The president of NGO Bayt Al Hikma speaks to Magharebia about her group's mission and the most important issues facing Moroccan society.
Bayt Al Hikma is a non-governmental organisation founded in 2007 by a group of activists and progressive intellectuals to defend human rights and promote the core values essential to building a just, tolerant and democratic society.
Association President Khadija Rouissi spoke to Magharebia about how Morocco is at a crossroads between the reactionary path and one which respects individual freedoms. The most important audience for her group's message: the country's youth.
Magharebia: What message do you aim to communicate to the public?
Rouissi: Our main message is the rejection of violence, especially violence targeting children. For this purpose, Bayt Al Hikma aspires to start a national debate on the issue of values...
Our choice of this issue stems from our enthusiasm and fear for the country, which was placed at a crossroads in the 50th Anniversary Report on Human Development. [The country] is in a historical position with multiple choices, which revolve around two main and conflicting options: the option of renewal and development and the option of regression.
If the matter was restricted to renewal and development as a single option, the situation would be completely different. However, the reactionary path puts the entire nation, chief among which are the free thinkers and intellectuals, civil society and the political class, before an important issue: what values should be adopted to confront the bad choice?
The Fiftieth Anniversary Report said the reactionary trend may take over if [Morocco's] ongoing reforms are not supported, and if the elements of tension remain. The primary characteristics of this tension are the rise of "two-track Moroccan development", unequal access to economic and social services, the country's subjection to natural and technological risks, and questionable efficiency in governance.
Similarly, what is taking place in our country is not disconnected from what's happening in the world, especially in its southern part, and at the crossroads of its geo-strategic regions that are full of conflicts and disputes; something that makes adherence to peace and co-existence one of the highest ideals humanity can conceive. Add to this the fact that Morocco has an important geo-strategic location that makes it threatened with regional disputes.
This issue of values is not new to our country. A number of Moroccan pioneers, men and women alike, have previously contributed to planting the seeds of ideas on values and ideas related to human rights and democratic culture which put Morocco on the correct democratic path.
When we decided in Bayt Al Hikma to focus on the issue [of values], we knew how delicate and difficult it was. However, we said that we have to act, especially as there wasn't a significant body of knowledge on which to build a discussion.
I shouldn't forget to note that the final report of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission has, in its turn, laid the basis for the dialogue of values in the democratic society through its strong proposed reform system which presented ideas against all reactionary and condemnable values, of which the physical abuse of human rights was only a prominent title.
Magharebia: What are your capabilities in reaching out to young people, to counter extremist ideas with tolerance and acceptance?
Rouissi: Bayt Al Hikma does not have large capabilities. However, we give young people special attention. Most of the members of Bayt Al Hikma are under 28 years old. We are also about to write and release a pamphlet on the life and thought of Ibn Roshd as a man of religion and science and as creator of the "free thinking" school and author of the "Utopia" theory that the state is based on the relations of tolerance and peace. The pamphlet will target 11,700 students and 95 philosophy teachers. We also operate in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports in order to provide protection and promote human rights inside centres that give shelter to children in legal disputes or children in critical situations.
Magharebia: Last year, you released a statement for the defence of individual freedoms. What impact did it have?
Rouissi: Together with other friends, we issued a statement for the defence of individual freedoms because some groups were trying to mobilise and incite citizens against other citizens accused of homosexuality and "perversion". These groups called for violence against those citizens. There were actually some who did resort to violence.
At Bayt Al Hikma, we considered that groups claiming to have the authority to defend the "correct religion" constitute a danger to democracy and human rights. Therefore, we released the statement in which we denounced these hostile, unjustified behaviours and called on the state to shoulder its responsibility in disseminating human rights culture and punishing any resort to the call of violence and hatred.
Magharebia: Do you think that some positions and ideas infringing upon individual freedom are actually destructive?
Rouissi: The individual has maximum importance in society. I mean the free, responsible individual who can take decisions. Any restriction or reduction of the individual's role through curbing his freedom represents encroachment against democracy and modernity.
Magharebia: You're defending individual freedoms, so would you defend, for example, the woman or girl who wears the veil and finds herself denied employment in a number of enterprises as a result?
Rouissi: Of course, we would stand beside any woman or girl whose rights to wear the veil were infringed, if she was denied employment as a result.
Magharebia: Do you think that Morocco has become immune to extremist ideas? Does it still need time?
Rouissi: I think that any society, regardless of the level of its development, is not one 100% immune to extremist ideas. However, I think that education and training have an essential role to play in spreading human rights and enlightened thinking. All generations will have wage battles in order to preserve human rights and to continuously defend them.
Magharebia: Finally, what is Bayt Al Hikma doing to spread religious tolerance and rejection of violence?
Rouissi: We have conducted a study on the values of the democratic society. We have also held two national meetings on values. We are about to prepare for three roundtables on freedom, violence and equality. We will also hold a meeting in July to discuss the project of establishing a national values observatory.
By Imane Belhaj from Casablanca
© Magharebia.com 2009
