Morocco Earthquake: 2,500 Mosques Damaged, $120 Million Needed for Restoration

Speaking in Rabat on the occasion of the celebration of the National Mosque Day on October 11, the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, recalled that the September 8 earthquake caused significant damage to more than 2,516 places of worship. These damaged or destroyed sites will be rehabilitated for an amount of 1.2 billion dirhams, announced the minister, specifying that these works will be fully covered by the State, as ordered by King Mohammed VI. The Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs will oversee the rehabilitation work to preserve its religious and cultural heritage that make up the wealth of Morocco, he added.

Ahmed Toufiq also took advantage of this celebration to address the issues related to the construction of mosques, their closure or deterioration, as well as the intervention of associations in their construction and management. He particularly stressed the urgency of building new mosques to cope with the strong demographic growth. In total, 840 new mosques should be built by 2030, or 120 urban mosques per year. Also, the existence of 1,500 temporary halls in large cities, not offering better conditions of worship, requires the construction of 366 new mosques per year, the minister pointed out, recalling that each year 160 mosques are closed and 120 rehabilitated and reopened.