Farewell, JD Salinger

The death this week of JD Salinger is a sad moment for literature and for all those, like me, who read, loved and appreciated his books. The legendary American author of “The Catcher in the Rye" made a very powerful impression on me when I read his book as an adult for pleasure -Many had to read the book as part of a required book reading list in high school in America and at University in Morocco. I read and reread the “Catcher” and enjoyed it not because it features sexual innuendo and language but because the writer spoke profoundly and frankly to ordinary people. The book is a trageycomedy; hilarious and sad all the way to the end. I never got bored as I did with James Joyce’s Ulysses, for example, because the book spoke out-loud my innermost thoughts at countless occasions: Its antihero, Holden Caulfield, and I share our contempt for “phonies” and our sympathy with innocence and kids who are feeling lost, and lost to despair. We also share our concern over the ever-lasting and ever-so-unfair struggle between the good and the evil - or more exactly between the innocent and the corrupt.
Though I don’t like Holden Caulfield’s sexual encounters, his sexual insecurities, and confused immaturity being spoken out ‘publicly’, I agree with the writer’s use of slang, swearing, casual dilogs etc. Quite a few writers use such authentic teen language to speak to young readers. Let’s not forget, also, that all around us, Holden’s sexual encounters are nothing and chaste compared to what we see in the street, on TV, on the internet (and, to a lesser extent, to what many read in Mohammed Choukri’s - famous Moroccan writer - ‘For Bread Alone’.)
Here is an excerpt I have always loved because it not only makes one laugh but makes one think as well as is the case with George Carlin's black humor:
Anyway, he [Ossenburger] gave Pencey a pile of dough, and they named our wing after him. The first football game of the year, he came up to school in this big goddam Cadillac, and we all had to stand up in the grandstand and give him a locomotive – that's a cheer. Then, the next morning, in chapel, he made a speech that lasted about ten hours. He started off with about fifty corny jokes, just to show us what a regular guy he was. Very big deal. Then he started telling us how he was never ashamed, when he was in some kind of trouble or something, to get right down on his knees and pray to God. He told us we should always pray to God – talk to Him and all – wherever we were. He told us we ought to think of Jesus as our buddy and all. He said he talked to Jesus all the time. Even when he was driving his car. That killed me. I can just see the big phony bastard shifting into first gear and asking Jesus to send him a few more stiffs.
The only good part of his speech was right in the middle of it. He was telling us all about what a swell guy he was, what a hot-shot and all, then all of a sudden this guy sitting in the row in front of me, Edgar Marsalla, laid this terrific fart. It was a very crude thing to do, in chapel and all, but it was also quite amusing. Old Marsalla. He damn near blew the roof off. Hardly anybody laughed out loud, and old Ossenburger made out like he didn't even hear it, but old Thurmer, the headmaster, was sitting right next to him on the rostrum and all, and you could tell he heard it. Boy, was he sore.
He didn't say anything then, but the next night he made us have compulsory study hall in the academic building and he came up and made a speech. He said that the boy that had created the disturbance in chapel wasn't fit to go to Pencey. We tried to get old Marsalla to rip off another one, right while old Thurmer was making his speech, but he wasn't in the right mood. Anyway, that's where I lived at Pencey. Old Ossenburger Memorial Wing, in the new dorms.” (The Catcher in the Rye: Chapter 3.)
The book is a treasure trove of thoughts and attitudes. You will be sorely missed, JD Salinger, but you will always be remembered as an American icon who abhorred fame and celebrity. .

2010 New Year's Resolutions

For all their differences, people usually agree on one thing: the previous year was a very bad year, and the new one looks better. All they zoom in on are the dark places and the difficult times they had. However, the future, too, has "two roads diverged in the a yellow wood." It's human to see the grass as being greener ahead. It's human to see the New Year as a time to turn over a new leaf and to look ahead with optimism. Part of the New Year ritual is an attempt to start afresh and prepare a list of resolutions for the coming year. “An arbitrary date on the calendar doesn’t have to have any influence on me,” I often say in my internal monologue. Then, I always give in and jump on the bandwagon and create my own New Year resolution list. This is how it came out this time:

First, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and I don’t like junk food. So, I have no bad eating habit to stamp out (thank God). I appreciate and I am grateful for God's blessings. So my resolution is to keep up eating salad and avoiding too much meat and thanking God for giving me more health than illness.

Second, I am a workaholic and I like it. I wonder if it is something I have to fix. And fixing it means sitting at pavement café tables scrutinizing every passer-by or staying at home and watching all boring TV programs. So, my second resolution is to keep up the hard work and learn something new in the year ahead, especially in the field of computer technology – I love technology.

