Morocco to promote tolerance and help rebuild Mali

In a move to promote tolerance and help rebuild Mali, Morocco will provide training to 500 imams from the war-torn country.

Moroccan Islamic Affairs Minister Ahmed Toufik and Malian Territorial Administration Minister Moussa Sinko Coulibaly signed the agreement Friday (September 20th) in Bamako.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco and new Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta attended the ceremony.

Speaking at the new Malian president’s investiture ceremony last Thursday, the Moroccan sovereign addressed the training agreement.

“Any co-ordinated international action which does not attach the necessary importance to cultural and religious aspects will be doomed to failure,” the monarch said. “The partnership that the kingdom intends to offer in the physical and spiritual reconstruction of Mali is firmly rooted in that philosophy.”

“It is essential that we repair the physical destruction and heal symbolic wounds by repairing the tombs, restoring and preserving the manuscripts and revitalising the country’s socio-cultural life,” he added.

The programme aims to meet an urgent social and religious need, and is being offered in response to a request from the Malian state, according to Toufik. Morocco stands ready to support the development of peace and rule of law in Mali, he added.

According to Moroccan Minister for Islamic Affairs and Habous, Ahmed Toufik, the imams’ training will meet an urgent social and religious need by Mali.