CAIRO Ñ Morocco has launched a crackdown on Islamic
tracts that encourage anti-government unrest.
Security agents have raided book stores in major cities and seized
Islamic tracts deemed as inciteful. The agents were said to have been given
a list of banned books.
The campaign has been extended to publishers and distributors, Middle East Newsline reported. Security
sources said they have been warned not to deal with books on a banned list.
The government effort was taken in wake of the arrests of suspected Al
Qaida insurgents in May. Most of the insurgents detained were said to be
Saudi nationals.
Authorities have arrested the owner of a library that was accused of
selling unauthorized religious books and tapes. The Darul-Qema library is
said to be owned by a Saudi airline pilot who is married to a Moroccan
national.
So far, Morocco is said to have arrested 1,000 Islamic militants.
Many were said to belong to such groups as the Salafist Jihad group, which
has reportedly attacked nightclubs and their patrons.
The campaign is being led by several ministries. They include the
Islamic Affairs Ministry, the Interior Ministry, security agencies and local
authorities. Security sources said the books outlawed include either a call
for violence or support for Islamic fundamentalism.
The government crackdown comes amid plans to hold national elections in
the kingdom. Officials are said to be concerned that Islamic opposition
groups will use mosques around the country to garner support for
anti-government candidates.
Moroccan Islamic Affairs Minister Abdul Kabir Mdaghri has been meeting
ministry representatives in regional offices and warned them to increase
supervision of the nation's mosques. Moroccan media reports quoted Mdaghri
as saying that the government would not allow the use of religion for
political aims.
"The aim is not to muzzle preachers and clerics, but to make sure they
fulfill their religious duty without supporting such
or such party," the minister said.
