Amine El Khalifi, the black sheep

By Mourad Anouar

Thank God and Federal security for nabbing Mr. Amine El Khalifi before he was able to carry out his monstrous plan. If the latter happened to succeed, the damage would be irreparable. But along with such alleged terrorist plans that target innocent people comes a price that others have to pay.

It is a high price by the way. And in this case, we, the Moroccan community, are in no better position as we have to defend ourselves against something one black sheep has done. People like El Khalifi don’t know that their cowardly acts bring about not only material damage, but they play a major role in demonizing a large community that chose to make America their second home.

Unlike many other Moroccans who came to the states to have a better life, El Khalifi had different plans. He could have seized the opportunity and picked out a good career for him. He, instead, chose to be a murderer. Surely, he did not believe in an orderly and peaceful society where people can still live together even if they have different ideologies. He should have learned through his nine years as an illegal immigrant that in a civilized society people settle their differences, no matter how serious they are, by debating, not throwing grenades. Al Khalifi was able to overstay his visa without being apprehended by the Immigration authorities. Instead of being thankful for that, he returned their favor by trying to bomb the U.S capitol and other governmental buildings.

Unfortunately, Mr. Al Khalifi not only chose to pursue a bloody path, but he, knowingly or unknowingly, was behind tarnishing the image of his native country and his fellow Moroccans who  live in America. Living away from one’s native country usually requires one to be a goodwill ambassador for it. However, for people like Al Khalifi, there is no affiliation or allegiance, or even some sense of patriotism. Loyalty to their extremist convictions transcends all bonds to either their host country or their native one.  Orchestrating their evil plans comes before any considerations including the jeopardizing of the lives of many Moroccans living here in the US.

No doubt the war on terror is not America’s only. Countries around the world have suffered from this global phenomenon. In Morocco as in the United States, Moroccans need to come forward to denounce such heinous acts. It is time to do more than just send out statements of condemnation to news agencies and officials. We should use all our means to campaign against this lethal ideology that is twisted out of any semblance to reality. The battle against terror is not limited to just rounding up a bunch of crazies and putting them behind bars. It is in fact a battle of ideas where taking people’s lives can be justified by twisting the meanings of divine scriptures.

Mr. Khalifi is not the only or the last one with extremist ideas. His arrest should indicate that terrorists are determined to fight until the last drop of blood.

One thing I am sure of is that El Khalifi does not represent Morocco or Moroccans. No matter what his motives for his cowardly plot were, no justification can be made when innocent lives are targeted.

What should we do after all this?

That would be left to the readers to come up with the possible solutions and strategies in an attempt t