Celebrating the Moroccan Studies Chair at Al-Quds University on Throne Day with the Participation of Moroccan and Palestinian Officials and Academics

SadaNews - Al-Quds University hosted a scientific meeting yesterday, Saturday, coinciding with the celebrations of Throne Day, as part of the academic activities program of the Moroccan Studies Chair at Al-Quds University on the topic "Throne Day in the Kingdom of Morocco: Between the Traditions of an Ancient State and the Aspirations for Reform and Modernization," with the participation of Moroccan and Palestinian officials and academics.

On this occasion, which was attended in particular by the Ambassador of Morocco to the State of Palestine, Abdel Rahim Mzyan, the director responsible for managing the Al-Quds Waqf Agency, Mohammed Salem al-Sharqawi, and the head of the Moroccan Studies Chair, Safaa Nasser al-Din, the academic vice president of Al-Quds University, Ahmad al-Qutub, expressed in a welcoming speech on behalf of the university president, his pride in launching this important academic chair, which is considered a platform to enhance scientific and cultural relations between Palestine and the Kingdom of Morocco.

Ahmad al-Qutub welcomed the participation of Moroccan officials and academics in this important academic meeting, which provides an opportunity for Palestinian university students and their professors to learn about the Kingdom of Morocco, its institutions, history, symbols, literature, and arts, which are the main objectives of the Moroccan Studies Chair at this university.

For his part, the director responsible for managing the Al-Quds Waqf Agency, Mohammed Salem al-Sharqawi, stated that the Moroccan Studies Chair comes to enhance the Moroccan academic presence in Palestine, within an institutional framework established by the Kingdom of Morocco in Jerusalem through the establishment of the Moroccan Cultural Center – Bayt Morocco in the Old City, the (Rabat) Observatory for Monitoring and Evaluation in Sheikh Jarrah, and the Al-Quds Research and Studies Center located in the agency's headquarters in Rabat.

Al-Sharqawi emphasized that this integrated effort "consolidates a longstanding history of the respectable Moroccan presence in Jerusalem and Palestine, which has always been based on firm choices that embody the essence of true solidarity, which we are working to enhance today with social and civil sciences and knowledge, after it was in the past based on values of struggle and sacrifice, defending the right and its holders, in this case and that."

In his main intervention during the meeting, titled "Traditions of Governance in Morocco: Between Antiquity and Modernization," Ambassador Abdel Rahim Mzyan analyzed the uniqueness of the Moroccan model in cementing the continuity of the state and developing its institutions by presenting the concept of Throne Day and its symbolic, historical, and political meanings, along with its legal and legislative dimensions.

He discussed the nature of the system of governance in the Kingdom of Morocco, through a systematic methodological approach, and its constants, which are based on loyalty to His Majesty the King, the guarantor of the state and its institutions' continuity.

At the conclusion of his intervention, he referred to the efforts made by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, to create a political horizon for the Palestinian issue.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan law professor and governance expert, Jamal al-Din Ben Issa, gave a presentation titled: "26 Years of King Mohammed VI's Rule: The 2011 Constitution and the Outcome of Reforms," highlighting the constitutional and institutional transformations that Morocco has experienced in recent decades through the functions of the three authorities: the legislative authority, the executive authority, and the judicial authority.

Mr. Ben Issa emphasized that what particularly distinguishes the 2011 Constitution is the emphasis on enhancing accountability mechanisms and institutionalizing participatory democracy.

He noted that the presence of Moroccan officials and academics at this meeting embodies the true meaning of Moroccan solidarity with their Palestinian brothers, mentioning that establishing a Moroccan chair at Al-Quds University could allow Moroccan researchers to contribute to building a stronghold for scientific research that supports the Kingdom of Morocco's vision in defending the Palestinian cause, which His Majesty King Mohammed VI has given a status equivalent to that of territorial unity, the first national cause for the Kingdom of Morocco.

For her part, the head of the Moroccan Studies Chair at Al-Quds University, Safaa Nasser al-Din, confirmed that this chair, founded in partnership with the Al-Quds Waqf Agency and the Moroccan Cultural Center Association – Bayt Morocco in Jerusalem, represents a strategic step in strengthening the bonds of academic and cultural cooperation between Palestine and the Kingdom of Morocco.

She stated that this distinguished scientific meeting reflects the shared interest in opening new research horizons aimed at introducing the Moroccan experience in constitutional and political modernization, especially in light of the substantial reforms achieved by the Kingdom during the prosperous reign of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

Nasser al-Din concluded her speech by emphasizing that the Moroccan Studies Chair will seek to launch a series of seminars and research programs that reinforce mutual understanding of social, economic, and scientific issues and enhance cultural dialogue between the two academic institutions and the two brotherly peoples.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the invited guests visited the Moroccan Studies Chair's preparations in the engineering faculty of the university, and they were provided with explanations about the sections of the headquarters, which will feature Moroccan designs in some areas. They had earlier toured a special exhibit showcasing the agency's projects in Jerusalem and its publications, to educate students and faculty about the areas of the agency's interventions, its various programs, and its impact on the Jerusalemites and their institutions.