Morocco: Calls for Jihad in Mosques Prohibited

During a meeting at the House of Representatives with the Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Defense and Islamic Affairs, the minister was questioned by deputies, including Nabila Mounib of the Unified Socialist Party (PSU), about the freedom of imams to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The minister firmly rejected the accusations that his ministry had prohibited imams from speaking about Palestine. However, he specified that while the denunciation of injustice and barbarism is legitimate, the call for jihad in mosques is unacceptable. "They do not have the right to call for jihad or holy war in mosques, as this will have serious repercussions," he said, stressing that this issue falls within the political, not religious, domain.

According to Ahmed Toufiq, "jihad is a responsibility that falls to the imam, in the sense of the leader of the state." He also emphasized the multiple conditions necessary for the declaration of jihad, including the possession of the means to carry it out.