Rabat - The Moroccan Ministry of Islamic Affairs wants to know the number of preachers who use social networks.
Rabat – The Moroccan Ministry of Islamic Affairs wants to know the number of preachers who use social networks.
The ministry issued a statement on Monday, calling on its regional delegates and the Higher Council of Ulemas (scholars, imams, and preachers) to count the imams who use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google Plus.
In another statement shared by Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), the ministry explained why it wanted the information.
The ministry noted that the mission of ulemas has been and “will remain to communicate with citizens.”
According to the ministry, technology “is a major asset when it is used widely, in the respect of the regulations of the nation and in accordance with the provisions of the legal texts which govern the function of the ulema and imams and in accordance with the guide of the imam and the preacher.”
The new statement added that the ministry will encourage anything published by the imams in harmony with the law to explain the precepts of Islam. However, the ministry will not tolerate any “publication incompatible with these rules and commitments will be notified by the religious institution without giving rise to any measure.”
The ministry added that it will take measures “when the offense persists” and if the author is hypocritical, saying one thing inside the mosque and another thing outside the mosque.
Article 25 of the Moroccan Constitution provides that “the freedoms of thought, of opinion and of expression under all their forms are guaranteed.” It remains to be seen if any imams will be censured for expression on social media.
