North African Atlas

Morocco has had a long history of poor human rights and treatment towards women. Morocco has arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned several activists and journalists advocating for their rights. Trials have been politically motivated or failed to guarantee due process. There have been prosecutions for nonviolent, critical commentary on authorities as well. Authorities continue to impede the work of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH). According to AMDH, they have banned at least 13 public meetings, public protests, and other public events called for by opposition groups or parties across the country. Overall, laws have been set in place for the protection of human rights but have not been enforced.

As for women’s treatment, family code discriminates against them. Procedures for inheritance and divorce are extremely difficult to obtain, and marriage laws even have various exceptions. For example, the law makes the legal age of marriage to be 18, but if a family wants to arrange a marriage when the girl is younger (such as 15, 16, 17), this law can be ignored. Domestic violence is also hard to get justice for. It has been criminalized in the country but requires prosecution in order to obtain protection. Because of these issues, the #MeToo movement has become a big part of the fight for women’s rights.

2012 Presidential Election in Egypt:

• In June 2012, Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist and candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president 
• However, he only lasted a year in office as he was forcibly removed by the Egyptian military
• Many criticized Morsi for his mishandling of the economy and accused him of overreaching power resulting in mass protests. 
• After his failure to satisfy demands, he was arrested by the military 
• Supporters protested for his release but many were killed by military crackdowns and arrests of Brotherhood members
• The removal of Morsi incited violence by Islamist rebels and military crackdowns in the Muslim Brotherhood.

Humanitarian law outlines the rules that regulate the conduct of war. This law’s goal is to limit the effects of armed conflict and sets the responsibilities for the groups that are involved.  In January of 2020, The National Commission on International Humanitarian Law and its Kuwaiti counterpart signed a document of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two bodies and exchanging experiences regarding the International Humanitarian Law.

As for genocide, after the invasion of Western Sahara in 1975 by the Moroccan Kingdom and until the cease-fire agreement in 1991, an endless list of war crimes were committed by the Moroccan invaders against the Saharawi civil population. Some of these crimes included the bombing with Napalm and White Phosphorus of the civil population, civilians thrown out of planes, massacres and mass murders, forced disappearances, incarceration in secret prisons and torture of children, women and men amongst others.

Human rights in Morocco are represented poorly. Moroccan government has put restrictions on basic human rights, including freedom of speech, the right to criticize officials, and the right to assembly. However, on July 1st, 2011, Morocco adopted a new constitution that recognized human rights as they were recognized universally. This included the right to equality, non-discrimination, religion, expression, and more.

The new constitution’s success would depend on the strength of a bottom-up push by political parties and protesters. It had a chance to make a real impact on human rights in the country.

https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/national-commission-international-humanitarian-law-and-kuwaiti-counterpart-sign-mou

https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/humanitarian-aid/international-humanitarian-law_en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Morocco

https://www.cndh.org.ma/an/bulletin-d-information/human-rights-provided-moroccan-new-constitution

https://carnegieendowment.org/2011/06/20/new-moroccan-constitution-real-change-or-more-of-same-pub-44731

The ongoing crime of Genocide in Western Sahara by Morocco

Ethnocentrism is a term used in circles where ethnicity and similar in-group issues are of concern. It can be defined as the belief that a group and its customs are superior to others. Throughout history, many wars and social movements started due to the subject of ethnocentrism. Egypt, in particular, has been the subject of this idea in the past. On February 28, 1922, the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence was commissioned by the United Kingdom. Shortly after, Fuad I became the King of Egypt. Prior to this event, the people started protests, petitions, and strikes against the British in hopes of ending their rule. This was the country’s first major independence movement to fight ethnocentrism. Years later, Egypt held some of its first presidential elections. In June 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi won the presidential election. The events that occurred after this election unraveled into months of violence. Violent protests broke out and resulted in the deaths of thousands of Egyptians. The military eventually overthrew Morsi and established a militant rule. However, violence continued, and hundreds were killed after security forces attacked protest camps in Cairo set up by Morsi. The country then went into a state of emergency and imposed curfews. Farish Noor defines eurocentrism as “the emerging perception within the European cultural, historical experience of European identity as good and all other forms as less good or less advanced.” In other words, eurocentrism is a way of thinking in which European and Western cultures are viewed as superior to other cultures around the world. Overall, the northern African region has suffered from past ethnocentric views for a substantial period of time.

The international humanitarian law failed because it did not prevent genocide in Rwanda from happening. The U.S. does regret not intervening because they could have saved 300,000 lives in Rwanda.  ‘“Humanitarian law” means protecting those who are not fighting as well as those no longer able to. It means laws of armed conflict. In Northern Africa, in the countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, there is a humanitarian regional response to Syrian refugees. In this article I found on genocidewatch.com https://www.npr.org, 30 people were killed in the Libyan capital of Tripoli because militias were fighting each other in Tripoli. The aftermath is just contributing to more of Libya’s long-running conflict. In Northern Africa in 2021, human rights have not been represented well. There are; rights to health, freedom of expression, right to privacy, human rights defenders and freedoms of association etc. I write these in quotations because people experience conflict with these rights. There are many crimes against women, LGBTQ communities or against people who participate in protests that go unpunished.  Rights in Northern Africa are very similar to the UN Declaration of Human Rights but many of them don’t actually get to live out these rights.

