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Morocco And The Middle East: Peace Deals Zooming Past Canadian Universities

Regressive “activists” on Canadian campuses are promoting hate, antisemitism, and xenophobia

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The peace agreement between Israel and Morocco undermines the pro-terrorist narrative of certain campus organizations in Canada.

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On Thursday, December 10th, a long awaited dream, expectation, and reality was achieved, Morocco and Israel have agreed to re-establish direct diplomatic ties and move to full normalization “as soon as possible”. This came to the news via yet another tweet from the United States President Donald Trump, this marks the fourth diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and an Arab League member nation, and once again, the rollercoaster of peace has failed to hit the breaks.   

The new normal in the Middle East is Israel on its behalf extending once again its hands for diplomacy and regional cooperation, this time a very special friend Morocco. Morocco once was home to the largest Jewish community anywhere in the Middle East and North Africa, with around 250,000 to 300,000 at its peak during the 1940s. Many great experiences and contributions came about from the Jewish communities in Morocco, which primarily resided in Jewish quarters called “Mellah’s”.

Today the descendants over the world make a huge population who have been determined to fine-tune, preserve and show off their traditions, in Israel 1.2 million of its Jewish citizens have full or partial Moroccan origin as well in Canada around 27,000 migrated, primarily to the French-speaking city of Montreal, Quebec but also a sizeable community in Canada’s largest city Toronto. Around 97,000 Moroccan Jews migrated from Morocco to Israel during the November of 1961 with the Mossad led Operation Yachin.

Jews have had a constant presence in Morocco for over 2,000 years with around 2,000 to 3,000 remaining in Morocco today; it is safe to say they were better in Moroccan than anywhere else was in the Middle East or North Africa, admitting the reality of a relatively low standard, however. The Moroccan Jews came in multiple waves dating back from the destruction of the second temple, but others came later in large waves of Sephardic Jews who fled Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. 

There is no doubt that the rich history of Jewry in Morocco can serve to be a vital human bridge connecting both Israel and Morocco. I always say the governments sign the treaties but the people form the connections.  

What I see happening is a successful blueprint unfolding by the days and weeks between Israelis and Moroccans on using common culture, history, and priorities to bridge the learning gap of both peoples narratives, putting Mizrahi Jews in the forefront of peacemaking shall be a successful model I see in continued peacemaking between Israel and its neighbors. While as a whole, the paradigm is shifting and models are being developed to solve generational issues in the Middle East, North American college campuses are falling behind. Canadian Universities are no different, unfortunately.

Instead, a model of hate, antisemitism, and xenophobia are being sustained under the watch of University administrations. At the University of Toronto, the SAIA group (Students against Israeli Apartheid) are hosting several hateful events that including terrorist affiliates and family members of convicted terrorists who speak at a panel in progressive tones targeted to wipe the blood off  their hands in the name of social justice. This especially offends me as a Muslim student at U of T, looking to make progress with others within and outside the Muslim community in regards to problematic political figures.

Such groups and events paint terrible images of national, ethnic, and religious groups when their group affiliation attaches onto a religious or national cause that fails to progress the genuine cause, rather masks hate with radical justifications.

I have always held the highest expectation and will continue to hold high expectations at my beloved Canadian Universities that I believe can be among the few in the world to foster healthy academic environments to move domestic and international issues forward among student bodies. Groups like SAIA, for exactly the sort of events they run internationally, are the most challenging blockade to overcome.

Picture this; a large student body of many students who do not retain genuine connections to regional conflicts of much sophistication is sitting back while they can reap the benefits of the remote learning environments to hear from hateful guests at unchecked events. 

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It is safe to say at times, the reality on North American college’s campuses is so disconnected from the reality on the ground in Israel and the surrounding area that I wish to simply ignore it, however, a lot of my motivation to be an active student in the field of activism is to demonstrate my empathy for all peoples.

In this case, the Jewish people and Israeli people are the ones I feel for, that simply for retaining and identity they fought to preserve for generations they are continuingly persecuted in their homeland only for the world to go silent. Canada has committed injustices to the Jewish community but has pledged to learn and create a next-generation free of antisemitism; if that spirit is genuine, there is still much progress to be made.

If Canadian students are to prosper, Jewish students must not be polarized and threatened. Just like in Morocco, during its glory days of Jewish contribution, the same can be said at Universities. I wish to see a parallel trend of progress both through diplomatic but academic achievement regarding the Jewish community and Israel; as its representation on the world stage when hate is the one being blockaded so much positivity may arise out of that particular environment. 

In conclusion, I ask all students, staff, professors, administration, and University Presidents to adopt a mandate fighting against the hate that must be kicked off by the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

It is always said you cannot solve a problem if you do not admit it first, in this case, if you can define antisemitism then you may fight it. As a non-Jew and as a Muslim student I often see IHRA as a guide to understand how to better be prepared to fight hate in an inclusive frontier with Jewish students but also guide my learning regarding other forms of hate. Believe me, antisemitism may start with the Jewish community but does not end there, when one burns a synagogue to the ground, all eyes are on the mosque, when a man wearing a kippah is attacked, a woman wearing a hijab is under the spotlight.

I wish to see significant progress regarding the fight against antisemitism on college campuses all over Canada, for me to rest assured that both in my ancestral homeland of Morocco and my beloved home of Canada, could move forward in a united population-driven frontier to build a next-generation free out of hate and full of progress.

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Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.

We do news differently!

Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.

We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.

But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!

Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.

Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.

We thank you for your ongoing support.

Happy reading!

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