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Western NGOs Take Over Northern Morocco
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The
north is a hotspot for drug trafficking and illegal immigration
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By
Abdel Hafiz Al-Sarity, IOL Correspondent
RABAT,
October 11 (IslamOnline.net) – In view of conspicuous absence and
widespread apathy of Arab and Muslim help, western non-governmental
organizations are mushrooming in northern Morocco, playing on the
area’s sluggish economy and the people’s poor living standards.
There
are no ill intentions if one sees through the eyes of lay people, who
appreciate the effort to improve health and education conditions.
But
analysts and even local activists believe that there is more to this
than meets the public eye.
“Of
course there is a hidden agenda for these NGOs when they finance
social micro and medium-scale projects,” Abdul Salam Akrio, a
chairman of a local NGO, told IslamOnline.net.
“Spreading
foreign languages and western values are at least the obvious
agenda.”
New
Colonization
But
Faeza Al-Shibly, the head of another NGO, is confident that the
mind-boggling money lavished upon some local organizations is a new
shape of colonization.
“A
new phenomenon is gaining momentum here in the north is that Spaniards
are buying homes and old buildings,” Al-Shibly told IOL.
She
added that the western NGOs operating in the impoverished north were
focusing on women’s rights, literacy and foreign language classes.
“They
are setting up sanctuaries for battered wives,” she said.
Nagiub
Boulif, an economic analyst, said the north used to be a Spanish
colony, which made the job easier for such NGOs to reach out to the
community.
Arab
Apathy
Nadia
Salami could have not published her 24-book children series had it not
been for the French Embassy’s support.
“I
pinned high hopes on help from the Ministry of Culture but to no
avail,” Salami told IOL.
She,
however, says she has no doubt that the French support is basically
motivated by the desire to spread the French language.
“I’m
in no way against learning foreign languages, but priority should be
given to Arabic.”
Amina,
head of a NGO in southern Morocco, does not mind cooperating with Arab
or Islamic NGOs, but if they proffered a hand in the first place.
“I
really don’t know who shall take the blame. Is it because of a weak
civil society or economic reasons?”
But
Boulif blames stringent security measures for the passivity,
especially in the wake of the deadly Casablanca
blasts May 16, 2003.
“Even
the small organizations were not allowed to pursue their activities
due to security crackdowns.”
The
people of the north, however, still stand a glimpse of hope to put a
stop to drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
The
government is establishing a new harbor 35 kilometers east of Tangier,
which will generate thousands of job opportunities.
Expected
to complete in 2007, the one-billion-dollar project will play a key
role in developing the north and putting them back in the national
spotlight.
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