[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 17 (Monday, January 29, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E205-E206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MOROCCO: A MODEL OF MUSLIM-JEWISH TIES

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                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 29, 2007

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I respectfully request that Serge 
Berdugo's recent op-ed, ``Morocco: A Model of Muslim-Jewish Ties'', as 
published in the January 9 issue of The Christian Science Monitor, be 
entered into the Congressional Record. Mr. Berdugo, the president of 
Morocco's Jewish Community Council, outlines the history of Muslim-
Jewish relations in Morocco, where Jews and Muslims have peacefully 
lived as neighbors for hundreds of years. I commend this work to all 
who want a lasting peace between Jews and Muslims across the world, and 
everyone who wishes to see the State of Israel and its neighbors 
coexisting harmoniously.

       Casablanca, Morocco.--As the flames of anti-Semitism 
     continue to be fanned across much of the Islamic world, there 
     is a risk that today's youth will grow up believing that 
     Arabs and Jews were simply not meant to coexist, let alone 
     thrive together.
       That idea conflicts with history--and is a falsehood today. 
     My country, Morocco, illustrates the viability and vitality 
     of a Jewish community--my community--in an Arab country. It's 
     a model of harmony other Muslim nations should follow.
       The Jewish people have been a presence in Africa's Maghreb 
     region for more than 2,000 years. North African Jews and 
     Muslims traveled north and thrived together in southern 
     Europe for more than 700 years. In 1492, when we refused to 
     convert to Christianity, we were expelled--together--from 
     Spain. And together we successfully sought refuge in Morocco, 
     which accepted us into its society and institutions.
       Morocco's leaders have always made the well-being of the 
     Jewish people a top priority. During World War II, when the 
     Vichy government of occupied France announced that it had 
     prepared 200,000 yellow stars for the Jews of Morocco, King 
     Mohammed V replied that he would need 50 more for him and his 
     family. He refused to make any distinction between his 
     citizens.
       The importance of a nation's leader setting the tone for 
     recognition, respect, and treatment of minority faiths cannot 
     be overstated. Today, King Mohammed VI has declared his 
     religious, historical, and constitutional obligation to 
     protect the rights, liberties, and sacred values of the Jews 
     in Morocco.
       This commitment dramatically affected Morocco's reaction at 
     moments of great challenge. After May 16, 2003--the Moroccan 
     9/11, when five terrorist bombs exploded, three directed at 
     Jewish targets--King Mohammed VI expressed condolences at a 
     Jewish Center, condemning the criminal acts and reaffirming 
     his determination to protect Jews and all Moroccan citizens.
       In doing so, he defined the attack as one upon all Moroccan 
     society, awakening the national conscience and strengthening 
     the bonds between us. Moroccans of all faiths responded with 
     candlelight vigils at bombing sites and demonstrations 
     attended by nearly 1 million participants.
       Many Moroccan Jews have emigrated to Israel and elsewhere, 
     but the attachments to our homeland are unique. ``Morocco 
     never loses a Jewish citizen--we gain an ambassador,'' 
     Mohammed VI's predecessor, King Hassan II, once said. Today, 
     there are 1 million such ``ambassadors'' all over the world 
     and 600,000 in Israel alone.
       We Jews who call Morocco home have a vibrant community that 
     includes 30 functioning synagogues and three school networks, 
     which many influential Muslim families choose for their own 
     children. Moroccan Jews serve as counselors to the king, 
     ministers, colonels, members of parliament, judges, and 
     ambassadors. On Jewish holy days, Muslim authorities, out of 
     respect, attend our services.
       With help from the Moroccan government, we started a 
     foundation to preserve Jewish historical sites. And we 
     support research on our community--including 30 doctoral 
     dissertations presently under way by Muslim candidates.
       Are we an isolated society? Hardly: Moroccans young and old 
     have access to as wide an array of media and ideological 
     diversity as

[[Page E206]]

     anywhere in the Islamic world. Yes, the extremists' call is 
     heard here, too, but make no mistake--it's the response that 
     differs. The tones of tolerance, trumpeted by a government 
     that believes that Moroccan Judaism is an intrinsic and 
     permanent part of the national culture, overwhelm the 
     extremists' siren song.
       Are we a historical accident or the path forward? Perhaps 
     the answer is that our historical good fortune now has to be 
     transformed into a model for others. We are more relevant 
     outside our border than ever before.
       Other world leaders must realize that the path forward lies 
     not in fanning the fires of the moment, but in setting a tone 
     of authentic coexistence that will endure.

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