Book Review - Marvine Howe
I’ve just finished Morocco: The Islamist Awakening and Other Challenges, by Marvine Howe. It’s the sort of book that I know I’ll have to read at least one or two more times, just to absorb all the information - and I don’t normally need to do that. So, for all of you out there who have been bombarded with questions from family members and friends (sometimes even strangers), along the lines of “If Morocco is so modern, why do so many terrorists come from there?” - this book is for you. Yes, the preceding question is kind of silly, but there’s been many times when I wondered myself how Morocco had gotten to where it is today, and what turns and twists it took along its religious and political path.
A brief snippet -
“The Arab kingdoms are linked by more than common adversaries. The petroleum giant has provided Morocco with badly needed oil, financing, investments, and jobs, while Morocco has reciprocated by sending techical cadres and security specialists to Saudi Arabia and offering the Saudis welcoming vacation sites. It was the Moroccan and Saudi monarchs who founded the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Rabat in 1969 in an effort to gain support for the Palestinan cause. The Saudis were said to have contributed billions of dollars in loans and grants for Morocco’s war in the Sahara. During the Lebanese civil war in the mid-1970s, pleasure-seeking Saudi princes and businessmen invaded Morocco, buying hotels, villas, and palaces. Many of them stayed on to invest in real estate and the tourism industry. Out of concern over the growing influence of the Left in universities in the early 1980s, King Hassan made Islamic studies obligatory and imported Saudi teachers and their rigid Wahabi brand of Islam.”
Whether you agree or disagree with Ms. Howe’s statements, you can hardly deny that she must have had serious chutzpah to succeed in forming relationships with some of Morocco’s most powerful - King Hassan II, King Mohammed VI, Prince Moulay Hicham (”the rebel”), Meryam Demnati, Fatima Mernissi, Mehdi ben Barka, Nadia Yassine, Amina Benkhadra, and the list goes on. Not only that, but she started forming her connections in the 1950’s, after coming to Morocco as an au pair for a French military family…I know how difficult it was for me as an American woman, just this year - can you imagine back then?
This is a great book - go get it from Amazon or your local library!
September 6th, 2006 at 1:55 am
Please do visit this website it has a moroccan talking against islam, I was surprised:
www.alkenaa.com
Can any body respond this guy?
September 6th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
Thanks for mentioning this book - I am really interested in reading it ! I have thoroughly enjoyed books that speak of the last century of development in Morocco… or just stories of life there. This sounds like a fascinating read. Did this gal also know the man who instigating the infamous uprising against Hassan II back in the 70s ? (I cant’ recall his name at the moment - Ben someone, i think). What an extraordinary lineup of Moroccan powerhouses she knew - impressive !
By the way I miss the funny donkey picture.
September 9th, 2006 at 7:07 am
Professor Mohamed Madani at the U. in Rabat is coming out with a great new book called Paysage Politique. I have read an advance copy and it is excellent -gripping and informative. With some useful information about the Islamist question and a lot more. One of the best books on Morocco that I have read in a long time.