The Murder of the Eye

What is the Evil Eye? Is it a curse? Who believes in it? How does it affect people’s lives? Is it a religious concept? Did we ever analyze it with our minds rather than simply receiving it as a heritage that has been believed in for centuries?

 

Usually referred to in Moroccan Arabic as العين/ al’ain (lit. the eye), the concept of the evil eye has an obvious influence on the daily lives of most Moroccans. It is considered  rude, sometimes even insulting, to show appreciation for something or someone without adding the phrase tbareklah or mashalah meaning God bless. There are even other expressions to use in order to avoid the evil eye, such as: kif shftek kif khlitek (As I see you, I leave you), sometimes Quranic verses would be used “fasaykfiyakom Allah wahowa samii’ al ‘alim” (Allah will be sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.) Quran 2: 137, others would even face you with their full hand or put a khmissa (a full hand sign) on their main door which is commonly done by Moroccan Jews as well. Incense is also a means that is employed to destroy or break the evil eye.

Many people in Morocco, mainly the older generation, are very serious about al’ain. They argue saying that “half of the Umma (nation) of the Prophet Mohammed died with al’ain.” I believe that the religious reasoning of it makes sense of why it is a strong belief among Moroccans. It also explains the fact that almost all the Muslim shops are furnished with a Quranic verse on the wall that says “Allah will be sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”Quran 2: 137. Let’s look at the context of this verse by reading the whole verse (not just the last part of it): “So if they believe in the same as you believe in, then they have been [rightly] guided; but if they turn away, they are only in dissension, and Allah will be sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.” Quran 2: 137. Obviously it has nothing to do with the evil eye, and not in that context at all, yet it is used against al’ain.

As far as I am concerned, these two concepts cannot meet: believing in God and believing in the power of the eye, because somehow you give a human being the power to change another person’s fate or even life by simply looking at them in appreciation or envy. Not only that, but also authority over one’s life, since “half of the Umma of the Prophet Mohammed died with al’ain.” If so, it is dangerous, SOS!

When I ask someone about their understanding of al’ain, they give the religious discourse to argue that “it exists”,  or simply  “my parents used to tell us about it and how we should protect ourselves from it.” I personally would be ashamed to answer my children with “because my parents used to do it” about something that I have been doing/ believing in all my life without even understanding or questioning it.

Take time to consider what you have been taking for granted!

FIDADOC in its 4th Edition in Agadir

Agadir – April 24-28, 2012

Founded by Nezha Drissi, the International Documentary Film Festival: FIDADOC is an exclusively dedicated to the genre of documentary films. Drissi’s desire was to develop the production of this genre in Morocco. The opening of the fourth edition, which took place in cinema Rialto in Agadir, began with a film in homage of the deceased Nezha Drissi whose initiative is carried on by her disciples. The festival is in partnership with 2M. The festival also includes programs for school children.

Enfants de Regueb (Children of Ragueb) is a short film that introduces a new perspective to the aftermaths of the revolution in Tunisia, this time presented by the children of the country. These children present their opinions freely about the former president Ben Ali. The film shows how these children dislike Ben Ali and give mature-like answers, such as: “Ben Ali stole our money” “When I was young I loved Ben Ali, but now (giving the impression that they are old enough now to consider this issue while they are still at the age of about 12-13) I don’t like him.” The film-maker provokes them by asking the question: “Do you have money, did he steal your own money?” The film argues that these are their parent’s opinions which are repeated by their children.

The next film in the projection sequence is Jerome Le Maire’s film: Le Thé ou l’électricité?  (Tea or Electricity). It tackles the daily struggles of the inhabitants of the village of Ifri in the mountains. The film, or rather the characters in the film, gained many applauds. The film-maker follows the story of the development (introducing electricity) of a village. Electricity was seen as a blessing to the village, but once it was installed in their humble houses, problems occurred that made their lives rather complicated than more comfortable. The film was the winner of the prize.

The festival continued for 5 days, starting from April 24th to 28th. There were film directors, producers and other professionals from the cinema industry.

“May God Kill the Jews”?!

