In all seriousness, the following hypothetical question can be raised: What will come after the Justice and Development Party? Well, the answer is: Why not the Justice and Charity Party, since this is an Islamic group that does lack in the desire to be part of the political scene in case the objective terms – according to the party – become available and in case the authorities were to accept an unusual political normalization. It seems that hitherto farfetched scenarios are no longer so, in light of the Arab Spring wave that is almost shaking all grounds in unison. Less than ten years earlier, the Justice and Development Party, which is currently leading the second iteration of Al Tanawob – the formula for power rotation in Morocco-, faced a storm of criticism that went as far as demanding the party's head. The party's adversaries did not want to destroy it because it was able to achieve a prominent political presence. Instead, they8/5/ used the incitement against radicalism and violence in order to shake the party's image on the domestic and external levels. However, all the party's adversaries eventually admitted that this was a party like any other political faction, that only crocodiles and demons are frightened by this party, and that a time might come when the Moroccan Prime Minister, Abdelilah Benkirane might call them “crows." This fact implies that political experiences are formed by series of incidents and events, some of which are easy to solve while some others are extremely difficult in the absence of rational thinking and analysis. Most importantly, making a distinction between the religious and the political aspects of the work of political parties enables human experiences to avoid diving into the political conflicts under the cloak of religion; or shoving the religious aspect under the cloak of politics. The reason why the Islamic movements grew wings is probably because the economic, social, cultural and rights related reforms constituted the reference for the movement that changed everything. This was like a code of ethics that led to the creation of a new contract. The passing of the political parties' code in Morocco was not just a mere structural and procedural phase that led to the activation of the partisan practices. It was rather a political and ethical commitment that banned the formation of parties based on a dogmatic, tribal, or ethnic foundation. Meanwhile, the parties' identity reflected the historic, language related, and heritage related components without any discrimination and alienation - thus raising the possibility of a more global openness. That kind of agreement was not a strange thing to the country's political traditions and practices. However, it did make room for revoking many barriers and jumping over many road bumps such as opening up to the Islamic leaders without being too stringent. The Independence party – which is the oldest organization – has always run its choices by the Islamic reference. Before changing its name to the Party of Progress and Socialism, the Communist Party never argued against the religious reference. Thus, the Justice and Development party benefitted from these changes because the parties abided by the democratic legitimacy rather than just the ethical sermons. Will the Justice and Charity group have the opportunity to become a political party, just like the other groups that are now part of the general scene? It is too soon to tell whether this crucial test will succeed. However, the photo that brought together the leader of Justice and Development, Abdelilah Benkirane and a leading delegation from the Justice and Charity group cannot be solely placed under the headline of a courtesy call especially that the prime minister had already called on the group to commit to political work under an open partisan banner. The Justice and Charity group responded to that call with an even better one because paying a courtesy visit to congratulate the Justice and Development party implies that the group does not mind building relationships with political partners. This is also coupled with an earlier suggestion that Sheikh Abdel Salam Yassin had made when he called for a wider political front. This suggestion is further enhanced by the fact that anyone who calls for a political dialogue must actually be an equal to its potential partners in order to complete the circle of the dialogue. Even if the call was made in different circumstances, the most important thing is that this call definitely has a political basis. There is no need to wonder whether the group will be revealing all its cards at once because the Arab Spring's river is flooded with parties and groups that no one even dared to mention in the past. People might easily assume that the psychological bets will be overlooking the scene; and that the group might act as if it was a platform for guidance and religious preaching; or that it might be changing its skin. The situation of Justice and Charity is similar to those protocols that are dependent on minor details: Anyone who wants to practice politics as a way to protest or to make condemnations must abide by the rules. The opposing side might be willing to take part in the competition or not. However, those who are making the call are the ones who are making the initiative. Then comes the second part: What will they gain? The experience of the Justice and Development party encourages the opening of a new page based, forth and foremost, on the voting ballots.
