AFRICA/MOROCCO - Two hundred and fifty Islamic scholars sign the Marrakech Declaration calling for religious freedom for all

Thursday, 28 January 2016 islam  

Rabat (Agenzia Fides) – An appeal to develop an Islamic jurisprudence on the concept of citizenship, that is inclusive of all groups, was signed on January 27 by 250 leading Islamic scholars gathered in Marrakech, at the invitation of the Ministry of Promotion and Islamic Business of Morocco and the Forum for the Promotion of Peace in Islamic societies, based in the United Arab Emirates.
According to a statement sent to Agenzia Fides, the Marrakech Declaration looked to the Charter of Medina. This year marks the 1,400 anniversary of the Charter of Medina, "a constitutional contract between the Prophet Muhammad and the people of Medina, which guaranteed the religious liberty of all, regardless of faith".
Besides asking scholars and Muslim intellectuals to develop the concept of citizenship in Islamic jurisprudence, it launches an appeal to educational institutions for "a courageous review of educational curricula, to eliminate any topic that incites aggression and extremism, bringing war and chaos"; and to politicians to "establish a constitutional contractual relationship among its citizens".
It finally calls upon the various religious groups bound by the same national fabric to address their mutual state of selective amnesia that blocks memories of centuries of joint and shared living on the same land, and to reject any form of denigration of the other.
The Marrakech Declaration concludes that it is "unconscionable to employ religion for the purpose of aggressing upon the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries".
At the meeting in Marrakech fifty leaders of other religions were present who expressed their gratitude for the Declaration. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 28/01/2016)


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