Is there an Muslim country where Jews, Christians and Muslims live together in relative harmony? We weren't sure, but we thought that Morocco appeared to be a multi-ethnic society with a fair degree of tolerance. Then, 4 weeks before we traveled to Morocco, terrorist bombs ripped through Casablanca. Apparently, the terrorists were targeting Jewish restaurants and agencies, but most of their victims were Moroccan Muslims.

And so we arrive in Tangier in an atmosphere of heightened security. We ask our guide, Ben-Omar, whether the attacks have affected the relations between the communities. He seems almost insulted by the question.

To prove his point, Ben-Omar takes us to the Church of St. James, an Anglican Church with a congregation that traces its roots to the late 19th century. Over the altar, the 'Our Father' is inscribed in Arabic.

But what about the Jewish community?

Jews had settled in this region well before the advent of Islam. The ancient city of Volubilis, capital of the Roman province of Mauretania, flourished during the reign of Julius Caesar. Favored by Rome, Volubilis grew as a leading city and commerce and the arts, and attracted Diaspora Jews who fled Jerusalem after the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. All through the next 4 centuries, the Jewish community prospered and grew -- long into the conquest of Morocco by Islamic Berber tribes.

During the 20th century, under French rule, Jews were actively discriminated against; but after Moroccan Independence in 1956, King Hassan II made an effort to promote tolerance between the faiths.

There are approximately 600,000 Jews in Morocco today, but they no longer live in Mellah's, exclusively Jewish neighborhoods. To some extent, they have integrated into society.

Ben-Omar takes us to the local synagogue, which turns out to be a real jewel of 19th century architecture. The Arabic-style ornamentation combines both Islamic and Hebrew motifs.

Morocco is more friendly disposed towards Israel than any other nation. The new government of King Mohamed VI has sponsored a number of Interfaith Conferences over the past two years. Jewish schools are supported with state funds, as are Islamic schools, but their numbers are dwindling. Many young Jewish Moroccans travel abroad for their higher education, and never return.

Recent terrorist activity in the region by Moroccan terrorist cells tied to Al Quada have acerbated the situation.

Dina: I would be a little skeptical about...they might be pouring in money to preserve all these you know, landmark sites, but where are all the Jews, you know, I mean, they have gone, and something wasn't right, I don't know exactly what it was, Morocco, you are trying to say, in general with Mohammad the sixth, is a tolerant country with like, rogue elements, that don't follow the kings law of tolerance, I don't understand it.

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Michael: Just generally speaking, do you think, can you all agree that say in the three days we have been here, we have all come to the conclusion that it is a tolerant society, that yes there are these undertones and there are these sort of yes, extreme there is an extreme present here but just in the minority, in certain cases, but do we all agree that it is a tolerant society?

It may not be the be the biggest congregation, it was a driving church St. Andrews that we saw, you know, Christians seemed to be welcome, we saw the inscriptions outside, they love Morocco, and also [Benomar] spoke about how when he was a child he would go to the Christian hospitals and I think it is great that, I mean that they are giving something back to the community and that is an example of tolerance.

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Tanjila: We need to understand that there are anti-Jewish movements or under-currants within Moroccan society, that does not necessarily represent the Moroccan Government or the entire Moroccan people, this is a monarchy and the monarch has to deal with different segments of society, some conservative Islamic movements, some more extreme Islamics, Jewish segments, elites, and there are so many different parts of society at play here that we try to negotiate.

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Nezar:
Dina: We walked through the synagogue and right outside there are swastikas, I mean, that is a little surprising.
Nezar: Yes, there are swastikas but yes, the synagogue is there too, so it is not, there isn't a power in Morocco saying you know, right now...

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