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Moroccan king sez Islamists are unbalanced villains
âUnbalanced villains...with no homeland or religionâ: King Mohammed did not mince his words. When Morocco marked the first anniversary of the suicide attacks that shattered its self-proclaimed image of a haven of stability in the Arab world, the king reminded his people who the perpetrators were. Moroccan authorities say Osama bin Ladenâs al Qaeda network bankrolled the assailants. According to the head of the security forces, General Hamidou Laanigri âonly a dozen dangerous people are still on the runâ.King Mohammed, Moroccoâs highest religious authority, stressed the need to âshield Morocco from the perils of extremism and terrorismâ. In a speech before top religious clerics, he outlined reforms designed to rid Morocco of imported radical doctrines and give impetus to its more tolerant brand of Islam. One of the results of the Casablanca bombings has been to force the Moroccan authorities to confront hard-line preachers accused of inspiring radical militants. They propagated Wahhabism, an austere interpretation of Islam from Saudi Arabia - bin Ladenâs birthplace - and benefited from Saudi scholarships and funds. Over the years, their increasing popularity transformed Moroccoâs mosques into a political forum. Up to two thirds of Moroccoâs 32,000 mosques are managed by private donors while officially under the watch of the Religious Affairs Ministry. In recent years many clandestine mosques have flourished in poor neighbourhoods. Often run by Islamist organisations, their popularity rose thanks to outspoken independent clerics who threatened Jews and attacked Moroccoâs pro-US policy. After Friday prayers their followers would distribute pamphlets in support of bin Laden, denouncing Moroccoâs âapostate regimeâ or the religious status of the king. Many of these âgarage mosquesâ have been closed over the past year. Others now open only at prayer times to prevent suspicious gatherings. Tapes of popular clerics, traditionally sold after Friday prayers, have been banned outside mosques. Economics professor and left-wing militant Driss Benali said the clampdown and reforms may not be enough. âIn the short term, we need to control mosques. But Iâm afraid radicals will undertake underground activities and there wonât be any control over them,â he said. Many say religious extremists now gather in public markets or in their homes, away from state control. The king has set up two new directorates to oversee the administration of the mosques and modernise clerical education. The reorganisation of the religious affairs ministry was met with some scepticism. âLast Mayâs events only brought up to date a policy that has been outlined before,â said historian and sociologist Mohamed el Ayadi, referring to legislation allowing state control of mosques. For Ayadi, the key issue is what sort of clergy would emerge. âAre we going to have the same clerics as in the past and find ourselves with the same speeches?â he asked, stressing the need for a new generation of religious scholars with a modern understanding of Islam. The jailing of two radical clerics under a new anti-terrorist law last September revealed a considerable shift in religious policy. Radical theorists Hassan Kettani and Abu Hafs were jailed for 20 and 30 years respectively for undermining the stability of the state. At the trial prosecutors said they had âinspired the (Casablanca) suicide bombersâ. The pair, who had delivered their Omar al-Qazabriâs recorded sermons are still a big hit in downtown Casablanca, despite his departure for Saudi Arabia last year. The Saudi-educated Moroccan is remembered as a charismatic extremist even by those who attended his mosque in Casablancaâs Al Oulfa district. âThere were several rows of people weeping during his khotba (sermon). They liked him very much,â said a man who used to attend prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. âBefore it was so crowded that the streets were closed. Now thereâs no one on Fridays, everything has been swept away.â Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-05-20 |
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