The unique "Moroccan model"!!!
The epic of the Atlas Lions continues in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and with it the unprecedented wave of joy continues in Morocco and the Arab world, and behind them the African continent and the Islamic world. Victories that reflect the unity of the "conscience" of the peoples of this geography from the ocean to the Gulf, even from Jakarta to Rabat, and the communities of these peoples in European and American diaspora countries, Arabs, Amazighs, and Kurds, Sunnis, Shiites, and Ibadis, religious and secular, men and women, old and children, and other classifications that many parties have worked hard to transform into walls and barriers, and convinced many of the necessity of barricading themselves behind them for fear of the other, and then a football match reveals to us the extent of their fragility and the falsity of the claims behind them!!
Because the Lions' epic is replete with unprecedented records and statistics, various perspectives and approaches have been taken to understand and analyze the phenomenon of genuine enthusiasm and joy that began in Morocco, subsequently spreading to the Arab and African world, and then to most parts of the world. Everyone has been vying to praise it in all the world's languages, from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.
The event, led by coach Walid Regragui and translated by his heroic soldiers on the field, reflected what could be called the “Moroccan spirit” that has inhabited this body for centuries, and established what could be called the unique “Moroccan model,” fueled by this spirit!
A model of success that answers many of the questions of renaissance that Arabs, Muslims, and people of poor and developing countries have been asking for decades, if not centuries, and with greater urgency, following these countries’ attainment of their “formal” or “weak” independence from their Western colonizers. And because our elites only believe in recipes and models, and post-independence regimes, each according to their own experience, have taken it upon themselves to suppress any tendency to invent a “self-model” that does not copy Western models of renaissance and success, we can suffice with mentioning five aspects that can serve as the foundation for this “unique Moroccan model,” which has qualified this people for success in the stadiums of Qatar, and is currently being inspired in various scientific, political, economic, social, etc. fields!
The first and foremost pillars of this model are belief in the ability to act and achieve, high self-confidence, and combating the culture of self-abasement. Throughout the decades of independence, we suffered from elites who could be called local "colonial agents," who instilled in us the notion that "we are defeated," and that we have no way to change this deplorable reality except by following in the footsteps of our successful "colonizer," and replicating—not merely drawing inspiration from—his experiences, values, and other elements of his historical experience, under the pretext of "modernization." Political, economic, intellectual, artistic, religious, and other elites joined in this endeavor, generating a no less destructive counterreaction based on defending "authenticity," and at its core, a call to replicate—not merely draw inspiration from—the era of the "Companions and the Caliphate." This ultimately led to the consolidation of our "internal defeat," because we were unable to emulate Western society or the society of the Companions, and were content to cling to the superficial superficialities of these two models! Walid Regragui's soldiers believed in their ability to act, and that they were in no way inferior to their "advanced" counterparts. They overcame—perhaps for the first time in the Arab, Islamic, and African world—the state of internal defeat, achieving the successes they did.
The second pillar, which entails and is inseparable from the first, is good preparation. Entering any battle, experience, or challenge without proper preparation is a recipe for failure, perpetuating internal defeat and self-abasement in the face of the winner. Perhaps the most important foundation of this good preparation is the ability to mobilize the necessary forces for success. This is where Regragui, for example, excelled, by combining Moroccans at home and abroad, local and professional players, based on a single criterion: competence and the ability to contribute. Traditionally, our talents abroad have been considered the backbone of the renaissance, under the pretext that they best embody the successful Western model, while others remain fanatical about the country's most zealous and combative citizens. The Atlas Lions have finally put an end to this need for differentiation, and we have discovered the true mettle of the true Moroccan, regardless of their country of residence, as long as they are prepared to deny themselves and serve the community. Entering any battle with "troops" of one color or faction, regardless of their level of professionalism, patriotism, or righteousness, ultimately guarantees one outcome: failure!
