The Commander of the Faithful, His Majesty the King Mohamed VI, may God assist him, accompanied by his Royal Highness the Prince Moulay Rachid, presided on Tuesday 08 Ramadan 1437 (June 14th, 2016) in the Al-Quaraouiyine Mosque in Fez, the appointment of the members of the Higher Council of the Mohamed VI Foundation of African Oulema. On this occasion, Mr. Abubakar Doukoure, an alim (scholar) of Burkina Faso, has delivered a statement on behalf of the members of this Council. The text of the statement reads as follows:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful! Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his Household, upon his Companions, and upon all those who have followed and supported him!

Mawlāy Ameer Al-Mūmineen (Commander of the Faithful), Majesty King Mohammed VI, May Allah grant you dignity and lend you support

To Allah (Exalted in Might) we are grateful for foreordaining that good and benefaction be a permanent boon in the Mohammadhan Ummah up until the Day of Resurrection. Such goodness and benefaction are cared for and promoted by people who have sincerely honored their pledge to Allah to serve Islam, to spread its message, and to preserve the heritage of this Ummah, along with its high interests and sacrosanct assets. You are, O Majesty, at the vanguard of such sincere people, as can readily be seen in the various achievements you have made in the interests of your people, the Faith, and the Ummah (The Muslim Community) at large. In Africa, specifically, these achievements are numerous, ranging as they are from the guidance of people and the invitation extended to them to seek rightness and goodness to the provision of help to the needy and cooperation with all goodness-loving forces in order to foster security and peace and achieve prosperity. No wonder then that Your Majesty should enjoy such great loving-kindness, consideration, and respect, especially in Africa where people feel that you are amidst your kinsfolk, beloved relatives, and allies whenever you pay them a visit.

As we stand before you Majesty today, we, African Oulema, who have been honored with the membership of the Higher Council of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulema, we hail and bless the initiative taken by the Commander of the Faithful in setting up an entity which enables African Oulema to cooperate in order to better serve their faith and develop their societies. That such an initiative should come from the Commander of the Faithful, His Majesty, King Mohammed VI is no surprise, for he is a member of the Family Tree of the Prophet and a descendant of the Great Messenger, who had been sent by Almighty Allah to perfect the noblest moral values and ethics. Among the most supreme of such virtues stand out gratitude and loyalty shown to relatives and neighbors. Here then resides the secret behind the keen interest and solicitude shown by the Commander of the Faithful for Africa. He is one of the most dutiful sons of Africa. Besides, African people are closest to him. Furthermore, their religious heritage –the As-Sharite Creed, the Malikite Rite, and Sunnite Sufism—are all derived from the Moroccan tradition. Coupled with this, the spiritual links between Morocco and Africa are ancient, dating back to the first century of the Hegira. Furthermore, several African rulers and Sultans relied on Moroccan Oulema to serve in the capacity of advisers, judges, teachers, and Imams in their respective Kingdoms. These Moroccan people wedded African women and that’s how relations by marriage, affinities and mixed unions occurred. In fact, many families and even tribes are known to have been of Moroccan descent. All of these historical, relational, and religious links between Morocco and West-African countries have spurred African Oulema, led by scholars from Senegal, to send a delegation to His Majesty King Mohammed V in his exile in Madagascar requesting him to lead them in prayer in the mosque where he used to perform his ritual worship. We are just establishing facts so that no one may be induced to think that relationships between Morocco and Africa are premised solely on interests. Bearing in mind the efforts expended by Morocco to help African people, it is only natural that African should show solidarity with and loyalty to Morocco. And this should be no matter of surprise, either.

As for the newly established Foundation, we should like to see it comprise all of Africa’s reliable Oulema who are faithful to the highest interests of their countries. Moreover, we would like it to strive towards the attainment of the goals which are outlined in the legal text instituting it. Still, we should like to add the following priorities:

1. Every attempt should be made to resolve current conflicts, especially in Africa. And the resolution should be comprehensive, permanent, and based on justice and the preservation of rights;
2. Interfaith and inter-cultural dialogues should be encouraged on the basis of mutual respect. And no party should be allowed to impose its own values and culture on the others. Besides, all the parties should work together in order to combat the claims made by people who advocate the inevitability of clashes between civilizations;
3. Particular attention should be given to the realization of comprehensive development in our countries, through the enhancement of ethical standards and solidarity and other values. These values should be championed by Oulema in their Da’wa because once they have been entrenched in society they would create more job-opportunities for youth and thereby prevent them from being carried away by destructive currents which only serve to undermine peace and security in their own societies. By so doing, the sought-after prosperity will be achieved and rancor, which is conducive to violence and terror, will be removed.

Allah we beseech to establish security, stability, and peace across the world, to grant our Ummah further unity, solidarity and mutual support, and to make our faith more vigorous and thriving. Allah we implore also to lead the steps of the Commander of the Faithful, His Majesty Mohammed VI (May Allah lend him support) aright and to grant him all the means necessary to enable him to achieve all of these noble goals and to save our Ummah from conspiracies which purport to hurl it into endless and destructive sectarian wars which not only wreak havoc but also victimize Islam and Muslims. Commander of the Faithful, we, Oulema, Sheikhs, Imams, and Sherifyans, taking part in this inaugural conference of your blessed Foundation, may say that we are speaking on behalf of the continent because the participants are Africa’s choicest children and elite Oulema. We hereby make our pledge to Allah and to you, O Majesty, that we shall be ever the loyal soldiers serving the True Faith, Islam. We call upon you to march forward by the Grace of Allah and we assure you that we are with you with our hearts, our prayers, and our support. We implore Him (Exalted be He) to prolong your life and to make you an asset for your people, your Ummah, and your Faith. May He crown your endeavors in the interests of the country and Allah’s servants with success; Allah is the Best to hear our entreaties and hopes. He is also the Best to respond to them and to grant favors. And may Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon your all!