Morocco Revamps Imam Recruitment Process to Clarify Roles

There should be no doubts about the new procedure for qualifying religious officials, Toufiq said, responding to an oral question raised by the Istiqlal group in the House of Councillors on the subject. Because, it is just a matter of compliance with the law, he said, stressing that it is moreover the name of the accreditation certificate (Tazkiya) which has been replaced by "certificate of qualification".

From now on, with the new procedure, the study of applications to perform religious tasks hitherto entrusted to the delegates of Islamic affairs, will be directed by the Local Councils of Ulemas, in accordance with the Dahir establishing the reorganization of these Councils. With this method, the process for the selection of religious officials by the Councils of Ulemas with regard to vacant positions will be validated, the minister added, specifying that this procedure will promote the control of the assignments of imams, given that for a few years, the situation observed does not correspond to the essential follow-up for the supervision of mosques.

Thus, every year, more than 10,000 unscheduled assignments are made. However, the legal framework of the tasks and missions granted to religious officials should not be taken lightly, he said, addressing the information circulated on social networks regarding the imams.

For the record, the opportunity was recently given to imams with a degree, to be promoted to the grade of third grade administrator, either by the annual allocation of a number of budgetary positions, or by participating in the entrance examination to the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines and Morchidates, which benefited 124 imams with a degree this year.