CASABLANCA: Morocco’s bishops said Tuesday they hope Pope Francis’ visit to their country will help shed light on the situation of migrants in the country that is a key transit point for those trying to reach Europe.
The Catholic church in Morocco mainly works with people from Sub-Saharan Africa, who make up 50 to 70 percent of churchgoers. Many are migrants illegally staying in the majority Muslim country living in poor conditions.
“We have had to prioritize to whom the aid goes first. Our church suffers from lack of funds. We can give some migrants food, plastic, covers, yet we can’t give them the respect they deserve. They are people not animals.” said Santiago Agrelo Martinez, Archbishop of Tangier.
He said he hopes that the pope’s visit on March 30-31 will help improve the situation.
The city he oversees is particularly known for being a focal point for departure into the Mediterranean Sea. A large crackdown on migrants was led by Moroccan authorities there last summer to limit numbers of crossings.
“Pope Francis loves to go to frontiers, to places of transit,” said Cristobal Lopez Romero, archbishop of Rabat, at a news conference in Casablanca Tuesday.
Morocco’s officials have repeatedly said the country cannot be the region’s immigration police, putting pressure on Europe to provide funds to manage the crisis.
Yet crackdowns on migrants and deportations are rampant, pushing international rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to denounce Morocco’s security measures.
Nearly 47,500 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea since the start of the year, while 564 have died or gone missing while trying to reach Europe, according to the International Organization of Migration.
Pope Francis’ visit to Morocco to focus on migrants
Pope Francis’ visit to Morocco to focus on migrants
- “Pope Francis loves to go to frontiers, to places of transit,” said Cristobal Lopez Romero, archbishop of Rabat
Dubai’s Iranian diaspora torn as war hammers Gulf
- The commercial and tourist hub of the UAE, Dubai is home to a large Iranian community, some of whom — like Asaadi’s father — arrived as early as the 1920s in search of better opportunities
DUBAI: From his grocery shop in Dubai, Iranian Morteza Asaadi lamented the drop in business brought on by the Middle East war.
Iranians in Dubai are torn as Tehran retaliates against countries in the Gulf — on the one hand fearful for loved ones facing US and Israeli bombardments back home, while also wary of the Iranian strikes threatening their livelihood.
With more people staying home because of the attacks, “we are fearful, you know, for a livelihood,” said Asaadi, noting the “uncomfortable” situation of thousands of Iranians living in the Emirate just across the Gulf.
“Can you imagine that if you’re a guest somewhere and, you know, your child goes and does something to the host’s son,” he added.
The commercial and tourist hub of the UAE, Dubai is home to a large Iranian community, some of whom — like Asaadi’s father — arrived as early as the 1920s in search of better opportunities.
The unwritten rule has always been to stay out of politics. “But unfortunately, politics sometimes comes to us,” Asaadi said.
The shopkeeper said he hoped the war would be over soon, because Dubai is “like my hometown.”
Despite sometimes testy relations, the Emirates have always maintained strong economic ties with Iran.
Ali Akbar’s eatery in a working-class district of Dubai has been open since 1991. But while customers have been few and far between since the war started, he remains hopeful.
“Iran has no problem with the Emirates. The problem is with the Americans,” he said in accented Arabic. “The Emiratis are our brothers.” “And God willing, it will be over soon.”
The property sector, where Soroush Helali works alongside his acting career, has also slowed down, but that has had no bearing so far on his desire to remain in Dubai.
He moved to Dubai a year ago. Now, his parents are begging him to return to Belgium, where he also holds citizenship and where his family settled more than 20 years ago. While he admits to being afraid at times, he says seeing innocent people being bombed in his home country puts things into perspective.
