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Morocco’s Minister of Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq has sparked a raging popular debate and widespread controversy for suggesting that “in Morocco, we are secular.”
Toufiq made his remarks during a parliamentary session on Monday, dividing opinions with a heated debate on the nature and place of secularism in a predominantly Muslim country.
Responding to a question by an opposition MP, the minister referred to a recent discussion he had with French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who was part of a State visit by Emmanuel Macron in October.
He recalled stressing during the meeting with the French minister, which was not covered by the media, that it was critical to know how Moroccan Secularism differs from that in France.”
“He told me, and I quote, ‘Secularism shocks you.’ I replied, ‘No.’ Surprised, he asked, ‘How so?’ I explained, ‘We are secular in our own way. We don’t have the 1905 laws, but anyone can practice what they want freely because there is no compulsion in religion.’ He was left speechless,” Toufiq said, noting that the French minister requested another meeting to continue the discussion.
The 1905 law refers to a regulation in France separating the church and the State. The law was established after conflict between monarchists and republicans who view Christianity as hampering the Republic’s progress.
The law ended the agreement between Napoleon and the Vatican and removed the Catholic Church official status, declaring that the state will remain neutral in religious matters.
Morocco’s 2011 Constitution stipulates Morocco as Islamic state.
The North African country has also been promoting coexistence and religious tolerance and religious pluralism.
Read also: Non-Religious Moroccans Challenge Social Norms Through Subtle Activism
Morocco’s penal code safeguards Islam and its principles in various ways. For instance, any person known to be Muslim who breaks the fast in public during Ramadan, the holyIslamic month, without an exception can face a punishment of up to six months in prison in addition to a fine.
The measure shows Morocco’s commitment to upholding religious observance and maintaining the sanctity of Islamic practices. This is why Toufiq’s remarks about Mrooccans “being secular” presented a shock and unprecedented statement for many, sparking a heated debate and division.”
The comments ignited discussions on the nature of secularism in a predominantly Muslim country, recalling King Mohammed VI’s title of Commander of the Faithful.
“The last person who should make such a statement is the Minister of Islamic Affairs… This is his personal opinion; he has no right to express it in Parliament on behalf of Moroccans,” one user on X wrote.
“Islam calls disobedience to its commands a sin, not secularism. Secularism is the separation of religion from politics and lifestyle. We Moroccans, no matter how much we sin, do not separate religion.”
Another user also opposed the minister’s remarks, saying Toufiq does not “distinguish between moderation and the principle of ‘no compulsion in religion’ in Islam and what secularism advocates in terms of extreme individual freedom devoid of all legal and moral constraints.”
“What is happening in the Kingdom of Morocco,” he added.
Another X user took a different approach by rising to the defense of the minister and his ight to make such remarks.
“The comments and newspaper headlines show that no one knows the true meaning of secularism! The majority think it means ‘a state without religion, she said, noting that the minister was “right and he explained secularism in a simple and straightforward way.”
“By The way Minister Ahmed Toufiq is a highly esteemed intellectual, he is a historian and novelist of a rare caliber,” she wrote.
