The U.S. State Department has applauded Morocco’s counter-terrorism strategy, which has allowed the nation to prevent the risk of terrorism by fostering human and economic development in addition to differing radicalization. The U.S. State Department expressed Morocco persisted in its comprehensive approach that includes attentive security standards, regional and international collaboration, and counter-radicalization approaches.
In 2023, Morocco continued to confront irregular threats from individual actors or small, independent terrorist entities, the prevalence of which claimed to be motivated by or linked with ISIS, according to the report. Last year, Moroccan law enforcement agencies, under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior, apprehended at least 56 people, of whom 40 were lone actors, while the 16 others were linked with six foreign terrorist groups.
Moroccan law enforcement leveraged police work, intelligence collection, and cooperation with international allies to execute terrorism operations. Moroccan law enforcement mechanisms partook in a broad range of U.S.-sponsored agendas to enhance the country’s technical and investigative abilities, including financial analysis, intelligence research, forensics, aviation security, and cyber-security. Borderland safety remained a leading priority for Moroccan authorities.
To prevent “religious extremism,” Morocco encourages an understanding of the Maliki-Ashari School of Sunni Islam. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has designed an educational curriculum for Morocco’s almost 50,000 imams as well as for women Islamic guides (mourchidates). Morocco’s imam activity centre in Rabat readies imams mainly from West Africa. The Royal Mohammedan League of Ulema (Rabita Mohammedia) opposes radicalization to brutality by creating scholarly research, examining educational curricula, and leading youth outreach on religious and social issues.
Since 2017, a calculated 300 detainees have finished Morocco’s deradicalization agenda (Moussalaha), assisted by the Prison Administration and Reintegration, in collaboration with other ministries. Similarly, Morocco is a constituent of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and co-chairs the Africa Focus Group. The government is also a component of the Global Counterterrorism Forum. In 2023, Morocco and the European Union established an endeavour in the GCTF on education for the precluding and countering of violent extremism.
