The Preparatory Committee of the Liberal and Equality Party commends the decision to neutralize hearses and condemns the smear campaigns against its president.
In a statement issued in Rabat on February 24, 2026, the committee expressed its support for the decision made by the Ministries of Interior and Health to implement neutrality concerning hearses, removing any phrases or symbols that could exclude followers of other religions or those who do not belong to any religion. It regarded this step as bolstering the principle of public service neutrality and ensuring equal treatment of citizens in accessing state services without discrimination.
The committee emphasized that freedom of conscience and belief is a constitutional right that is non-negotiable, denouncing what it described as forms of bullying, incitement, and violence targeting individuals because of their religious choices or lack of religious affiliation. It stressed that protecting this right is a collective responsibility that necessitates rejecting all exclusionary or incendiary rhetoric.
This stance also applies to what it termed the “religious domination of the majority,” where the committee rejected the imposition of specific religious views on the public space or state institutions, asserting that a civil state must commit to neutrality and uphold the dignity of all its citizens, regardless of their beliefs.
The statement also addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the committee’s president, Dr. Labna El Joud, with the party expressing its solidarity with her against what it termed a systematic campaign that transcended political discourse into defamation and invasion of privacy. The party noted that targeting individuals outside the realm of public discussion reflects a weakness in managing ideological disagreements.
Additionally, the committee criticized what it perceived as some parties resorting to foreign entities hostile to Morocco in the context of internal political score-settling, warning of the implications of such actions for national interests.
The Preparatory Committee of the Liberal and Equality Party concluded its statement by calling on progressive and democratic forces to engage in its political project, reaffirming its commitment to the choice of democratic reform within the framework of national constants, and its pursuit of building an alternative based on freedom, equality, and state neutrality.
