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Our Objectives
A Friendly Relationship Moroccan American Community
For over two hundred years, the United States of America and the Kingdom of Morocco have enjoyed a close and friendly relationship. Morocco was one of the first countries to accord reorganization to the new American Republic when it allowed American ships access to Moroccan ports in 1777. The same year of the outbreak of the American revolution in 1787, the United States adopted its constitution and the two Nations signed the treaty of Peace and Friendship in Marrakech. It was renewed for an indefinite term in 1836.
WMC's Objectives
To strengthen relations between all members of the Moroccan American community within the united States..
To enhance mutual understanding with other communities and the society at large.
To promote fellowship, harmony and rapport, not only among people of the Moroccan-American community, but also among members of the entire American society, regardless of race, sex, or religion
To Achieve these Objectives, the Washington Moroccan American Club shall:
Organize social, cultural, and sport events towards the promotion of our Moroccan cultural heritage.
Represent our cultural heritage in society through participation in local and national events.
Coordinate activities and cooperate with other groups and other organizations in the area as well as nationwide .
RELATIONS 1777-1787
Morocco and the United States have a long history of friendly relations. This North African nation was one of the first states to seek diplomatic relations with America. In 1777, Sultan Sidi Muhammad Ben Abdullah, the most progressive of the Barbary leaders who ruled Morocco from 1757 to 1790, announced his desire for friendship with the United States. The Sultan's overture was part of a new policy he was implementing as a result of his recognition of the need to establish peaceful relations with the Christian powers and his desire to establish trade as a basic source of revenue. Faced with serious economic and political difficulties, he was searching for a new method of governing which required changes in his economy. Instead of relying on a standing professional army to collect taxes and enforce his authority, he wanted to establish state-controlled maritime trade as a new, more reliable, and regular source of income which would free him from dependency on the services of the standing army. The opening of his ports to America and other states was part of that new policy.
By issuing this declaration, Morocco became one of the first states to acknowledge publicly the independence of the American Republic.
On February 2O, l778, the sultan of Morocco reissued his December 20, 1777, declaration. American officials, however, only belatedly learned of the Sultan's full intentions. Nearly identical to the first, the February 20 declaration was again sent to all consuls and merchants in the ports of Tangier, Sale, and Mogador informing them the Sultan had opened his ports to Americans and nine other European States. Information about the Sultan's desire for friendly relations with the United States first reached Benjamin Franklin, one of the American commissioners in Paris, sometime in late April or early May 1778 from Etienne d'Audibert Caille, a French merchant of Sale. Appointed by the Sultan to serve as Consul for all the nations unrepresented in Morocco, Caille wrote on behalf of the Sultan to Franklin from Cadiz on April 14, 1778, offering to negotiate a treaty between Morocco and the United States on the same terms the Sultan had negotiated with other powers. When he did not receive a reply, Caille wrote Franklin a second letter sometime later that year or in early 1779. When Franklin wrote to the committee on Foreign Affairs in May 1779, he reported he had received two letters from a Frenchman who "offered to act as our Minister with the Emperor" and informed the American commissioner that "His Imperial Majesty wondered why we had never sent to thank him for being the first power on this side of the Atlantic that had acknowledged our independence and opened his ports to us." Franklin, who did not mention the dates of Caille's letters or when he had received them, added that he had ignored these letters because the French advised him that Caille was reputed to be untrustworthy. Franklin stated that the French King was willing to use his good offices with the Sultan whenever Congress desired a treaty and concluded, "whenever a treaty with the Emperor is intended, I suppose some of our naval stores will be an acceptable present and the expectation of continued supplies of such stores a powerful motive for entering into and continuing a friendship."
Why Morocco is a friend to USA
The Kingdom of Morocco is the oldest strategic ally of the United States, having recognized the nation shortly after it declared its independence from Great Britain in 1776. The treaty of friendship between the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco, which is still in force, was the first international treaty ratified by the American Congress, making Morocco America's oldest diplomatic partner.
Morocco places high value on its long-standing history of friendship and cooperation with the United States. It has been an invaluable partner in the wake of terrorist attacks on the United States. Its own commitment to progressive political and social development has also made the Kingdom an exemplary partner in the United States effort to promote and support political, economic and social reforms in the broader Middle East region. As it has in the past at critical moments, Morocco also continues to play a strategically important role in the effort to resolve the on-going conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Chief among the Center's objectives is to assist the Kingdom of Morocco to obtain American support for its efforts to construct a stable, progressive, democratic and economically dynamic region in North Africa. In pursuit of this broader strategic objective, the Center will focus a substantial amount of its resources and its activities on helping to facilitate a viable political solution to the longstanding issue of the Western Sahara.