Third, I am thin – not slim – and have no extra kilos to shed. So, no need for long distance jogging. Maybe a few errands for my wife to the grocer’s on the corner and looking for my car in the parking lot – I am absent-minded at times - are enough to keep me fit.

Fourth, many people promise themselves to enjoy life more and pledge to scoot from their hectic schedules and lifestyles. But my grandmother – my first teacher – kept hammering me with a proverb that her parents had kept hammering her with: “A young idler is an old beggar.” If you don't work when you’re young, you won't have any money when you're old. So, my fourth resolution is: work hard while you’re still young and while you can, and rest when you’re old – or dead.

Fifth, people think time with the family comes before work. I don’t agree. Life is not an endless treadmill of chores. Let’s be more realistic: these chores are what makes this short life sweet and worth living. I need to work to get paid to bring bread to the table. No work means no money, no food, no clothes, no education for my kids, and no life. So, my fifth resolution is: I’ll try my best to balance my work and family responsibilities as much as I can. Because I love my family, I love working to provide for them.

All in all, Happy New Year 2010. I miss each and every one of you. I miss America; the land of order and law. The land of opportunities and freedom. I love Morocco and I hope its political leaders who have failed to live up to their election promises to set a list of resolutions to improve it economically, politically and socially.

My last wish though is I hope this New Year 2010 brings lots of good things our way all. Amen

The Frail Government

The government's decision to make deductions from our salaries and wages in response to the two day strike last February 10th and 11th has been the talk of roadside cafes, street corners, marketplaces and a few radio stations. I pondered on the decision for a while but couldn't find a reasonable reason for such an egregious choice. Then it suddenly dawned on me that it was just another mistake among others that this government has been making since it came to office. It has been doing all it can to deserve being called 'punitive government', a nickname coined by an independent newspaper.

I personally had a sinking feeling when the present Prime Minister was appointed. First, he was not very high on the popularity stakes because he has had the Najat albatross around his neck - for which he should have either resigned or been investigated and prosecuted - since 2002 when he was the Minister of Employment. 30, 000 young Moroccans were scammed into a scheme that promised them employment abroad at tempting wages for the payment of a sum of money. Six of them have already committed suicide. Second, I had that uneasy feeling because of the record-low voter turnout of the September 2008 elections which brought this government to power. The turnout was less than 37% if we take into account the canceled votes and the votes that were declared invalid

One of the worst punishments the Moroccan people have been presented with by this government is the weakening of the public's purchasing power through successive price rises. The prices of food and other commodities have skyrocketed higher than they ever have. This is occurring at a time when a large proportion of the Moroccan working class is unable to make ends meet. This is happening at a time when many Moroccans still live a quite primitive life in remote areas.

Another punishment this government is soon going to inflict on the public is the new infamous Highway Code. Some fines are almost as high as the wages of some drivers. The fact that Transport Minister is trying to apply a Swiss Highway Code to dilapidated Moroccan roads and poverty-stricken drivers has become a standing joke.

Also, this government has fallen short of meeting the expectations of its constituents. It has gone back on its farrago election promises of change and better living conditions for everyone. Unemployment, rampant among youth, is rising higher and the government has settled the problem by importing police batons from Spain and by raising the walls of the governing party’s headquarters higher so that the unemployed protesters won’t invade it. “If you think the government is working, ask those who don’t” says a message I once read on a bumper sticker in Boston, USA.

Additionally, the government of change has not been able to make the slightest movement to fight any form of corruption, petty and grand. Bribery, embezzlement, kickbacks, cronyism, nepotism, red tape bureaucracy, lack of transparency, lack of accountability and punitive measures all weigh heavily on the bottom million Moroccans living in stark poverty and never on the few rich elite. Corruption flourishes in the country because impunity shelters it, because whistleblowers are not protected, and because there is no real will to fight it. Our law, unfortunately, does not apply to everyone. Many perceive themselves as above it. Others can break it and come up smelling like roses using various methods and tactics.

Likewise, the old boy network government has not been able to cut exorbitant salaries that shear taxpayers. Ministers, MPs, CEOs and many more others receive incredibly exorbitant salaries and bonuses for the little work they do - which is usually done by others - while those who are overworked are paid a meager pittance. One cannot help laughing tragically at these ridiculously inflated salaries which are unjustified.

