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Secularism is still making headlines in Morocco. The Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, responded to the statement made by the Secretary-General of the Justice Party (PJD), Abdelilah Benkirane, who criticized his remarks in parliament about Morocco being a «secular state».
In a letter titled «Complaint to God», addressed to Benkirane, Toufiq said, «You mentioned what people understood as me saying that the Moroccan state is secular. I did not mention the state because the state is the state of the Commander of the Faithful, and you know that I have been, by the grace of God, serving in the administration for more than two decades».
Toufiq reproached Benkirane for not asking him about his remarks in parliament and added, «And since you did not do so, you have acted arrogantly and deviated from the truth».
He continued in his letter, addressing Benkirane, «You are the head of a modern political party, and the modern political party is derived from a Western secular system. You were elected on the basis of equal voter voices regardless of their beliefs and conduct, and this matter is derived from a Western secular system». «When you were the head of the government, you worked on legal texts that serve rational interests and are presented for parliamentary voting, and this is derived from a Western secular system. If you wanted to consult the elders of a sect, you would have wasted a lot of time due to their disagreements, and you passed a number of laws based on consensus or international decisions, and this matter is derived from a Western secular system», the Minister argued.
«As the head of the government, you should have been convinced of individual freedoms as stipulated by the constitution and protected by the rules of public order, and this is derived from a Western context, which is secularism», the Minister added.
Toufiq also reminded Benkirane of his coalition to form the government, which is a coalition «that does not assume that your allies in it share the same conviction or understanding of religion, and this is another 'good' blend rooted in secularism».
«This is not to convince you, and you know that I do not want to respond to the slanderers, but the intention is that the 'listener' hears it, and you be among the witnesses. And perhaps some of those who heard your defamation will understand», he concluded.
Benkirane apologizes but sticks to his guns
Hours later, Benkirane responded in a letter, expressing his regret for Toufiq's letter, in which he blamed him. «I am subjected to attacks that are hardly countable, but I do not care about most of them because I know the intentions of their perpetrators. However, your letter had a different impact, so I took up my pen, which I rarely do, not to respond to you but only to clarify some facts for you in the hope that it will correct the incident exactly», Benkirane explained.
Benkirane confirmed that what Toufiq stated in parliament «upset him», and that he did not «respond to it at all», continuing that he noticed that hostile and malicious parties wanted to exploit the statement to instill in people's minds what neither you nor I accept. He continued, «I know you well and know your moderate and sound convictions, and if I wanted to respond to you, I would have done so on the same day».
He added that he avoided mentioning Toufiq's name but admitted that his remarks were related to his statement in parliament. However, according to him, «it is intended for those exploiters with bad intentions who lie in wait for the country and its references and constants».
He expressed his regret if «my statement upset you, I assure you that you are not the one intended by it, but those who wanted to exploit it for bad purposes. Therefore, I declare that I am sticking to my statement and proud of it, and if you felt offended by it, I apologize to you publicly and directly, and your word did not change my position on you one bit».
He concluded his response by saying, «If I did not contact you, you also did not contact me, and may God forgive us all».
Benkirane had said during a communication meeting organized by his party in Oulad Berhil on Sunday, December 1, that Morocco is an «Islamic state, not a secular one. Its king is the Commander of the Faithful, not an ordinary king; he has been the Commander of the Faithful not since today or yesterday or a month ago, or a year ago, or 50 years ago, but for many centuries».
This came in response to the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, who said last week during a question session in the House of Representatives that he met with French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Morocco, in a meeting that was not announced in the media.
He added that he «shocked» the French official by telling him that Morocco is a «secular» state, continuing that he told him, «We do not have texts like the 1905 texts, but if someone wants something, they can do it, because there is no compulsion in religion».
