We ought to welcome Morocco’s new openness to religious minorities, despite any suspicions we might hold concerning motives

By Raffi Chilingirian

A previously unprecedented conference calling for an increase in the rights of religious minorities within the kingdom, under the title “Freedom of Conscience and Belief: Between Recognition and Coexistence,” took place in Rabat, Morocco, on the 18th of November 2017. Morocco is predominantly Sunni Muslim and religious minorities, including Christians, Jews, Shia Muslims, and Baha’is, all together constitute scarcely 1% of the population. Yet despite or perhaps because of their small size, these religious minorities often face marginalization and exclusion within broader Moroccan society. Organized by the Tanweer Movement, which struggles to gain official recognition by the government, the conference was attended by human rights activists, academics, preachers and representatives from a variety of religious minority groups in the country.

Earlier this year, the Moroccan king declared a message of tolerance, stating that, “We in the Kingdom of Morocco see no reason for denying religious minorities any of their rights. We do not tolerate a violation of this kind being perpetrated in the name of Islam, nor do we tolerate any Muslim being involved in such infringement.” Yet despite the fact the king has reflected positively with reference to religious pluralism, a positive development to be encouraged, this conference was considered highly controversial in Morocco, specifically as it relates to the motives and the intentions of the conference organizers. Religious minorities still face discrimination and people fear broaching this topic openly, largely a result of the fact that conversion from (but not to) Islam is forbidden in Morocco. Nevertheless, a group of Moroccan Christians spoke publically of their demands as a religious minority back in May.

Despite the controversy and the fear looming over this contentious topic, attendees see the Freedom of Conscience and Belief conference as a small step towards achieving religious freedom in Morocco. It is worth asking, therefore, whether this conference represent a move towards achieving tolerance and acceptance of religious freedom in Morocco, or if the sanctioning of such a conference is merely a smokescreen, a façade of tolerance on an otherwise intolerant society. Yet, it remains clear that Morocco has recently taken a very real, public lead in promoting religious tolerance and non-extremist expressions of Islam as a response to the collective soul-searching and embarrassment instigated by ISIS and other recent failures of political Islam – as evidenced by the 2016 Marrakesh Declaration.

Ultimately, the church should positively embrace such moves towards diversity and the acceptance of religious minorities within majority Muslim nations. Rather than looking upon such actions with suspicion, a cynicism born from mistrust, the church is encouraged to engage with these “changing tides” and to look at these movements as a beneficial step towards the dignity of persons as God’s image-bearers, as a positive incremental step towards full freedom of conscience for Muslims and others.