The Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) launched the Maghreb Voices website to inform and engage with the people of the Maghreb region in North Africa. The website targets nearly 100 million people and focuses on an array of issues, including countering ISIS, the rights of women, human rights, corruption, human trafficking, slavery, minorities’ rights and illegal immigration. It provides the opportunity for users to participate in important discussions and share their ideas, issues and concerns openly and freely. Users can also visit Voice of America’s Learning English, an online language program which Maghreb Voices has incorporated so that its audience will have access to English language tools. The website serves as an uncensored interactive platform in an under-served part of the world.

The launch of Maghreb Voices comes after the success of Raise Your Voice-Iraq, a campaign that fosters communication with Iraqis about the future of their country. With the help of Community Managers, Maghreb Voices similarly facilitates dialogue with its audience. The website gathers stories and insights from interviews with citizens on the streets of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania. It also covers news of the Maghreb community in the United States, Netherlands, France and Spain.

One of the several unique sections of Maghreb Voices is its focus on defectors’ stories.  This section includes interviews and firsthand accounts of people who joined and later left extremist groups. Another section invites readers to pose questions they have about the United States, which are answered by the Maghreb Voices staff or outside experts when needed. Users will also find video content, polls, question of the day, citizen journalist content and articles.

Feedback from the audience includes comments from Redouane in Morocco who thanked the team “for this constructive platform, which is a unique medium for transmitting the voice of the people of the Maghreb.” Hassan from Libya also stated that the website is an “amazing page that tells the economic, social and cultural realities of the Maghreb.”

Maghreb Voices also utilizes social media properties to facilitate the two-way conversation. It provides a 24/7 discussion forum on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and WhatsApp.

Managing Editor, Fadoua Massat