STORY SUMMARY

In the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict, “Jewishness” and “Arabness” are often positioned as mutually exclusive; Morocco seems to exemplify important ways of reconciling these identities.

Jews have lived in Morocco continuously for more than 2,000 years, and have played a vital role in the country’s social, political, cultural and economic life.

Morocco’s constitution, adopted in 2011 against the backdrop of the Arab Spring, recognizes the country’s Jewish heritage as part of Morocco’s national identity.

Importantly, we also met with members of Mimouna Club, a non-governmental organization founded by Muslim Moroccan students dedicated to learning about the history of Judaism and Jews in Morocco.

Jews in Morocco saw little, if any, contradiction between the Arab, Amazigh, and Jewish dimensions of their identity.

By embodying possibilities for reconciling “Jewishness” and “Arabness,” Morocco offers ways for Arab-Jews to understand their own identities in a new light. And as the Arab-Israeli conflict persists, Morocco reaffirms historical examples of coexistence.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2013/Feb-22/207427-morocco-offers-a-paradigm-for-good-ties-with-jews.ashx#ixzz2LeJEnCxD
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)