The Dhadouh in the Bouhlalami Trap and Al-Hanawi in a Justification Trench: A Loud Ethical Fall
The photo was not just a fleeting snapshot as some tried to market it. It was a genuine insult to every free Moroccan who places the issue of the Sahara in the realm of sacred matters, not on the shelf of bargaining. The appearance of journalist Wael Dhadouh on Al Jazeera amid individuals raising the slogans of the separatist Polisario organization in Barcelona was not a mere incident in platform memory but a shocking moment that shattered the image of a man who was built up as the embodiment of “human conscience” and the “voice of victimhood.” Suddenly, a significant part of that image broke, and it cracked before the Moroccan public opinion.
Moroccan anger stemmed not just from the image itself but from the implicit messages it carried. How could a man who demands justice and fairness from the world stand, whether consciously or, if he truly was unaware, at the heart of a scene bearing a separatist banner directed against an Arab country that has always supported him unconditionally? How could the Moroccan collective memory digest this as if it were just an optical error? Here lies the crux: Moroccans do not accept any ambiguity when it comes to their territorial integrity, regardless of who the person is or what their human story may be.
The most difficult part was the stance of some local traitors who rushed to defend Dhadouh, as if the matter did not concern them, as if the feelings of Moroccans were merely a secondary detail. The traitor Aziz Al-Hanawi is a striking example of this scene; he chose to turn platforms into a justification and whitewashing stage, posting more than five messages defending Dhadouh without writing a single word to condemn his image with a separatist flag, or even to express a simple respect for the feelings of a nation whose image was wounded before the world. This intentional silence towards separation, juxtaposed with the noise of defending the journalist, reveals an ethical flaw before it becomes a political dispute.
As for Dhadouh himself, in his response to an “Express TV” journalist, he chose to issue a “hollow explanation.” He did not disavow the separatists, nor did he reaffirm his respect for the territorial integrity of Morocco; he did not describe the matter as an unacceptable error or harmful to his supporters. He merely resorted to a cold remark stating that “some misinterpreted the image,” as if he were placing the blame on the audience, not on his action. This language was not read as a clarification, but rather as a subtle contempt.
The message that Moroccans took from this incident is simple and unequivocal:
If the image does not represent you, say so clearly… And if it does, don’t expect others to applaud you in the name of humanity.
Moroccans do not judge intentions… but symbols.
And the Sahara is not a gray area; it is a red line that no one can cross without at least paying a moral price.
