Morocco: A 'Model' for Inter-Religious Dialogue - Moratinos

Morocco remains a “model” in terms of tolerance and inter-religious dialogue, said Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations at a webinar held on Thursday by the Moroccan Center for Tolerance and Inter-religious Dialogue on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the passing of late King Mohammed V.

On this occasion, Moratinos highlighted the exemplarity of the Kingdom in preserving the rights of believers, coexistence and plurality, recalling the great symbolism of the visit of Pope Francis to Morocco, two years ago, and his meeting with HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful.

“This visit demonstrates the firm commitment to live together and cohabitation between the Abrahamic religions,” insisted the former head of Spanish diplomacy, noting that religions do not exist only for tolerance, but also to advocate dialogue and joint action.

Moratinos also stressed the leading role played by HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, in the consecration of the respect of religions and the free exercise of worship, within the framework of ancestral Moroccan traditions.

In opening remarks, the president of the Center Mohamed Aabidou recalled the importance late King Mohammed V attached to the values of coexistence and tolerance.

“The late king was an exceptional king not only in the Arab world but also at the Islamic level in this field”, he said.

“We all know how the late sovereign saved the lives of thousands of Jews during the Second World War,” Aabidou stated, noting that Morocco is the only Arab country to integrate Jewish culture into the school curricula.

For his part, Tunisia’s former Foreign Minister, Mohamed Khalil, praised the actions and initiatives undertaken by late King Mohammed V, throughout his life, to give meaning to the communion and otherness between the followers of different religions.

“Faced with the current situation marked by division and wars, the voice of Morocco emerges, again, to advocate interfaith dialogue and build a new era, ” he said.

The high-level debate was initiated by the Moroccan Center for Tolerance and Interfaith Dialogue to pay tribute to the father of the nation, the late King Mohammed V who laid the foundations of independent Morocco.