Can Muslim televangelism win hearts of Moroccans?

Moroccan authorities have introduced a new weapon in the fight against Islamic extremism: 2,000 brand-new widescreen plasma TVs. They are to be placed inside mosques across the country in order to preach a moderate version of the Muslim faith, a version more consistent with the ideas of King Mohammed VI. This admittedly original approach to televangelism is meant to counterbalance the influence of hard-line imams and preachers, satellite stations from the Persian Gulf region and Middle Eastern DVDs that spread radical Islam. With war raging in Gaza and Lebanon, can moderate televangelism blunt the appeal of the hard-line message that seems to be gaining ground among Morocco's 33 million people?

In case you were wondering how worldly authorities can interfere in what is preached in a house of worship, it is important to understand that the notion of secularism in Morocco is limited to the minds of no more than a handful of intellectuals. In fact, Mohammed VI has the luxurious position of carrying the title of Amir Al Mouminine — commander of the faithful. According to popular belief and political tradition, the king is a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad, just like his fellow sovereigns in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Mohammed VI not only wields almost unlimited political power (Morocco's democratization is embryonic), he is also the country's highest religious authority.

The problem is that his authority as commander of the faithful is being challenged, especially by Islamists. Which returns us to the question of whether state-sponsored televangelism can win the hearts and minds of Moroccan Muslims. This is doubtful, to say the least. The country has roughly 40,000 mosques, all of which officially fall under the control of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. Their imams, who lead the prayers, are basically civil servants. Because their salaries are paid by the state, most do not preach hate or dispute the king's role as commander of the faithful. Such an anti-monarchist message would lose them their jobs and probably their freedom.

However, most mosques have, in addition to the imam, a preacher who is not on the government payroll and is thus much more difficult to control. Moreover, the most radical Islamists have long known that across the Arab world, state security services always have kept a close eye on what was being preached in the mosques. That's why hard-core topics such as violent Islam are rarely discussed in mosques but rather in living rooms, garages, caves — wherever government ears aren't.