Salafist Preacher Condemns Amazigh New Year as ’Pagan Festival’ Amid Push for Official Recognition

The Yennayer is on the verge of becoming a public holiday, non-working and paid every January 13th. The many calls from politicians and members of civil society to the government will soon bear fruit.

This approach is not shared by the Salafist Hassan Kettani, known for his radical positions towards Amazigh culture and modernity in general. According to the preacher, this festival is "pagan" and recalls the pre-Islamic era.

Continuing his explanation, he claims that all Muslim scholars have decided to prohibit the celebration of pre-Islamic Arab, Persian or Berber festivals.

On his Facebook account, the Salafist sheikh posted a message in which he questioned "the relationship of Muslims with a mythical pagan king named Sheshonq, who defeated another pagan pharaoh in an imaginary battle of which there is no evidence. The Salafist believes that "the Amazigh year is only a legend aimed at dividing Muslims in the Islamic Maghreb".

A famous preacher in Salafist circles, Kettani was imprisoned in February 2003 for his activism, then retried following the Casablanca attacks on May 16, 2003. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for "criminal conspiracy" before being pardoned with other Salafist sheikhs a few years later.