Moroccan Lawmaker Raises Alarm Over Alleged Illegal Churches in Casablanca

Through two separate written questions, Mr. Haiker has questioned the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, as well as the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit. He mentions "what has been relayed by a number of social media sites about the spread of the phenomenon of exploiting several underground spaces and others to erect ’churches’ there." He specifies that this would concern "certain popular environments and neighborhoods" in particular.

The deputy emphasizes in his questions the lack of available data indicating whether any authorizations have been granted to those responsible for these places. Abdessamad Haiker considers that this situation is "likely to deprive citizens of their sense of spiritual security."

In his letters to the ministers, the PJD member seeks clarification on "the reality of these informal churches," saying he wants to know if "those behind them have obtained certain authorizations allowing them to use these spaces to practice religious or other rites, the nature of which only God knows," to quote his exact terms.

Similarly, Abdessamad Haiker asks the two relevant ministries to outline "the measures the two ministries intend to take to limit such phenomena." The expressed objective is to respond to concerns about the "spiritual security" of citizens.