 

On Friday, March 16th, 2012, I premiered the documentary “My Neighbor… The Jew” at the American Language Center of Fez. As part of the event, I introduced my work. My presentation was as follows:

In 2008, I was walking by a mosque in my neighborhood and I heard the Imam shouting “May God kill the Jews.” I was frightened to hear such a statement from an influential person, someone who is preaching to thousands of people. It was like a slap in the face. Now, to give background to this, it was Friday, and Gaza was under Israeli attack. The Imam did not draw a line between Israel and Jews. In other words, Jews in Morocco, for instance, are not responsible for that massacre. On the contrary, in that evening during the Shabbat service, there was a prayer for peace in the Middle East. Here is the thing, only few people know about this act: Jews praying for peace in Gaza. However, a lot of people think they know that Jews are evil. That is when I decided to bring that out from the synagogue where there were at most 15 people, to be shared with the world, or at least, with Moroccans.

Let me share a funny story with you. Usually, to mark the end of the Shabbat, three stars should appear in the sky. Jews in the synagogue of Fez are a bit spoiled; they depend on the evening call to prayer, saying that “this man knows!”

My Neighbor… The Jew is the product of this desire, to show this common life between Jews and Muslims in Morocco. I worked on this documentary with two veiled Muslim girls: Camellia Filali, and Afaf Lahbabi. They both joined in this ambition and journey of presenting a balanced view of Jews in Morocco. We opted for this title, in order to highlight the concept of Neighbor. The neighbor in both Islam, Judaism as well as in the Moroccan culture is almost hallowed. The Hebrew Bible says: “Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself” (Leviticus 19: 18) which includes the Muslim neighbor. There is a Hadith narrated by the Prophet of Islam that states “The best neighbour in Allah’s estimation is the one who is best to his neighbour.” (Al-Tirmidhi, Number 1287) and the famous Moroccan proverb declares “Choose your neighbor before your house.” With these thoughts, I will leave you to watch the film.

These were the very same words with which I presented My Neighbor… The Jew at the American Language Center of Fez. The hot room did not take away people’s interest in watching all the documentaries presented. After the presentation and  showing, the audience was given room to ask questions and react to the film. To my surprise, people reacted rather to my presentation. I was attacked for using the word “Imam” and one girl addressed me saying “you show two different groups, the Jews are praying for peace, and Muslims as evil” others agreed saying “you over generalized.” This article is basically a response to these remarks.

It was amusing to learn that these people who criticized my usage of the word “Imam” were rather concerned for the westerners who were present in the room. They believed that these westerners would get the idea that the Imam is an evil person, and then end up stereotyping Muslims. Wait a minute! The Imam is not an angel, is he? An Imam is someone who learns the whole Quran by heart, there are many Imams in the mosques who do not even have a decent education. And having them preaching to thousands of people, is dangerous!

I made sure before starting my presentation that I was going to share personal stories. I started with “I was walking by A mosque in my neighborhood…” I see no generalization here, I did not say “throughout Morocco” or “I have always heard Imams saying”, etc. Now to tell the full story. On a Friday, I was walking by the mosque in my neighborhood, and I was attracted by the large number of people praying, who even used the street as an extension of the mosque. The Imam/ preacher’s voice was loud enough (loud speakers) that it could be heard from miles away. I was amazed with the excitement that accompanied “Amen!” The Imam in a trembling voice, full of faith, was cursing the Jews. He was literally shouting “May God kill the Jews, May He pour his anger on them, May He orphan their children.” I understood that the sermon must be about the war on Gaza which was going on at that time (2008).