Morocco - U.S. Relations
"We are delighted with our strategic partnership with the United States of America…and we are particularly keen to consolidate and diversify our partnership relations." H.E. King Mohammed VI, "Throne Day" Speech, 30 July 2004
King Mohammed VI and Hassan Samrhouni, Washington
Moroccan American club, President and founder
During the American Revolution, so many American ships called at the port of Tangiers that the Continental Congress sought recognition from the "Emperor" of Morocco. This was accorded, in effect, in 1777, making Morocco the first country to recognize the fledging American republic. Negotiation of a formal treaty began in 1783, and resulted in the signing in 1786 of the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both future U.S. Presidents, were the American signatories.
During the American Civil War, Morocco reaffirmed its diplomatic alliance with the United States by assuring Washington that the Kingdom, "being a sincere friend of the American nation, would never air or give countenance to the [Confederate] insurgents."
The first international convention ever signed by the United States, the 1865 Spartel Lighthouse Treaty, dealt with a navigational aid erected on the Moroccan side of the Strait of Gibraltar. The Treaty, ratified by Morocco, President Andrew Johnson and nine European heads of state, granted neutrality to the lighthouse with the condition that the ten naval powers signing the agreement assumed responsibility for its maintenance.
Around the turn of the 20th Century, as European colonizers gazed hungrily as Morocco’s resources and strategically located harbors, the United States strongly defended the Kingdom’s right to its continued sovereignty at the 1880 Madrid Conference and at the Algeciras Conference in 1906.
In 1912, after Morocco became a protectorate of Spain and France, American diplomats called upon the European powers to exercise colonial rule that guaranteed racial and religious tolerance: "In short," the U.S. Consul in Tanger declared," fair play is what the United States asks for Morocco and all interested parties."
World War I - World War II
During World War I, Morocco was aligned with the Allied forces. In 1917 and 1918, Moroccan soldiers fought victoriously alongside U.S. Marines at Chateau Thierry, Mont Blanc and Soissons.
With France occupied by the Nazis during World War II, colonial French Morocco sided with the Axis Powers. When the Allies invaded Morocco on November 8, 1942, Moroccan defenders quickly yielded to the American and British invaders. Shortly after Morocco surrendered, President Franklin Roosevelt sent a message to Morocco’s King, H.E. Mohammed V, commending him on the "admirable spirit of cooperation that is animating you and your people in their relationships with the forces of my country. Our victory over the Germans will, I know, inaugurate a period of peace and prosperity, during which the Moroccan and French people of North Africa will flourish and thrive in a manner that befits its glorious past."
In what was to be the most pivotal meeting of Allied leaders during the World War II, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Free French commander General Charles De Gaulle, met for four days in the Casablanca suburb of Anfa in January 1943 to discuss the war. During the Anfa Conference, the Allies agreed that the only acceptable outcome of the conflict was the "unconditional surrender" of the Axis forces. Roosevelt also conferred privately with King Mohammed V to assure him that the United States would support Morocco’s quest for independence.
1956 - Present
When Morocco finally gained independence on March 2, 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower sent a congratulatory message to King Mohammed V: "My government renews it wishes for the peace and prosperity of Morocco, and expresses its gratification that Morocco has freely chosen, as a sovereign nation, to continue in the path of its traditional friendships."
In November 1957, King Mohammed V traveled to Washington to pay an official call on President Eisenhower. Two years later, Eisenhower’s vice president, Richard Nixon, traveled to Rabat to meet with the King.
In 1961, H.E. King Hassan II, Mohammed V’s successor, made the first of several diplomatic visits to the United States to confer with President John F. Kennedy. King Hassan II would later journey to Washington to meet Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
President Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton, First lady and today's Secretary of States, and Hassan Samrhouni, Washington Moroccan American Club president at funeral of the Late King Hassan II
President Clinton personally flew to Rabat in July 1999 to attend King Hassan II’s funeral, and to meet the son who succeeded him, H.E. King Mohammed VI. One year later, King Mohammed VI made his first official visit to Washington.
