Rabat – US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt has commended Morocco’s approach to promoting interfaith and intercultural dialogue.
Lipstadt held a series of meetings with senior officials, university students, and members of the Jewish community in Morocco during her working visit to Morocco.
“Excellent discussion today with Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita,” Lipstadt said in a tweet on Tuesday.
“This is a precious opportunity for me to interact directly with the Jewish community in Morocco, especially given the importance of this community and its history,” she said, emphasizing Morocco’s place in the long history of the Jewish community.
Lipstadt said that although Morocco is home to fewer Jews compared to previous years, the existing synagogues, cemeteries, and Jewish institutions “remain very impressive.”
Commenting on her visit to Morocco, Lipstadt said that she held a stimulating exchange with “gifted students” from the University of Literature and Human Sciences in Casablanca.“Simply delighted to engage young Moroccans about coexistence, acceptance, and the linkages between various forms of hatred,” she noted.
Upon her arrival, the US official also visited Hassan II Mosque, describing it as “beautiful.”
Morocco’s interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance are referenced in many US reports.
In June 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed Morocco’s efforts in embracing diversity and promoting interreligious dialogue.
Blinken made his comments in a video message addressed at the inaugural ceremony of the Tangier Dialogue international conference.
“The fact that this dialogue is happening in Tangier, a historic crossroads city where people of different nationalities and faiths have traveled, settled, and shared knowledge and culture for centuries, is especially fitting,” Blinken said.
