Ahmed Benchemsi
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Benchemsi is a Moroccan
journalist
.He is the founder and was the publisher and editor of TelQuel and Nishan
magazines.
. He spent his freshman years in Rabat’s Mohammed V University
, before joining Paris 8 University, from which he received a B.A
in Finance. He later received an M.A
in Development Economics from the Sorbonne
, and an MPhil in Political Science from Paris’ Institut d’Etudes Politiques, aka Sciences Po.
in 1996. After briefly serving as communication advisor for a cabinet member, he was editor in chief of Téléplus magazine in 1999. After the passing of King Hassan II
, he was the correspondent in Morocco for Jeune Afrique
magazine. In October 2001, he founded TelQuel, a weekly news magazine of which he became the publisher and editor. Under the editorial line “Morocco As It Is”, TelQuel covers monarchy, politics, business and culture and advocates democracy, secularism
and individual freedoms. Its independent, liberal stand made it since its inception a resolute critic of the Makhzen
(autocratic monarchic system) as much as of the Islamists
. Both strongly attacked it in return. In 2005, TelQuel became the #1 weekly in Morocco.
In 2006, Benchemsi founded Nishan
, the Arabic version of TelQuel, defending the same values and editorial line. In 2008, Nishan became the #1 Arabic weekly in Morocco.
In October 2010, after 4 years of confrontation with the authorities (see section “legal record”) Benchemsi was forcibly driven to close Nishan, which bankrupted as a consequence of a longstanding advertising boycott campaign, orchestrated by companies close to the royal palace.
In December 2010, he quit TelQuel (in order to save it from following Nishan’s path, observers said) and left Morocco to the United States.
Since January 2011, he is a political science researcher in Stanford University and an op-ed writer for international outlets such as Le Monde, Time and the Guardian.
, notably in an editorial titled The speech and the method, earned him severe critics from conservative officials.
He was also repeatedly criticized for running "sensationalist" cover stories. The Salary of The King, Moroccans, How Do You Make Love?, The Jewish in Us, What if Cannabis was Legalized and Enough is enough! are some of the most controversial.
A passionate advocate of secularization
and individual freedoms, he often crossed swords with Moroccan Islamists—notably the editors of Attajdid, the daily mouthpiece of the islamist Justice and Development party.
A defender of Darija
—the Moroccan vernacular language, a mix of Arabic
, Tamazight (Berber) and European languages—, he relentlessly advocated its recognition as Morocco’s national language. Nishan was partially written in darija.
rebuked as “judicial harassment”.
In December 2006, after a cover story titled “How Moroccans Joke about Religion, Sex and Politics”, Nishan was banned by decision of Prime minister Driss Jettou
. Whereas Benchemsi and Nishan staffers received death threats as much as support letters from all over the world, the then editor-in-chief and the author of the controversial article were sued by the government for “damaging Islam”. They were condemned to 3 years suspended prison.
In August 2007, Benchemsi was interrogated during 2 days in custody about one of his editorials. 100,000 copies of TelQuel and Nishan were seized and destroyed by police forces. Benchemsi was sued for “disrespecting the King”, which in Morocco is worthy of 5 years in prison. One year later, the trial was adjourned without verdict.
In August 2009, 100,000 copies of TelQuel and Nishan were seized again and destroyed by the police, this time because it featured an opinion poll on King Mohammed’s public record, jointly conducted with the French daily Le Monde
. “The King is above polling,” said the government spokesman before writing a violent op-ed against the two weeklies. In 2010, the same official, who is also Minister of Information, signed a vehement "open letter to Ahmed Benchemsi"
In 2005, he received in Brussels the Lorenzo Natali prize , granted by the European commission to "journalists who contribute to the cause of democracy”.
In 2007, he received in Beirut the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press, granted by the European Union.
Under Benchemsi's supervision, many TelQuel and Nishan journalists received international awards, notably the RFI-Reporters without borders prize and the Press Now prize .
Ahmed Benchemsi completed fellowships in Newsweek
and the Los Angeles Times
.
He Also gave conferences in the Middle-East, Europe, the United States and India on freedom of speech in Morocco, and on Islam and Secularism.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.He is the founder and was the publisher and editor of TelQuel and Nishan
Nichane
Nichane was a Moroccan weekly arabophone and darijophone magazine...
magazines.
Education
Benchemsi attended high school in CasablancaCasablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
. He spent his freshman years in Rabat’s Mohammed V University
Mohammed V University
Mohammed V University was founded in 1957 under a royal decree . It is the first modern university in Morocco.The university is named after Mohammed V d. 1961, the former King of Morocco. In 1993, it was divided into two independent universities:* Mohammed V University at Agdal* Mohammed V...
, before joining Paris 8 University, from which he received a B.A
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Finance. He later received an M.A
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Development Economics from the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, and an MPhil in Political Science from Paris’ Institut d’Etudes Politiques, aka Sciences Po.
