By Hind Touissate
Morocco World News
Rabat, November 6, 2012
On Friday November 2, I came across something that made me furious. So furious that I wanted to start a revolution against the source of my anger. Unfortunately, the source was simply an irresponsible Magazine called Maroc Hebdo. Do you know what this magazine did? Well, it simply published an article entitled Le Peril Noir “The Black Peril.”
And that is unequivocally wrong.
It wasn’t supposed to be published in a magazine, it wasn’t supposed to be allowed to be seen, and it wasn’t supposed to happen, not in Morocco.
I don’t care who wrote this nonsensical report. I don’t care who allowed it to be published. I don’t care how many people actually bought this issue, but I do care about the image that it will spread about me, you and anyone who’s anything but racist.
Maybe I am overly sensitive to this issue because I have friends from a good amount of African countries; smart and well educated African friends. Oh wait, I am from an African country myself, and I bet the witless people behind this article are as well.
Try to follow me here: Just because you are Muslim, does not make you a terrorist. Right ? It does not mean you agree with anything terrorists do or anything they stand for. So how would you feel if a magazine attacked you like Maroc Hebdo did to sub-Saharan migrants?
Just because your skin is black and you are an immigrant in Morocco does not make you a thief, a prostitute, a drug addict or a “security problem!”
It is categorically wrong to make assumptions about anyone based on their country of origin, their religion or the color of their skin. It is an absurdity to wittingly make racist remarks. It is presumptuous to “joke” about racism, to talk or write about people based on some preconceived unfounded judgement, cliches you “believe” you know about a certain race or culture.
Now, I know, some of you may think that I am exaggerating. But you know what? I have to because it is incongruous, ill-advised and unacceptable and if you and I don’t speak up, then who will ?
Silence is not the answer, it has never been.
Hind Touissate is the 2012 best Female Blogger at the Maroc Web Awards. She is a contributor to Morocco World News . She blogs at According to hind