As long as there are feelings like that, there will be Muslims who feel responsible to “change” the world and make it better, and go to Jewish schools (like in Toulouse) and kill innocent people to please their leaders. The dangerous thing is that they believe that they are doing the right thing and maybe are even promised paradise by doing such acts. Let me remind you, that these are not purely Islamic acts, but Muslims’ acts, and there is a difference. Islam is not terrorism and it does not promote the killing of innocent people nor of the people of the book. It is rather the Muslim religious leaders who interpret the religion differently to satisfy their political agendas, or simply their hatred. The best example of a Muslim man to be talked about in this regard is the prophet Mohammad. Nobody can deny his peaceful relationships with the people of the book. There are several Hadiths regarding this. I recall one that says: if the Day of Judgment should arrive and if someone has a sapling in his hands, he should plant it first. One should deduce that the man who brought Islam to the world is against destruction. He is against such terrorist acts. So learn from him and follow his example. The Quran promotes respect to the people of the book, since they are the first to belong to a monotheist religion. The Quran clearly states that “If any one slew a person it would be as if he slew the whole people, and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.” (5: 32) It is obvious that the religion is not to blame, but rather the people. I suggest that the imams, religious leaders, revise their sermons.

A Review on “Moroccan Judaism: A Culture in Danger”

Are there Jews in Morocco? This is the first question that documentary maker, Youness Abeddour poses to local Moroccans in his documentary titled “Moroccan Judaism: A Culture in Danger.” The answers to this seemingly simple question, leads Abeddour into a rich discussion about Moroccan Judaism, in which he addresses many topics such as the history of Jews in Morocco, and questions of culture, language and identity.

Abeddour’s documentary is laid out on such way that one can understand how the past relates to the present and how an integral part of the citizenry, Moroccan Jews, came to be a part of the Moroccan landscape. Additionally, Abeddour’s documentary attempts to shed light on a few key terms, such as Zionism, that are often confounded and which often dilute such crucial conversations. Abeddour uses a variety of mediums to explore this topic, such as expert testimonials, documentary clips, and photos and through the intersections of these three means, a dynamic presentation emerges where the viewer is probed to think critically and deeply about the role of this underrepresented community, including their history and their contributions to Moroccan culture.

Of particular value to this discussion is Abeddour’s segment on how “Moroccanness,” is conceptualized as a function religion and language. This adds an interesting dimension in understanding how Moroccan Jews may have to grapple with their own identities as both Moroccan and Jewish, particularly those who speak a language other than Arabic.

Abeddour has done a great service to representing Moroccan Judaism and this documentary is critical for broadening the discussion on a minority population within Morocco. Further, this documentary is ever more important because it gives voice to Moroccan Jews, where such voices are underrepresented, and often neglected or silenced because of the political climate of the Middle East.

While the documentary was very interesting and informative, the length of the documentary was short, thus shortchanging many of the important topics that were presented in this documentary. Therefore, rather than discussing few topics in great length, many topics were addressed briefly. While this meant that the viewer emerged with more general information about this topic, it would have been interesting to see this documentary delve more deeply into specific topics such as Moroccan Jewish identity. Moreover, it would have been interesting to include more personal perspectives on how individual Moroccan Jewish perceive their identity and role in Moroccan culture and how this might relate to their conceptualization of citizenship and belongingness. That said, this documentary was definitely worth watching and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in gaining some preliminary knowledge about Moroccan Jews.

By Maha Hilal

Boycotting is Losing Your Voice

I have read an article entitled “Why I will Not Vote on November 25?” by Jamal Elabiad. I fundamentally disagree with it, here is why: boycotting the elections is just losing the opportunity that comes to Moroccans in four years to express themselves and decide for their representatives in the Parliament. I do agree, however, that the majority of the parties do not deserve and they are corrupt, etc. but we should give a chance to others whom we relatively “trust.” I think voting is (more than) a duty as Moroccan citizens.

Elabiad believes that “Nothing has been changed as far as the measures Moroccan political parties rely on in order to choose the candidates that will represent them around Morocco.” It will never change if we boycott the elections. Certainly not the whole population will boycott, and many will go to vote. This means that still the government will rely on the votes of those who voted.

Elabiad argues that many candidates use bribes and “false promises” and somehow they manage to win more voices using poor and illiterate subjects. In my opinion, if the literate and intellectual people go to vote, rather than boycotting, they will be more likely to make change. If “Money … is a key factor for a candidate to win the elections in Morocco” then our vote is the key factor to decide if this candidate will win or not.

