The Amazigh World Assembly corresponds with “Al-Hurra Channel” due to the “forced Arabization” of Morocco and Moroccans
The head of the International Amazigh Community, Rachid Rakha, sent a letter to the Director General of the American Al-Hurra TV channel, because of “the editorial line of the channel and its website, which practices racial discrimination and contradicts the historical, identity and cultural reality of Morocco.”
This is the full text of the message:
To the respected Mr. General Director of Al Hurra Channel
Subject: The editorial line of Al-Hurra channel and its website practices racial discrimination and contradicts the historical, identity and cultural reality of Morocco.
Azul, best regards,
Mr. Director-General
We have previously, in the Amazigh World Assembly, written to local and international channels regarding their use of ethnic, discriminatory and racist terms in their treatment of Maghreb affairs, or when our national football team achieves a victory similar to what happened in the recent “Qatar World Cup”, and these are the terms that we are following again in the World Cup. The ongoing Africa of Côte d'Ivoire, in complete disregard for the historical, geographical, and even constitutional and legal reality of the country.
However, what surprised us was the adoption of your “Al-Hurra” channel and its website and its persistence in using these racial, discriminatory and reductive terms based on the historical and geographical reality and the human composition of Morocco and the North African countries in general, such as “the Arab Maghreb”, “the Arab national team” (*), “the Arab people”. “...etc. Therefore, your editorial line contributes to perpetuating the forced ideological Arabization of Morocco and Moroccans, through the use of these racial terms, and confining Morocco, known for its cultural and linguistic diversity and its mosaic, to the “crucible of Arabism.”
Mr. Director-General
Allow us to share with you this principle that one of the qualities a journalist must possess is to tell “the truth” and nothing but the truth. Unfortunately, your editorial line has failed in this matter. He failed when he was telling the truth about the historical truth revealed by the results and conclusions of years of research carried out by the scientific team supervised by the two famous archaeologists, the Frenchman Jean-Jacques Houbelin and the Moroccan Abdel Wahed Bennacer, who proved that the original homeland of Homo sapiens (Homo sapiens) is located in... “Adrar n Igoud”, 70 km from Marrakesh.
He also failed when he went too far in ignoring the Moroccan constitution, which recognized the cultural and linguistic diversity of Moroccans, and which explicitly affirmed in its preamble that Morocco belongs to the Great Maghreb and not to the “Arab Maghreb,” as you say in all your bulletins, news, and topics that deal with Moroccan and Maghreb affairs.
Therefore, we ask you, Mr. Director General, to do your utmost to dissuade officials and journalists in your network from correcting these phrases, and to use realistic terms that are far from ideological trends and encourage the collapsed “Arab nationalism,” at the expense of scientific objectivity and historical truth, and to urge them to avoid the phrases “the Arab Maghreb” or “Arab Spring” or “Arab National Team” because they are exclusionary and discriminatory terms against millions of indigenous citizens of North Africa.
We believe that it is good and just and respectful of the cultural and linguistic rights that the American administration defends, to replace these expressions either with “the Greater Maghreb,” or simply with the geographical name “North Africa,” and the Moroccan national team, as a Moroccan-African national team, participates in the African Cup, which takes place within the continent. Africa and not in the Arabian Peninsula or Asia where Arab countries participate.
The Arabization of the Moroccan national team, which includes most Amazigh players in its ranks, is considered exclusion, discrimination, and falsification and distortion of facts. Therefore, we believe that you can abandon these ethnic and discriminatory names, as you do, for example, on your platform “Maghreb Voices,” which we see as more realistic and accurate in respecting the cultural and linguistic specificity of the countries of the North. Africa.
Waiting for your interaction; Please accept our utmost appreciation and respect
Rashid Rakha
President of the World Amazigh Assembly