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Spreading Love: Interfaith Harmony in Morocco

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By: Fatima Ezzhara Outznit (YES 2011 - 2012, Morocco, hosted by AFS in Chesterland, OH)

“Love of God and Love of the Neighbor” is not only the official Interfaith Harmony week slogan, but it was also the slogan adopted for my interfaith harmony workshops at the Tiddoukla summer camp in Morocco.

It all started in February 2017 when I took part in an Interfaith Harmony Online Workshop for YES alumni. The workshop was highly enriching, mind-opening and provided a platform where YES alumni reflected upon interfaith harmony related topics. The workshop was also an opportunity for all the alumni to learn interfaith dialogue basic skills and engage in a virtual panel of faith leaders and interfaith workers. Months later, and as a follow up to the online workshop, the Interfaith Reach Out workshop was organized at the AMIDEAST Office in Washington, DC, where the alumni learned about project management. The skills and knowledge I acquired from both workshops enabled me to realize what once was only an idea - an actual project.

Upon returning home, I was eager to implement my project, a project that was discussed with my fellow YES alumni at the workshop. As soon as my school finals were over, I started contacting people and potential sponsors who could support my idea and help me  make it a reality. My quest led me to Ms. Zaina Dali, the president of the Tiddoukla Youth Club, who shared with me the plan of a project that her club was implementing with the Tiddoukla Alumni Association. To my surprise, their project idea was a lot similar to mine. I then offered Ms. Zaina that I be part of the organization of the project.

Weeks later, our project took place, and together with Tiddoukla Association for Moroccan American Cooperation, Tiddoukla Youth Club and the sponsoring from the U.S Embassy, we organized an educational summer camp that offered courses in English and inter-cultural workshops. For my initial project idea to be completed, I conducted interfaith harmony workshops for the benefit of the camp’s participants.

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The camp welcomed more than 100 participants. On each of the ten days a different group of participants attended my two hour interfaith harmony workshop. Participants learned about interfaith dialogue, peacebuilding, and co-existence among practitioners of various faiths.

The workshop offered a safe and understanding environment, free of any prejudices. Through various activities, I tried to disseminate the idea that the unconditional love and compassion towards the other, no matter how different the other is from us, can eclipse the tragedy and violence of our world. Harmony between religions and interfaith exchange can become a powerful antidote of the anarchy we witness today. Towards the end of the camp, participants felt safe to share their thoughts and opinions, even if these were considered to be controversial.

The first edition of the camp in 2017 was a great success and I was honored to be part of the organizing team of the second edition in July 2018 in Morocco. We tried to make this year’s camp better than last year’s. I enhanced my interfaith harmony workshops to make them more interesting, educational, and fun.

What made my heart happy is when last year’s participants came up to me and told me how last year’s workshops altered either their way of thinking or the way they perceived the other. Many participants said they are now more tolerant and open towards others. Some of them also shared their own experience of delivering a presentation about interfaith harmony for their classmates.

We need to learn how to love now more than ever. We need to practice kindness, share feelings, respect, and most importantly, love others regardless of their skin color, religion, or sexuality. I will never cease to spread the message of love and tolerance. Conducting workshops about interfaith harmony for the younger generation is only the beginning. 

Read more about the array of interfaith efforts by YES alumni on our website, including these two articles about interfaith in Morocco:


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