The institutionalisation of religious affairs: religious reform in Morocco

This article examines a set of reform initiatives launched by the Moroccan authorities to strengthen and deepen the institutionalisation of Moroccan religious practices since 2004. The key objective behind the reform of religious affairs has been to counter the increasing intrusion of radical Islamism into Morocco, particularly after the Casablanca suicide bombing in 2003. The Moroccan authorities aim to limit the influence of other Islamic doctrines on Moroccan society that are perceived to be incompatible with Morocco's cultural heritage, such as Shiism and Wahabism. The Moroccan government has initiated these reforms by systematically diffusing throughout society what the authorities call the ‘Moroccan official Islam’, based on the Maliki legal school and on Asha'ari doctrine. However, such reforms must also be seen as serving political – as opposed to purely religious – goals. One such goal, which remains implicit, is to strengthen the religious authority of the Moroccan King as the Commander of the Faithful, an authority which has been challenged in the past by some Islamic movements. Nevertheless, it is argued that these reforms are far from being nothing more than an instrument of political power. Some of their aspects have been essential at a time of an ever-increasing role of different foreign Islamic influences within the Kingdom. What distinguishes the current reforms from previous initiatives are their comprehensiveness covering religious personnel, the issuing of fatwas, and the media, among many other institutional aspects of religious life.