This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
HIBAPRESS-RABAT
The National Association of Istiqlalian Journalists, under the leadership of its dynamic and ambitious president Said El Ouazzane, one of our credible journalists from Al Alam, called for a meeting which recounts one of the most glorious stages of our Kingdom, which was hosted with great scope by an eminent journalist who was able to provide this meeting with further lessons, particularly in the presence of major figures from the Istiqlal Party
the National Association of Istiqlalian Journalists, always with the will of its president, tries in the best possible way to be in parallel with all the strong events that our country is experiencing
And it is within the framework of its series of monthly intellectual meetings, and coinciding with the anniversary of the presentation of the Independence Manifesto, the National Association of Istiqlalian Journalists organized last night, Friday January 10, 2025, a meeting distinguished with Professor Mohamed Habib El-Kharraz, of the Istiqlal Party, at the Party Headquarters in Rabat.
During this meeting, the speaker reviewed his most important political and journalistic experiences since independence, which were rich in lessons on the ethical and behavioral dimensions that govern political work within the Istiqlal Party , and his contributions in this regard since the 1970s from Tetouan.
With his deep experience both in the field of journalism, which he has practiced since the 1960s as an accredited correspondent for the newspaper “Al-Alam”, and in local and public policies, given his extensive experience in the conduct and management of local affairs in Tetouan during the last decades of the last century and the beginning of the current century, Professor El-Kharraz addressed a number of issues related to the promotion of values and principles in this area .
El-Kharraz also highlighted the absence of systematic cultural policies in the Kingdom regarding the scarcity of Moroccan historical writings, compared to the abundance of foreign books and references that have chronicled Morocco in all areas more than the Moroccans, calling on researchers and academics to recommit to writing a new history of Morocco based on secret sources, manuscripts and archives and to abandon ritual writing that relies on what orientalists wrote in order to to gain a deeper understanding of Moroccan identity and history.
Born and raised in a scientific and cultural environment, Mohammed Habib El Kharaz, one of Tetouan’s most prominent academic, political and journalistic figures, began his school career by obtaining his primary school certificate at Mohammed School V from Tetouan in 1956, and continued his studies at Al Qadi Ayyad high school before obtaining the Moroccan baccalaureate in 1964. Graduated from the Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences of Mohammed V University in 1967, he then joined the legal profession in Tetouan, where he had a brilliant career, since he was elected president of the Tetouan Bar Association in 1996. He also contributed to political life by serving on the Municipal Council and leading the Tetouan Urban Group, as well as playing an active role in the region’s institutions.
El-Kharraz was also one of the oldest journalists in Tetouan, having started as a correspondent for the Al-Alam newspaper in 1960 and published the Sawt Al-Oumma newspaper in 1980. His passion for research and writing manifested in multiple works on history, musical culture and journalism, and he was very appreciated, one of his works having been presented to His Majesty King Mohammed VI in 2009. At the political level, he has been associated with the Istiqlal Party since independence and has held leadership positions, most recently as a member of the ethics committee, appointed by Secretary General Nizar Baraka in 2024. El Kharraz is married and the father of three children. He is still considered one of Tetouan’s leading intellectuals and politicians.
