前途: A Year in Morocco

When I left around 2 p.m. for a lecture in Rabat today, Al-Jazeera English was calling the explosion at a café in Jamaa Lafnaa an accident. Since my own butagas (propane) makes me wary, but is really the most economical way to cook and heat water, the idea that several of them exploded due to an accident was not strange to me.

While I was at the lecture, my phone rang with an unknown number. I felt compelled to answer it, and lo and behold, it was someone from the Fulbright commission office, checking in with me. Apparently, I had not replied to an email asking for our whereabouts, due to being en route to Rabat and having left my computer at home.

I was quite bewildered and feeling fairly nervous when I returned to the lecture. Afterwards, I discussed this odd phone call with an American friend, and she mentioned Marrakesh. I then sort of understood the reason for the call, but it was not until after 8 p.m. when I got home and was able to read the news, that I realized that in those few short hours while I was away from the internet, the situation had changed from a tragic accidental explosion into a tragic intentional attack. (Please read Al-Jazeera English or MSNBC for full details as they become clearer).

Jamaa Lafnaa is a well-known symbol of Marrakesh, and indeed Morocco. Its “exotic allure” makes it an iconic destination for foreign tourists and Moroccans alike. Both groups were immediate victims and innocent bystanders in today’s attack, but because of the likelihood of a significant decrease in tourism, the Moroccan people are the ones who will be disproportionately forced to shoulder the long-term fallout of this event. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers in addition to your concern for the foreign tourists and their families and friends.

Earlier this week, I asked my students to write one sentence to an American audience, saying anything they wanted to say. I told them to bring the sentences to me sometime next week, and that I would post them on my blog for the world to see. I have received one so far. It has been sitting on the corner of my desk, and, rereading it, I wish to humbly submit it for your attention.

I could analyze it and tell you what I think, but in light of today’s events, I want my Moroccan student to speak for herself and her people when she says to you,

“Don’t judge Islam by the deeds of Muslims.”