The Marrakesh Declaration, issued in January 2016, is a statement that reaffirms the protection of religious minorities as integral to Islamic principles and history, as reflected in the Sahifah al-Madina (the Charter or Constitution of Medina). Rashied Omar, Imam at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa and Visiting Scholar at the University of Notre Dame, discusses why the Declaration is important in the sermon delivered in South Bend, Indiana, which he agreed to allow us to post below.
The Marrakesh Declaration and Interfaith Harmony
by Imam Dr. A. Rashied Omar
I would like in this khutbah to reflect on the historic an inspirational Marrakesh Declaration
(`Ilan Marrakesh) that was issued by over 300 Muslim scholars and interfaith leaders in Marrakesh, Morocco, on January 27, 2016.
The aim of the Marrakesh conference was to re-affirm the key principles of the 1400-year old Sahifah al-Madina (the Charter or Constitution of Medina) and to discuss ways of recovering its principles for our contemporary world. The conference was aptly titled “The Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Lands”.
It might be expedient to begin by briefly remind ourselves about the significance of Sahifah al-Madina.
The Significance of Sahifah al-Madina
When the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) emigrated to Madina he formulated a social contract between all of its diverse tribal and religious communities known as Sahifah al-Madina, which can be translated as the Charter or Constitution of Madina. This historic document embraced interfaith harmony by affirming the full dignity, citizenship and freedom of religion of Jews, Christians and other tribes living in the city-state of Madina. Sahifah al-Madina contained a set of clear guidelines that regulated intertribal and interreligious relations between the various religious communities and tribes in Madina and was instrumental in bringing an end to persistent conflicts and enhancing interfaith harmony. For example, Sahifah al-Madina calls for mutual cooperation (ta`awun) between the Jews of Madina and the Muslims by affirming that wa inna baynahum al-nush wa la-nasihah (indeed, mutual advice and consultation should exist between them i.e. Muslims and Jews).
Muslim History and Interfaith Harmony: An Ambivalent Record
Over the past fourteen hundred years, Muslims have tried to live up to and have striven to emulate this noble example of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), exemplified in Sahifah al-Madina by treating Jews, Christians, as well as people of other faiths and worldviews, with kindness and justice. At various epochs in our history, however, we have been more successful than at other times in creating interfaith harmony.
Sadly in more recent times, the Muslim community has not been doing too well in living up to the Prophet’s Sunna and the Islamic ideal of treating people of other faiths with great kindness and justice and thus establishing interfaith harmony. In particular, Christian minorities living in Muslim majority countries have lamented the fact that they are not afforded full citizenship and religious freedom.
Moreover, during the past couple of years, the brutal expulsion and beheadings of Yazidi Christians and others by the so-called Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS), has served to reinforce these perceptions of discrimination against Christians and other religious minorities in Muslim majority countries.
In light of the difficult time in the history of Christian-Muslim relations that we are currently living through, the outcome of the Marrakesh conference comes as a great source of solace and inspiration.
The Marrakesh Declaration: A Renewed Source of Inspiration
The Marrakesh Declaration is both powerful and inspiring. It makes the following clarion call:
“We call upon representatives of the various religions, sects and denominations to confront all forms of religious bigotry, vilification, and denigration of what people hold sacred, as well as all speech that promote hatred and bigotry.”
“AND FINALLY, the conference affirmed that it is unconscionable to employ religion for the purpose of aggressing upon the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries.”
The Marrakesh conference communiqué is commendable and timely. I urge every Muslim to read it, study it carefully, and most of all embody its benevolent spirit of interfaith harmony in our daily interactions with those who do not share our Muslim faith. The full text of the declaration can easily be found online at: http://www.marrakeshdeclaration.org/
In conclusion, it is my considered view that the Marrakesh Declaration resonates fully with a paradigmatic Qur’anic verse on interfaith harmony and benevolence towards those who do not share our faith commitment. In verse 8 of Surah al-Mumtahina, chapter 60, Allah, the Lord of Compassion, proclaims:
“God does not prohibit you from displaying kindness and justice to those (who do not share your faith in Islam) and who do not fight you for your faith nor drive you from your homes. For God loves those who are just and equitable (Q60:8).”
A. Rashied Omar earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently a Research Scholar of Islamic Studies and Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame, USA. His research and teaching are focused in the area of Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding with a twin focus on the Islamic Ethics of War and Peace and Interreligious Dialogue. In addition to being a University-based researcher and teacher he also puts theory to practice and serves as Imam at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa.