MOVEMENT FOR UNITY AND REFORM (MUR)

moroccan islamic movement.

The Movement for Unity and Reform (MUR) is the second largest Islamic movement in Morocco, after Abdelsalam Yassin's al-Adl wa al-Ihsan (Justice and Benevolence). Formerly the Movement of Reform and Renewal (HATM), the MUR was established in Morocco in 1996 following a merger of HATM and the Association of the Islamic Future. Though the MUR is not legally recognized, the Moroccan regime has tolerated the movement's activities since the 1980s.

Led by a group of moderate Islamists, the MUR has branches throughout the country and has issued newspapers and other publications (notably the daily al-Tajdid [Renewal] and the quarterly al-Furqan [Proof]), held general conferences, and participated in popular marches. The main objectives of the movement are reforming the conditions of Muslims at the individual and societal levels and renewing their understanding and commitment to Islam. On several occasions the leaders of the movement have expressed their commitment to the fundamental basis of the Moroccan regime: Islam, the constitutional monarchy, and the territorial integrity of the country. They also reconfirmed their willingness to participate in political life through legal means and to cooperate with other political groups.

A major transformation took place within the movement when a large number of its leaders and cadres joined the historic yet moribund Constitutional and Democratic Popular Movement (MPCD) in 1996. This federation revived the MPCD and provided the MUR with the opportunity to participate in politics through formal channels. Under the umbrella of the MPCD (which in 1998 changed its name to the Party of Justice and Development), the MUR contested the legislative elections of 1997 and 2002 and won 14 and 44 seats, respectively, of the parliament's 325 seats. The movement is popular among Morocco's youth, university students, secondary-school teachers, and middle-class professionals.

see also adl wa al-ihsan, al-; hassan ii; morocco: political parties in; muhammad vi.

Bibliography

Al-Tajdid. Special Issue (December 2002).

Shahin, Emad Eldin. Political Ascent: Contemporary Islamic Movements in North Africa. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998.

emad eldin shahin