The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, in the strongest words possible on Saturday.

The ministry released a statement in which it stated that the act “offends the sacred symbols and sensibilities of more than a billion Muslims, especially during the holy month of Ramadan,” notwithstanding the fact that it was carried out in front of the diplomatic representative of another Muslim nation.

The same source went on to stress the need to prevent all manifestations of animosity toward religions and hurtful behavior toward their adherents, and urged the Danish authorities to firmly enforce the law in order to deal with these careless incendiary acts and prevent them from repeating under any circumstance.

Patrioterne Gar Live, a far-right organization with anti-Muslim sentiments, desecrated the Turkish flag and the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen on Friday.

The group’s Facebook page allowed for live streaming of this horrible deed. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident; in recent months, Islamophobic people and groups have burned multiple copies of the Quran throughout northern Europe and the Nordic nations.

Rasmus Paludan, a far-right extremist, racist, and ultranationalist politician, also set fire to the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm and a mosque in Copenhagen in January.

At a protest in Enschede, the Netherlands, Edwin Wagensveld, the head of the anti-Islamic organisation PEGIDA, also tore apart and lit a Quran on fire.

Global indignation and condemnation over the desecration of the Quran have led to calls to stop approving Bigoted protests.
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Morocco reiterated its call for increased multilateral efforts to promote the values of coexistence, dialogue, and pluralism in order to combat Islamophobia and strengthen respect for religions and beliefs at a high-level United Nations event held in New York on the occasion of the celebration of the first anniversary of the International Day against Islamophobia.

HM King Mohammed VI reiterated the significance of these values in the royal message addressed to the 9th Global Forum of the Alliance during this event, which was organized on Friday by the President of the UN General Assembly and the Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in his capacity as Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The Sovereign emphasized that “politics talks to citizens, religion speaks to their souls, and conversation speaks to their civilizations” in this message. We must speak out for peace in all languages. This edict was viewed through the eyes of present and upcoming generations.

In addition, Mr. Kadiri reaffirmed Morocco’s dedication and “unwavering” allegiance to the principles of inclusivity, peace, and productive communication between all religions and ideologies.

He said that the Kingdom of Morocco preserves and strengthens its long tradition of coexistence between religions and civilizations, as well as its leading role at the international level to promote these sacred values, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, a zealous defender of the values of peace and coexistence.

According to Mr. Kadiri, Morocco has always placed respect for others at the center of its national, regional, and international priorities. He cited the Moroccan Constitution’s preamble, which declares that cohabitation of religions and cultures is a necessary precondition. He also referred to Morocco’s national immigration and asylum policy, which is founded on the principles of acceptance, integration, and humanism.

The Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines, and Morchidates was established in 2014 and offers religious preachers a humanistic and moderate training in both the practical and theoretical aspects of Islamic teachings. According to the Deputy Permanent Representative, this structure represents a practical and especially moderate model of religious training that has drawn many African, Arab, and European imams. The latter are introduced to the Institute’s values of respect for one another and learn how to dissect the hazards of stories that promote hate, extremism, radicalization, and terrorism.

The Moroccan envoy added that the Kingdom places great emphasis on include young people, women, and members of civil society in the formation of public policies, which has greatly aided in the advancement of democracy and human rights.

Morocco places a high value on the effective implementation of the UN’s tools for fostering interfaith and intercultural understanding and combating hate speech, in particular the “Rabat Action Plan on the Prohibition of Advocacy of National, Racial or Religious Hatred, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence” and the “Fez Plan of Action on the Role of Religious Leaders and Actors in Preventing Incitement.”

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In a message marking the International Day against Islamophobia, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for action to end the “poison of hatred” against Muslims.

“The nearly 2 billion Muslims in the world reflect humanity in all its magnificent diversity. Yet they often face bigotry and prejudice for no other reason than their religion,” Guterres said, noting that in addition to structural and institutional discrimination and the general stigmatisation of their communities, Muslims are targeted as scapegoats for personal attacks and hate speech.

He noted that the triple discrimination against Muslim women on the basis of gender, ethnicity and faith is one of the worst consequences, noting that this growing hatred is part of a resurgence of ethno-nationalism, neo-Nazi white supremacist ideologies and violence against vulnerable populations, “including Muslims, Jews, some Christian minority communities”.

To remedy this situation, the UN chief stressed the need to “strengthen our defences by promoting policies that fully respect human rights and protect religious and cultural identities”.

“We must accept that diversity is a richness and invest much more decisively, politically, culturally and economically, in social cohesion,” he said, calling for the fight against the sectarianism and hatred that is spreading like wildfire on the Internet.

