Prominent Moroccan Salafist Preacher Dies from COVID-19 at 65

Infected with the coronavirus, the Salafist sheikh Abdelhamid Abu Naim died on Thursday after being admitted to a clinic in Casablanca. An admission following a Covid-19 infection. His death was confirmed on his official Facebook page. A funeral prayer was held at the Al Ghofran cemetery in the same city before his burial.

Born in 1956 in Casablanca, Abdelhamid Abu Naim was a major figure in Islam. He served as a professor of Islamic education at the Bir Anzarane secondary school. With a postgraduate degree, he is considered one of the students of the Salafist sheikh Taqi Eddine El Hilali.

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Known for his diatribes against the kingdom’s institutions and certain personalities, the controversial Salafist had been arrested on March 17, 2020, following the posting of a video in which he condemned the fatwa issued by the Supreme Council of Ulema calling for the closure of mosques. On April 3, 2020, he had been sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of 2,000 DH "for incitement to hatred and threats against citizens" and "attacks on the symbols of the State and its institutions". He was released from the Oukacha local prison in March 2021.