Speaking from the Churchill Room at the Parliament of one of the world’s oldest democracies, Ms. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), emphasized the need to uphold the right to religion and protect religions from political abuse, warning against the risk of religion being turned into a tool for discrimination or exclusion.

In this context, she highlighted that international human rights law provides a clear framework that guarantees freedom of belief and prohibits discrimination based on religion. However, she “this framework remains insufficient without practical measures to detect early signs of the political abuse of religion and to counter hate speech and incitement to violence.”

The CNDH Chairperson further affirmed that embedding human rights values within societies is the strongest safeguard against the exploitation of religion for political purposes, noting that protecting religions fundamentally requires protecting human rights and ensuring their effectiveness.
 

She also called for the development of a clear international approach that distinguishes between legitimate religious expression and the exploitation of religion for political ends or to justify violence. “Strengthening international cooperation is key to addressing cross-border extremism,” she added.

Ms. Bouayach concluded by noting that the real challenge in today’s ever-changing world where conflicts intersect with technological developments, putting human rights and freedom of belief to the test, is to ensure that religions serve as a source of cohesion and peace, rather than a driver of division and conflict.