Guterres also stressed that for more than a millennium, Islam’s message of peace, compassion and kindness has inspired people around the world, noting that all major religions and traditions invoke the imperatives of tolerance, respect and mutual understanding.

“These values are basically universal: they animate the UN Charter and are at the heart of our quest for justice, respect for human rights and peace,” he said on the occasion of the celebration of the day on 15 March.

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The French Council of Muslim Faith held its Extraordinary General Assembly in response to President Emmanuel Macron’s recent decision to dissolve the CFCM, according to a statement sent to the Editorial Board of Morocco Telegraph.

To adopt new statutes, the CFCM held its Extraordinary General Assembly in Bagnolet on February 19, 2023. The EGA was attended by more than 55% of its members, 73% of whom were chosen by local actors. A new AGE is required by the CFCM statutes in order to validate the new statutes. On March 12, 2023, it will be held.

The new statutes call for a reorganization of the CFCM based on departmental structures; all French mosques may participate equally. The success of recent departmental structures developed in pilot departments attests to the appropriateness of this decision.

They also call for an end to the so-called statutory federations’ system of cooptation, which currently affects 50% of the CFCM’s members. The main reason the CFCM has been blocked in recent years is because of this system, which has shown to be undemocratic and capricious.

With these two significant adjustments, the CFCM hopes to give local actors who have been duly elected by their peers a voice once more. The artificial borders and divisions that have severely impeded the CFCM in carrying out its missions will be eliminated by these actors, who share similar concerns.

The CFCM was founded in 2003 on the initiative of Mr. Jean-Pierre Chevènement, who was serving as the Interior and Religious Affairs Minister at the time. Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, the former President of the Republic, provided the decisive impetus for the organization’s creation.

The CFCM currently represents over 1,100 mosques that took part in its 2020 election. This number is anticipated to rise significantly as a result of the new reform, which addresses the primary barriers to greater voter participation.

To adapt to new contexts, every representation of the cults in our nation had to change. This dynamic involves the Muslim cult. The CFCM plans to advance today, moving past the ups and downs and crisis it has encountered in recent years.

This organization is a priceless resource that must be upheld, enhanced, and strengthened because it made it possible to inscribe Islam in the fabric of French culture with undeniable accomplishments.

The main purpose of the CFCM is to defend the interests of the Muslim cult, to permit French Muslims to receive the spiritual guidance they desire, to aid in the growth of the Muslim cult in France, and to represent the Muslim cult in all public forums, events, and social discussions.

Without giving the CFCM a thorough evaluation, it should be noted that it has been able to support, through CRCMs, numerous projects of mosque construction, the appointment of chaplains in the army, hospitals, and prisons, to publish, in collaboration with the public authorities, several practical and circular guides for the slaughter according to the rites, the pilgrimage, and the organization of the burial spaces in the cemeteries, to combat extremist ideology.

The Conference of Religious Leaders in France (CRCF), an example of interreligious interaction that has made it possible to strengthen fraternity in our nation, was founded by the CFCM.

The CRPR Act of August 24, 2021, which was passed at the request of the CFCM, addressed the issue of funding worship by reporting buildings, even though the provision it adopted is still in need of improvement.

For the past two years, a national council of chaplains and imams has conducted a thorough analysis of the status and accreditation of imams.

A contract between the CFCM and the Ministry of the Interior also allows for improved statistical tracking of anti-Muslim incidents. The CFCM launched legal actions through the National Observatory to Fight Islamophobia.

The Covid19 pandemic outbreak made clear how crucial and necessary CFCM is. All observers agree that the CFCM has done an outstanding job of handling this dilemma through the numerous comments and recommendations it has provided. Thousands of meals were given out by mosques to the needy and nursing staff in response to the CFCM’s invitation. Volunteers were organized to visit the sick and grieving families. Since there was a lot of stress in the cemeteries, the CRCMs mobilized with the mayors to add more burial spaces.

It goes without saying that the CFCM needs to be held accountable for failing to live up to the aspirations of French Muslims and that criticism and inquiries about this need to be heard. Via the significant structural modifications they suggest, these new statutes specifically attempt to achieve this.

The Republic’s President, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, said on February 16, 2023, that he had decided to cease the CFCM’s participation in the State-Muslim cult discussion and replace it with a new framework.

The attendees of today’s Extraordinary General Assembly have taken note of this decision and reiterated their commitment to upholding the rights of the French Council members who serve as mosque administrators as well as the interests of the Muslim faith in general. They will employ all legal tools at their disposal to accomplish this, and they will assist all parties engaged in this effort.

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