The Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, published a message in response to the Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party, Abdelilah Benkirane, who criticized his comments about «secularism» in Morocco. Benkirane later responded, offering an apology, while reaffirming his adherence to his statement, which he clarified was not directed at Toufiq, but rather at those who sought to exploit it for their own malicious purposes.