Mr. Abdellah Boussouf, Secretary General of the Council of the Moroccan Community living Abroad (CCME), actively participated to the “American peace caravan” held on 24 and 25 October 2017 in Rabat.
During his speech in a caucus organized by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, in partnership with the Forum of Peace in Muslim Society, under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Mr. Boussouf said that “the approach of the caravan illustrates the symbol of peace, security and true knowledge of the other, which strengthens the harmony, the alliance of civilizations and the dialogue of cultures”.
Mr. Boussouf added that the activities of this caravan in Morocco during two days, as well as the momentum of the proposals, supported by the participants from the three monotheistic religions, improve the image of the human being and make it possible to build a plural society characterized by the respect for others and the revitalization of values through intercultural exchange and sharing.
He also explained the idea backed by Sheikh Abdallah Ben Beya, president of the Forum for the Promotion of Peace in Muslim Societies, according to which ” fraternity and faith” bring together all devotee of different religions to build together, on the basis of human values.
Religious pluralism in Morocco
Pointing out the choice of Morocco for the launch of the historic Marrakesh Declaration on Minority Rights, the Secretary General of the CCME assirted that the Kingdom has, through its long history, experienced this “fraternity of faith” since Muslims, Jews and Christians coexisted under the institution of the Commandery of Believers (Imarat Al Mouminine).
He reminded some aspects of this religious and cultural cohabitation, notably the sharing between Jews and Moslems of Morocco of several marabouts and the respect and the protection of the rights of the religious minorities while taking care to restore the Jewish cemeteries and synagogues and preserve the Christian churches which exceed the hundred in Morocco.
Mr. Boussouf spoke about the importance of multiculturalism in the being of the Moroccan identity and the plurality of tributaries composing the Moroccan personality consecrated in the 2011 Constitution, especially the Jewish one which enriched the culture. He added “we can not understand the Moroccan Muslim personality without understanding its Jewish dimension, nor understand the Moroccan personality without understanding its Muslim dimension”.
The Secretary-General of the CCME stressed, that Morocco owes its spiritual stability to the institution of the « Commandery of believers » which protects all believers, considering it as the noblest political system that preserves freedom of worship in mosques, synagogues and churches of different Moroccan cities for centuries and even before colonialism.
At the closing statement, a message of gratitude to His Majesty Mohammed VI , on behalf of the participants, was red by the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Taoufiq.
After Rabat, the caravan launched in Abu Dhabi will travel to Washington to promote the values of world peace and encounter hatred and extremism by appealing to dialogue and living together.
CCME
