Morocco, Mali Sign New Religious Affairs Accord – Magharebia

 

* “We need to cut the ground from under the feet of the fanatics and extremists by tackling the religious vacuum.” – Analyst *

Magharebia, by Siham Ali (Rabat, Morocco, November 13, 2013) — Morocco and Mali will work together to promote the moral values of Islam and the rejection of takfirist ideology.

Under a religious affairs co-operation agreement signed Monday, November 11th in Rabat, Morocco and Mali will “share ideas and information with regard to ways of countering extremist thinking, and ensure that Islamic principles of tolerance are obeyed and become the norm in both countries.”

To implement the accord at the ground level, Morocco and Mali will arrange congresses to co-ordinate their standpoints on Islamic issues of mutual interest

Morocco is determined to support the people of Mali by strengthening co-operation in religious affairs, promoting a tolerant form of Islam and tackling the rise of extremism, Habous and Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Taoufiq said after signing the agreement with the Malian minister delegate in charge of religious affairs, Thierno Amadou Omar Hass Diallo.

Scholarships at institutes of higher education may also be offered to Malian students.

Morocco had already pledged to train 500 Malian imams. On Monday, the first group of ninety young Malians arrived in Rabat to train for two years.

Some are already imams in Mali, while others hope to become imams after completing their studies in Morocco.

Ahmed Aissa Mohamed, one of the young beneficiaries, said that the new generation of imams would be trained to deal with the challenge of combating extremism and encouraging Muslims to open up to other religions.

Malian imam Abdullah Soulaimane, agreed, noting that “everyone today wants to issue religious fatwas, but issuing them requires an in-depth knowledge of Islam, in order to avoid lapsing into extremism that harms society.”

To achieve the desired goals, the training for the Malian imams will cover more than religion. They will also study the history, geography and institutions of Mali, human rights, mental health, the media and other issues.

Training clergymen is a sure way of tackling fanaticism, especially in a country, which has been damaged by terrorism, political analyst Hamid Chentoufi told Magharebia.

“We need to cut the ground from under the feet of the fanatics and extremists by tackling the religious vacuum,” he said.

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