we strolled around looking for members of the other group and students and teachers who were willing to speak to us. We conducted about 15 interviews in a day and a half. It was an amazing experience.

4. Journalism ethics. What ethical issues did you encounter in reporting this story and how did you resolve those ethical issues? Were there ethical issues unique to Morocco? Our story dealt very closely with the students at the university. We traveled to fez and were offered to stay in the dorm rooms. This presented an ethical issue as it could potentially be a conflict of interest. We did not want to feel like we owed them anything, but the university is a public space and the students have free tuition, we realized that if we paid them they would feel that we were paying them for the interview. We decided to stay and ultimately it was the best decision. Staying in the dorm rooms allowed us more time for interviews and to let our sources be comfortable enough to be themselves around us. This way we got a better look at what was happening at the campus which was very useful for our story. 5. Potential media outlet and audience. Where do you think your story might be placed? Why do you think this media outlet would be interested in your story? Who is your audience? Why do you think this story will be attractive to that audience? How did you produce the story to keep it interesting?

I can see my article being placed in publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post or the Boston Globe. These publications have a reliable readership and are known for tackling complex issues worldwide. I believe that I have done the reporting work necessary to gather very valuable information and as these publications are know to be the best in the field, I am willing to put in the work and work closely with my advisors to get it to the approval standards for these publications.

6. The Story. Religious tensions on Moroccan College Campus

by Julia Cabrera

Fes, Morocco­ Two years after the death of Abderrahim Hasnaoui, a student leader of the Islamist group, Attajdid Attolabi (Student Renewal), three members of the group still feel the need to confine themselves to the safety of their room. In the comfort of her bare­walled sanctuary Fatima Zahra Tajami’s veil is slightly undone. She motions to fight her tears but she can’t, “We are waiting for something to happen,” Tajami says, “but what more can they do than killing a person. That was the worst they could do.”

Students at the University of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah in Fez, have to further their studies in hostile environments. For decades universities have housed these ideological tensions between Islamist group much like the Attajdid Attolabi and Radical leftists groups, like the Annahji

Democrati Icaaidi. Even though the recent escalation of the conflict resulted in the death of a student, the government has yet to come up with an effective plan to control the violence.

Moroccan Historian Driss Maghraoui said, “Historically the state was not receptive to any kind of rapprochement between these ideologically opposing forces.”

For over 40 years and counting the radical left and the Islamists groups have struggled to share their campus. Advocating for the equality of their individual believes they have failed to find harmony.

In the 1970’s, According to Moroccan Association of Human Rights representative Mohamed El Boukili, leftist groups had a strong presence in Moroccan universities, focusing on bringing democracy beyond the walls of their campus.

According to El Boukili, the state was threatened by their efforts and created the Islamist group as a tool to weaken the leftist’s voice. The state, he said, used the press and the campus clashes to restrain these groups, and even though they managed to persevere they were weaker than before. What was then called the Union of Moroccan Students (UNAM) was unofficially banned from the university, but returned in the late 1980s through different groups like the Annajhi Democrati Icaaidi.

“This conflict has a political agenda and religion is just added on and used to frame the entire thing,” said Dr. Taieb Belghazi, a professor at Mohamed V University.

In 1993 the Islamists were accused of killing leftists student, Benaissa Ait el Jid. Abdelali Hamiddine, a member of the ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (PJD), was jailed for two years as a student for this crime. The clashes continued in the universities as the Islamists students strived for their religious freedom and the leftist students continued to fight against the strong hand of the state.

In 2014 the Islamist organized a conference to speak about peace and democracy. The leftists quickly threatened the event, as Hamiddine was one of the event’s speakers. Although the event was canceled, some Attajdid Attolabi members decided to meet at the university Dhar El Mehraz on April 24. The gathering, once interrupted by the leftists resulted in the death of Abderhahim Hasnaoui, and the harassment of many other Islamist students. The details of the events are still vivid in the student’s minds, as the territorial battle has persisted to date.

“If the problem is not religion why did they rip off our veils?” said Attajdid Attolabi member Fatima Annoubi, 21, referring to the day Hasnaoui was killed. She sits in between her two roommates in their dorm room. Lined with plain white walls the room is their fortress. With a small gas tank, a few pots and a coffee table to share their meals, they try to avoid the rest of the campus.

