Casablanca's Ulema Council reaches out to citizens
2007-08-03
The Ulema Council in Casablanca has begun undertaking innovative means of reaching out to Moroccans in a large, modernising city.
By Mawassi Lahcen for Magharebia in Casablanca – 03/08/2007
 [Lahcen Moqnia] A woman requests religious guidance from the Ifta Committee at one of the tents at the Ulema Council’s Islamic Cultural Week. |
The Ulema Council of Casablanca has established a listening centre to benefit women and youth in times of need, relying on the expertise of social science professionals. This is the first time a religious institution in Morocco has employed someone with qualifications outside the scope of the Sharia (Islamic law) sciences.
Ulema Council member Dr. Mohamed Mouchane said the centre's creation is part of the Ulema's expansion into the field of social work, increasing openness to citizens and adapting to keep pace with modern life.
Since its reform following the terrorist bombings of May 2003, the Higher Council of Ulema in Morocco has aspired to monopolise the issuing of fatwas and the structuring of Moroccans' religious life. Local Ulema Councils such as the one in Casablanca are charged with structuring and organising religious affairs at the local level and disseminating the policy of the Higher Council of Ulema, in order to maintain Moroccans' spiritual security and safeguard the country's religious constants in the face of extremism and foreign pressure.
The local councils became a necessary bridge to assume religious functions, such as leading prayer (by imams) and preaching in mosques. These activities now require applicants to pass an exam supervised by the Ulema Council and to obtain a tazkiya (pronouncement of integrity or credibility) from the council. The Ulema Council also conducts training courses for imams, preachers and muezzin (callers to prayer). It issued a guide for preachers which contains directives urging them to spread the spirit of moderation, to eschew rigidity and inflexibility, and to encourage citizens to unite in building a healthier society.
The Ulema Council of Casablanca is considered the nation's most active and creative, given the city's special character – it is Morocco's largest urban area and economic capital, and it was a target of terrorism in May 2003 and March and April 2007.
Mouchane added, "Covering Casablanca requires a great deal of activity from us, given the expanse of its area. We thus try to modernise and create new means of viewing our tasks." To meet these challenges, the Council has established permanent cells specialising in the affairs of women, youth, children and social work.
The Ulema Council of Casablanca recently concluded its third annual cultural week, held each year at the end of July. This year's activities expanded to encompass all districts in the greater Casablanca wilaya.
This year's theme for the event, which ran from July 21st through July 28th, was "For Tolerant and Open Islamic Discourse". The theme used the involvement of neighbourhood associations, cultural associations and local development associations to give a boost to its Interactive Cultural Week.
The cultural event featured ten conferences located throughout greater Casablanca on topics such as "Tolerance and Openness in Light of Islamic Guidance", "Islam and the Middle Way", "Islam: Religion of Compassion", "Islam and Dialogue", "Islam and Interconnection", "Islam and Moderation", and "Islam and Confronting Excess".
The Ulema Council also provided three tents for direct interaction in the districts of Anfa, Hay Hassani and Ain Chock. The tents offered direct dialogue and interaction with the Ulema, displays of the Ulema Council's publications, and a separate area for religious legal consultation and guidance. Throughout the Cultural Week, religious scholars rotated through each of the three tents, including one woman in the morning and three women in the evening.
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AKIL HAFID Posted 2009-04-18
In the name of God the most gracious the most merciful. May God reward all administrators of the Ulema Council. I have a request which might reform the foreign ideas by organizing weekly scientific sessions aiming to educate people and students in our dear country. Thank you.
بستان بوشعيب Posted 2009-08-31
The executive board of Al Fath Sport and Social Works Association that it will organize a competing in the recital of the Holy Qur’an and in Athdan. So if you want to participate, get in touch with the tent installed in Hay Jouadi in front of the annex of the local district. Deadline for registration is September 5, 2009 corresponding to Ramadan 15, 1430.
بدر Posted 2009-09-26
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you. I have two questions about Zakat. With the will of God I opened one year ago a store for selling white meats managed by brother. To avoid conflicts, we agreed that he gives me a monthly payment. During the six first months, it was 4,000 dirhams; then it has become 6,000 dirhams. This is my only income with which I provide for my family made up of three girls and three boys. Three of them study in a private school. In April, we imported a merchandise which cost us a loss of 130,000 dirhams. The funder of this operation is one of us. Do we have to pay Zakat after one year. May God preserve you as a source of guidance to safety and good deeds. Salam.
عبدالله Posted 9 days ago
In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful. Praise be to God the Almighty, there is no aggression except against oppressors. I pray upon the messenger who was sent, mercy to all creatures, our prophet Mohamed, peace and prayer be upon him. This letter is addressed to scholars in religious councils in the Kingdom of Morocco about the topic: hatred of Islam in the town of Feqih Ben Saleh. Criminals from security, intelligence services and authorities in general instigate people like them to infidelity and arrogance before God. They instigate them to scorn the tolerant, upright faith brought by our prophet Mohamed, peace and prayer of God be upon him. As examples of this, they ridicule God the Almighty, His words. One of the spies said, excuse me for this expression, as the transmitter of disbelief is not a disbeliever: (...) doesn't like (those who remove the holy Quran from the hands of Muslims, personification of this by some Mudhins until it becomes common, instigation of criminals to insult the righteous following the path of God and the tradition of the prophet when they say, for example, go be subject to obscenity; violating the sanctity of prayer by these infidel apostates from the religion of the Lord of all creatures by bending the middle finger in the Takbira of Al Ihram at the beginning of the prayer. They instigate some socialists to commit this infidelity. Bending the middle finger refers in our society to sexual intercourse. I don't know whom they represent. Do they represent the commander of the believers, communists, refusing envious Sh'ites, they also instigate eating during Ramadan in daytime. Name Abdellah Sadak, Rue Mechmech no 46.
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