Speaking at an event dedicated to combating hate speech, organized by the Kingdom’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, the representative of the World Jewish Congress to the United Nations in Geneva and UNESCO, Leon Saltiel, highlighted the “long and illustrious” history of Jewish presence in Morocco, marked, he said, by peaceful coexistence, dialogue, and shared progress.
Saltiel noted that Morocco’s constitution explicitly recognizes the Jewish influences that have helped “nurture and enrich” the Kingdom’s identity.
He also referred to Morocco’s efforts to preserve this heritage, recalling that he had personally witnessed the restoration of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries across the country, as well as the establishment of Jewish museums visited by Moroccans and tourists eager to learn about their historical and cultural significance.
“The Jewish people have a long and illustrious history in Morocco,” he said, stressing that this heritage stands as an example of coexistence and interfaith dialogue.
At a time when the international context is marked by a rise in hate speech and antisemitism, the speaker called for strengthening interfaith dialogue and cooperation among communities to combat intolerance.
Saltiel emphasized that hatred targeting one community undermines the principles that protect all others, noting that education, international cooperation, and the engagement of religious leaders remain essential tools for promoting peaceful coexistence.
For his part, the director of international affairs at the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove, stated that Morocco “offers incredibly fertile ground for positive initiatives” in the areas of interfaith dialogue and the prevention of hatred.
The speaker presented the Fez Plan of Action for Religious Leaders as a structured framework built around three pillars: preventing incitement, strengthening capacity-building and dialogue, and building peaceful and inclusive societies.
Prove stressed the importance of religious leaders publicly rejecting hate speech while protecting freedom of speech and highlighted Morocco’s role as an example of collaboration among communities to build trust, engage youth, and support women’s leadership.
For his part, Michael Wiener, an official in the Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, underscored Morocco’s pioneering role in promoting the rights of believers and combating hate speech, noting that the Kingdom demonstrates how interfaith commitments can translate into concrete actions to promote respect, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence.
He recalled that the Rabat Plan of Action, adopted in 2012, serves as a reference framework for identifying incitement to hatred under international human rights law and is used as a reference by several national and regional courts.
Wiener added that in Marrakech, young participants from several countries transformed 18 Commitments on Faith for Rights into short and concrete messages, demonstrating the engagement of local actors and the educational impact of these initiatives.
The permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, warned against the degradation of language in public debate, stressing that words can either build bridges between individuals and communities or become weapons that wound and divide.
The Archbishop also emphasized the importance of respecting obligations arising from international human rights conventions in order to avoid any instrumentalization of this issue to justify censorship.
In turn, the acting Secretary-General of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), Antonio de Almeida-Ribeiro, stressed that combating hate speech requires the protection of rights, education, digital regulation, and the active engagement of religious leaders and civil society.
Moderated by Morocco’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Omar Zniber, the meeting on “Protecting Human Rights through Combating Hate Speech and Promoting Interfaith Dialogue” brought together a large audience and a diverse group of speakers.
Editorial team/le7tv