Marrakesh Declaration is a statement made in January 2016 by " more than 250 Muslim religious leaders , heads of state , and scholars " , which champions " defending the rights of religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries . " The declaration was made in Morocco and " representatives of persecuted religious communities — including Chaldean Catholics from Iraq " were included in the conference . The conference , in which the Marrakesh Declaration was signed , was called in response to the persecution of religious minorities , such as Christians and Yazidis , by ISIS . The Marrakesh Declaration builds on historical Islamic sources such as the Charter of Medina . King Mohammed VI of Morocco stated " We in the kingdom of Morocco will not tolerate the violation of the rights of religious minorities in the name of Islam ... I am enabling Christians and Jews to practice their faith and not just as minorities . They even serve in the government . " The declaration has been widely welcomed . Some commentators called for consistent legal and practical follow through of the sentiments expressed including in the country where the declaration was forged , which does not recognise its own indigenous Christians and persecutes and imprisons them , or in the birthplace of Islam , where there are reportedly many Saudi Christians
Yazidis
Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL
Marrakesh Declaration