Rabat – The Islamist association of Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane, or Justice and Spirituality, violated three Moroccan laws by using unlicensed premises in three different regions for unauthorized meetings.
Moroccan administrative authorities shut down three unlicensed premises owned by the banned movement on Tuesday.
While some members of the movement decried the decision, authorities said that the move came in accordance with the law because using residences as “public spaces” for secret meetings is a violation of laws.
Read Also: Moroccan Authorities Close ‘Justice and Spirituality’ Unlicensed Headquarters
The first violation was of Law 12-90 on urbanism, which makes it illegal to use a residence as a public place for meetings.
People charged with changing a residence into a meeting place can be subject to a fine ranging between MAD 10,000 and MAD 100,000.
The second decree violated by the movement is Law 1-58-377, which stipulates that the organizers of public meetings should send a statement with the time, location, and purpose of the meeting to the local government administration.
The movement also redesigned some of the areas seized by authorities as mosques, which is illegal without license.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is usually the department that gives licenses for places of worship.
The ministry is also the only legitimate body that can assign imams and preachers.
On Tuesday, Moroccan authorities closed the unlicensed premises for the movement in three cities: Casablanca, Kenitra, and Inezgane.
Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane movement was founded in the 1980s by Sheikh Abdessalam Yassine, a former teacher and the late spiritual guide of the group.
The Islamist movement has been banned from political activities because of what the government calls its antagonistic approach towards the Moroccan government.
