|
Abraham Serfaty
Abraham Serfaty ( ar, أبراهام سرفاتي; January 16, 1926 – 18 November 2010) was an internationally prominent Moroccan Marxist-Leninist dissident, militant, and political activist, who was imprisoned for years by King Hassan II of Morocco, for his political actions in favor of democracy , during the Years of Lead. He paid a high price for such actions: fifteen months living underground, seventeen years of imprisonment and eight years of exile. He returned to Morocco in September 1999. Life and politics Abraham Serfaty was born in Casablanca, on January 16, 1926, to a middle-class humanistic Moroccan Jewish family originally from Tangier. He graduated in 1949 from École des Mines de Paris, one of the most prominent French engineering schools. His political activities started very early. In February 1944, he joined the Moroccan Youth Communists, and, upon his arrival in France in 1945, the French Communist Party. When he returned to Morocco in 1949, he joined ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east, and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south. Mauritania lies to the south of Western Sahara. Morocco also claims the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, and several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. It spans an area of or , with a population of roughly 37 million. Its official and predominant religion is Islam, and the official languages are Arabic and Berber; the Moroccan dialect of Arabic and French are also widely spoken. Moroccan identity and culture is a mix of Arab, Berber, and European cultures. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca. In a region inhabited since the Paleolithic Era over 300,000 years ago, the first Moroccan st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moroccan Jew
Moroccan Jews ( ar, اليهود المغاربة, al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba he, יהודים מרוקאים, Yehudim Maroka'im) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews began immigrating to the region as early as 70 CE. They were later met by a second wave of migrants from the Iberian peninsula in the period which immediately preceded and followed the issuing of the 1492 Alhambra Decree, when Jews were expelled from Spain, and soon afterward, from Portugal. This second wave of immigrants changed Moroccan Jewry, which largely embraced the Andalusian Sephardic liturgy, to switch to a mostly Sephardic identity. The immigration of Moroccan Jews to Israel has occurred throughout the centuries of Jewish history. Moroccan Jews built the first self-made neighborhood outside the walls of Jerusalem (Mahane Israel) in 1867, as well as the first modern neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Tiberias. At its peak in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mohammedia
Mohammedia ( ar, المحمدية, al-muḥammadiyya; ber, ⴼⴹⴰⵍⴰ, Fḍala), known until 1960 as Fedala, is a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Casablanca-Settat. It hosts the most important oil refinery of Morocco, the Samir refinery, which makes it the center of the Moroccan petroleum industry. It has a population of 208,612 according to the 2014 Moroccan census. History Early history The harbor, at what is now Mohammédia, was originally named Fédala (). This name comes from the Arabic words ''Fadl Allah'' () which means "favor of God". Traces still exist of its business role under the Almoravid dynasty. It was frequented in the 14th and 15th centuries by merchant ships from Europe seeking cereals and dried fruits. In 1773, the Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah made of Fédala a grains warehouse of Tamasna province and built the Kasbah to protect the shops for traders. He built the white masjid Al Atik as w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mohammed VI Of Morocco
Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is the King of Morocco. He belongs to the 'Alawi dynasty and acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced a number of reforms and changed the family code, '' Mudawana'', granting women more power. Leaked diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks in 2010 led to allegations of corruption in the court of Mohammed, implicating him and his closest advisors. Widespread disturbances in 2011, a Moroccan element of the Arab Spring, protested against corruption and urged political reform. In response, Mohammed put into effect a program of reforms and introduced a new constitution. These reforms were passed by a public referendum on 1 July 2011. Mohammed has vast business holdings across several economic sectors in Morocco. His net worth has been estimated at between and over US$8.2 billion, and, according to the American business ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hassan II Of Morocco
Hassan II ( ar, الحسن الثاني, translit=al-Ḥasan aṯ-ṯhānī;), with the prefix "Mulay" before his enthronement 9 July 1929 – 23 July 1999) was the King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was a member of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was the eldest son of Sultan Mohammed V, and his second wife, Lalla Abla bint Tahar. He was the first commander-in-chief of the Royal Armed Forces and was named crown prince in 1957. He was enthroned as king in 1961 following his father's death. Hassan's reign was marked by the start of the Western Sahara conflict and the Sand War. He was also the target of two failed coup d'états that were opposed to the absolute monarchy in Morocco: one in 1971 and the other in 1972. Hassan's conservative rule reportedly strengthened the 'Alawi dynasty's rule over Morocco and Western Sahara. He was accused of authoritarian practices and civil rights abuses, particularly during the Years of Lead. A truth commission was set up after h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christine Daure-Serfaty
