Moroccan British Society

The Moroccan-British Society (MBS) was created on 23 February 2003.[1] Its goal is ‘to provide means and allow Moroccans and British people to acquire a better mutual understanding of their civilizations, cultures and political, academic, scientific, economic, financial, and commercial institutions so as to promote and foster their friendly relations and their cooperative ties in every domain.’[2] Lalla Joumala is president of the MBS since its inception.

Lalla Joumala called for greater dialogue between faiths. Speaking at a 2007 conference on the necessity for Muslims to adopt democracy, she said that there was a ‘vital necessity’ to increase dialogue between the three religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam); that ‘values shared by these religions transcend the theological differences of our spiritual pluralism’; and that a better understanding of ‘what we share can help us better accept and respect what separates us.’[3]

Activities

In 2007, the MBS became the main sponsor of ‘Sacred: Discover what we share’, a British Library project that displayed the oldest surviving texts of the Abrahamic faiths side by side.[4]

Joumala described the project as ‘aiming to foster inter-religious dialogue in these times of prevalent political and religious tensions internationally’. She went on: ‘The Moroccan British Society, in contributing to this event, seeks to underline the Moroccan example, where interfaith respect is the norm. Islam in Morocco has always opposed extremism and enabled people to live in peace, harmony and good intelligence with all faiths and religious communities.[5]

Controversial donation

In 2004, the Middle East Centre (MEC) at St Antony’s College of Oxford University received a £1.5m donation from the Moroccan British Society (MBS) to establish ‘the King Mohammed VI Fellowship in Moroccan and Mediterranean Studies’.[6] In 2007, Eugene Rogan wrote that ‘The King Mohammed VI Fellowship in Moroccan and Mediterranean Studies has served as the basis for extending cooperation between Moroccan academics and Great Britain, and has enabled the MEC to develop its work in North Africa significantly.’ However, although Rogan regarded the donation as a merely academic exercise, for the donors it was seen as a diplomatic move aimed at benefiting the Moroccan state and its unelected rulers. Examples contributing to this can be found on the website of the Moroccan British Society. Because there is little mention of academic goals, but the public relations aspect of the Fellowship and its goal of ‘raising the profile of Morocco at Oxford and in the UK in general’ are emphasised.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Editorial". MBS. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  2. ↑ "About Us". Moroccan British Society. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "Muslims need to adopt political system that guarantees respect of law and religion". Government of Morocco. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "Sacred texts that reveal a common heritage". Guardian. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  5. ↑ "The Moroccan British Society at "Sacred": Discover What we Share" (PDF). Moroccan British Society.
  6. 1 2 Simcox, Robin (2009). "A Degree of Influence" (PDF). The Centre for Social Cohesion. Retrieved 22 April 2012.

External links

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