Washington Moroccan American Club
at the Late King Hassan II Funural
In the 21st century, both countries have become close allies in the global war on terror. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Morocco shared valuable information with the United States about al Qaeda. Conversely, when Casablanca was the victim of terrorist bombings on May 16, 2003, the U.S. government offered Morocco – one of it oldest allies -- the full resources of its military and intelligence community. – political and diplomatic, commercial and economic , military and security, and our common sense of purpose and commitment to economic reform and development that underscore the strength of the Moroccan-US relationship
– political and diplomatic, commercial and economic , military and security, and our common sense of purpose and commitment to economic reform and development that underscore the strength of the Moroccan-US relationship
It is this extensive network of relations
BY SHERRILL B. WELLS
Office of the Historian -
United States Department of State
President George W Bush, Hassan Samrhouni,
Washington Moroccan American Club, President,
and James Baker, former secretary of Satates
Welcome to Washington Moroccan - American Club
Twenty years of community building, home of full of ideas, let put them in use ..
Featured Articles
Understanding Morocco- opportunities for Business and Trade by WMAC
Washington Moroccan American Club Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade
&
Global Economics and Business Seminar of the Washington Semester Program of the American University.
Speaker: Jean AbiNader, Moroccan America Cultural Center
Topic: Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade
Location: American University, Washington, DC
Read more French version & English version bellow
Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade Video 1/3
Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade Video 2/3
Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade Video 3/3
Washington, (MAP)- Les atouts économiques qu'offre le Maroc aux investisseurs américains ont été mis en exergue, jeudi soir, à Washington, lors d'une rencontre placée sous le thème "Connaitre le Maroc : des opportunités dans les secteurs des affaires et du commerce".
Organisé à l'American University à l'initiative du Washington Moroccan American Club, le débat a été notamment axé sur les réformes entreprises par le Maroc pour favoriser un cadre propice pour les investissements, les différents accords signés par le Royaume avec plusieurs pays, la main d'oeuvre qualifiée, le développement d'infrastructures de qualité et la stabilité politique.
"L'emplacement stratégique du Maroc, son économie croissante, le développement des infrastructures et les accords commerciaux avec plus de 40 pays font du Maroc une plateforme pour les investissements et l'exportation vers les pays du Moyen Orient, de l'Afrique et de l'Union Européenne", a souligné Jean AbiNader, du Moroccan American Culturel Center.
Il a cité, à cet égard, l'Accord d'association avec l'Union Européenne, l'accord d'Agadir signé avec l'Egypte, la Jordanie, et la Tunisie, ainsi que l'Accord de libre échange avec la Turquie.
Le Maroc compte également parmi les Etats bénéficiaires du Partenariat de Deauville, ajoute-t-il.
Le Royaume est aussi lié aux Etats-Unis par un accord de libre échange (ALE) qui offre une panoplie d'incitations, notamment fiscales et douanières ainsi qu'une protection du capital pour les sociétés américaines qui investissent au Maroc.
"Cet accord-phare permet aux exportateurs et investisseurs américains un accès presque illimité à des marchés en Europe, en Afrique, au Moyen-Orient et en Turquie", explique M. AbiNader.
L'ALE, en vigueur entre le Maroc et les USA depuis 2006, a permis d'éliminer la plupart des droits à l'importation, alors que les opérations commerciales US bénéficient des zones franches dans les ports marocains.
L'intervenant s'est également arrêté sur le statut d'allié majeur non-Otan accordé au Maroc.
Sur un autre registre, M. AbiNader a mis l'accent sur la tolérance religieuse qui caractérise le pays. Le Maroc est "un exemple dans la région en termes de tolérance religieuse, de reformes économiques et de promotion de la société civile", a-t-il fait remarquer.
Les derniers changements constitutionnels ont conforté davantage le processus de réformes du Maroc, considéré comme un modèle dans la région, affirme AbiNader.(MAP).
********
English version by Morocco World News
The economic advantages offered by Morocco to U.S. investors were highlighted Thursday night in a Washington D.C. meeting entitled "Knowing Morocco: opportunities in the areas of business and trade."
Held at American University by the Washington Moroccan American Club, the debate focused, in particular, on the reforms undertaken by Morocco to promote a safe environment for investment, the various agreements signed by the Kingdom with several countries, its skilled workforce, the development of high quality infrastructure and political stability.
"Morocco's strategic location, its growing economy, infrastructure development and trade agreements with more than 40 countries have turned the country into a platform for investments and exports to the Middle East, Africa and European Union, "said Jean AbiNader, of the Moroccan American Cultural Center.
