Muslim scholars release declaration on rights of religious minorities

The Marrakesh Declaration on the Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities was released late last week.  It is an historic document of its kind.

It came as a result of a conference marking the 1,400th 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.

The Marrakesh Declaration voices the participants’ “firm commitment to the principles articulated in the Charter of Medina, whose provisions contained a number of the principles of constitutional contractual citizenship, such as freedom of movement, property ownership, mutual solidarity and defense, as well as principles of justice and equality before the law.”

The conference was held under the auspices of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and organized jointly by the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs in the Kingdom of Morocco and the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies based in the United Arab Emirates.

Click here to read the Marrakesh Declaration.