"[In a discussion about the impact of the Jasmine Revolution and
Arab Spring...] Islam has not yet developed the idea of
'equality'."" [M. Khalifa] 15-06-11
"Our lecture at
MACECE on Jews in Morocco was interesting for ideas related to
"tolerance," and how one can approach the topic from various
directions." 17-06-11
"The highlight of the
day was a lunch discussion about the upshots of _discrimination_
[in all of its varied social forms, vis-a-vis the "'isms"] and
how, seemingly, many find it difficult to confront or discuss
these challenges largely because of fear." 19-06-11
"The Jewish quarter [Mellah]
is near the palace, thus reflecting the historical disposition
of mutual beneficence." 27-06-11
"In Sousse...we
visited a Roman Catholic Church where earlier this year, the
parish priest was killed. With immediate emotional
reactions, area residents, mostly Muslim, scribed the walls of
buildings around the church with declarations of support against
Islamic extremism. [It was later determined that greed was the
driving force, not intolerance; a contractor was just trying to
cheat the church out of payment for services in the
post-revolutionary interim quasi-governmental state.]"
06-07-11
zzz
From an historical perspective, the
Maghreb has been host to many religions, from the indigenous
people's belief's and practices, through the Roman pantheon,
Christianity, and those of the displaced Andalucian Jews and Muslims that
found safety away from the Iberian Peninsula during the time of the
crusades. Currently, Islam is the dominant religion in the
Maghreb, though the other faiths "of the book," maintain a steady if
minute presence in the region. The Christian church
congregations seemed especially vibrant; populated mostly by
immigrants, (sub-Saharan and otherwise) that populated the seats
during the various Masses we attended.
As the grant program suggested, the
Maghreb is a region which can offer lessons on religious tolerance
and cooperation among faiths. This becomes especially
important as religious extremism from varying faiths seem to rise in
the current world climate.
zzz
KEY CONCEPTS/WORDS: Morocco,
Tunisia, Religion, History, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Muslims,
Jews, Christians, Identity, Tolerance, Oppression, Power, Fear,
Mellah, Relations, Relationships, Prophets, Saints, Angels,
Mysticism, Dhimmitude,
FROM THE LIST OF RESOURCES:
Readings - Boudraa,
Burns, Deshen,
Gottreich (2007), Ma’oz, Peters, Schroeter, Stillman, Zielonko
Film - Boughedir,
A&E Network Web sites - American Moroccan Institute
http://www.amius.org/index.html , Muslim-Christian
Beliefs
http://www.muslim-christian-beliefs.com
, Dhimmitude
http://www.dhimmitude.org/d_history_dhimmitude.html
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