This three-day long global meeting about the the Islamic world's potential pluralism exposed on January 25th and it was a historical and very significant event in Marrakesh. Numerous religious leaders, conversant people, and clergy were attending this conference to represent a wide range of schools and religions linked to Islamic idea, together with representatives from different governments around the globe. This discussion "The Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities: Legal Framework and a Call to Action" was arranged collectively by Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies that are based in the UAE and the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs in the Kingdom of Morocco, while the King of Morocco Mohammed VI was appointed patron of this conference.
What is fascinating seems that this meeting incorporated the contribution of Sikh, Hindu, Jewish, and Christian clergy with more than three hundred of political and religious leaders from different countries with Muslim-majority, like Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq and Egypt.
This meeting concentrated on making a new statement that would equalize the rights of different religious minorities that live in Islamic countries, positioning the 622 C.E. Charter of Medina – that is the first constitution of Islamic world that emphasizes the rights of smaller minorities in Muslim regulations - in the wider context of religious and human rights and global agreements that is actually a considerable step further for the all Islamic world.
"The necessity to protect minorities from different religions is actually immediate in these violent times," claimed Ed L. Gabriel, the former Ambassador of United States. "And extended history of Morocco with a calm coexistence among its Christians, Jews, and Muslims, and religious freedom that is included also in its constitution make this country the perfect environment for this important work of the conference."
Implemented by referendum in year 2011, the constitution of Morocco claims that the unity of the nation "is forged by the fusion of its Saharan-Hassanic, Berber, and Arab-Islamist components, enriched and nourished by its Andalusian, African, Mediterranean and Hebraic influences." It intensifies responsibility of Morocco "to the beliefs of tolerance, moderation, dialogue and openness for reciprocal understanding between any civilizations and cultures of the globe."
One of the real results of this conference that occurred from January 25 to 27 in Marrakesh was the Declaration that appeared from it. It inconspicuously connects the cultural and religious beliefs and ethos of Muslim religion at its beginning at 7th-century - although it tries to adapt the faith to contemporaneity and make these religious values more acceptable and understandable both to non-Muslim and Muslim people. I was surprised by the clarity of language of this Marrakesh Declaration and especially by its hints at a worldwide perspective for integrating different beliefs.
The Charter of Medina is cited below:
"Hundreds of Muslim intellectuals and scholars from 120 countries gathered in Marrakesh on the 1,400 anniversary of the Charter of Medina for a constitutional agreement between the people of Medina and Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him), that assures the liberty of religion for all people, irrespective of belief. Their aim was to approve the Charter of Medina that defend the constitutional convention between people of Medina and Prophet Muhammad.
Participants of this discussion, being moved by the situation that Muslim people and people of different faiths have, made a strict obligation "to the rules defined in the Charter of Medina, whose regulations included a many principles of constitutional contractual citizenship, like mutual solidarity and defense, property ownership and freedom of movement, in addition to regulations of equality and justice before the regulation."
The Charter of Medina ensures an appropriate structure for local constitutions in lands with Islamic majorities, that are also in sync with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Charter, and the Charter of Medina.
The convention emphasizes the necessity for critical assistance among all communities that are religious, and "the necessity for mutual respect, tolerance, and complete protection of liberties and rights for people from all religious communities in a civilized approach."
The Conference encourages "Muslim intellectuals and scholars worldwide to improve a jurisprudence of the concept of "citizenship" that includes different groups of people. This jurisprudence should be rooted in Muslim principles and values and cautious about globally significant changes."
Further, the convention suggests Islamic educational organizations and leaders to make an encouraging overview of educational courses that have efficiently and truthfully any content that incites an extremism or violence that can result in conflict and mess that also leads to ruination of our shared societies;
There was also a proactive call for different sectors of community including decision makers and politicians use their political power and begin a constitutional contractual relationship within its people, and to encourage all initiatives and supplements whose goal is to strengthen common understanding and relationship among the different religious communities in the Muslim World;
There was also a chapter focused towards the organizations of civil society and creative, artistic, and intelligent people of our society who should determine an extensive movement for taking care of minor religious groups in different Muslim countries.
This constitution also calls upon different religious communities related to the same national material to deal with their shared state of partial amnesia that holds memories of hundreds of years long history of shared and common living at the same country to restore this history of enjoyment, and repairing the mutual trust to each other that has been destroyed by aggression and terror of extremist's side;
Call upon delegates of the different beliefs, denominations and religious groups to encounter all kinds of religious vilification, denegration, and fanaticism what people honor, along with all talks that contribute bigotry and violence; and, ultimately, confirm that it's excessive to use religion for the aim of aggressing against the rights of all minorities in Islamic countries."
As being a reasonable Islamic female, I would be really indolent if I didn't conclude this article with no special greetings to Fatema Mernissi who is an author of "Husband", "Dreams of Trespass" and "Hijab", among others.
She was one of my favorite writers of all time who wrote numerous books, lived a passionate life and was a spirited protectress for freedom of Islamic women. She died last year in December 30.
For Muslim females, Fatema Mernissi was an inspiration and an icon. She was the first who created the definition of Feminism in the Islamic world and arranged the phase for developing it by encouraging Islamic women to enjoy a complete life both at work and home.