The Maghreb Part 2 - especially Tunisia and Morocco

Tunisia and Morocco

Tunisia and Morocco have, by contrast with Algeria and Libya, been ruled more or less continuously and relatively peacefully in their modern histories by one or two local dynasties partly on behalf of colonisers. In the case of Tunisia, the Neo Destour Party formed by Bourguiba negotiated independence from the French in 1956. There followed one party rule under Bourguiba until his senility necessitated his ouster by the military in the 1980s. A degree of political pluralism is now permitted although the president hasn’t changed since the accession of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in the 1980s and Islamic parties are prohibited from using party names that indicate an Islamic agenda. The Islamist party called Renaissance was suppressed however despite playing by these rules. Unlike Algeria, Tunisia continues to have a tradition of having influential places of Islamic learning (such as Zaytuna). Tunisia briefly hosted the Arab League headquarters in the 1980s when Egypt was out of favour among most of the member states and Tunisians continue to be influential in the general Arab arena and even more widely internationally.

Morocco has the distinction in the Maghreb of never having come under Ottoman control (and also having come under mainly Spanish control rather than English, French or Italian). It is today also formally the only monarchy in the Maghreb and one of only a handful in the Arab or Islamic world. It traces its ancestry to the ruling Idrisid clan that began to rule in about 800 CE and in turn laid claim to Sharif-hood (i.e. descent from Hasan Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Muhammad). They built Fez and there has been a continuous monarchy in Morocco since.

Muhammad VI is the current king of Morocco. His grandfather, Muhammad V, agitated for and then negotiated for and received independence in 1956. In the middle period of independence Hassan II, the son of one Muhammad and father of the other ruled. Muhammad V had been in exile until independence working with the Istiqlal Party. Today the Istiqlal Party remains a prominent party within the current multi-party system. Hassan II was an astute mixture of western education and traditional Arab kingship. The king of Morocco is more than a figurehead but rules somewhat constitutionally. In these circumstances, Hassan sought to improve his political position by courting the religious establishment. Morocco experienced a degree of Islamic resurgence and one general unsuccessfully attempted a coup in his time. Hassan's brave reaction and personal charisma in the face of the coup won him the further admiration of his people. He also built the largest Mosque in the world (the Hassan II Mosque) and was also a French speaker.

Today Islamism and even extreme forms exist in Morocco (as they do in the UK it has to be said). However, the form of Islam promoted by the government and apparently accepted by most of the people is exemplified by the school recently set up by the current king for the training of female Imams. They must however only preach to other females and in the overall hierarchy they are below all of the male ulema. The region known as Western Sahara is currently ruled by Morocco while Algeria supports its independence from Morocco. Morocco's proximity to Spain has also made it a favoured point of emigration to Europe for many of the Arabs (and other peoples) of North Africa and even the peoples of southern Africa.

Mauritania has a fair degree of democracy (and females in its government). Its population is mainly a mixture of Arabs and Berbers.