Before the events of this book took place, the project was nothing more than a gut feeling and an offer of access to a unit of the Moroccan police. That was sufficient for Spiegel & Grau executive editor Chris Jackson to embrace the concept and press for its acceptance. When I came back from Morocco, he provided guidance on how to make a manuscript out of my reporting and travails, and vastly improved successive drafts. I wonder whether the book would exist in any form without him. Both Chris and I, in turn, relied on my agent, Lydia Wills, for strategic, practical, and literary advice. In my case, she also provided unwavering support and boundless patience.
Meanwhile in Morocco, Sharqi Darees, the director of National Security, granted me the access that made the reporting possible and provided crucial assistance whenever it was called for. The openness of his directorate to the sustained prodding and critical gaze of a foreign journalist speaks to the kingdom’s strength. Among Darees’s deputies in Rabat, Fadel Atallah provided a tutorial on the machinery of Moroccan security. Mustafa Mawzuni, the chief of police in Casablanca, chose the precinct in which I was to be embedded and fostered my relationship with its leadership. Though no conditions were placed on my reporting, I have chosen to respect the shared wish of all lieutenants and officers at Precinct 5 that their real names not be used.
I owe a particular debt of gratitude to the family of Ibrahim Dey, God rest his soul, especially his mother, Khadija, and sister Fatima. They shared intimate family details and made introductions to many relatives at a time of pain and bereavement. The man whom I refer to as Muhammad Bari drove the independent investigation into Dey’s tragic death, which is the core of this book. Along the way, he became a close friend. Umar Sayyid, the band Nas al-Ghiwan’s lead singer and elder statesman, spoke to the country’s heart and soul in ways that only a seminal artist can.
Professor Najib Akesbi at Rabat’s Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II provided insights and data about Moroccan agriculture and aspects of the country’s human and physical infrastructure. Professor Mohamed Cherkaoui at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique provided the benefit of his formidable scholarship in Moroccan sociology. Zaynab Mumin, a graduate student, donated the use of her dissertation on masculinity and sexuality in Morocco. Munir Muntasir Billah, a former judge, gave an insider’s view on the workings of the country’s judiciary. André Azulay, Serge Berdugo, Masud Waknin, and Jacob Perez offered their perspectives on Moroccan Jewry past and present. Dr. Hicham Benyaich at Ibn Rushd hospital in Casablanca helped me make sense of a most unusual autopsy report. Numerous Moroccan journalists imparted tricks of the trade. I am particularly grateful to Lubna Bernichi at Maroc Hebdo and Tawfiq Buashrin at Al-Masa. Another media man, Ahmed Charai, opened his Rolodex and his heart, and contributed invaluable advice and wisdom.
Family, old friends, and new friends enabled me to reach the stage of writing another book after difficult times, and rallied to help me reach the finish line. I will always be grateful to Marty Peretz. When I faced Federal prosecution, he stood by my family and me. After I emerged from the courtroom convicted of a crime, he gave me the opportunity to write a weekly column for The New Republic—the beginning of a new career. My mother, Rita, father, Joel, brother, Yoni, and uncle Ben Braude, continuous sources of love and encouragement, made numerous helpful suggestions as I produced the manuscript. Yoni and his partner, Emily Sadigh, also reviewed the manuscript, offering insightful comments. My former wife, Nitzan Pelman, showed kindness and support at critical stages of the project. I learned a great deal about writing from my editors Richard Just, Robert Love, and Timothy Mohr, whom I count as friends. Finally, I am grateful to my girlfriend, Ruth Franklin, who offered a fresh perspective on the manuscript that led to considerable improvements.