Superior Council of Ulema Installs El Yazid Er-Radi as New Secretary General

Marrakech – El Yazid Er-Radi was officially installed on Thursday as the new Secretary General of the Superior Council of Ulema during a ceremony held at the council’s headquarters in Rabat. The event came two days after King Mohammed VI appointed him to the post on Tuesday at the Royal Palace.

Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq presided over the installation ceremony alongside outgoing Secretary General Mohamed Yssef and several council members.

Toufiq stressed the central role of ulema (Islamic scholars) in providing religious guidance and counsel. He called for unity of effort among Imams, preachers, and Mourchidines and Mourchidates to guard against discord.

Er-Radi used the occasion to outline the Council’s core mandate. He said its primary objectives include consolidating Morocco’s religious and national constants, preserving national unity, and reaching citizens through informed discourse.

“The aim is for Morocco to remain a land of sound religious practice, free from all forms of extremism and rooted in the values of moderation,” he affirmed. He also paid tribute to his predecessor as a distinguished scholar who enriched the institution through his knowledge and experience.

The appointment came during a royal audience on Tuesday. The monarch first received Yssef, whom he decorated with the Wissam Al Arch as Grand Officer in recognition of his service to religion and the nation.

The Royal Cabinet noted in a statement that the King provided Er-Radi with “high orientations so that the council may accomplish its missions in the promotion of the holy Muslim religion, imbued with the values of moderation, and the preservation of the kingdom’s religious constants.”

Er-Radi, born in 1950 in Taroudant province, is an Amazigh scholar from the Souss region. His intellectual formation is deeply rooted in the Amazigh scholarly heritage of Souss, a region historically known for its own distinct fiqh legacy and centuries-old Islamic learning schools.

 

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He studied foundational texts, including Al-Ajroumiya, Alfiyyat Ibn Malik, Al-Mourchid Al-Mouiine, Al-Rissala, and Al-Faraid at the traditional schools of the region. He memorized the Quran under the guidance of his father and local scholars.

He earned a baccalaureate in the religious education track in 1970 and went on to obtain degrees in Arabic studies and legal sciences in 1973. He completed a master’s degree in Arabic literature in 1990 and a doctorate in the same field in 2002.

His teaching career began at Al-Mokhtar Al-Soussi secondary school in Tata in 1973. He later joined the Faculty of Letters in Agadir in 1987, where he taught until 2016. He headed the local Council of Ulema in Taroudant from 2004 to 2023 before becoming president of the regional Council of Ulema for the Souss-Massa region in 2023.

Er-Radi has authored several academic works, including studies on the poetry of Daoud Al-Rasmouki, critical editions of classical texts by Abu Zaid Al-Tamanarti and Al-Abbasi, and a four-volume work on the poetry of Al-Jashtimiyin. He also has multiple manuscripts pending publication on jurisprudential topics such as zakat calculations and fiqh rulings.

The Superior Council of Ulema operates under the direct authority of the King as Commander of the Faithful. As Morocco’s highest religious advisory body, it is tasked with issuing fatwas, structuring the religious field, and promoting what the state defines as a moderate, tolerant Islam.

The institution has historically drawn debate over the balance between religious authority and state power, with critics arguing it functions primarily as an extension of official policy rather than an independent scholarly body.

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