Unlocking a Brighter Future: Celebrating the Maghreb Endowments Ministerial Meeting Anniversary – Progress, Challenges, and a Call to Action

On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the only meeting that brought together the Ministers of Endowments and Religious Affairs of the Maghreb countries since the establishment of the Arab Maghreb Union, the question of the need to develop cooperation in the religious field between these countries has been raised. , which shares two religious constants, namely Malikiism and Ash’ariism, distinguished by moderation and moderation, while the spiritual security of the “hidden” people faces common challenges such as extremism, terrorism and Shiaism.

However, at the meeting held on September 24, 2012 in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, under the slogan “Moderate Sunni Islam and its role in the intellectual and cultural consolidation of Maghreb societies”, it came up with important recommendations to consolidate government efforts in the promotion. The culture and religious awareness of the Maghreb society and protecting them from the above challenges, such as the establishment of a “Maghreb Academy for Maliki Jurisprudence”, a “Maghreb House for Noble Hadith” and a “Maghreb Satellite Channel specializing in religious affairs” have not yet found their way to implementation. .

A researcher on religious affairs, with whom the electronic newspaper Hespress spoke, emphasized the importance of implementing these recommendations in the context of combining the efforts of the official religious institutions of the Maghreb countries “to combat foreign influences, especially religious and cultural.” On the identity of the Maghreb people,” it is emphasized that strengthening Maghreb cooperation in religious matters will create a basis for increasing the level of economic cooperation between the countries of the Arab Maghreb, which promises prosperity and general welfare for the people of the country. Ultimately, the region.”

The same researcher reminds that “since the establishment of the Moroccan Union until today, the Kingdom is not only religious, but also interested in the unity of the Maghreb countries in the face of all common challenges, consistent with its work to dissolve and expand differences. A helping hand and tolerance.” Following this same direction is the intervention of another researcher who confirms to Hespress, “Morocco’s adherence to the unity of the Maghreb vision in all areas, including the religious sphere, and its unrelenting efforts to achieve what has been and is being discussed. In this context, it is time to bring its territorial integrity to mind.”

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Khaled al-Tujani, a religious affairs researcher and head of the Moroccan Center for Cultural Investment, said that “strengthening religious cooperation between Maghreb countries, including Maliki jurisprudence or the noble hadith, or establishing academies for other Maghreb religious institutions, atheism, Shi’ism, extremism , sharing common religious challenges such as terrorism, violence and moral deviance are needed by these countries,” noting that “unifying the efforts of countries in the region to confront these challenges, including representatives and experts from each country through religious institutions to find effective and applicable solutions lays the foundation.”

In a statement to the Hespress newspaper, Touzani added that “the exchange of experience and expertise in organizing religious affairs between the Maghreb countries and their unity to qualify the religious culture of the Maghreb person so that he can live as a balanced human being.” By uniting religion and the world with moderation and restraint, the common religious constant between them, especially the al-Maliki and Ash’ari doctrines, is an important and necessary step for these countries to stand as an impenetrable barrier.” Foreign influence, especially religious and cultural, on their societies. Efforts on Identity.”

The head of the Moroccan Center for Cultural Investment recalls that “Morocco has been aware of the need for a Maghreb Union to face various future challenges, including religious since the 1980s, the initiation of the Maghreb Union initiative, and continues today for the concern of the Islamic brotherhood that connects the countries of the Maghreb region, which Proud to be associated with, and work to bridge, bridge and expand differences.” a helping hand and tolerance towards it,” adding that “Morocco is thus responding to the principle of unity called for by Islam, and the Kingdom of Morocco’s Emirate of the Faithful organization has worked to spread and consolidate it in the Maghreb. region and throughout the Islamic world.”

Hespress’s statement concluded, “For all this, the establishment of the Maliki Jurisprudence Academy as a unified place and gathering for noble hadith in the Maghreb region must be accelerated, in the light of the common religious challenges mentioned above, as steps. This is to strengthen joint work in other economic and social aspects. can pave the way that will generally benefit the people of the region by creating an enabling environment for investment, work and production.”

“Relentless Pursuit”

Lahsen bin Ibrahim Al-Skinfel, head of the local scientific council of Skirat-Temara prefecture, said: “The state has always tried to achieve the unity of the Maghreb and establish the Grand Maghreb in all areas, including religious matters. Union in Marrakesh during the reign of Maulana Hassan II, may God rest his soul, and under his presidency and at that time the sister Maghreb (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania). The 1980s are only proof of this interest and great desire to achieve this great goal and highest goal,” he noted, noting that “the Kingdom remained faithful to the direction of Maghreb unity under the leadership of the faithful commander Maulana Muhammad VI. , may God grant him victory.”

Al-Skanfal explained, in a statement to Hespress newspaper, “The religious field is one of the most prominent areas where the Moroccan state has been interested in achieving unity of vision for decades, especially from the Maghreb countries (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania) of moderate central religions. Elements based on Ash’arite belief, Maliki jurisprudence and Sunni Sufism.

Regarding the importance of speeding up the establishment of Maghreb religious institutions recommended by the above-mentioned meeting, in this context, the local scientific council of Skirat-Temara Prefecture stressed that “Morocco’s approach will be based on relentless efforts to achieve what has been discussed. In all cases, “in this context It should bring” warning about “respect for the territorial integrity of the state, which cannot be tolerated under any name.”

The same speaker emphasized that “it is sufficient to recall here that the headquarters of the Great Maghreb Union is the city of Rabat, the capital of the state; it indicates the commitment of the King, government, people and public and civil institutions of Morocco to achieve the unity of the Greater Maghreb in all areas, the most Important is the religious sphere. This is done by downloading all the agreements signed between the governments of the Maghreb countries.”