According to Annoubi freedom of religion in the university was the beginning of the conflict. She believes this was difficult for the Marxists to accept and thus why they have been trying to restrict the Islamist’s freedom ever since.

In the cafeteria of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, members of Annahji Democrati Icaaidi sit around a blue plastic table. The large room is highly trafficked throughout the day, as it is one of the only free spaces students have to meet outside of classes. At first glance one notices the photographs of famous theorists and revolutionary legends like Chec Guevara, Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx adorning the wall. To the left of their mentors are photographs of the group’s current political detainees, and a can on a table in the center of the room serves to raise funds for their prisoners’ liberation.

“It’s an issue of interest, economy, to exist or not to exist,” said Annahji Democrati Icaaidi member Mohamed El Hadidi, 23. He believes that the conflicts have no relation to religion and that a higher power is using religion to cover up the real issue.

According to Hadidi, the rise of what he calls, the “so­called Islamists” created the divide in their campus. When the Islamists groups came to action, they spread the word that the Marxist groups were atheist and the universities must be purified from them. They justified their actions by claiming they were holding truth to Allah’s word. El Hadidi and many of the group’s members consider themselves Muslim; they follow the revolutionary ideologies of Marx and Lenin, but not their religion.

Outside of Annahji Democrati Icaaidi and the Attajdid Attolabi, there are many students who accept the advantages of these groups on campus and would rather do without the disadvantages. Omar Boumarej an English studies student at the university believes the advantages of the Marxists efforts is the liberties they provide the students, such as allowing students to smoke and sit with their female friends.

“They also give you violence,” said Armine Doumdoum, Boumarey’s classmate.

The Marxists have created strict rules for the students body. Students said that they are not allowed to listen to music in public without headphones, or partake in public displays of affection. When a student breaks the rules the group asks other students to gather and form a trial against the offender.

Some students believe that without the Marxists on campus the administration would have the power to control everything, but they do not agree with the way the Marxists try to speak for the entire student body without properly consulting them.

“We co­exists with them and their things,” said Siham, a student at the university who did not feel comfortable giving her full name, “There is nothing we can do. “

In their fight for basic students rights, the Annahji Democrati Icaaidi has lowered the cost of room and board and changed the rules allowing female students to eat in the boy’s cafeteria. They also

arranged the boycott of new examination reforms that tests students continuously throughout the year. The boycotts resulted in 45 arrests in the last two months. According to Belghazi, the administration is still trying to administer last semester’s exams.

“I think students are forced to go on our side because we fight for their interests. No one is brave enough to stand up to the authorities,” said El Hadidi.

Belghazi believes that the administration allows the groups to believe they have power. They create an illusion by allowing them a win over cheaper meals, but they are not making any large changes. “These groups are a way to mark their (the state) presence and political weight,” he said, “An investment towards political preference in the future.”

Today the Annahji Icaaidi is planning a revolution. Through general meetings and teachings on the ways of Marx and Lenin, they are training the people that will lead the revolution in Morocco and creating the future members of a party that will serve them.

“There is a dictatorship in our campus not a democracy. They are claiming democracy but are not listening to everyone,” said a Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah professor who preferred to remain anonymous.

Professors in these universities have become all too familiar with the sudden outbreaks of violence. The Annahji Democrati Icaaidi marches into classrooms asking students to leave class and join their protests, leaving the professors with less authority each time.

Literature professor, Noureddine Rais believes that the government is the only one that can help. Teachers on their own are finding it difficult to intervene, as they have also been harassed and threatened by the radical groups. While some of the group’s requests, like their right to free education or examination reforms, cannot be answered by the dean of the universities, they use the university as a platform to voice their concerns.

Belghazi believes that collective action is necessary to put an end to the violence. “There has to be a moment of acknowledgement for everyone, that this is a time of crisis,” he said.

Abdelhak Hasnaoui, the brother of the Islamist student who was murdered, is one of the founders of Attajdid Attolabi. He believes that the students are just tools being used by higher powers in these violent clashes. “If we know who killed my brother we can stop the violence. It was not one person who killed my brother, it was an organization and they are being helped by their supporters,” he said.