Even the problem of black plastic bags can’t be fought by this government of change, let alone the problems of education, health and justice. As everyone knows, thin plastic bags not only harm the environment but are a real visual eyesore as well. The neighbors of Morocco started the war against black plastic bags years ago but our government has not given it a place on its agenda yet. Need I say more?

Conversely, this government has been good at fighting the free press. Some members of the government refuse to talk to some newspapers because they don’t see eye to eye with them on most issues. It has been using a version of the old rule of “you are with us or against us” to frighten, intimidate, and silence them. Other tactics that have aimed at subduing these independent publications include prosecutions, crackdowns, heavy fines, suspensions and sentences. The government mistakenly considers the free press an enemy rather than a partner. In true democracies, the press is the core of democracy, the eyes, ears and mouth of the people. It is the floodlights that allows average citizens to control the government; however, our government wants us to be "like the deaf person at the wedding" who has no idea about what is going on. Anyway, I hope our free press digs in its heels and does not back down.

All that has been said above is out of love for this country. I enjoy watching the Moroccan flag wave up in the breeze. I deeply love listening to and reciting the National Anthem and thinking about all that it represents. I am a pro-monarchy, a pro-democracy, and a pro-constitution. In short, I am a true patriot and I wish my country the best of everything: less poverty, more accountability, less corruption, better justice, less bureaucracy, better education... Amen

It's long past time for Israel...

This is in answer to Iona from Israel who sent us (University of the Middle East Alumni group) pictures and links to videos posted on YouTube about Hamas.
Dear Iona,
Do you mean to justify the last Israeli attack on Gaza through your pictures and videos? Do you mean to blame the victim and turn Israel’s genocidal aggression into self-defence? The brutal collective punishment inflicted on Gazans is unjustifiable. The carnage claimed at least 1300 lives and injured more than 5500, most of them civilian kids and women. What is worse is that the timing of the onslaught is determined, as you know, by political expediency. A general election in Israel is slated for 10 February 2009 and the dead Palestinians are only election fodder.
It’s time, long past time, for Israel to be realistic and engage in more serious talks with its neighbors and all parties concerned including Hamas. History is replete with examples of ‘terrorists’ becoming statesmen. Also, This Hamas is, somehow, the creation of Israel through the old game of divide and rule. When Hamas was founded in 1987, Israel allowed it to rise as a counterforce to Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement. Now that the boot is on the other foot and that Hamas succeeded in building one (may be the only) genuine democracy in the Arab world, Israel and its allies are shamelessly demonizing and vilifying it and rendering the whole Gazans criminals. Yesterday, the problem was the secular Fatah. Today it is the Islamic Hamas. Israel will always find a cloak for its policy of territorial expansion.
It’s time, long past time, for Israel to stop its propaganda machine that purveys the notion that Hamas is a terrorist organization. For the Palestinians, for the Arabs, for Moslems, for many others, Hamas is a liberation organization fighting for independence. As you know, historically, colonization is something no people could tolerate without retaliation. So this war of pictures and videos will absolutely not serve the peace process. It will not hide the truth either. Michael Levy said about truth that “You can bend it or twist it... You can misuse and abuse it... But even God cannot change the Truth”; it will out, you know.
It’s time, long past time, for Israel to stop playing the “crying and shooting” game. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 and killed 17500 people most of them civilian children and women. Qana massacre in 1996 claimed 106 civilian refugee deaths, more than half were children. In 1982 in Sabra-Chatila refugee camp, almost 3500 Palestinians were massacred. These massacre and others that have been carried out since 1948 have had the same objective: expulsion of the Palestinians and grabbing of more land. “Land-grabbing and peace-making are simply incompatible” Avi Shlaim said in The Guardian.
It’s long past time for Israel to end Gaza siege. The residents of this open-air prison are cut off from family and compatriots, walled off from their fields, jobs, schools, and hospitals. They are surrounded by walls, barbed wires, machine gun towers, and checkpoints. Israel controls Gaza's land, sea, and air. The majority of the population lives in abject poverty eating only one meal a day because of the siege which disrupts the flow of supplies such as electricity, water, gas… The siege also resulted in the wasting of perishable exports from Gaza. What sort of people can stand such a life? What sort of mind and heart can tolerate such existence?
It’s time, long past time, for Israel to review its policy and listen to the voices of reason and moderation. I was really overwhelmed by such reasonable voices of many thoughtful people inside Israel itself: Isaac Rabin, Yehoshafat Harkabi, Gidon Levy, Yonit Levi to mention only a few. Many of them moved away from uncompromising stances to support a Palestinian state. Since sticks have not worked, carrots are needed, many advised. Conversely, pounding the Palestinians now and then will only lead to a boomerang effect on Israel. Every time it flexes its brutal military muscles against the Palestinians, it brings more partisans to the Palestinian cause and more converts to the 'ideology' of Hamas, not only in the Arab-Moslem world but all over the globe. Because of Israel's iron fist policy many arch-enemies of the Palestinian cause have changed their minds 180 degree to root for the Palestinians. This has happened inside Israel itself.
Dear Iona,
This does not mean that I applaud the killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas. Killing civilians is fundamentally and morally wrong whatever the faith, whatever the nationality, whatever the color, whatever the age, whatever the sex. Qassam rockets, such as they are, can cause at least psychological damage to Israeli civilian kids, women, and elderly. “Plus de peur que de mal”, say the French. That is, too much fear does a lot of harm. There is nothing worse than living under the perpetual fear of being killed or hurt while doing your job, shopping with your kids, or celebrating with your family…
What is thoroughly disappointing and appalling, though, is the attitude of most western countries. They did nothing to prevent the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290. They watched shamelessly when the Jews and Moslems were expelled from Spain in 1492. They kept silent when the Nazis were persecuting the Jews during World War II ( along with the disabled, the gypsies, and others). Now, the wheel has come full circle and the west watches, once again, with criminal eyes, while history is repeating itself: they are watching while the Palestinians are being persecuted.
All in all, I hope that newer winds of change will soon blow in through the region and through the minds of the different key players there. I hope everyone has learnt enough to stop this unnecessary conflict, be prepared to take the rough with the smooth by making substantial concessions, and opt for a durable peace and stability. I am optimistic that the new American leadership – the third party– will be a fair and serious peace broker. Amen.

