ANSAmed
Morocco will soon be bringing US professional coaches to its imam centers to ‘train’ them against extremism. The move is part of an strategy to combat ideology-based terrorism on the part of the Rabita Mohammedia of the Oulemas (the Mohammadia League of Scholars), the highest religious authority, which determines the policy line for the training of imams.
In the Rabat university for imams in the Al-Irfane quarter, ministerial programs for the next year are being drawn up.
Under the leadership of the rector, Abdesselam Lazaar, who will be watching over their work, the UN experts will be called upon to give lessons to resist extremist ideologies and to engage in ”battles” against the propaganda wars of the Islamic State (ISIS), including online.
The training aims to strengthen both character and skills. There are about a thousand aspiring preachers, both men and women, coming from Africa, Mali, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and Tunisia, as well as from Morocco. There are also European students that have asked to be admitted to the course, most of whom French nationals.
The program drawn up with the US coaches includes lessons to analyze audio and video materials posted online by terrorists, in order to learn to dismantle each message section by section. Moroccan Islam is of the Malakite school of jurisprudence, Sufi spirituality and Ash’ari liturgy, a combination of the most flexible and tolerant strains in Islam.
Those who graduate from this school – established in 2013 under the current king, Mohammad VI – study literature, history and contemporary culture as well as the Quran. There are also sports facilities in the center, and women preachers have rooms to learn how to use sewing machines. (ANSAmed).