The speaker also addressed the status of major non-NATO ally granted to Morocco.
On another note, Mr. AbiNader focused on the religious tolerance that characterizes the country. Morocco is "an example in the region in terms of religious tolerance, economic reform and promotion of civil society During the conference, AbiNader also cited different trade pacts, including the Association Agreement with the European Union, the Agadir Agreement signed with Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia, and the Free Trade Agreement with Turkey. Morocco, in addition, is among the beneficiary states of the Deauville Partnership, he added.
The Kingdom is also linked to the United States by a free trade agreement (FTA), which offers a variety of incentives, both regarding taxes and customs as well as capital protection for U.S. companies investing in Morocco.
"This agreement ensures leading exporters and U.S. investors almost unlimited access to markets in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Turkey," said AbiNader.
The FTA, set up between Morocco and the United States in 2006, has eliminated most import duties, while US trade operations benefit from tax free zones in Moroccan ports.," he stated.
The latest constitutional changes have strengthened further the reform process in Morocco, considered a model in the region, said AbiNader.
Translated from French by Louise Riondel-Editing by Benjamin Villanti
New York, October 10, 2011-Morocco World News
Morocco's economic strengths highlighted in Washington
New York, October 10, 2011-Morocco World News
The economic advantages offered by Morocco to U.S. investors were highlighted Thursday night in a Washington D.C. meeting entitled "Knowing Morocco: opportunities in the areas of business and trade."
Les atouts économiques du Maroc mis en exergue à Washington( french version)
Washington, 7 oct (MAP)- Les atouts économiques qu'offre le Maroc aux investisseurs américains ont été mis en exergue, jeudi soir, à Washington, lors d'une rencontre placée sous le thème "Connaitre le Maroc : des opportunités dans les secteurs des affaires et du commerce".
Understanding Morocco – Opportunities for Business and Trade
You are invited! Washington Moroccan American Club & Global Economics and Business Seminar of the Washington Semester Program of the American University Understanding Morocco - Opportunities for Speaker:
Present
Business and Trade
Jean AbiNader, Moroccan America Cultural Center
Note from Joseph Braude to WMC, Dear members of the Washington Moroccan American Club,
In 2008 the Moroccan police became the first Arab security service to grant sustained, inside access to a writer, enabling him to spend four months reporting on their operations from inside a police precinct in Casablanca. I am that writer, and my new book on the experience is both a real-life murder mystery and an unusual examination of Moroccan society and government in the 21st century. It's called The Honored Dead: A Story of Friendship, Murder, and the Search for Truth in the Arab World. You can pick up a copy in most bookstores, or online via www.josephbraude.com .
"Honored dead" booking signing by Joseph Braude and WMAC
Joseph Braude and the Washington Moroccan American Club
Present
“the making of the “The Honored Dead”, by Joseph Braude”
Police in North Africa and the Middle East have a troubling history of human rights abuse and corruption, and their inner workings are opaque. But in 2008, one Arab government granted a Western journalist unprecedented access to its security services, and the outcome of his reporting offers gritty insights into the changes now underway throughout the Arab world.
"the making of the "The Honored Dead", by Joseph Braude" sponsored by WMC
Police in North Africa and the Middle East have a troubling history of human rights abuse and corruption, and their inner workings are opaque. But in 2008, one Arab government granted a Western journalist unprecedented access to its security services, and the outcome of his reporting offers gritty insights into the changes now underway throughout the Arab world.
Ambassador Aziz Mekouar farewell party
Ambassador Aziz Mekouar farewell party
After a very successful decade as the Moroccan ambassador to the United States of America, Mr. Aziz Mekouar will be returning to Morocco in September 2011.
Members of the Moroccan Community will host a Dinner party in his honor to bid him farewell and to thank him for all he did for Morocco and the Moroccan Community in the USA.
Please join us to celebrate this important event.
Date: Wednesday September 14, 2011
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Place: Maggiano’s Restaurant
5333 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington D.C. 20015
Washington 'encouraged' by the new draft constitution in Morocco
Washington - The United States is "encouraged" by the new draft constitution, whose basic elements were outlined by HM King Mohammed VI in a speech to the nation on June 17, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
Interview of Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco
On June 17, 2011, King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced a series of proposed amendments to the country's constitution. The announcement followed a three-month review of the Moroccan constitution at the order of the King, after protest calling for reform began in February 2011. The Moroccan constitutional reforms are significant and unprecedented in the Arab world, as King Mohammed VI is clearly attempting to get in front of the demands for change sweeping the Middle East. Some skepticism remains, however, as to the extent of constitutional checks placed on the King's powers and whether Morocco will become a true constitutional monarchy.