I have recently read in the newspaper that there is now a box by the parliament where Moroccans can go and post their complaints or suggestions. The claim that “the Ministry of Interior in Morocco is known for its role in rigging election results” would more likely be heard if it’s shared. We should change what we think of as corrupt rather than just complaining that it is corrupt.

I voted and I completed my duty as a citizen who calls for change!

 

To Read:

http://moroccoworldnews.com/2011/11/why-i-will-not-vote-on-november-25/16047

A survey on “The Represenation of Moroccan Jews in Moroccan Cinema”

Moroccan Judaism: A Culture in Danger, A Review

August, 2011.

          “You can change that, Youness” said Jamal Morelli, my documentary supervisor. The Arab media has shaped people’s minds greatly which has caused confusion concerning who is a Jew and who is a Zionist. The term Jew has become linked with war, guns, killing Palestinians, Israel, Zionism, and a whole list of bloody events. In Morocco, many people sympathize with Palestinians because they are Arabs and Muslims, which automatically puts Israel (or Jews as they see it) in the side of the enemy. The audio-visual has a very large impact on the viewers, for example people would boycott Israel whenever media told them to do so.

         I started working on Moroccan Judaism in 2009, when I first wrote a thesis on The Presence of the Mellah in Morocco for my B.A. It dealt with defining the key terms and the history of Jews in Morocco. Lately, and because the audio-visual is easier to reach and takes only some minutes to show rather than tell, I worked on a documentary film on the Moroccan Jewish Culture and decided to call it Moroccan Judaism: A Culture in Danger.

          In this documentary I interview scholars, researchers, professors, etc. they all contribute in educating the viewers about the presence of Jews in Morocco, their history, culture, language, and life in a Muslim country. The documentary is divided into five main chapters. I start with a vox pop asking people in the streets of Fez whether they know about Jews in Morocco, they reacted differently and I managed to catch their spontaneous reactions with the camera. I follow this with the key terms which are: Judaism, Zionism and the Moroccan Jewish Culture. I believe it is important to start with definitions to help people follow the train of thought. By giving definitions I show that the documentary is not dealing with Zionism, nor Judaism but rather with the culture, the Moroccan Jewish culture as an important aspect of the Moroccan Culture as a whole. 

         “Where did Jews come from?” this is the title of the chapter which introduces us to the early immigrations of Jews to Morocco, followed by the ones who joined from Spain after the Inquisition. The Mellah, which is the Jewish quarter in Morocco, is discussed as an essential component of Judaism in Morocco. Simon Levy elaborates on the meaning of the word and why Fez was home for the first Mellah.

          The chapter that takes the title “Moroccan Citizens” highlights the language that Moroccan Jews speak, and shows some aspects of coexistence between Jews and Muslims in Morocco. The climax of the documentary is the “Exodus” which has caused much misunderstanding among Moroccans even until today. Finally, “Save Moroccan Judaism,” shows some examples of how this culture might be preserved. Museums, restoring and renovating synagogues, and the Geniza project (which is basically dedicated to helping researchers on Moroccan Judaism) are some examples. Music and its importance in bridging cultural gaps, is the ending of the documentary.

         The documentary was premiered at the American Language Center of Fez, I received some useful feedback there. I also projected it at the International Institute for Languages and Cultures (INLAC) in Fez in the presence of American and Moroccan university students, teachers, directors. There was a very useful discussion since the majority didn’t know about this aspect of the Moroccan Culture. 

          Recently a review of my documentary was published on Morocco World News, you can read it here: http://moroccoworldnews.com/2011/08/moroccan-judaism-a-culture-in-danger/ 

          I was pleasantly surprised to read a comment on my Youtube channel from a fellow whose simple English did not keep him from expressing his opinion about this project, he states: “Hello, my name’s Zakaria Faqyr, really I’m improve  that moroccan jews make a lot of things to riche the cultural, science and economic mind of moroccan people ,I’m Muslum but really that works (moroccan jews works) let me thinking more and more about our friendship , sorry! our brothership. thank you so much for your hard working.” [sic.] Reading this I feel that my goal is being accomplished and people are adopting a new perspective to understand Moroccan Judaism and Jews. Therefore my answer to you sir is “I will.”