Living side by side: Morocco’s Jews and Muslims
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 9 January 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Relations between Jews and Muslims in Morocco have historically been strong unlike elsewhere in North Africa and the Middle East. Although now relatively small, Morocco’s vibrant Jewish community is still regarded as an important part of the country’s history and culture. In Casablanca there are a number of functioning synagogues, kosher butchers and Jewish schools. More than a million Moroccan Jews now live in Israel and travel freely back and forth between the two countries. So how has the North African country managed to maintain a peaceful harmony while many other nations in the region have failed? And what could unsettle the balance? Mike Lanchin hears from some of the Moroccans from both faiths who have embraced this coexistence.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:05.8 | This heart and soul is the second of a two-part series, |
| 0:10.1 | looking at Jewish-Muslim relations in different parts of the world. |
| 0:25.2 | Saturday morning prayers at one of Casablanca's ornate synagogues. The congregation is largely of older men, a reflection of the city's aging but tightly knit Jewish community. |
| 0:36.8 | A shablan of Muhammad a shunuch. A short distance away on the |
| 0:42.1 | shan'u'u'an'u'u'an'u'an' |
| 0:44.1 | the majestic Hassan the Second Mosque, with its 200-meter-high minaret, |
| 0:49.6 | one of the largest mosques in the world. |
| 0:52.9 | Two ancient faiths living side by side. |
| 0:57.9 | I'm Mike Lanshin, and for this edition of Heart and Soul from the documentary, |
| 1:02.4 | I'm in Morocco to hear the experiences of some of those who have embraced this coexistence. |
| 1:08.8 | I can, and I do, We're my Kipa. |
| 1:11.6 | I go out normally. |
| 1:13.8 | People, they look at me. |
| 1:15.7 | Some, they're happy. |
| 1:16.6 | They say Shabbat Shalom or Shalom. |
| 1:19.2 | Whenever there was a war, you would hear the question, |
| 1:21.5 | are you with us or with them? |
| 1:23.0 | Are you with your Jewish side or your Islamic side or Muslim side? |
| 1:26.7 | Do you feel more Muslim or do you feel more Jewish? |
| 1:29.3 | I want to explore how this North African country has come to be seen |
| 1:33.3 | as a place where Jews and Muslims live peacefully alongside each other. |
... |
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