The Marrakesh Declaration on Rights of Religious Minorities: Opportunity or Dead End?

The article examines critically the Marrakesh Declaration on Rights of Religious Minorities, issued by 250 Islamic scholars and leaders in January 2016, and hailed as an important step towards Islamic recognition of rights for minorities in the Middle East. Although the declaration falls short of the ideals of the international liberal human rights discourse, it may move Islamic theological discourse towards greater recognition of equal rights for all through the promotion of the concept of citizenship. The author situates the declaration within a broader ecology of declarations and conferences through which Islamic theologians have sought to reduce tensions between religious groups, all of which has been met with expectations, and most of which have fizzled out with few tangible fruits. The article suggests that despite the absence of concrete results in the fields of law and politics, such initiatives may have a positive impact on how differences are represented discursively and therefore on implementation of rights on the ground. However, such results, too, come with certain costs, not least that of potentially entrenching traditional Islamic modes of theologising and stifling other voices. In addition, declaration fatigue may undermine a message that otherwise could strengthen the freedom of religion or belief.