Career
He began as a reporter and polemicist in the Moroccan weekly La Vie EconomiqueLa Vie Eco
La Vie Eco is a weekly francophone Moroccan independent newspaper. The newspaper is specialized in economy and finance news.- External links :*...
in 1996. After briefly serving as communication advisor for a cabinet member, he was editor in chief of Téléplus magazine in 1999. After the passing of King Hassan II
Hassan II of Morocco
King Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
, he was the correspondent in Morocco for Jeune Afrique
Jeune Afrique
Jeune Afrique is a weekly newsmagazine published in Paris, founded in Tunis by Béchir Ben Yahmed on October 17, 1960. It covers the political, economic and cultural spheres of Africa, with an emphasis on Francophone Africa and the Maghreb....
magazine. In October 2001, he founded TelQuel, a weekly news magazine of which he became the publisher and editor. Under the editorial line “Morocco As It Is”, TelQuel covers monarchy, politics, business and culture and advocates democracy, secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
and individual freedoms. Its independent, liberal stand made it since its inception a resolute critic of the Makhzen
Makhzen
Makhzen is the governing elite in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered around the king and consisting of royal notables, businessmen, wealthy landowners, tribal leaders, top-ranking military personnel, security service bosses, and other well-connected members of the...
(autocratic monarchic system) as much as of the Islamists
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
. Both strongly attacked it in return. In 2005, TelQuel became the #1 weekly in Morocco.
In 2006, Benchemsi founded Nishan
Nichane
Nichane was a Moroccan weekly arabophone and darijophone magazine...
, the Arabic version of TelQuel, defending the same values and editorial line. In 2008, Nishan became the #1 Arabic weekly in Morocco.
In October 2010, after 4 years of confrontation with the authorities (see section “legal record”) Benchemsi was forcibly driven to close Nishan, which bankrupted as a consequence of a longstanding advertising boycott campaign, orchestrated by companies close to the royal palace.
In December 2010, he quit TelQuel (in order to save it from following Nishan’s path, observers said) and left Morocco to the United States.
Since January 2011, he is a political science researcher in Stanford University and an op-ed writer for international outlets such as Le Monde, Time and the Guardian.
Views
Ahmed Benchemsi’s editorials often generated controversy in Morocco. His propensity to interpellate King Mohammed VIMohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI is the present King of Morocco and Amir al-Mu'minin . He ascended to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father.-Education:...
, notably in an editorial titled The speech and the method, earned him severe critics from conservative officials.
He was also repeatedly criticized for running "sensationalist" cover stories. The Salary of The King, Moroccans, How Do You Make Love?, The Jewish in Us, What if Cannabis was Legalized and Enough is enough! are some of the most controversial.
A passionate advocate of secularization
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
and individual freedoms, he often crossed swords with Moroccan Islamists—notably the editors of Attajdid, the daily mouthpiece of the islamist Justice and Development party.
A defender of Darija
Moroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco. For official communications, the government and other public bodies use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries. A mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in business...
—the Moroccan vernacular language, a mix of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Tamazight (Berber) and European languages—, he relentlessly advocated its recognition as Morocco’s national language. Nishan was partially written in darija.
Legal record
TelQuel’s editorial line got Benchemsi in trouble with the Moroccan authorities, which repeatedly prosecuted him in what Reporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
rebuked as “judicial harassment”.
In December 2006, after a cover story titled “How Moroccans Joke about Religion, Sex and Politics”, Nishan was banned by decision of Prime minister Driss Jettou
Driss Jettou
-Early life and education:Jettou was born in the town of El-Jadida. After secondary studies at El Khawarizmi college in Casablanca, he obtained a technical Baccalauréat in mathematics in 1964. He then joined the Faculty of Sciences of Rabat where he graduated in physics and chemistry in 1966...
. Whereas Benchemsi and Nishan staffers received death threats as much as support letters from all over the world, the then editor-in-chief and the author of the controversial article were sued by the government for “damaging Islam”. They were condemned to 3 years suspended prison.
In August 2007, Benchemsi was interrogated during 2 days in custody about one of his editorials. 100,000 copies of TelQuel and Nishan were seized and destroyed by police forces. Benchemsi was sued for “disrespecting the King”, which in Morocco is worthy of 5 years in prison. One year later, the trial was adjourned without verdict.
In August 2009, 100,000 copies of TelQuel and Nishan were seized again and destroyed by the police, this time because it featured an opinion poll on King Mohammed’s public record, jointly conducted with the French daily Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
. “The King is above polling,” said the government spokesman before writing a violent op-ed against the two weeklies. In 2010, the same official, who is also Minister of Information, signed a vehement "open letter to Ahmed Benchemsi"
Awards and recognitions
In 1996, Ahmed Benchemsi received in Casablanca, at the age of 22, the “investigative story award,” granted by Morocco’s journalists union.In 2005, he received in Brussels the Lorenzo Natali prize , granted by the European commission to "journalists who contribute to the cause of democracy”.
In 2007, he received in Beirut the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press, granted by the European Union.
Under Benchemsi's supervision, many TelQuel and Nishan journalists received international awards, notably the RFI-Reporters without borders prize and the Press Now prize .
Ahmed Benchemsi completed fellowships in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
.
He Also gave conferences in the Middle-East, Europe, the United States and India on freedom of speech in Morocco, and on Islam and Secularism.