For Maghraoui, the real issue is identifying the problem and its source. The problem he said, putting aside the state, is the way people negotiate their differences in society. “Moroccans have

to learn that they are different. Some go the mosque and others go to the bar. Some wear the hijab and others the minijupe (miniskirt), ” he said.

The state’s attempt at a solution was allowing police officers to enter the campus without the permission of school officials. According to El Boukili, uniformed officers stand outside the schools, while undercover officers serve as spies and agitators within the campus. In his opinion this benefits the state, which once the violence breaks out, issues a few arrests from each group and harasses the rest of the students. This is an effective form of establishing fear, El Boukili said. “When there is violence the students leave. They pack their backs and they go home. They are there to study, not to kill each other.”

Teachers, students and specialists agreed that to be able to have a better functioning society you need to create spaces where people can meet and have conversations about the things that are oppressing them, otherwise you will have places like these campuses that are saturated with fear.

Maghraoui said, “Negotiating our differences is not about culture or religion, it is about creating the democratic and constitutional institutions to negotiate these differences and even with that, it is not the end of the story.”

7. Photos. Your story must be accompanied by at least 3 photos with a caption for each. In addition you must submit 3 photos of you and your partner working in the field on your story.

Students at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University walking to class on a Saturday morning.

Members of the Attajdid Attolabi pose for a photograph in the hallway of their dorm room.

Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah’s Cafeteria adorned with Marxists ideologies.

Julia Cabrera and Meriem Marghich after interviews members of the Attajdid Attolabi.

Annahji Democrati Icaaidi women raise there symbol of victory in the Girls dormitory Cafeteria.

Meriem Marghich Speaks to Annahji Democrati Icaaidi members. 8. Morocco news. What are the 3 best, most informative articles you read on Morocco and why do you find each of them so informative? What do you think are the 3 best sources of information on Morocco – could be anything from Twitter feeds to NPR – and why. The three most informative pieces that I can remember reading on Morocco are by Al Jazeera and The Middle East Eye. An article titled “Neither slave, nor negro,” was one of my favorites. It speaks about the unspoken racism in Morocco against sub­Saharan Africans. I found this piece very informative because even though I could physically see instances of racism, Moroccans tend to believe it does not exists. “UN Chief regrets Western Sahara ‘Occupation’” I am not 100 percent sure if this is the exact article I read but I remember Aljazeera being very informative on issues of the Western Sahara. This article in particular was interesting because my host family and many other Moroccans I’ve encountered say they hate Ban Ki­moon or as some call him Pokémon, but most of the time they don’t really know what happened. However I still believe he meant his comment about the Sahara being occupied. The Middle East Eye article “Five years on, have young Moroccans gained their rights?” gave background info on the rise of the 20th movement but was also very informative on what it means for Morocco’s youth today. Other than these outlets I have read Moroccan news on NYT, and Washington Post from pieces published by MOJ or informative pieces that helped us understand our lectures; for example the Washington post for their coverage on the Arab Springs. 7. Conclusion: What could have been done better? Is this a story that deserves a follow­up? If so, what might that be? What did you learn from doing this story? The entire ISPJ time was a learning experience. I learned so much about field reporting and the importance of making people feel comfortable. I learned to be prepared for every possible situation.. My story affected so many people and each person had a different agenda; I had to keep searching for more official and concrete answers. After speaking to so many different people I learned that it is easy to be swept into a person's point of view, through this I learned to focus on objectivity In less hard skills I learned a lot about myself. Being Independent in a foreign country where I do not speak the language taught me to value my own company and forced me to interact with complete strangers. It showed me that I should escape my comfort zones more often. I had the opportunity to meet great people who helped me understand myself better and gained beautiful friendships. The experienced helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses. I now know that I am the same person everywhere no matter who is watching and I am very proud of myself for that.

If I could follow up with the story I would re­attempt to speak to the minister of higher education, I think that the opinion of law enforces would make the story better. We were not able to meet with him despite our efforts.

Overall I take away reporting experience, great friendships and a greater understanding of whom I am.