Morocco Bets on Reform By Peter Pham
At a time when, as the experts assembled at a symposium earlier this month hosted by the Atlantic Council's Ansari Africa Center noted, the fate of both the "Arab Spring" in general and the North African revolutions in particular remain far from certain, Morocco has made an audacious bet with the new constitution that King Mohammed VI unveiled in a televised speech last Friday. If the proposed charter is approved by voters in a refer-endum next month, the country will once again prove itself to be an exception, both in the Arab world and on the African continent, where integral transformation voluntarily undertaken and carried out both with respect for history, religion, and culture, and at an appropriate speed can offer a path to the future that balances the competing demands of stability and openness to change.
The Arab Spring has broken out in Morocco by David Ottaway from the Wilson Center
The Arab Spring has broken out in Morocco pushing King Mohammed VI to put forth in lightning speed a new constitution requiring an elected rather than an appointed prime minister, the first such step in any of the eight monarchies or even most of the "democratic" republics of the Arab world
The King's Speech vs. The Dictator's Deceit
Amb. Marc Ginsberg
Former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco
The King's Speech vs. The Dictator's Deceit
It is the tale of two Arabian cities. As the crow flies, Morocco's capital Rabat and Syria's capital Damascus are about 2,500 miles from each other. But judging by the context and content of the respective national addresses delivered within hours of each other this weekend, Morocco's King Mohammed and Syria's Bashar Al Assad might as well have been a million miles apart from each other.
In Morocco: A Quiet Revolution?
North Africa, Middle East, Middle East Unrest, Democracy Promotion
Kenneth M. Pollack, Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy
The Brookings Institution
You probably won't be surprised to hear it, but there is something potentially very important going on that isn't getting the attention it deserves. It's happening in Morocco, where King Muhammad VI recently began to lay out the key provisions of a new constitution--something he first promised several months ago in response to popular protests as the Arab spring swept across his Kingdom.
The New Moroccan Constitution: Real Change or More of the Same?
Marina Ottaway Commentary, June 20, 2011
The constitution King Mohammed VI announced to his country on June 17 has been greeted by Moroccans with a great deal of ambivalence. Although it appears to be a foregone conclusion that a majority of Moroccans will vote "yes" in the referendum announced for July 1, many will do so with reservations. The young protesters who have been organizing periodic demonstrations beginning on February 20-hence the name, February 20 movement-have already announced that they do not intend to stop their actions. In fact, protests took place on June 19, drawing thousands of protesters in Casablanca and smaller numbers in other cities.
Women and the New Media in the Mediterranean Region
Isis Centre for Women and Development organizes the fifth edition of the international Forum “Mediterranean Women” under the theme : Women and the New Media in the Mediterranean Region on June 24, 25 and 26, 2011 at Palais des Congrès, Fez, Morocco
Presentation will be in Arabic, French and English with simultaneous translation
Conference Director : Fatima Sadiqi
Press release on MWN ( Morocco world News)
Press release, New York, May 30, 2011
We are pleased to announce the launching of the online-based news outlet Morocco World News. Fruit of the efforts and perseverance of a group of Moroccan and foreign journalists, political analysts, researchers and university professors, MWN comes to fill the vacuum of information in the English language on Morocco, North Africa and the Middle-East.
Magical Morocco festival organized by Washington Moroccan American Club Oct 2004
Moroccan Festival in Washington Suburb Draws Thousands of Visitors
By Elizabeth Kelleher
Washington File Special Correspondent
McLean, Virginia -- A small patch of land outside Washington at the McLean Community Center was turned into a real Moroccan "souk," or marketplace, recently, as vendors hawked brightly colored Moroccan clothing, rugs, pottery, brass, jewelry, tile and ceramics.
واشنطن 4 - 10 - 2004 ( بقلم قدور الفطومي) عاش فضاء المركز السوسيو تربوي لماكلين ( ولاية فرجينيا) أمس الأول السبت على إيقاعات المهرجان الثقافي الخريفي الذي تركز هذه السنة على المغرب تحت شعار " المغرب الساحر: من الصحراء إلى البحر ".
W.USA Channel 9 ( ABC)
It's just one example of a culture that brings people together.
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