New Year 2009

Another year passes and a new one takes its place, taking us deeper into the 21st century. But looking forward to the near future and backward to recent years I have to admit that there is proof and many reasons to be worried. World peace has gone downhill and will undoubtedly continue its slide. I cannot recall a single day without a news or report of something terrible happening somewhere, especially in the Middle East. One feels disheartened and horrified to see the kind of violent acts being committed each and every day there. The escalation of the conflict has culminated in a real bloodshed in Gaza this week. Many, like me, have watched the tragedy with horror, disgust, indignation, revulsion, and disbelief.

Yes, another New Year rolled around again and the gap between the rich and the poor and middle class continues to widen. The poor continue to finance the rich and to writhe in their deteriorating plight : unbelievable poverty, deprivation, diseases, unemployment, illiteracy, famine, filth, squalor and the list is endless. Mysticism, cults, and drugs have seen an upsurge in recent years in an attempt to escape the harsh reality. Alas, no.

One more year into the 21st century and still human rights abuse, democracy deterioration, justice absence all over the globe go from bad to worse, and violators go scot-free. ‘Public servants’ seek office for selfish motivations and lucrative reasons. Ironically, it is the public, in most cases, that serves these leaders and policy makers.

A new year arrives filled with hopes and promises. It is usually a time for many to regroup, to play or listen to beautiful music, to sing songs, to do decorations, and to feast on special foods. It is an opportunity for many to make resolutions as people have done since the time of the Babylonians. It is an occasion for them to ‘decide’ to quit smoking or/and drinking, to save or earn more money, to eat healthier, to exercise more, to become more organized, to spend more time with family, and to become better people. People make resolution because they want to change for the better ; however, change is difficult : Unless people’s nature changes, God will not change anything around them. Also, the trouble with resolutions is that they are so easy to break. Making resolutions is, as well, succumbing to the cult of faddism. So wishes, instead, would be good enough for me : I need no job promotion, no more money, no bigger house, no better car…not right now.

My first and last wish is for a peaceful, joyful, and happy world. To achieve this, we need to develop a sense of universal responsibility. We need to develop a new world ethic and abide by it. We need to foster greater understanding between different faiths and cultures. We need to introduce and give adequate attention to Peace Education because ‘the child is the promise of mankind’. Education is the mother and the alma mater. We need to nurture peace in the heart of children, to preserve their innocence from being spoilt, and to create a peaceful and sustainable future by introducing Peace Education as a subject at school. Peace education could be the umbrella theme for conflict resolution, tolerance, democracy, understanding diversity, and so on. We need to pull the proverbial finger out and hurry up to save what could be saved.

Turn the floodlights on today's education and you will discover that it has created Frankensteins threatening to destroy the world. Our system of education has spawned wars, hatred, violence, terrorism, revenge, vanity, egoism, and greed just to name a few dangers that stalk the modern world.

