Islam in Morocco

History

Islam was first brought to Morocco in 681 A.D. by an Arab invasion under the Uqba ibn Nafi, who was a general serving under the Umayyads of Damascus. In 788, The Shia Idrisids who espoused pro Zaydi views ruled large parts of Morocco. Their contemporaries included the heretical Barghawata state and the Khariji state of Sijilmasa. After, several Berbers formed more powerful Islamic dynasties that reigned over the country. Among them were the Almoravids (1040–1147), who was the first to unite Morocco, as well as significant regions in West Africa, Spain and Algeria. The Almoravids were responsible for making the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence the most prominent in Morocco. It was later under Almohad rule (1121–1269) that smaller Muslim sects were persecuted and orthodox Sunni Islam became prevalent across the country.

In 2016, the government developed a strategy to further adherence to the Maliki Islamic school of thought. Religious education had textbook passages deemed promoting violence removed from the curriculum. As a result, religious textbooks had 24 lessons compared to the former 50.