Fedwa Misk

Fedwa Misk

Fedwa Misk ( Arabic فدوى مسك, DMG Fadwā Misk ; * 1981 ) is a Moroccan journalist , feminist and women's rights activist . She took part in the protest movement of February 20, 2011 and then opened an online magazine with the aim of promoting discussion about women in Morocco. Misk's publication Qandisha ^(en) contained several high profile stories and was targeted twice by hackers. She worked as a writer for the Le Courrier de l'Atlas newspaper.

Career

Misk studied medicine for six years and worked as a freelance writer for Moroccan and foreign newspapers. As a journalist she worked for the newspaper Le Courrier de l'Atlas, where she focused on articles on cultural events, interviews and portraits. Misk also runs a literary café. In 2011 she took part in the demonstrations of the February 20th Movement during the Arab Spring against corruption, bondage and injustice of the Moroccan regime. She has blogged for many years. In 2013 she called for a sit-in protest in front of the Moroccan parliament building ^(s) to demand the release of the detained journalist Ali Anouzla. She describes herself as a feminist. She is one of the few women who campaign for the release of Ali Anouzla.

Qandisha

On November 14, 2011, Misk founded the website Qandisha, a French-language online magazine, which was inspired by what she saw as a lack of media support for improvements in women's rights after the Arab Spring. The magazine was named after the mythical Qandisa, a female Djinn īya who is famous for her seductive powers . Qandisha covered issues that are important to women, such as their families and husbands, religion, secularism, and the wearing of the veil. Misk wanted to show that women were interested in topics beyond the fashion, beauty, and culinary arts of other women's magazines. She was the moderator, coordinator and editor-in-chief of the daily magazine. More than 80 people worked for the magazine in some form in the first year, including several dozen women authors. In 2015, it had 100 volunteers and 20 male employees. In a joking way, any article written by a man is simply attributed to “un homme” (a man). Misk wanted to get Qandisha's message across to a wider audience by starting radio broadcasts and opening a web-based radio station.

The magazine often covers contentious issues, including that of a Moroccan politician who was acquitted of rape despite the victim's subsequent birth what she referred to as his baby. The scandal sparked by Qandisha's coverage of the story resulted in the case being reopened and a new trial called. A 2012 story of a rape case called for the Justice Minister to repeal a law allowing a rapist to marry his victim. In 2011, Qandisha elicited a formal apology from the French consul general in Casablanca after revealing that a young woman had been treated roughly by his staff.

The website was targeted by the opponents. Misk frequently receives hate letters and threats online. Some opponents claim that the website was funded by Israel, the US or France. In June 2012 the website was hacked and its contents changed to show the Moroccan royal emblem and the national motto “God, the land and the king”. The hacking came after Qandisha posted a letter about homosexuality written by a gay man. The website was then hacked a second time.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Antoine Boyet: Qandisha, la libre parole marocaine ( fr ) Le Journal International. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
2. ↑ Fedwa Misk ( fr ) Le Courrier de l'Atlas.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Charlotte Bienaimé: Féministes du monde arabe ( French ). Editions des arènes, Paris 2016, ISBN 978-2-35204-434-5 , pp. 64–67.
4. ^ Moroccan and foreign journalists call for the release of Anouzla . In: Morocco World News , September 26, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2017. 
5. ^ ^{A b} International Association of Women in Radio and television: Report IAWRT Biennial Conference 24–26 October 2013 in Casablanca, Morocco .
6. ↑ ^{a b c} The struggle for women's rights in Morocco: an interview with Fedwa Misk . World Policy Institute. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} Qandisha . In: Journal of Middle East Women's Studies . 11, No. 2, July 2015, pp. 246-47.