As Iran seeks to expand its presence in Africa by promoting Shia ideology and initiating trade and economic projects, Morocco is emerging as a key player in countering this influence, The Arab Weekly news outlet reported on Sunday. With strong historical, cultural, and religious ties to other African countries, Morocco is seen as best positioned to counteract Iran’s influence and curb its potential expansion in the region.
Morocco’s religious and cultural influence in West Africa, particularly through its influence over and as a spiritual touchstone for various Sufi movements and sects, gives it a natural advantage in swaying opinions and hearts. As Moroccan imams actively engage on the ground across Africa, Rabat serves also as a meeting hub for political, religious, and tribal leaders of the Sahel region.
In contrast to Turkey’s investment-driven approach, France’s colonial history, or Iran’s religious motivations, Morocco’s leading role in Africa is driven “by geography.”
Indeed, the annual International Forum for Sufi orders is held every year in Sidi Shiker, one of the major Sufi shrines near the city of Marrakech under the patronage of King Mohammed VI with 50 countries participating.
The article cites close ties between Sufi zawiyas across Africa with those in Morocco, such as the Tijaniya zawiya in Senegal that celebrates religious occasions Moroccan style.
Other manifestations of Morocco’s historical connections include the Hausa Festival that celebrates the ancient, deep-rooted human and cultural ties between Morocco and Nigeria that span centuries.
This African “interconnectedness” poses a challenge to Iran’s spread of its Shia ideology.
“Observers believe that the expansion of Sufi culture based on the spiritual dimension will make it difficult for the preaching of Shia ideology as a political movement with a sectarian cover,” the article reads. “This reality has so far pushed Iran to change course by resorting to the launch of limited economic and trade agreements that would certainly be insufficient to compete with the strong Moroccan economic presence in the region.”
Moroccan researcher in security and strategic studies Mohammed Tayyar told The Arab Weekly that “Iran tried to expand its sectarian influence across the countries of West Africa and in the countries of the Sahel and North Africa, but it clashed with the roots of the Sufi orders associated with the city of Fez and their connection to the Emirate of the Faithful in Morocco.”
“The ancient Moroccan religious authority constitutes an obstacle to the expansion of Iranian Shia ideology,” he added.
Tayyar also noted that “at the ideological level, Iran was unable to keep pace with Morocco, which managed to boost its ties with Sufi orders in Africa and devoted itself to training African imams and guides in religious institutes in Morocco, under the auspices of the Mohammed VI Foundation for African Scholars.”
Morocco’s economic and political influence, enhanced by initiatives such as the Atlantic Initiative and infrastructure projects for landlocked countries, has further marginalized Iranian and Algerian influences in the region, according to Tayyar.
Morocco declared its readiness in September 2023 as part of the Atlantic Initiative to offer “road, port, and railway infrastructure” for the benefit of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad, all of which are landlocked nations. By the end of January 2024, three of those countries had officially withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Notwithstanding Morocco’s strong counter presence, the article warned that “Iran is doubling efforts to expand influence in Africa, benefiting from the sectarian networks that it has created in some countries such as Nigeria, as well as from networks established by its Shia ally Hezbollah within the Lebanese community in Africa.”