THE MOROCCAN RELIGIOUS POLICY: A DRIVING FORCE FOR A HEGEMONIC SOCIAL-POLITICAL LEGITIMACY

• Published in: Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings pp. 195 - 207
• Main Authors: Zine-Dine, Somaya, Maliki, Moulay Sadik
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Varazdin Varazdin Development and Entrepreneurship Agency (VADEA) 01.12.2025
• Subjects: Agreements; Authority; Consent; Islam; Legitimacy; Modernity; Politics; Religion; Morocco
• ISSN: 1849-6903; 1849-6903

The concept of legitimacy is crucial in linking authority with societal obligation, serving as a mechanism for governments to uphold and maintain the status quo. Many institutions are, thus, instrumentalized to serve this purpose. Morocco is no exception to this in so far as the state has strategically utilized Islamic religious policies and institutions to enhance and bolster its political legitimacy. In this connection, the present study examines how Moroccan religious institutions are instrumentalized to support governmental political agendas amidst the challenges of modernity. By analyzing the interaction between these institutions and state policies, this study tries to lay bare the dual role of Islam as both a religious and political instrument. It illustrates how the Moroccan state validates the integration of Islam with government institutions by aligning policies with the country's spiritual and cultural context. The study, moreover, seeks to uncover the key religious entities that contribute to state authority, discussing the implications of their political instrumentalization on broader efforts towards modernization.