The Moroccan national unity is stronger than the discourse of Arab nationalism, which has now become outdated
The statement by Aziz Ghali, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, regarding support for the so-called “right to self-determination” in the Moroccan Sahara issue reflects, unfortunately, a vision disconnected from Morocco’s historical and geographical reality. This position, which is marketed as a defense of human rights, actually stems from an ideological framework that has been surpassed by time. It is a framework based on the ideas of Arab nationalism, that Baathist ideology which has always been an exclusionary project, recognizing what is called the “Arab nation” while denying the ethnic nations and cultural and identity diversity of peoples.
Arab nationalism, which emerged as a political ideology in the Arab Mashreq, had as its primary goal the eradication of non-Arab peoples from their identity and culture. However, this ideology did not succeed in Morocco, where the Moroccans confronted it with their continuous struggle against its dogmas, rejecting being confined to a single mold that does not represent their identity, culture, or history. This resilience owes much to the Amazigh movement, which early on recognized the danger of this ideology and refused to normalize with it, seeking instead to confront it intellectually and culturally. Today, we can see the results of this struggle when we compare Morocco’s situation with that of countries founded by the Baath Party, such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and others that adopted this nationalism, and the extent of suffering of their peoples, such as the Kurds, Assyrians, and Maronites, where divisions and sectarian and ethnic conflicts have intensified.
What remains of this ideology now are only isolated ideas and stagnant positions that have not absorbed the deep transformations Morocco has undergone, where unity and diversity form the basis of Moroccan identity and the building of a strong nation. If Aziz Ghali, and those who still embrace Baathist nationalist ideologies, long for the 1970s, they should search for this nostalgia under the ruins of the regimes that imposed these ideologies by force on their peoples. As for Morocco, with its Amazigh identity and rich history, it is not an extension of failed experiences in the Mashreq, but a model of continuity and stability that it has built over centuries through the solidarity of its components, and the issue of the Moroccan Sahara is no exception to this solidarity, nor is it merely a political dispute, but a symbol of national unity that unites Moroccans of all backgrounds.
And if the issue of the Sahara is a criterion by which international relations are measured, it is also a criterion by which nationalism is measured. Recognizing the Moroccan identity of the Sahara not only reflects the commitment of Moroccans to the unity and sovereignty of their country, but it also forms a fundamental pillar for strengthening national belonging and uniting ranks.
Those who raise the slogans of Arab nationalism and adopt transnational ideologies and non-national causes must realize that the Moroccan reality is too vast to be confined to these narrow corners. Clinging to the preference for external causes over our national cause and denying the Moroccan identity of the Sahara, under the guise of defending human rights or claiming to respect international laws, is nothing more than the repetition of a discourse that has lost its meaning and credibility. This discourse serves only to divide and ignores the fact that the Sahara issue for Moroccans is a matter of existence, not just a passing political file. Moroccan national unity is the result of a profound civilizational project that links the past and the present, facing the future with confidence and clarity.