The third pillar, linked in turn to the previous ones, calls for identifying our strengths and weaknesses and using this knowledge to develop a plan that suits these capabilities. This is a well-known principle among strategists worldwide, requiring you to determine the location, time, and weapon of battle that will bring you closer to victory. The alternative is to allow your opponent to determine the aforementioned elements, thus engaging them in a battle whose timing, arena, and weaponry they have determined—a feat that can be described as “suicide.” Regragui expressed this cleverly when he declared that he had devised a plan tailored to his team’s capabilities, and that others should engage in deciphering its codes. If we expand this point further and attempt to formulate it in a more comprehensive manner, we can say: We must formulate our own renaissance model, one that takes into account our real needs—not the needs of our isolated elites—and that suits our capabilities. We must implement it in a manner that suits our style of play. This does not conflict with—and indeed requires—leveraging diverse human experiences and knowledge, drawing inspiration from them rather than copying them.
The fourth pillar, which is linked to the previous one, is to set the standard of "achievement" as a reference for measuring success, and not to deviate from it to other superficial and ostentatious standards that do not serve the ultimate goal: victory! This is a clear principle in football and can be applied in other arenas. Brazil's skill and showmanship have not brought them victory since 2002, and the "rigor" of the Italians did not deprive them of the opportunity to win in 2006 and reach many other finals. An Egyptian sports analyst expressed this well when he said: "In this tournament, the Atlas Lions have ended the "myth" of honorable representation!" It is a myth that witnessed suspicious collusion between the local elites and the former colonizers, which contributed to its consecration and deepening the internal feeling of defeat that dwells within us. Thus, merely reaching the World Cup has become a bigger challenge, and successfully qualifying for the second round is the most achievement we can aspire to!!" Because the coaches of most Third World national teams are foreigners from "the great football nations," everyone viewed the Moroccan achievement, with its national coach, as a "daydream" or an unimaginable miracle. Success is success, but the endless progress on the path to success is a pathetic consolation, contributing to the "perpetuation" of waiting for the moment of victory without ever reaching it!
Now we come to the fifth of these pillars, which is no less important, if not more important, than the previous ones. It relates to the ability to involve people in the “achievement.” Here, no one should think that the participation of the Moroccan and Arab masses in the achievement of the Moroccan Lions from the sidelines renders them a marginal element. Without the roar of their throats, saying “March, march, march,” weakness and fatigue would have crept into the veins of their soldiers, and frustration would have crept in. The people’s belief, each in their own position, in the importance of victory and achievement, and the preparation of their children, the generations of the future, to embody this culture—instead of the prevailing culture of defeat and collapse—ensures that our victories will continue, and that the torch of renaissance and achievement will be passed on from one generation to the next. This is the only guarantee for the advancement of our nations and their positive integration into human civilization.
Finally, no one should assume that the anti-success and anti-renaissance camp, comprised of an "objective" alliance between "fundamentalists" and "modernists," will lay down their weapons without fighting the wave of pride, joy, and confidence sweeping through the Arab and Islamic worlds and the poorer countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Based on our previous experiences with the "godfathers" of internal defeat, we know in advance which approach each side will resort to. The modernists will strive to emphasize that the Atlas Lions' experience was merely a "slip" that occurred in the blink of an eye, and that it cannot be repeated. They will attempt to thwart any desire by any party to attempt to repeat what happened in Qatar, and that scientific, historical, and political "logic" dictates the perpetuation of the camps of civilization and backwardness, to the point that this classification rises to the level of a scientific law, similar to "natural selection"! As for the fundamentalists, their usual weapon is to “belittle and ridicule” any victory our societies achieve, emphasizing that it is merely a victory in a ridiculous game called football, and that there is no meaning to joy, happiness, or exaggerated optimism. Some even resort to reminding us of the “sanctity” of football because it is a pastime, and that there is no victory except the victory of the afterlife, or whatever our “rulers” see as such!!
In short, even if my words seem a bit exaggerated - or a lot of it - if we read what happened in Qatar carefully through the eyes of the Atlas Lions and the voices of Moroccans and Arabs, this “Moroccan achievement” will be a founding event for a wonderful era to come, whose title will be “belief in our ability to act...any act”!!
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