Wifaq, al-

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WIFAQ, AL-

An organization formed in Morocco to cultivate MuslimJewish relations.



Al-Wifaq (French, Entente ) was an organization founded under the aegis of the Istiqlal Party in Rabat in January 1956 to promote MuslimJewish rapprochement on the eve of Moroccan independence. The organizers included a number of Moroccan Jewish political activists, among them Marc Sabah, a protégé of Mehdi Ben Barka, and Albert Aflalo, Sabah's nephew and an employee of the U.S. embassy.

The movement enjoyed little success because of the indifference of the Muslim elite, the apprehensions of the Jewish community at large, and increased tensions caused by events in the Middle East.

see also ben barka, mehdi; istiqlal party: morocco.


Bibliography


Stillman, Norman A. The Jews of Arab Lands in Modern Times. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1991.

norman stillman