The World's Longest-Serving Minister... Will Ahmed al-Tawfiq Step Down from the Ministry of Endowments in the Mansouri Government?

Minister Ahmed Al-Tawfiq’s presentation addresses a quarter-century of managing the Endowments and Islamic Affairs sector in Morocco, tracing his transformation from a historian and academic to an architect of the religious sphere—one based on unifying the pulpit discourse, regulating mosques, and supporting Sufi orders and zawiyas in accordance with the model of the Emirate of the Believers.

Despite the organizational stability and spiritual symbolism achieved over these decades, this approach has faced persistent criticism for prioritizing obedience and administrative control at the expense of freedom of religious interpretation and the expression of religious discourse on social and political issues.

On the financial and administrative levels, the outcome of this reconciliation remains a subject of questions and complex issues that the next government is expected to resolve, particularly regarding the social status of religious leaders, the regulation of endowment properties, and the continued closure of hundreds of mosques in need of renovation.

Between those who view its continuation as a guarantee of the religious institution’s stability and those who call for a renewal of the leadership and a comprehensive review of management mechanisms, the question remains as to whether the new government lineup will mark the end of this long era or a continuation of the same administrative and religious model.