Christine Daure-Serfaty (1926 – 28 May 2014) was a French human rights activist and writer who distinguished herself in Morocco where she embraced the fight of the victims of King Hassan II, during the " Years of Lead," and from afar, played a major role in the evolution of the regime and the human rights in Morocco. She was the wife of Abraham Serfaty, a Moroccan dissident. In 1974 Abraham Serfaty was sentenced to life imprisonment. It was in September 1999 that the new Moroccan king, Mohammed VI, permitted Abraham Serfaty’s return to Morocco. Biography Christine Daure arrived in Morocco in 1962. In 1972, in Casablanca, she hid two political dissidents wanted by the Moroccan police: Abraham Serfaty who ended up sentenced to life in prison in 1974, and Abdellatif Zeroual, who died under torture after his arrest. During these years, she fought to save Abraham Serfaty from the same fate. She finally obtained the right to marry him in jail in 1986 and settled in Rabat. Sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danielle Mitterrand
Danielle Émilienne Isabelle Mitterrand (née Gouze; 29 October 1924 – 22 November 2011) was the wife of French President François Mitterrand, and president of the foundation France Libertés Fondation Danielle Mitterrand."Danielle Mitterrand, les combats d'une militante" '''', 22 November 2011 Biography Danielle Émilienne Isabelle Gouze was born on 29 October 1924 in Verdun, in the . Her father, Antoine Gouze (1885-1958), was a college principal. Her mother, ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenitra
Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou River, Sebou river, has a population in 2014 of 431,282, is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the capital of the Kenitra Province. During the Cold War Kenitra's U.S. Naval Air Facility served as a stopping point in North Africa. History Ancient history The history of the city begins with the foundation of a trading-post by the Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian, known back then as Thamusida. Under the Antonine dynasty, a Venus (mythology), Venus temple was built there. Before the French protectorate in Morocco, French protectorate, the Kasbah Mahdiyya was the only construction in the area where the modern city can today be found. Colonial and recent history In March 1912 the French government and the Sultan of Morocco, Abd al-Hafid of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the remaining 80% of the territory is occupied and administered by neighboring Morocco. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of desert flatlands. The population is estimated at just over 500,000, of which nearly 40% live in Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara. Occupied by Spain until 1975, Western Sahara has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1963 after a Moroccan demand. It is the most populous territory on that list, and by far the largest in area. In 1965, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its first resolution on Western Sahara, asking Spain to decolonize the territory. One year later, a new resol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derb Moulay Cherif
Derb Moulay Cherif () is a neighborhood in Hay Mohammadi, Casablanca. Derb Moulay Cherif prison The neighborhood was the site of a clandestine torture and detention center during the Years of Lead of King Hassan II, though its history dates back to the period of French Protectorate, when it was used for the torture of . Victims of torture at the prison include Saida Menebhi, Abraham Serfaty, Fatna El Bouih, Salah El-Ouadie, Abdellatif Zeroual, and others. In literature Salah El-Ouadie addressed his torturer in a famous open letter: . Fatna El Bouih published ''Talk of Darkness'' (; 2001). Jaouad Mdidech wrote his memoir ''Derb Moulay Cherif: The Dark Room'' (; 2002) about his experience. See also * Tazmamart Tazmamart ( ar, سجن تازمامرت) was a secret prison in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, holding political prisoners. The prison became a symbol of oppression in the political history of contemporary Morocco. It is located near the city of ... Reference ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abdellatif Zeroual
Abdellatif Zeroual (1951 in Berrechid, Morocco14 November 1974 at " Derb Moulay Chérif" in Casablanca) was a philosophy teacher and member of the national committee of the " Ila Al Amame" movement. Abdellatif was the son of Haj Abdelkader Zeroual, a militant who fought the French before Morocco became independent. In 1970, when the Moroccan authorities launched a crackdown on the Ila al-Amam movement, he went into hiding with Abraham Serfaty and was protected by Christine Daure-Serfaty. In 1973 he was sentenced to death in absentia by a Casablanca court. On November 5, 1974, he disappeared after being snatched by a group of plain-clothed men while on his way to a meeting. A week later a body was registered at a hospital in Rabat, which human rights organisations claim to be his, although the Moroccan authorities have never confirmed this. See also *Khadija Ryadi Khadija Ryadi ( ar, خديجة الرياضي; born 1960 in Taroudant) is a Moroccan Human rights, feminist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ila Al-Amam (Morocco)
''Ila al-Amam'' ( ar, إلى الأمام, 'Forward', also ''Ila Al Amame'') was a Marxist group in Morocco founded by the Moroccan engineer Abraham Serfaty and other left-wing activists in 1970. It was an underground movement whose members lived in hiding and distributed political leaflets. Most of its members were arrested and imprisoned in 1974 and received heavy prison sentences. Despite being short-lived, the movement was considered an essential cornerstone of Moroccan Marxism and in 1995, the left-wing party Annahj Addimocrati was constituted as a continuation of Ila al-Amam. One of the members of ''Ila al-Amam'' was Driss Benzekri, who directed the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) in 2003. Another is Abdelhamid Amine, vice-president of the Association Marocaine des Droits de l'Homme. Chronology of the main events from 1968 to 1995 1968-1969 The emergence of the first groups of the Moroccan Marxism - Leninism movement among student in the cities of Fez, Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
