September 3rd, 2009 by Jason

After an interview with Morocco’s ambassador to the U.S, Aziz Mekouar, journalist Anna Gawel lauds Morocco in The Washington Diplomat as a “moderate Muslim nation embracing modernity without shrugging off its valued traditions. It promotes women’s equality, human rights, religious tolerance and social liberalization - all while remaining true to its Islamic heritage.” Or, in the words of Ambassador Mekouar, King Mohammad VI has “delivered” on his promise for democratization, human rights and gender equality.

But, as Gawel herself notes, “not all is paradise in the Kingdom of Morocco.” She quotes Maat Monjib and James Liddell of the Brookings Institution who observe, “Morocco resembles an absolute monarchy much more than the democracy to which it rhetorically aspires.”

In the past, our blog has chronicled several articles about Morocco’s anti-democratic tendencies, such as the recent jailing of Western Sahara activist Naâma Asfari, the banning of editions of weekly publications TelQuel and Nichane and a New York Times piece decrying Morocco’s slow pace of reform by Steven Erlanger and Souad Mekhennet.

Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Journalism, Morocco, North Africa, Reform |