Interview with Fnaïre, a symbol of traditional rap in Morocco
0 comments Posted by Knightkrm at 1:45 PMMagharebia speaks with Fnaïre rap group member, Mohcine, about the foundations and goals of the group and its messages.
The three-member rap group Fnaïre symbolises a new wave of Moroccan artists who are breaking with the old style. In an exclusive interview with Magharebia, member Mohcine explains the context in which his group has developed.
Magharebia: You represent this new generation of Moroccan artists who have chosen Rap. What’s special about Fnaïre?
Mohcine: First, it’s important to say that the group’s name Fnaïre is really meaningful, because in Darija [Moroccan dialect] it means "the lights". Without sounding pretentious, we want to shed light on the world of music in its purely spoken style. Our choice of this unmistakably American type of music is because it offers varied expression in composition, and we can adapt it to our Moroccan culture and identity. I suppose it’s our way of keeping at the forefront of Moroccan song. In fact, through rap or hip-hop we want to modernise Moroccan song, which has started to show its age and seems to be of little interest to young people. That’s our main challenge.
Magharebia: Many fans see your style as hip-hop.
Mohcine: Absolutely. In this musical style ... there are several categories, such as Graviting, DJing, MCing, break dance or, of course, rap. As for our group, we’ve chosen the last of these disciplines, but [it is] a traditional Moroccan rap.
Magharebia: The future looks bright. What do you think?
Mohcine: We’re on the right track, as you can see from the interest that young Moroccans have shown in our music. I think that in our songs they’ve found a space to deal with their everyday problems, or simply their main pre-occupations. It’s all reconciled us with our Moroccan roots.
Magharebia: What are the main messages you’re trying to get across to Moroccan youth through your songs?
Mohcine: The essence of our traditional rap is just the meaning of the words, the meaning of the lyrics – which revolve around a single message, which is the proud recognition of your Moroccan identity, your origins and your culture. There's a variety of subjects, including the problems of women, love for your country, belief in a better future for our country... Unlike some, of which there are many, who just peddle pessimistic talk for young Moroccans, encouraging them to leave the country, sometimes paying with their lives... Fnaïre says to them quite simply that a dose of optimism is always needed to move forward. It’s not utopia, but we think Morocco needs its young people to evolve, move forward and change. That’s our firmly held belief.
Magharebia: In your songs, are you engaging in a battle against negative ideas which influence many young people today?
Mohcine: Peace and living in harmony in your country are the main messages coming through our songs, aimed particularly at young people, who are our main target. We try to focus our attention on the values of tolerance and respect for other peoples’ lives. Often we don’t say it in so many words in our songs, but it’s our way of thwarting integrist ideas and any feeling of hatred. The nature of the musical style we have chosen helps a lot in putting forward these kinds of principles. In the songs "Yed El Henna" or "Tagine Loghate" on the latest album, there’s a reference to this kind of problem.
Magharebia: Like other Moroccan rappers, you’re accused of using vulgar words in your lyrics. Do you use rap music to break linguistic taboos?
Mohcine: Darija is the most widely spoken language in Morocco. We see no problem in using it. In our songs, you’ll find a mix of words from here and there, and the message is clear, laced with humour: the language used doesn’t really matter; the main thing is to express yourself and be proud of your plurality.
Magharebia: Tell us a bit about your latest album "Yed El Henna".
Mohcine: First of all, "Yed El Henna" is the story of a meeting with a poet... With a mix of musical styles and words in Darija, Tamazight, English and French, our latest album is a journey to the heart of a diversified Morocco, full of messages of love and peace, where authenticity rhymes with solidarity. We also look at a youth lacking direction. The 12 tracks on the album grab the clichés and complexes of our society by the throat. I think that, apart from being mastered in the Rolling Stones studios in London, "Yed El Henna" remains a purely Moroccan product. Nearly sixty musicians took part in this great adventure, which took more than two years of hard work before seeing the light of day.
The investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance appears to be in disarray after it emerged that the police chief sacked as head of the inquiry may not be replaced for a week.
Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral was summoned back to the regional Policia Judiciaria (PJ) headquarters in Faro and removed from the Madeleine case after launching a furious tirade against British police and the four-year-old's parents.
