Is Morocco secular? A minister under fire from criticism

Under fire from criticism after his remarks on secularism in Morocco, Ahmed Toufiq, the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, clarified his thoughts before the deputies in the Chamber of Advisors.

During an intervention on Wednesday in the House of Advisors, Ahmed Toufiq declared that he was a “victim of injustice”. The minister regrets that his remarks were misinterpreted. Speaking last week to MPs about his exchange with the French Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, Toufiq said he had told the latter that “we, Moroccans, are secular”. Comments which sparked an avalanche of reactions on social networks, particularly from Islamists and conservatives.