Morocco, Model in Countering Religious Extremism- French President Says

French President Emmanuel Macron is welcomed by Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore at Ouagadougou airport, Burkina Faso November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

French President, Emmanuel Macron, praised King Mohammed VI for his eminent role in promoting the values of moderation and fighting religious extremism.

Speaking at an event attended by 800 students in the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, the French President paid tribute to Morocco’s religious model spearheaded by King Mohammed VI.

He said Morocco offers a model in how to counter religious extremism and destructive ideas, sugarcoated in a religious rhetoric.

Promoting the values of tolerance, moderation and justice preached by Islam has been a bedrock in Morocco’s counter-extremism strategy.

Last June, Morocco launched the Mohammed VI Foundation for African Ulemas, an academic institution based in Fez that aims at uniting the efforts of Muslim scholars to promote tolerant Islam and counter extremism and radicalization on the continent.

The new institution is also part of Morocco’s religious training programs which gained momentum with the launch in March 2015 of the leading Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams in Rabat, providing training to hundreds of Imams from Africa and beyond.

Located in Rabat, the institute has been offering training to Imams and preachers from different African countries such as Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Chad as well as European countries, including France. Some 50 Frenchman out of a total of 1195 students are currently receiving training on the genuine precepts of Islam.