Casablanca, Morocco

It is a beautiful, warm, sunny day in Casablanca -- the first day I've been able to go outside in just a shirt, with no sweater or jacket, since my trip began. I went to the post office this morning to get rid of some of the books I've been hauling around, and then I paid a visit to the enormous Hassan II Mosque -- the third largest mosque in the world, after the Grand Mosques of Mecca and Medina, with the tallest minaret in the world. It was, if nothing else, HUGE (they say Notre Dame Cathedral could easily fit inside the prayer hall). I found it very interesting that the imam of this mosque, appointed by the King himself, is a Wahabbi trained in Saudi Arabia (or so said our guide). This is quite contrary to the claims of Dr. Harrak that Moroccans universally dislike Wahabbis and that the King has gone out of his way to crack down on Wahabbi influence after the May 16, 2003 Casablanca bombings.

Afterwards, I made the obligatory pilgrimage to Rick's Café for a drink. I was checked very carefully at the door for explosives, in light of the bombings mentioned above. I was clean.

Barakabaka has asked about the "global crisis" concerning the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad and the local reactions here in Morocco. I have seen nothing in person or on the news to suggest that there are any protests occuring here in Morocco. I have sat on several occasions in cafés full of Moroccan men and watched the images of the protests and riots on Al Jazeera. The Moroccans have watched for my reaction with great curiosity, just as I have watched for theirs, but we all seem more interested in each other than the actual news story.

Most of the cafés either show Al Jazeera on their televisions or they broadcast the games from the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament in Cairo. In the hotel rooms I sometimes get Al Arabia, which is an interesting news channel to watch because of the commercials -- commercials encouraging young Iraqis to enlist in the military and police, commercials encouraging Palestinians to vote (these were aired prior to the elections, of course, and I bet somebody wishes they hadn't been so effective), and commercials explaining to Iraqis what to do in case of kidnappings or terror attacks.

The Hamas leadership is all in Cairo right now, discussing the formation of their new government. I will be sure to say hello to them for all of you.

I have seen no images of the Prophet Muhammad here, Barakabaka, or any other religious figures. It has even been pointed out to me that Moroccan mosques don't have overt floral patterns in their design because plants and animals, as well as humans and jinn, are God's creation and not to be replicated. (Obviously, cloning would be a big no-no by that logic.)

Before I go, I want to apologize to all of you who have posted comments and sent e-mails to which I have not replied. Internet services are readily available here, but the connections are painfully slow, the keyboards are unfamiliar (and often barely functioning), and I am typically sitting in a cold, unheated room with several people looking over my shoulder as I struggle with the computer. Needless to say, just getting the basic facts up on this blog is a monumental feat.

If you sent me an e-mail weeks ago and I still haven't replied, feel free to send me another and remind me of what it was you were wanting to know. I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read this blog.

Tomorrow: Cairo!

(Photo by Eric: Minaret of the Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco)