In the past, there was across the Arab and Muslim world a kind of poets who received great sums of money soon after the sultans and emirs read the lengthy poems in which they praised them to the skies. And seldom did those poets praise for free. Money-making was their sole intention behind writing praise-poems about the royal family, including sultans and emirs. I think there is nothing immoral with this. But some poets usually wrote poems full of lies, not praises. For example, there were poets who praised emirs as brave though they were coward. There were also poets who praised sultans as “democrats” though they were dictators and butchers. “The Palace Poets” is among the different names that were given to the poets in question.
Truth be told, I see no difference between “The Palace Poets” and some American journalists working for the mouthpieces of the White House. The Washington Post and The New York Times are two examples in point. Never before have they praised Arab countries or leaders for nothing. For them, allies of the United States should be praised to the skies, but enemies should be slammed to the bone. And like “The Palace Poets”, there are journalists whose eulogistic articles about an Arab country or leader are replete with lies and fabrications. When, for instance, human rights abuses take place in Morocco, they are, according to them, the exception rather than the norm. Needless to say, Morocco, as far as human rights abuses are concerned, is no difference to the other Arab allies of the United States.
“ In Morocco, an Alternative to Iran” is the title of an article written by Anne Applebaum and published last june in the Washington Post. Anne Applebee is an Op-Ed columnist and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 2004. Following are extracts from the article:
“If you want an antidote to the photographs of police officers beating demonstrators and girls dying on the streets of the Iranian capital, take a drive through the streets of the Moroccan capital. You might see demonstrators, but not under attack.”
“…the country (Morocco) has over the past decade undergone a slow but profound transformation from traditional monarchy to constitutional monarchy, acquiring along the way real political parties, a relatively free press, new political leaders -- the mayor of Marrakesh is a 33-year-old woman -- and a set of family laws that strive to be compatible both with sharia and international conventions on human rights.”
“…people feel it's safe to speak openly, safe to form civil rights groups, safe to criticize the electoral process, even safe to complain about the king.”
Shortly after reading the article, I came to the conclusion that as long as Morocco is a loyal ally of the United States, it’s normal for the White House journalists, including Anne Applebaum to view the North African monarchy as a place of democracy, freedom of expression, human rights, equality before the law, and transparent elections.
As for the US enemies, including Iran the White House journalists totally agree upon tarnishing their image around the world through writing articles based on rumours and misconceptions. For Anne, women in Iran are deprived of “equal rights in marriage, equal rights to divorce, equal inheritance rights and equal testimony rights in court.” For further details, read Anne’s article entitled “An Overlooked Force in Iran”.
It’s really a pity that the Sahara issue remains unresolved despite the fact that Morocco has been a major non-NATO ally since 2004, was the first country to recognize the fledgling United States as an independent nation in 1777, and provided the United States with valuable information about al Qaeda after the September 11, 2001 attacks. This shows beyond doubt that becoming a US ally means giving everything and getting false praises in return!
Jamal Elabiad can be reached at: eng_jamal6@hotmail.com.
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