Aminatou Haidar wins the 2019 «Alternative Nobel Prize»

Aminatou Haidar is one of the four winners of the 2019 Right Livelihood Award, known as Sweden's alternative Nobel Prize. The winners’ names were announced, Wednesday, from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs building in Stockholm. The president of the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA) was awarded alongside feminist lawyer Guo Jianmei from China, young Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg, Portuguese-speaking spokesperson for the Yanomami Indians

A Spanish court refuses to look into alleged links between CNI and a Moroccan imam

The Spanish National Court and the Prosecutor’s Office have refused the requests made by the victims of the 2017 Barcelona attacks. Their lawyer alleges that the mastermind of the La Rambla attacks, a Moroccan imam called Abdelbaki Es Satty, had links with the Spanish intelligence services.

To Gad Elmalah, his jokes were «borrowed» and not «plagiarized»

In an interview published, Tuesday, by French daily newspaper Le Parisien, French-Canadian-Moroccan stand-up comedian Gad Elmaleh admitted that he had borrowed before some jokes and routines from American comedians. «The new generation of comedians was born to stand-up comedy, unlike us, we were completely amazed, fascinated by it … At that moment, what do we do? We were inspired by it, yes, we took things and put them in our own context. But, here we are talking about one

Sahara : Antonio Guterres submits comments to the UN from previous reports

The 74th session of the UN General Assembly is examining a report submitted on August 15 by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the «Right of peoples to self-determination». A part of this document addresses the Western Sahara question. The Secretary-General’s reports talks about «the situation concerning Western Sahara, covering developments since his previous report and providing a description of the situation on the ground, the status and

Coffee in Morocco… from an illegal beverage to a daily household product

Drinking coffee in Morocco, is a privilege, according to those who think of the days when caffeine consumers were considered outsiders and criminals. History books recall the era when Muslim scholars forbade drinking coffee.

A UK charity to organize the first-ever LGBTQ Muslim festival

A British charity has launched a crowdfunding campaign to organize the first LGBTQ Muslim festival in the United Kingdom. The event expected to take place in 2020, is to celebrate diversity, the Independent reports. Imaan, Europe's biggest charity supporting LGBTQI Muslims and the one behind the idea indicates that «LGBT+ Muslims find themselves isolated, without community and frequently facing homophobic, biphobic, transphobic and Islamaphobic abuse». «Often LGBTQI Muslims

A group of Dutch-Moroccans signs a manifesto to end compulsory dual nationality

In a manifesto published Tuesday, a group of Dutch-Moroccans is calling the Dutch government to help them end compulsory dual nationality. The initiative regarded as a «significant political move» is related to a long and complicated procedure.

Five Moroccan jihadists to be granted Dutch citizenship after being denaturalized

Five jihadists of Moroccan origin stripped of their Dutch citizenship will no longer be considered persona non grata in the Netherlands, Dutch newspaper AD reports. Quoting NOS, the same source reveals that these fighters are Moroccan nationals who joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. One of them is Driss Daouayry who died in Syria in 2015. The other four are Azzedine Benaissa, Benyamine Fadlaoui, Mounir El Kharbachi and Ridouane Öz. The then Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,

Laila Lalami’s «The Other Americans» nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction

The latest mystery novel of Moroccan-American novelist and professor Laila Lalami «The Other Americans» is one of the ten titles nominated for the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction, one of four annual National Book Awards held in the United States. According to Los Angeles Times, Lalami’s novel about the mysterious death of a Moroccan-American restaurant owner will be competing with other books this year. The list includes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead,

The Clintons, Idris Elba and Madonna, these celebrities who love Marrakech

While Marrakech is being on the list of the cities affected by the collapse of British travel firm Thomas Cook, some celebrities are still enjoying their stay in the Red City. Spotted last week in the Jemaa El Fna square, former United States president Bill Clinton was seen again in Marrakech, sipping tea with his wife Hilary, a former presidential candidate. The couple were sitting next to a modest and traditional table, being offered Moroccan tea. The photo was taken after it was reported,