Moroccans pissed off about Israeli dates
Oh, how I love articles like this. Every foreign Jew I’ve met in Morocco has had little or no problems, Moroccans are quick to point out their history with their own Jews (which is not as pretty as they make it seem), and Morocco and Israel have all sorts of ties.
But God forbid they send Israeli dates to Morocco!
September 26th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
The two issues should be distinguished: the fact that Moroccan Jews are part and parcel of our history and culture is one thing, which should be underlined and serve as a source of pride for every Moroccan. Relations with Israel are another kettle of fish altogether: I’m dead against any normalisation with Israel, especially when it comes to trade and diplomacy (I’d make an exception for culture though). Were Morocco to be a parliamentary democracy responsive to public opinion, you’d have no normalisation whatsoever with Israel - remember, foreign relations (and trade relations with Israel) are a royal preserve, with no parliamentary input. Give parliament a real say and normalisation would evaporate…
Btw, I happen to know that contrary to the official line held by Rabat, there is a Moroccan diplomatic presence in Israel - and not in Tel Aviv, but in Al Qods/Jerusalem…
September 26th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
They like them (Jewish people) just fine if THEY’RE NOT AROUND.
Speaking of dates, we nixed all the boxes of Saudi dates we saw at the store and went with Tunisian.
Fascinating insights that IB has there. Hm.
September 26th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Bias against Israel does not equate to intolerance of Jews.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:06 am
It’s a difficult matter. Being Biased against Israel does not mean intolerance of jews. They don’t like Israel’s politic but it doesn’t mean they don’t like jews.
Just like if People hate the American government (or should I simply say “Bush”) that doesn’t mean they hate the American people.
But then again… it’s a BIG topic!
September 27th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
As Ibn Kafka pointed out wisely (as usual) we should not conflate relations with Israel (a terrorist, racist and apartheid state) and relations with Jews as people. The Zionist state should absolutely and categorically be boycotted as was the racist regime in south-Africa. There is anti-Semitism and intolerance toward Jewish people around the Muslim world and it should be utterly condemned but please beware of falling into the con that wants us to believe that from the moment you criticize or boycott Israel, you’re an anti Semite. Israel and the Zionist ideology is not representative of Judaism or the Jewish people. Indeed the most ardent Zionists and supporters of Israel are Christian Zionists. On the other hand more and more Jews are making their voices heard, denouncing Israeli crimes and its basic ideology.
So…Boycott the dates!
September 28th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
They like them (Jewish people) just fine if THEY’RE NOT AROUND
Oh bollocks, Moroccans are quite tolerant and accepting of Jews as Jews - I can’t think of another Arab country where Passover cookies are on sale on the street or those bizarre palm frond thingies on the street.
Having an issue with Israel - and with products being imported and sold under false pretences - is one thing. Having an issue with Jews…. another. Of course if one kicks the tires of tolerance there is some ugly underlying attitudes, but one can say about say French attitudes to Maghrebines.
September 29th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
TOM AND JERRY IN MECHRAÂ BEL KSIRI
A Moro saw a Jew, and said, «tfou!”
The Jew said, “You too!”
The two came to blows.
The Moro hit the Jew on the nose.
Someone from Taounate told someone in Eilat,
Who told the Shin Beit, who told the Mossad,
Who started to bombard
The telltale with questions about the tale.
Fearing it might be either death or the jail,
The Moro went into hiding.
The Mossad searched and searched,
But to no avail.
And so they forgot all about the tale.
But the Jew dreamt of nothing but finding
The Moro dead or alive.
And each day he said, “I’ll find him tomorrow!”
One day, the Jew saw the Moro
Speak live on Aljazeera:
“Here I am,” he said.
“I was hiding just under your bed!”
HOMESICK
On top of a hill
Facing overlooking a rill,
Jill stood still
Till the chill filled each nostril,
And said, shaking her head:
“If only I were in Azilal or Tit Mellil!
If only I were in Ifrane or Imilchil!”
Standing at her side,
Hamza heard her and smiled.
“Shhhhhh!” she cried.
“I think I’m gonna go wild.
Morocco has made me a spoilt child!”
DEMANDE DE FATOUA
Un jeune homme,
Blond et barbu,
Demande au Mufti de Qom,
La voix presque émue:
“Est-il halal ou haram
De dire Salam
A une américaine dont le mari est capitaine
Dans la U.S. Navy à Kuwait City?”
“Puisqu’elle est femme d’un G.I.,
Alors dis-lui: Hi!”
Dit le Mufti, ouvrant l’appétit
Au jeune homme blond et barbu,
Qui dit, avec l’innocence des petits:
“Elle et moi nous avons mangé et bu!Est-ce halal ou haram, Mufti?”
“Si vous avez mangé du rôti
Et bu du thé ou du café,Qu’est-ce que ça fait?
Ca fait rien, rien du tout!
Mais dis-moi : est-elle encore là
Cette femme qui t’a fait les yeux doux?
Peux-tu me donner son numéro?”
Dit le Mufti d’une voix de gourou.
Le jeune homme rougit,
Il éteint la bougie
Et quitte la salle, le visage pâle.
September 29th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
[…] Today it is with honor that I share with you the blog of a poet: Nasamat min bilady, who went to all the trouble of writing a (wonderful) poem about my husband and I in the comments of my last post, here. […]
September 30th, 2007 at 3:38 am
“Oh bollocks, Moroccans are quite tolerant and accepting of Jews as Jews”
Bullshit. There’s a lot of attitudes, and a lot of them aren’t underlying.
October 1st, 2007 at 10:37 pm
As for abstract attitudes towards Jews, many Moroccans would struggle to pass a test in political correctness. As regards factual relations, that is personal relations between individual Jews and individual Muslims, I have some first-hand experience: I’ve had a cousin dating with a Jewish girl (Gad El Maleh dated her later on), I’ve seen Jewish guys dating Muslim girls, we’ve had Jews at home (my mother made the mistake of serving lasagne - milk and meat in the same dish, uh-uh) and have been away at some Jewish acquaintances of ours, my sister had a few Jewish friends sleeping over at home. Now, if you’d interview my father about Elie Wiesel, Alain Finkielkraut or the coming war against Iran, you would probably not get politically correct answers.
I don’t know what to make out of this, except that many ethnic minorities in Europe might want to trade places with Moroccan Jews.
How we came to discuss this issue in a post about boycott of Israeli dates I still don’t know.
October 6th, 2007 at 11:17 am
It is one thing being a Jew and quite another being “Israeli”. I have to say the political attitudes in Morocco are something I haven’t had much exposure too, but it is comforting knowing that even all the way there, they feel solidarity with what is happening with the Palestinians.
October 6th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
The hell with these seculars and hypocrits. Long live the Palestinian people.
October 8th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
You know, Wassim - you’ve got a point (and my husband, incidentally, made the same point to me after reading my post). I guess my immediate reaction was more like “There’s so much going on and THIS is what you choose to freak out about?”