Colleagues said he had been made a "scapegoat" because of the British media attacks on his "honour as a policeman". "What they want now is whoever takes over to refocus the inquiry on to finding Madeleine," he said. "There have been so many distractions, so many unsubstantiated allegations swirling around all of this out there and repeated here in Britain. "Surely it is now time to for all of that nonsense to end and for the search for Madeleine to be re-energised." The outgoing chief tried to downplay his remarks, the Correio da Manha newspaper reported, saying they were directed not at British police but private investigators hired by the McCanns, both 39-year-old doctors from Rothley in Leicestershire. The row was sparked when Diario de Noticias reported Amaral as saying: "British police have only investigated tips and information developed and worked on for the McCanns, forgetting that the couple are suspects in the death of their daughter." Some colleagues believe he broke strict police secrecy rules and may have been behind stories criticising Gerry and Kate, the local papers reported. Others told Portuguese television reporters that the sacking had been inevitable for some time and came as no surprise. Amaral, who turned 48 on the day of his sacking, shrugged off his removal from the inquiry – apparently done by fax by PJ national director Alipio Ribeiro reading: "Transferred to Faro for convenience of the service". He told a reporter from newspaper Jornal de Noticias: "A policeman does not limit himself to one case. There is plenty of work still to be done." Carlos Anjos, president of the Judicial Police Inspectors Union who has also repeatedly criticised the McCanns' actions, said: "He was the victim of personal attacks by the British media which not only questioned his honour as a policeman, but also attacked him as a human being." The corpulent Amaral refused to speak to reporters as he arrived at work in Faro. He left the office at lunchtime in a black Mercedes, accompanied by the overall head of the investigation, Guilhermino Encarnacao, 59, chief of the Algarve Policia Judiciaria and deputy national director. The new head will be handpicked by the national leadership of the force in the capital Lisbon but a police spokesman said the issue remained "unresolved". "We hope the decision-making process will be brief. There is no interview process, it is a case of the national directors choosing a candidate," she said. "But Friday is a national holiday in Portugal, so it is most likely to be next week before the decision is taken." from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/03/nmaddy203.xml |
MOROCCO. Approximately 4.3 million tourists visited Morocco in the first seven months of 2007, an increase of 10% year-on-year with over 1 million tourists visiting the country in July alone, Morocco's Department of Tourism announced last week.
The largest number of foreign visitors came from France (1.7 million), followed by visitors from Spain (795,000), Belgium (285,000), the UK (261,000), the Netherlands (211,000), Germany (182,000), and Italy (164,000).
The Department of Tourism also said that the total number of local tourist nights in classified hotels increased by 7% year-on-year for the same period, reaching 10 million. Marrakech remains the most attractive tourist destination with a growth rate of 11% year-on-year, followed by Casablanca (10%), Tangier (9%), Fez (7%), Rabat (6%), and Agadir (3%).
http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=13353&t=1&c=33&cg=4
A witness has told police he believes he saw Madeleine McCann in Morocco.
It has been revealed that a British tourist contacted police to say he saw a little girl, resembling the missing four-year-old, at a petrol station in Marrakesh.
His testimony was identical to that of another tourist, Norwegian Marie Pollard, 45, who claimed she was "100 per cent convinced" she saw Madeleine at the same spot.
Both accounts of a little blonde girl standing near a man and asking him in English: "When can I see my mummy?" were given to the police independently without knowledge of each other.
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Today: Kate and Gerry McCann with their twins Amelie and Sean after leaving the Catholic Church of Sacred Heart Rothley, near their home
The police failed to follow up either at the time they were reported.
When they did finally check out the leads, they found the garage's CCTV tape had been erased and didn't bother interviewing staff, according to the Sunday Mirror.
The second witness, who is from Yorkshire, was on holiday in Morocco days after Madeleine disappeared in Portugal on 3 May.
It was only when he returned to Britain that he realised the significance of what he had seen and called the police.
Pollard told the Sunday Mirror last night: "I still haven't been interviewed by Portuguese police and we're four-and-a-half months on.
"If this man saw Madeleine as well it adds weight to what I saw and proves I'm not going mad."
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Gerry and Kate McCann arriving back at their house in Rothley, Leicestershire, yesterday afternoon
Though both witnesses were guests at the Ibis hotel, there is no connection between Pollard and the Yorkshireman.
"Gerry and Kate McCann have always believed the Morocco sightings were vital," a friend said.
"Kate said her instinct from the start has been that Madeleine was smuggled into North Africa.
"The couple believe the information from the two witnesses is crucial and should have been released to the media immediately."
Pollard, who lives in Fuengirola, Spain, explained: "I didn't know about Maddie's disappearance then.
"I went in the shop to buy some water. My attention was drawn straight to her.
"She was a sweet, blonde-haired girl with a very cute face.
"She was wearing blue pyjamas with a little pink-and-white pattern, maybe flowers, on her top.
"She was standing alone with a man. She looked sad and a little lost.
"The man didn't look like her father. He was between 35 and 40, with dark brown hair, not very tall.
"She looked at me and then spoke to him, something like, 'Can I see Mummy soon?'. I don't think he responded."
