By Salah Saeed Ali, Ph.D.

Religious Freedom remains a highly debated and sensitive issue in the Middle East and North Africa. Although international law supports it, many governments and religious leaders in the region view religious freedom as a Western concept that clashes with local traditions. The region’s history of colonialism, authoritarian rule, and identity politics often leads to resistance against efforts to protect religious diversity. However, the Marrakesh Declaration of 2016 provides a credible, locally rooted approach to rethinking religious freedom grounded in the region’s moral and religious values.

The Declaration, backed by more than 250 Muslim scholars, jurists, and leaders, calls for the protection of religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries. It draws inspiration from the Charter of Medina from 622 CE, an agreement by the Prophet Muhammad to ensure mutual protection among different communities. The Declaration links this tradition to the main goals of Islamic law: justice, dignity, and human welfare. This shows that coexistence is a core value of Islamic civilization, not a foreign idea.

This article is based on a six-month regional project by the Middle East and North Africa Platform for Religious Freedom and Peacebuilding (MENAP). Through discussions, field visits, and expert interviews in the region, MENAP found three major misunderstandings that shape how religious freedom is seen in the region. These are not just language issues, they set the boundaries for policy, law, and public debate about religion and diversity.

The first misunderstanding is that religious freedom only applies to minorities. In many countries, people think religious freedom is just for minority groups, not a right for all. This belief can make the majority communities feel defensive, fearing that more rights for minorities might threaten their traditions. The Marrakesh Declaration challenges this by drawing on the Charter of Medina to argue that diversity is part of God’s plan and essential to human life. Religious freedom protects both majorities and minorities by ensuring belief is free from cultural or political pressure. When everyone’s conscience is protected, faith grows stronger.

The second misunderstanding is that religious freedom is a Western or foreign idea. In the MENA region, political leaders and the media often claim that supporting religious freedom is a form of cultural interference. Groups working on religious freedom are sometimes accused of promoting outside interests. The Marrakesh Declaration challenges this view because it was created and supported within the Muslim world. Its message is rooted in the Qur’an: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (2:256). By reclaiming the moral narrative, the Declaration helps local governments, scholars, and teachers support pluralism without appearing to copy foreign ideas. It frames rights in the region’s own ethical and historical language, making religious freedom both locally accepted and spiritually meaningful.

The third misunderstanding is that religious freedom threatens religion itself. While the Marrakesh Declaration does not explicitly state that ‘forced belief leads to hypocrisy,’ its emphasis on the protection of belief, the rejection of coercion, and respect for pluralism reflects a theological position consistent with Islamic teachings that faith must arise from conviction, not compulsion. The Qur’an repeatedly underscores this principle: ‘So remind, [O Prophet]; you are only one who reminds. You are not a controller over them’ (Qur’an 88:21–22), and ‘If your Lord had willed, all those on earth would have believed together; will you then compel people to become believers?’ (Qur’an 10:99). These verses affirm that belief is meaningful only when chosen freely. In that sense, the Marrakesh Declaration’s vision of religious diversity aligns with the Qur’anic understanding that guidance cannot be enforced by authority but must emerge from sincere conviction.

By supporting voluntary faith, the Declaration protects religion from being used for political purposes or controlled by the state. It shows that religious freedom helps maintain genuine belief, rather than harming it. The main obstacles to advancing religious freedom are political and perceptual, not doctrinal. By grounding universal rights in Islamic ethics, the Marrakesh Declaration offers a practical way to overcome these barriers and refocus the conversation on shared values of justice and coexistence.

However, moral legitimacy alone is not enough. The next step is to put these ideas into practice in government, education, and daily life. Since 2017, there have been some positive changes. Morocco’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has added lessons on diversity and coexistence to imam training. Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates have used Marrakesh’s ideas in interfaith projects and civic education. These examples show that when regional ideas are built into state institutions, they begin to change how people view citizenship.

Looking ahead, putting regionally designed initiatives like the Marrakesh Declaration into action is essential. Strengthening local resources helps ensure that religious freedom is seen as an authentic expression of each society’s priorities, not as a foreign idea. Including the principles of voluntary belief, mutual respect, and equal citizenship in education, media, and community life can gradually turn religious freedom from a political slogan into a social value. Putting these ideas into practice is the real test. Many governments have supported the Declaration in words, but few have made its principles part of their systems. Real change will require updates to constitutions and education, and the involvement of civil society. Regional groups like MENAP can help by tracking legal changes, running awareness campaigns, and monitoring policy outcomes to ensure progress is real. Ongoing teamwork between ministries, religious groups, and civil organizations is needed to turn shared values into lasting institutions.

The Declaration’s lasting value lies in its capacity to reshape the moral landscape of the region. It presents diversity as a strength, belief as a choice, and coexistence as a duty. This approach revives the balance envisioned in the Charter of Medina, a society where faith and citizenship coexist without fear or coercion. The Marrakesh Declaration has given the region the language of inclusion; the next step is to implement it through policy, education, and public culture. If this vision is realized, the MENA region could lead by example, showing that freedom of religion is an authentic expression of human dignity within the Islamic moral tradition.

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Salah Ali is the General Director of the MENA Platform for Religious Freedom and Peacebuilding, General Coordinator of the Iraq Religious Freedom and Anti-discrimination Roundtable, and a Fellow with the Religious Freedom Institute.