Jakarta,  June 6, 2013 (AFP) Islamic hardliners vowed Thursday to stop the “immoral” Miss World beauty pageant taking place in Indonesia even after organizers agreed this year's contestants would not wear bikinis. The Hizb ut-Tahrir group slammed the show as like “selling women's bodies” and threatened to hold demonstrations against it, while a group in the province where the final is due to take place also ...

By Sarah Introna  Morocco World News New Jersey, May 29, 2013 The National Theater Mohammed V will perform in the United States for the first time in Washington D.C. on June 28 and in New York City on June 29. The event is organized by Moroccan designer Khadija Mouh.  “In Morocco, the reputation of the theater has risen. I have worked for many years to bring them abroad and inchallah, now, it will happen,” ...

Ny Hajar Slaoui Morocco World News Tangier, May 28, 2013 Morocco is the first country to recognize the United States, in December 1777.Through his representative in Tangier, the Sultan of Morocco informed a number of countries "including the Americans" that they were allowed to enter Moroccan ports without payment of duties or tariff. This constituted de facto recognition of the United States, George Washin ...

By Youssef El Kaidi Morocco World News Fez, May 16, 2013 Can Jews and Muslims coexist and live peacefully together in one nation? This may seem impossible in regard to the amount of hatred most people from both parts harbor for each other through history. The antagonism between Jews and Muslims nurtured by religious fanaticism, cultural clashes, political and sectarian wars, and misunderstanding continue to ...

By Youssef Sourgo Morocco World News Casablanca, May 11, 2013 Marrakech hosted May 4 the 17th edition of a key event highlighting Moroccan haute couture: the Moroccan Kaftan. Fifteen designers took part in this year’s edition, delighting their audience with talent and creativity incarnated in their charming Kaftan designs. The artistic director of this year's parade was the talented choreographer Malika Zai ...

April 15, 2013 South Korean entertainer PSY unveiled his long-awaited new single on Saturday, after changing its name from “AssArabia” to “Gentleman,” following concern that it might offend the Arab world. The 35-year-old singer, of “Gangnam” fame, debuted his new song in the South Korean capital with an audience of around 50,000, most of whom were dressed in white. Although “AssArabia,” or “Assaravia,” is ...

By Derek Workman Morocco World News Marrakesh, April 13, 2012 There are two ways people buy Moroccan carpets. The first is to carefully mull. Will the colour clash with the furnishings in the living room? Will it get too much wear in the hall? Is that orangey one better value than the greeny one? The second is to simply have the smiling vendor throw half a dozen down on the floor, take off your shoes and sq ...

By Youssef Sourgo Morocco World Nrws Casablanca, April 11, 2013 “Many inspiring women have shown me how such a garment is created somewhere between fantasy and reality,” wrote Sonia Maria in an article of hers published on NJAL, an online fashion platform. The “garment” that Maria refers to is the Moroccan majestic dress, the Kaftan. Her description flawlessly matches the proprieties of this charming Morocc ...

By Youssef Sourgo Morocco World News Casablanca, April 9, 2013 When the glamour of contemporary fashion fuses with the Moroccan Kaftan’s fascinating traditional appearance, wizardly attires effloresce. Nevertheless, few fashion designers are able to preserve the charm of tradition while injecting the air of modernity into Moroccan intricate dress. Originally Moroccan but based in Chicago, Salima Erref is on ...

By Khalid El-Quzahi Morocco World News Fez, April 5, 2013 When writing about the old Medina of Fez, which is part of the historic city of Fez in the Kingdom of Morocco, I don’t merely reminisce about my visit to it as a place or write an autobiography about that visit; rather I try to write in a quasi-ethnographic way about that sublime literary text which historicizes the transience of time and its effects ...

By Larbi Arbaoui Morocco World News Taroudant, Morocco, March 20, 2013 For the first time in Morocco and the Arab world, the Swiss magazine Babybook, in its 5th edition, chose Marrakech to make the shooting of the pages of Babybook Spring / Summer 2013. Accompanied by one of their parents, the 10 winners of the 2013 casting will meet with  the magazine's editorial team from 17 to 22 March, in Les Mille ...

By Rachid Khouya Morocco World News Smara, Morocco, March 20, 2013 The Sahara is a beautiful poem sown by the fingers of the creator, the pencil and the architecture of the wind on the dunes and the rocks and the voices, the cries and screams of animals and the chants of shepherds and nomads. Every single element of the desert is a well-embroiled verse. The Sahara is the kingdom of beauty, inspiration, magi ...