The recent visit of Pope Francis to Morocco was significant in more ways than one. First, it marked the continuing efforts of Morocco to position itself as the guardian of genuine, moderate Islam. In recent years, Morocco has seen the promotion of moderate Islam as a key security imperative and part of its multi-dimensional strategy to tackle transnational Islamist terrorism. This confirmation of Morocco’s moderate Islam position stands in stark contrast to the brand of Islam that countries of the Gulf have promoted through their petro-dollars. Morocco also distinguishes itself as a genuine religious pole within the Islamic world in contrast to the loss of prestige of institutions like Egypt’s Al-Azhar.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 04, 2019 11:15 UTC