Morocco to train 45,000 imams

02/07/2009

A new programme will provide Moroccan imams with a foundation of knowledge intended to harmonise religious instruction and counter extremism in the kingdom.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 02/07/09

[Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images] Moroccan Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Toufik says a new training programme will put imams "in tune with the modern world".

With 82% of Morocco's Imams lacking formal training, a new qualification programme aims to provide better religious guidance to the Moroccan people and to counter extremism.

Nearly 45,000 imams will undergo training under a new programme launched by the government on June 26th, part of a larger plan to reform religious affairs in the kingdom.

In 2004, the first religious affairs reform plan led to an overhaul of the Islamic affairs ministry, revision of the legislation on places of worship, and the modernisation of religious instruction in Morocco.

Ahmed Toufik, Minister for Islamic Affairs and Habous, explained that the 200 million-dirham programme will also offer society a grounding in religious affairs which is in tune with the modern world and careful to preserve national identity.

Some 1,500 trainers will conduct training in rural and urban communities across the kingdom, to give imams the skills they need to provide religious instruction appropriate to Moroccan society.

The training programme – based on the Maliki rite common to Morocco's Sunni Muslims – is compulsory for all imams. It includes spiritual education, discussion of the function of the mosque and other subjects covered by the High Council of Ulemas.

Since 2006, the state has selected 150 imams with university diplomas for a 12-month training programme. Now, all new imams will have to possess diplomas and undergo training.

Abdelbari Zemzemi, an imam and Member of Parliament, praised the government initiative, saying it should have been introduced long ago. Many imams, he continued, are "practically illiterate", because their knowledge is limited to memorising the Qur'an. "The imam must be an example for the public and must have a minimum of religious knowledge in order to meet people's aspirations," he said. "They have to be chosen carefully."

Mehdi Fourak, a lecturer in Islamic education, said the real objectives of the imam training programme should be questioned. "The reality about imams' level of education has been known for a long time," he asserted. "Why have they chosen to launch the programme now? Some preachers have not been toeing the state line; this can sometimes be a nuisance to the authorities."

Lahcen Daoudi, MP for the Justice and Development Party, disagrees. He said the initiative was too long in coming, but that there was no reason to jump to the wrong conclusions.

The most important thing in his estimation is to avoid looking for preachers who are all the same. Daoudi said it is essential for an imam to be qualified so that he can "understand reality", particularly in the way that Morocco is opening up, and other issues of the modern age.

Some Moroccan citizens have been happy to hear of the training programme, given that their message is so far removed from politics. Hamdi Cherif, a teacher, said that a great many preachers find themselves cut off from reality, taking outdated positions on issues that are no longer convincing.