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Madeleine McCann: Two witnesses claim to have seen the four-year-old in Morocco, just days after she disappeared
This follows reports that British forensic experts have sent Portuguese police an email angrily complaining at the way evidence in the inquiry has been "wildly misused", according to sources close to the investigation.
The Forensic Science Service criticises detectives for overplaying the results of its tests and leaking information - most of it inaccurate, it claims - to the Portuguese media.
The relationship between the FSS and the Policia Judiciaria has now deteriorated to such an extent that it is unlikely any further forensic tests will be carried out in Britain.
What most troubled scientists was the way the Portuguese interpreted "inconclusive" DNA evidence from the Renault Scenic hired by the McCanns 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.
Portuguese police are still understood to want forensic psychologists to analyse Kate's Bible.
They are said to be suspicious that passages relating to 'forgiveness' have been underlined and may be incriminating.
But a source close to the McCanns' legal team said: "Most of the references to forgiveness in the Bible relate to forgiving other people.
In any case, Kate maintains that she did not underline the passages herself.
The Bible was given to her in Portugal and they were already underlined."
Police also want graphologists to analyse handwriting in the Bible's margin which they feel is suspicious and could belong to Kate.
Madeleine McCann's parents have "known for months" that there were two possible sightings of their missing daughter in the same city on the same day, their spokesman has revealed.
Norwegian Marie Pollard gave them fresh hope when she reported seeing her at a petrol station in Marrakech, Morocco, just days after her apparent abduction from their holiday apartment in Portugal on May 3.
There were two 'sightings' of Madeleine McCann in Morocco
It has now emerged that Kate and Gerry McCann were also told of a British tourist contacting police on his return home to say he thought he had also seen the four-year-old.
This second, separate sighting - passed on to the Portuguese and Moroccan authorities but not disclosed to the media - was in the same part of the city and at a similar time on May 9 as the first.
Ms Pollard claimed she saw Madeleine outside a petrol station, while the British witness, unnamed but said to be from Yorkshire, said he saw a young girl with a close resemblance outside the Ibis Hotel opposite.
The Briton was unaware of the other sighting, meaning police had two independent reports in the same place, a source close to the McCanns told reporters.
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "We have been aware of it for months. It was made known to us when it happened. All I can say is that any possible sightings, if credible, we hope would be examined thoroughly, whether it's in Portugal, Spain or anywhere else."
A top legal team has been assembled to help the couple, who have been named official suspects, or "arguidos" in their eldest child's disappearance.
In Portugal, Robert Murat, the first person to be declared an arguido in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, is reportedly set to be cleared by police.
British expat Mr Murat was taken in for questioning by police 11 days after the youngster vanished from Praia da Luz and later declared a suspect, but he has never been formally arrested or charged. Portuguese newspaper Sol reported that Mr Murat had now been told that police have no case against him.
Fasting provides numerous and varied spiritual and physical benefits
0 comments Posted by Knightkrm at 8:43 AM Doctors have discussed the health benefits of fasting and how it can help us in learning to manage our diets. At times, doctors even prescribe fasting for various reasons. Without a doubt, these are at most secondary benefits of fasting. The same can be said for the physical benefits of prayer, pilgrimage, and other aspects of formal worship.
Still, the real reason that a Muslim does any of these things is for the sake of worshipping and obeying Allah. He would do so even if there were no health benefits. Indeed, were it proven to be injurious to his health, he would still do so. However, Allah never commands us to do anything that would harm us in the least except when the benefits of doing so far outweigh the harm.
http://www.islamtoday.net/english/showme2.cfm?cat_id=29&sub_cat_id=713
This is why the Prophet gave the following advice: “O assembly of young people, whosoever among you has the wherewithal to marry should do so, as it will help him to lower his gaze and safeguard his chastity. And whoever is unable to do so should fast, because it diminishes sexual desire.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (5066) and Sahîh Muslim (1400)]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) points out that fasting withholds a person from responding to his passions.
Some scholars have discussed this hadîth in conjunction with another, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “Indeed, Satan circulates through the descendant of Adam as blood circulates through the body.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2039) and Sahîh Muslim (2174)]
Even though the phrase “…so restrict his circulatory paths by fasting” that is sometimes quoted along with this hadîth is baseless, the fact remains that fasting does put our passions in check, and it is quite possible that one way in which it does so is by restricting Satan’s ability to circulate within our persons, as stated by some scholars.
What is more likely is that fasting keeps our compulsions in check by keeping us involved in a specific act of worship. This continuous connection with an act of worship helps us to refrain from unlawful acts, including those acts, like the forbidden gaze, that incite our desires.
http://www.islamtoday.net/english/showme2.cfm?cat_id=29&sub_cat_id=713