Historia

Morocco: The Islamist Awakening and Other Challenges

Marvine Howe

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Morocco

Marvine Howe

Morocco
The Islamist Awakening and Other Challenges

1
2005

1

Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es SalaamHong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam

Copyright © 2005 by Marvine Howe
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NewYork 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataHowe, Marvine. Morocco : the Islamist awakening and other challenges / by Marvine Howe. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13 978-0-19-516963-8 ISBN 0-19-516963-8 1. Morocco. 2. Islam and politics—Morocco. I. Title. DT305.H69 2005 964.05—dc22 2004018891

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

For my Moroccan friends, past andpresent—

This page intentionally left blank

Preface: Old and New Magic

he storied land of kasbahs and palaces, mosques and marabouts, veiled women and hooded men, Islamic rituals and feudal intrigue is in the midst of upheaval. From the remote hamlets of the High Atlas to oases on the edge of the Sahara, from the halls of the medieval Karaouyine University in Fez to the grimmest shantytownsaround Casablanca, there’s an urgent hunger in Morocco for the good things of modern times, as flaunted daily on television and the Internet. Moroccans are deeply aware of their identity as descendants of the great Muslim empires that ruled Iberia and much of northern Africa in the Middle Ages. They are for the most part devoted to their monarchy, which has ruled for more than 1,200 years. There are,however, a growing number of voices in the independent press and human rights organizations, among scholars, businesspeople, professionals, and politicians, that are calling for representative government, accountability, and other democratic reforms. There is also an Islamist awakening on university campuses, in some political circles, and among ordinary Moroccans, much like that which has takenplace elsewhere in the Muslim world, including Iran and even secular Turkey. Muslim activists are looking to political Islam as an alternative to Western-style politics, which have failed to satisfy many people’s aspirations for basic dignity, justice, and well-being. In general, the Islamist movement in Morocco has chosen to express itself through nonviolent means. There have been, however, angryfetwas by a few exalted Islamic preachers against Western secularism, fiery audiotapes and articles denouncing Western immorality, and street demonstrations in solidarity with Muslim victims of Western terrorism. But Moroccans have al-

T

viii

Preface: Old and New Magic ways prided themselves on their relaxed and tolerant interpretation of Islam and what has come to be known as “theMoroccan exception.” The resurgence of Islamic activism in Morocco has been reinforced by sharpened divisions between Muslim countries and the West over the longfestering Palestinian question and the war against terrorism that many Muslims perceive to be a war against Islam. Still, as the westernmost Muslim nation, Morocco has looked primarily to Europe and the United States to propel it into the...