Our system of education has not been adequate and has not been useful to the pupils. It has been too materialistic and has been teaching half-truths. And since there is cause for every effect, the effects and results of our education is, regretfully, what you see around you today. Dishonesty, dog-eat-dog competition, billionaires seeking more billions, religious bigotry, racial discrimination, class distinction, and so on.

I may seem a bit fatalistic about the system of education as it is, but I always judge things by their outcome. Turn the searchlight on today’s leaders, policy, modern technology, commerce and industry, social order and you will discover that they have all gone to the dogs. They have become decadent because our education has become defunct. And if we just ignore the condition and turn a blind eye at it, things will deteriorate beyond repair. Education is a means by which mankind could be saved or destroyed.

Happy New Years Moslems -1430 - and Christians -2009- and sorry for being ominous and not painting a beautiful picture of the future.

East or West Home is Best.

Today is Sunday April 27, 2008. Everyone in Kent State University ILEP group have their eyes riveted on the calendar these days as we count down to the trip back home. I have noticed that everyone is so beyond homesick, tense, and impatient. The days, however, are obstinate and are slow-paced and add to the mountain of homework we have. We have papers to submit, a portfolio to complete, reports to write, posters to make, lesson plans to prepare, presentations to give, and shopping to do to get ready for the trip back home.
It is strange how people even refuse to go out to cultural events. They prefer staying in their rooms, do their assignments, eat, and go to sleep. I enjoy learning about this American diverse culture though I want to go home like I never wanted to go home before.
Before coming to Ohio last January, I had known, from experience, I would be amazed for some time then I would start to get homesick and upset. From previous experience also, I know that once back home I will experience Reverse Culture Shock after the fist few days. I know I will miss many things I am used to and many people I met here. I will miss order, punctuality, smoking-free environment, taking many pictures, buritos at Chipotle restaurant, Jeorge Carlin and a bunch of other stand up comedians…I will be leaving my new home behind, the friends I made, my new family (Linda, Jennifer, and Rose and others), nice and helpful professors; and there is a good chance that I will never see them again. The thought of it makes my heart ache. I am a very emotional person, especially over people I love and respect.
I think I have shown enough remarkable fortitude for the last four months but this is too much for me. I want to go home and I am excited to go and I am looking forward to it because I miss my wife and kids more than anything else. They are part of me and I am part of them.
I have survived the chilly weather, the food, the culture shock, and everything that has been thrown on me and I want to go home. I enjoyed some courses, some cultural events, some friendships...yet, heck with the cheese, just let me out of the trap.
East or west, home is best.

A Tribute to Nacer

Death is inevitable for every human being because “to God we belong and to Him is our return” said the Holy Koran. However, Nacer Amezian’s passing away affected me a lot. The terrible news of his death shocked and deeply saddened me and added to my homesickness in this ‘cold’ part of the world – Ohio, US. His death came at a time I hadn’t gotten over the shock of the loss of another Moroccan close friend yet – Lahcen Laabid, God bless his soul.
I met Nacer for the first time in Boston College in August, 2004. We were there to attend an educational program sponsored by the University of the Middle East (UME). He was the only Algerian in the group and he felt at home with us the Moroccans though he got on well with everyone else. My relationship with him grew up very quickly because we had many things in common that helped us do so, especially language. We spoke Berber, French, and English but we usually used Berber.
Nacer believed in the power of friendship and he was the only one from the twenty four members of the group who stayed in touch with me on a regular basis. We emailed each other and we phoned one another. I liked reading his emails because they were always peppered with that good humor he never lost.
Nacer was such a good friend and often wished the Moroccan-Algerian borders would open so that he could visit me with his family in my hometown.
He was such a loving and faithful husband and often told me that his wife was the center of his life. He was such an affectionate and devoted father who did everything for his children and whose eyes welled up with tears whenever he talked about them in Boston. I still remember how sad he felt one day in August, 2004 because one of his daughters celebrated her birthday in his absence. I learned the names of his three daughters because he kept talking about them all the time. His boy was still not born at that time. He emailed me and told me the good news when Yassine was born.
Nacer liked fun and enjoyed life. He liked to listen to Berber music. It was in his blood. I recall that day when we were about to leave an American bookstore and that Algerian Berber musical dance came on the radio. He refused to leave the bookstore until the song was over. He even danced for a few seconds there.
My heart is broken because I lost a good friend, a real friend, but “Every soul must taste death.”
My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, his three daughters and his son. My sincere condolences go to his many friends and all those who knew and loved him.
Rest in peace Nacer you will be missed and remembered.
Noureddine