Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale highlighted, during a high-level meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, the courageous and heroic act of the late SM King Mohammed V, through the protection given to Moroccans of the Jewish faith during the Second World War against the brutal and barbaric Nazi regime of Vichy.
This meeting, which took place on Thursday, was enhanced by the participation in particular of Mr. Douglas Emhoff, husband of the Vice-President of the United States, Kamala Harris, Mrs. Deborah Lipstadt, Special Envoy of the United States to combat the anti-Semitism, Mr. Ted Deutch, Chairman of the American Jewish Committee and Ms. Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications of the United Nations.
The invitation by the United States to Morocco to co-organize this event on the globalization of international efforts to combat anti-Semitism, is a mark of recognition and appreciation of the efforts and commitment of the Kingdom, in accordance with the High orientations of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to fight against all forms of discrimination and hatred, in particular, anti-Semitism.
In his speech, Mr. Hilale highlighted the commitment of Amir Al Mouminine, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to preserve the heritage of His Glorious ancestors, by promoting coexistence between Moroccans of Muslim and Jewish faith, adding that under the enlightened leadership of the Sovereign, Morocco has succeeded in strengthening its role as a world leader in the promotion of cultural, religious and civilizational respect.
The ambassador also noted the spirit of brotherhood between Moroccan Muslims and Jews, advocated by the late HM Hassan II who had reinforced Morocco’s contributions and commitment to respect for religious and cultural diversity.
The diplomat further highlighted the Kingdom’s vision for education to counter anti-Semitism, recalling the high-level event on “The Power of Education: The Case of Anti-Semitism”, organized by UNESCO in September 2018, during which His Majesty King Mohammed VI stressed that “racism in general and anti-Semitism in particular are not opinions. Anti-Semitism is the antonym of freedom of expression. It manifests the negation of the Other and constitutes the admission of a failure, an insufficiency, an inability to coexist. It is the anachronistic return to a mythologized past”.
Mr. Hilale also noted Morocco’s action in terms of raising awareness among future generations, highlighting the reform of the education system, which integrates Moroccan Jewish history and culture into school curricula at the primary and secondary levels. college, noting that the Kingdom has voluntarily chosen to bet on pedagogy and education to resist the tragic illusions of Holocaust denial and to combat hatred in the land of Islam.
Furthermore, he affirmed that Morocco remains committed to safeguarding the Kingdom’s Hebrew heritage and heritage, under the 2011 Constitution, which recognizes that the Kingdom’s unity “has been nourished and enriched by its African tributaries. , Andalusian, Hebrew and Mediterranean”.
The inauguration by His Majesty the King of “Bayt Dakira” and the repair of Jewish cemeteries and synagogues on High Royal Instructions, reflect Morocco’s desire to perpetuate its Hebrew memory, noted the ambassador, stressing that the action of the Kingdom in favor of the fight against hate speech and the promotion of intercultural and religious tolerance, recognized worldwide, earned Morocco the hosting, last November in Fez, of the 9th Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations of Nations United.
Morocco is walking the talk, said Mr. Hilale, recalling that the Kingdom was the initiator of UN General Assembly resolution 73/328, the first of its kind on the fight against hate speech, adopted in 2019. Morocco had also initiated resolution 75/309, by which the UN General Assembly proclaimed June 18 as the International Day against Hate Speech. he concluded.
Co-hosted by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, Argentina and Mexico, this meeting was an opportunity to bring together senior officials to draw attention to the worrying trend of rising anti-Semitism and hate speech. The discussions focused, in particular, on effective efforts and solutions to deal with the various manifestations of contemporary anti-Semitism.
