Ahmed Benchemsi is a celebrated Moroccan journalist, former editor, publisher and founder of popular weekly magazines TelQuel and--the now-disappeared--Nichane (Straight Forward). Mr. Benchemsi has now moved to the US where he works as a researcher at Stanford University. Here he speaks at the Oslo Freedom Forum about what he calls "the subtleties" of both the Moroccan dictatorship and that of the pro-democracy youth movement. He dissects, then entertainingly demystifies some of the major arguments the Moroccan regime usually uses to sell its image abroad as an "Arab exception." A must watch presentation!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0UIagNNMhw&w=600&h=390]
BIO
Hi! My name is Hisham Almiraat. I’m from Morocco. I’m a medical doctor by trade and occasional blogger.
I quit smoking after medical school. Now hooked on caffein and Twitter.
An ultra-naïve humanist, I deeply mistrust religion and power and I spend my time daydreaming of a secular, liberal democracy at home.
I'm passionate about freedom of expression and thought which I consider to be the most fundamental of our rights.
In pursuit of defending these rights I am and was involved with a couple of projects:
I'm the former advocacy director at Global Voices Online and co-founder of Mamfakinch.com and TalkMorocco.net -- award-wining platforms that advocate for and encourage freedom of expression.
I am the recent founder of the Moroccan Association for Digital Rights.
I try photography from time to time and do some graphic design and artwork, though I still have a lot to learn in that department... and in everything else for that matter.
You can email me at hisham [at] riseup [dot] net
.. or, if you feel like it, follow me here.
.. or, if you feel like it, follow me here.