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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 Feb. - 1 March 2000 Issue No. 470 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 Feb. - 1 March 2000 Issue No. 470
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Heritage Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Contest for the poor
By Dalal Abu GhazalehA letter by Sheikh Abdessalam Yassine -- the leader of Morocco's banned Al-Adl wal Ihsan (Justice and Charity) movement -- to King Mohamed VI may jeopardise the possibility of the former's reprieve from 10 years under house arrest. The harsh 35-page letter, in which the elderly leader asks for the repatriation of billions of dollars of Morocco's money to help the country's poor, is viewed by some observers as a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the popular young monarch toward the ideas propagated by Al-Adl wal Ihsan. Sheikh Yassine alleged that the late King Hassan had invested this money abroad in real estate and other assets.
Government officials and Islamist figures have said that several envoys, including close aides to socialist Prime Minister Abderrahmane Al-Youssoufi had met with Sheikh Yassine, 72, during the past few months to try to convince him to write a letter to the king that would pave the way for his release. Such a gesture would be similar to a much-publicised letter by leftist opposition leader Abraham Serfaty, who returned from exile in France shortly after the king's enthronement in July following the death of his father King Hassan.
"We want Sheikh Yassine to be freed without any conditions. As long as he respects the law... we do not see why he should negotiate his freedom," his daughter and the main spokesperson of the Islamist group, Nadia Yassine, said in a recent interview with an international news agency. "Sheikh Yassine rejects any compromise. It is a question of principle. If the authorities are really committed to free speech, why did they ask Sheikh Yassine to compromise," she said.
Despite the ban, Sheikh Yassine's books are distributed at bookstores and by his supporters who, like his daughter Nadia, are allowed access to regional and international news media. Every year, the group holds "Islamist" summer camps which attract thousands of Moroccans who are opposed to Western-style beaches and prefer segregation of the sexes. However, compared with militant Islamists in Algeria, the message of Al-Adl wal Ihsan is relatively moderate; it has never challenged the four-century-old Alawite dynasty, or the widely accepted notion that the monarch is a descendant of the Prophet Mohamed -- a belief that has helped to shield the monarch against attacks from the opposition.
Its leaders, however, have repeatedly called for the application of Shari'a, urging the monarch and his government to limit their reliance on the West for financial and political support.
In his letter, Sheikh Yassine suggested that by using the wealth invested abroad by the late King Hassan to finance Morocco's $18 billion debt and to assist the poor, King Mohamed could become a "national hero".
Diplomats and analysts said that figures for King Hassan's wealth abroad are highly exaggerated and difficult to verify as they are based on rumours rather than established facts. But they added that both the palace and the Islamist group appear to be facing dilemmas. While the palace is eager to see Sheikh Yassine freed from house arrest in the city of Salé, just outside Rabat, they want him to keep a low profile, and avoid making fiery speeches like those that landed him in prison twice in the 1970s. Sheikh Yassine had repeatedly criticised the government for corruption, insufficient action to alleviate poverty in rural areas and rising unemployment, especially among the youth from whom he draws most of his supporters. However, the palace fears that the death of the elderly sheikh while under house arrest would provoke widespread protests by Islamists and human rights activists at home and abroad who had long campaigned for his release.
Support for Islamists, according to political analysts, is declining among Morocco's population of 29 million as the young king's popularity is on the rise. Since he succeeded his father, King Mohamed has attempted to reach out to those of modest means, urging both the government and the private sector to help out -- efforts that have led him to be dubbed "King of the Poor". He has released some 10,000 prisoners and allowed the return of the family of Mehdi Ben Barka who disappeared in mysterious conditions in Paris and is said to have been killed by ex-Interior Minister Mohammed Oufkir in 1965. In another gesture of goodwill the king pledged to pay compensation to political activists and the relatives of his late father's opponents who were victims of repression and "forced disappearances" in the 1960s and 1970s -- periods that witnessed significant deep political and social upheaval and opposition to the monarchy.
"Paradoxically, we are now in a situation where it is the king who is urging the opposition to implement social and economic reforms quickly. He is turning the tables on them -- the opposition now appears to be taking cues from him," said one politician from Al-Youssoufi's Socialist Front for People's Forces (USFP) party.
But analysts say the king and his government needed to act quickly to produce tangible results -- particularly on the job creation front -- if they are to capitalise on public opinion, which has been in their favour since July.
"This is the only way the king can pull the rug from under the Islamists who remain the main opposition force in Morocco at present. After all, the opposition [Al-Youssoufi] has been heading the government for the past 20 months," an Arab ambassador told Al-Ahram Weekly.
