RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Worshippers sat shoeless on the red-carpeted floor of a mosque in Morocco’s capital in silence, listening to a preacher in a raised pulpit reading a government-written sermon urging parents to involve their children in public affairs.
The sermon, heard in mosques across the kingdom Friday, came after Morocco was shaken by an unprecedented and deadly youth uprising in recent weeks that demanded better social and economic conditions. The sermon didn’t directly address the protests, but was seen by some as an effort by the government to send a message to demonstrators in the movement, known as Gen Z 212.
Preachers traditionally chose the topics of their sermons that precede congregational prayers. But in recent years, governments in countries including Morocco, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have dictated sermon content. Officials say the move aims to curb extremist speech, but critics argue it turns sermons into tools for promoting the state’s vision and backing its policies.
In a mosque in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, the imam, dressed in a white djellaba robe and speaking on a microphone to hundreds of worshippers from different ages, social and economic backgrounds, urged the faithful to fulfill their duty to the nation by participating in civic life.
“One of the most important things we should care about is raising children to participate in the managing of public affairs (…) and participation in serving the nation, loving the homeland and watching over its security and stability,” the imam said.
“A true citizen is the one who serves his nation and does it well,” he added, citing verses from the Quran, his …