Educational reforms, women empowerment: Morocco's weapons against terrorism
New Delhi: Reforms in the traditional education system and empowering women are the two major agendas Morocco is following in its efforts to counter terrorism and radicalisation, a top diplomat of the North African nation has said.
"We still have the problem of dealing with the traditional education system," Assia Ben Salah Alaoui, Ambassador at large for Moroccan King Mohammed VI said in a speech on "Morocco's Security Strategy: Preventing Terrorism and Countering Extremism" organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) think tank here on Wednesday.
She said that families were being engaged to ensure that children were not radicalised at a young age.
Alaoui said that the idea that women and Islam are incompatible, just as democracy and Islam are incompatible, should be revoked. "Women business organisations are being helped in our country," she stated.
According to Aaloui, religion today has become a very minor factor in the radicalisation of people for terrorism. She said that those being targeted were from poor and malnourished backgrounds and were being paid on a monthly basis by the terrorist organisations like the Islamic State.
She said that religion still retains a role in this global menace because of people in Europe.
"These people have lost touch with their culture. They do not know religion, they don't know the origin of their culture," the Ambassador stated. "The terrorists are promising them dreams of going to paradise."
Aaloui said that in her country imams are being trained to propagate moderate Islam. "In Morocco, we have created the Foundation of African Ulema that is working hard to spread moderate Islam."
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
