Maghreb experts mull flu threat, football brawls, religion

2009-11-02

In October, voices from around the Maghreb used the Zawaya discussion forum to comment on crucial issues including religious freedoms, violence in the stands, and fears of a flu pandemic.

[File] A flu virus on the prowl, football fans trading punches, and religious freedoms in the balance — Zawaya's commentators examine it all.

Each week, Zawaya, Magharebia's discussion forum, presents its readers with opinion pieces from a select panel of distinguished guests from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania.

The invited panellists discuss a specific topic of importance to the Maghreb. Zawaya readers are invited to register free on the website and post their reactions and opinions on the week's topic or on the views of our guests.

During the month of October, Zawaya covered a variety of crucial issues.

The first week's discussion looked at how Maghreb nations can best protect the religious freedoms of individuals and minorities living within their societies.

Algerian journalist Nabila Saidoune wrote, "Intolerance has never marked this region as intensely. And if there is no way to ensure religious freedoms in the Maghreb, it is because its countries have neither the courage nor the will to do so."

In this vein, Tunisan scholar Iqbal Al Gharbi called for Maghreb societies to engage in an open debate, urging a renewed focus on "religious freedom, which is one of the fundamental values of modernity and human rights, and which allows individuals to believe or not, or to choose their religion without being prosecuted, banished, or threatened in their physical or moral integrity".

The following week, Zawaya focused on how sports violence in and around stadiums can be limited.

Mauritanian sports journalist Mohamed Foily Samba considered a number of security measures, adding that it "is crucial to define the personality pattern of those who bring violence to a place where it is totally banned".

Algerian sports journalist Messaoud Allel added that "the problem does not lie in superfluous enthusiasm, but was rather born in a milieu away from the sports field, and was fuelled by the difficult social conditions of those young people and the lack of a civil sense of responsibility and sufficient awareness to rein in their behaviours".

Tunisian sports journalist Kalthoum Benalgia emphasised that "the media have an important role to play… so that sports will not be used as an excuse to rekindle violence, regionalism and racism".

The third week's topic tackled the potential risk of the H1N1 flu virus causing a pandemic, while acknowledging the economic opportunities in the crisis.

Algerian journalist Baya Gacemi remained sceptical of the risks presented by the virus, saying "From a strictly health-focused perspective, the five Maghreb countries have announced the importation of millions of doses of vaccines, thus offering Western laboratories the opportunity to step into the breach of commercial medical business without the slightest proof of the effectiveness of these vaccines, and also giving drug lobbies the opportunity to take over a lucrative market, as is the case in Algeria."

Moroccan doctor Mohammed Cherkaoui, on the other hand, stated: "The prospect of an influenza A pandemic should be taken seriously as a public health concern, by organising training sessions for health professionals in order to achieve an efficient support for patients, and also by organising large-scale awareness campaigns on the simplest acts of hygiene."

During October's final week, Zawaya contributors discussed how Maghreb countries can train a competitive workforce that can master foreign languages and preserve local culture simultaneously.

Tunisian teacher Monia Ferjani wrote, "The preservation of local identity and culture does not necessarily mean introversion, which might lead to our retreat, economically and socially."

Moroccan researcher Driss Kassouri added, "Teaching and learning foreign languages that are popular in the international market of languages is vital, and has guaranteed benefits and various advantages for the workforce in particular, because languages allow the establishment of relations and interactions that are economically useful."