Currently there is a. great fascination in the west for "occupied lands and peoples". A deep examination would reveal a group of people who do not have a wholistic understanding of history. One such misunderstanding is that of Morocco being an Arab Country.
Morocco as well as Algeria are not ARAB countries but they are BERBER countries occupied by the ARABS from the East.
In France, we hear about people from the Maghreb. In Arabic, Maghreb means, literally the place where the sun sets, meaning West, distinguishing from the invaders who came from the East.
Of course the word Berber is derived from ancient greek, Berberos meaning strangers. Amazigh or Imazhigen is what the people themselves prefer but I found no objection to the word Berber in Marrakech among these very gentle, open minded people.
How many of you can tell me the origin of the well known British site in Iberian peninsula, Gibraltar? Its name is derived from the Arabic Jabal Tariq (Mount Tarik), honouring Tariq ibn Ziyad who captured the peninsula in 711 CE.
At a leather shop, the owner was happy to let me know that Tariq meant Path. He was very knowledgeable about Berber history.
Andalusia was ruled by Berbers and Marrakech was founded by the Berber al Moravids in 1062 as their capital and they controlled a vast region of northwestern Africa and southern and eastern Spain. They were overrun by the caliphate of Almohads.
Most of the visitors to Morocco would be surprised to know that Berbers and their language is in the majority and there is a visible social distinction (based also on colour, as Arabs tend to be lighter skinned).
So, if you want to talk about who did what to whom and when, you have to start with the history of the Berber /Amazigh people in the West, the pharaonic Egyptians and the Bedouin Arabs of the East. No one would come out clean in their claim of honour of cleansing of non arabs, non muslim and oppression of women and minority islamic beliefs (Ismailis, Ahmadis, Yazidis).
The history of the Middle East to many of the western enthusiasts seems to have started in 1948. I invite them to visit Morocco and learn about the indigenous peoples of Northwestern Africa and also the tolerant coexistence of non muslim people with the Berber people then and now.
a photograph by the late French photographer and painter Jean Besancenot.
I have always had a special spot in my heart for Amazigh people and after the recent visit to their country (Maroc), even more so.
