Morocco Halts New Mosque Construction for 3 Years to Fund Repairs

According to Ahmed Taoufiq, this decision will be effective from 2020. At this weekly session of oral questions, the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs informed the elected representatives that this decision would also not spare the administrative and cultural complexes, as well as the old schools whose construction will also be halted.

The objective here, indicates the Minister, is to "mobilize one billion dirhams, or half the budget needed to rehabilitate 1,442 mosques currently closed", provided that the State, which will be solicited by his Department, guarantees the second half of the amount.

Launched in 2011, the mosque rehabilitation program has allowed the completion of 4,461 technical inspections, at a cost of 140 million dirhams, with 3,007 closed mosques "because they presented a real danger to the faithful", the Minister said.

The same program has made it possible to rehabilitate 910 mosques, at a total cost of 473 million dirhams, while 466 other places of worship are currently being rehabilitated, at a total cost of 962 million dirhams, not to mention that 189 others should be rehabilitated later and require a budget envelope of 243 million dirhams, detailed Ahmed Taoufiq.

This, notes Le HuffPost Maroc, are commendable efforts which, however, do not prevent "the closure of an average of 157 mosques each year for technical reasons".