https://www.refworld.org

https://www.france24.com/en/video/20181026-genocide-era-rwanda-footage-casts-french-army-troubling-light

Wade Davis’ TED Talk on the subject of endangered cultures was very informative. He emphasizes how important it is to preserve and appreciate the diversity of the world’s indigenous cultures. The term “endangered cultures” refers to the threatened extinction of indigenous societies. Unfortunately, these cultures are starting to disappear at an alarming rate. For context, languages are no longer being taught within families, resulting in them dying out. Future generations are losing a vital part of their culture and are unable to completely understand it. A language is not only a collection of vocabulary but how culture and its traditions and shared values can be conveyed and preserved. With this topic at hand, the country of Egypt has struggled to preserve certain parts of its culture, specifically a language. The Nubian heritage and language are significant parts of Egypt’s history and cultural diversity. The language became endangered in Egypt after the enforced displacement of Nubians from their ancestral lands. Egypt’s biodiversity is also being threatened by human impacts. This includes excessive hunting, deforestation, clear-cutting, etc.

Eurocentrism and ethnocentrism are “evaluations of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one’s own culture.” Farish Noor supports eurocentrism, but he questions the idea that only western cultures understand the meaning and value of human rights. He believes that many other cultures and regions have also contributed to the definition of human rights, and that they have played big parts in comprehending social justice. 

There have been studies performed to determine whether or not consumerism in Morocco is affected by ethnocentric views. Researchers came to the conclusion that Moroccans are affected more by polycentric views rather than ethnocentric ones, and that consumerism is mostly influenced by the country a product originated from. Moroccans prefer foreign-made goods to locally made products. This means that ethnocentric views are slowly going away, and most of the influences on citizens come from media, word-of-mouth, and travel.

As for human rights, Morocco believes in freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, women’s rights, and the rights of domestic workers. There are many organizations working to improve the conditions of human rights in Morocco, such as the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), Moroccan Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. Many laws and codes have been implemented to support these rights as well.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08911762.2011.592459

https://borgenproject.org/human-rights-in-morocco

Morocco has been facing the consequences of the Ukrainian Russian war for about 8 years, but it has recently gotten worse due to the increasing conflict between the two countries. Morocco has strong, positive diplomatic relations with both Ukraine and Russia, so their foreign affairs ministry haven’t voiced negative opinions about Russia. Instead, they have been sending Moroccans in Ukraine back to their home country and warning of the war’s economic impact. It has been said that prices of basic goods will raise significantly. Morocco depends on grain imports from both regions as well as mineral, chemical and energy exports from Russia. This dependency has raised concern for many citizens as almost every aspect of their lives is being affected by this inflation and strain on exports and trade. Transportation will also become less accessible as gas prices keep rising due to Russian impact. Another issue that is facing Morocco is the amount of Moroccan students who are currently studying in Ukraine. As it is unsafe to study in war-ridden conditions, it is encouraged for students to return to Morocco. However, many don’t have sufficient funds, documents, or vaccines necessary to travel those lengths. Many concerned parents have started protests in order to get their children back to safety and efforts have been made to allow them to cross the border.

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/02/347316/morocco-feels-impact-of-conflict-between-russia-and-ukraine

https://www.institutmontaigne.org/en/analysis/morocco-regional-player

Why is reduction in biodiversity a concern? What other concerns does loss of biodiversity link to?

Reduction in biodiversity is a concern because our nature depends on it. To give a little context, biodiversity is a variety or range of all different kinds of life in an ecosystem or habitat. Human life is very dependent when it comes to biodiversity. Reduction in biodiversity can affect our drinking water, nutrients and the animals. All living life depends on biodiversity. Other concerns besides our health that loss of biodiversity can affect are political issues. If many places lack drinking water, it can become a political issue as to where, how and who will supply these or get these resources. Biodiversity balances out an ecosystem and without this balance, many things can go wrong. 

Tunisia has been the crossroads for trade between Europe and North Africa for several millennia, with a key geographical location on the Mediterranean. It has had influence from Carthaginians, Romans, Vandal, Jewish, Christian, Arab, Islamic, Turkish, French and Amazigh (Berber) cultures. Carthage, the main thriving city in Tunisia at the time, was founded in 816 BC. After being destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC, Tunisia had heavy Roman influence for the next few centuries. The Arab Islamic conquest transformed the country, similar to the rest of North Africa. Tunisia was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, then by the French Protectorate. Although the Berbers are natives of Tunisia, their populations have continued to dwindle. Variation of culture based on ancient influence can be seen in the food. A typical meal could consist of cheeses and French croissants.

Although the Tunisian Constitution provides freedom of thoughts and beliefs, 99% of the population consists of Sunni Muslims. Christianity and Judaism have been gradually losing popularity over the course of Tunisia’s history. Although most main other languages other than Arabic have dwindled, the Arabic language has absorbed different sayings from other languages in Tunisia to make a completely different dialect. Tunisia is known for its exceptional pottery, iron working and weaving. These crafts are slowly dying, and more people are picking higher paying jobs. As the country continues to develop, its people will continue to separate from their own culture and more so adopt the culture of the entirety of the country. Although probably for the better of the nation itself, culture does most definitely serve value in the lives of the people of Tunisia

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Tunisia#Hamsa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Carthage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire