Legendary Toumliline Library Open Doors Once Again to Scholars, Visitors
This revival is part of the broader program 'Réinventer Toumliline,' which aims to restore and reimagine the monastic site of Toumliline, located in the province of Ifrane.
The initiative follows the successful reopening in 2024 of the site's 20th-century Christian chapel, one of Morocco's most unique religious structures, thanks to the support of the Rabita Mohammadia des Oulémas, the Belgian foundation 'Futur 21,' and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The library, originally home to more than 15,000 books, served as a center of knowledge and interfaith dialogue during the mid-20th century.
According to the FMA, the rebuilt facility will serve two purposes: a 'library of the past' that recreates the original atmosphere and holdings of the 1950s, and a 'library of the future' equipped with contemporary resources and research tools, open to both scholars and visitors.
'This project is not only about restoring architecture, but about reviving an intellectual and spiritual heritage,' the Foundation wrote on its official Facebook page. 'Thanks to generous donations, we are gradually reconstructing a cultural epicenter that once welcomed the world's thinkers.'
The Diocese of Rabat delivered a major contribution to the new library, which came personally from Archbishop of Rabat Cristobal Lopez Romero.
The donation includes books and library materials from churches in Casablanca, Safi, El Jadida, Oujda, Meknes, Errachidia, and Rabat.
Founded in the 1950s by French Benedictine monks, the Toumliline monastery is known for its intellectual vibrancy and as a site of pioneering interfaith dialogue, attracting Moroccan scholars, Christian theologians, and international philosophers. Tags: CulturelibraryToumliineToumliline library
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Morocco World
21-07-2025
- Morocco World
Legendary Toumliline Library Open Doors Once Again to Scholars, Visitors
Casablanca – In a remarkable initiative to preserve Morocco's spiritual and intellectual heritage, the Fondation Mémoires pour l'Avenir (FMA) has announced the reconstruction of the historic Toumliline Library, once recognized as the second-largest library in North Africa. This revival is part of the broader program 'Réinventer Toumliline,' which aims to restore and reimagine the monastic site of Toumliline, located in the province of Ifrane. The initiative follows the successful reopening in 2024 of the site's 20th-century Christian chapel, one of Morocco's most unique religious structures, thanks to the support of the Rabita Mohammadia des Oulémas, the Belgian foundation 'Futur 21,' and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The library, originally home to more than 15,000 books, served as a center of knowledge and interfaith dialogue during the mid-20th century. According to the FMA, the rebuilt facility will serve two purposes: a 'library of the past' that recreates the original atmosphere and holdings of the 1950s, and a 'library of the future' equipped with contemporary resources and research tools, open to both scholars and visitors. 'This project is not only about restoring architecture, but about reviving an intellectual and spiritual heritage,' the Foundation wrote on its official Facebook page. 'Thanks to generous donations, we are gradually reconstructing a cultural epicenter that once welcomed the world's thinkers.' The Diocese of Rabat delivered a major contribution to the new library, which came personally from Archbishop of Rabat Cristobal Lopez Romero. The donation includes books and library materials from churches in Casablanca, Safi, El Jadida, Oujda, Meknes, Errachidia, and Rabat. Founded in the 1950s by French Benedictine monks, the Toumliline monastery is known for its intellectual vibrancy and as a site of pioneering interfaith dialogue, attracting Moroccan scholars, Christian theologians, and international philosophers. Tags: CulturelibraryToumliineToumliline library
Ya Biladi
19-07-2025
- Ya Biladi
Diaspo #398 : From Belgium to Morocco, Sarra El Messaoudi celebrates our migrant heritage
Born in Brussels, Sarra El Messaoudi grew up with her two brothers and sister in a distinctly cosmopolitan city. Yet during her primary school years, she was often the only student from a diverse background. Her mother, a Belgian nurse, and her father, an interior designer from Bouyafa near Nador, were always deeply involved in their children's education. Today, the young journalist looks back on that time with pride, remembering herself as always being «top of the class». «I was lucky to have a mother who had the tools to support us with our studies and homework at home. I know not everyone has that privilege, but her help allowed me to maintain a strong academic performance», Sarra El Messaoudi recalls. She attended schools in the Brussels municipalities of Evere, Molenbeek, and Schaerbeek, where she encountered greater diversity during her middle school years. It was during that period that she began to think about her future, inspired by a growing passion for books and reading. «I developed those skills thanks to my mother, who always kept books around the house. My father, meanwhile, introduced me to calligraphy on a wooden board at home. I've always loved writing and storytelling». A Reflection of Belgium's Diversity Ambitious and grounded from a young age, Sarra El Messaoudi always had a clear sense of direction. «I knew that while I waited to become a writer, I needed to build a stable career. Journalism seemed like the perfect balance between the two», she tells us. At the intersection of personal stories and shared human experiences, her passion for storytelling draws not only from her own life, but also from her family, her community, and her diverse city. «My mother is Belgian through and through. On my father's side, my grandfather came to Belgium from Morocco in the 1960s as part of the labor migration agreement between the two countries. My father joined him later, along with my grandmother, through family reunification. My roots are in those working-class migrant families. We all come from somewhere, and understanding that helps us take ownership of our stories, so we can honor them instead of hiding them». At just 13, Sarra El Messaoudi already had a clear idea of the path she wanted to pursue. She took her first steps into journalism through the print media. After earning a degree in communications and a master's in journalism from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), she joined the editorial staff at La Dernière Heure (DH) before contributing to television news reports for RTBF. Now a journalist, trainer, and speaker, she creates social impact projects and works as a podcast producer and director. Specializing in diversity and inclusion (DEI) and media education (EMI), she is dedicated to promoting «a more inclusive media landscape» based on what she sees and experiences in the field. During her early years in journalism, Sarra was struck by how little the diversity she saw in Brussels was reflected in the media. Television, in particular, felt disconnected from the plurality of experiences lived daily off-screen. «On TV, I rarely saw people who looked like me. First of all, there weren't many women. And those from diverse backgrounds were nearly invisible. The few women who did appear often seemed like they had to apologize for being there». Telling the Stories That Don't Get Told Determined to shift the narrative, Sarra made it her mission to go beyond the reductive ways in which stories of diversity and migration are often presented, as short, one-and-a-half-minute news pieces. She wants to «interview a broader range of people and improve how these topics are handled». She contributes to Les Grenades, the RTBF media platform that covers current events through a gendered lens. In her search for the right format to tell the stories that make up Brussels' cultural mosaic, Sarra launched a podcast series called Nos Héritages («Our Heritages»). Her goal is to «give voice to all the layers of Belgium's diversity», not just her own binational community. These stories range from triumph and resilience to fragmentation and hardship, each deserving a meaningful space in the media. «As we work on these projects, we realize how little we actually know about our parents' migration journeys», Sarra explains. More than a podcast, the project is driven by a sense of urgency to preserve the undocumented histories of the first generation of migrants. «Our grandparents are passing away, and that whole first generation is disappearing. What's left of them, and of us? There's a real urgency to tell our stories and reclaim those stories in formats that allow space and depth, instead of restricting people to a few minutes or a narrow angle». For Sarra, it's essential that those whose stories are being told feel empowered to speak on more than just cultural or religious issues. «Before the interviews, I have a conversation with each guest to decide which story they want to share. It's a process of both transmission and reclamation», she says. This commitment extends into her volunteer work. As a project leader within the Association for Diversity and Inclusion in the Media (ADIM), she promotes equal opportunity and representation in the media industry. Through ADIM, Sarra organizes workshops, networking events, and peer exchanges «to help women enter the profession and then stay in it», which, as she notes, remains a major challenge in a field still marked by racism, sexism, cyberviolence, and precarity. Her aim is to create a safe space where professionals can speak freely, reflect collectively, and confront the systemic issues facing journalism today. Family Histories and the «Sun Map» of Memory Beyond documenting personal stories through sound, Sarra is also invested in building collective memory in public spaces. She regularly organizes events linked to her podcast projects «to spark conversations and celebrate our cultures». For the 60th anniversary of the Belgium-Morocco labor migration agreement, she dedicated one of her signature projects to the shared memory between the two countries, told by the people who lived it. «I was lucky to carry out an entire project on the Belgian-Moroccan community, including an event in Brussels that brought together over 200 people. We revisited our memories and those of our grandparents, especially with the presence of Mohamedi Ben Yadir, the Moroccan-Algerian author behind what's known as the 'sun map'». This map holds deep meaning for Belgian-Moroccan families. Sarra explains: «Back then, people didn't have GPS to guide them on the road to Morocco for summer holidays. Many families who drove down to Spain would sometimes get lost. To solve this, Mohamedi Ben Yadir created 400 printed maps and distributed them in shops popular with the community. That's how the 'sun map' was born. The tribute in Brussels was deeply emotional for all of us». Following the success of that project, Sarra was invited to turn it into a guided tour in Brussels. «I never thought I'd be doing that one day! The tour was built around excerpts from the podcasts featuring Belgian-Moroccan guests. We revisited the political context of the labor agreement, the social and economic realities of the migrant families, and their grassroots mobilization against racism», she says. It was also a chance to trace earlier histories, starting with Belgium's colonial past, and connect it to current realities, from the rise of far-right ideologies and growing hostility toward immigrants, to Islamophobia and police violence and the question of what makes a person feel at home in Belgium. Through these stories, «people discover one of the country's most significant communities, in a memory project that links the past, the present, and the future». «It's meaningful for older generations to see their stories told, and for younger ones to discover a history they didn't know», Sarra El Messaoudi says with quiet pride.
Morocco World
10-06-2025
- Morocco World
Christians Remain World's Largest Religious Group, Islam is Growing Fastest Worldwide
Rabat – A new report by the Pew Research Center detailed changes in the world's religious landscape from 2010 to 2020. While Christianity remains the largest religion globally, Islam is the fastest-growing religious group during this period. The number of Christians worldwide grew by 122 million to reach about 2.3 billion people in 2020. However, Christians did not grow as fast as the world's total population, causing their share of the global population to drop from 30.6% in 2010 to 28.8% in 2020. This decline, the report says, is mainly because many people, especially in Europe and the Americas, are leaving Christianity. For example, Christian populations fell significantly in countries like the United States, Australia, and several European nations. One major factor behind this trend is religious 'disaffiliation,' where people stop identifying with Christianity. This has caused the Christian share to shrink in 41 countries, with declines ranging from 5 to 20 percentage points. Despite this, Christianity is growing in some places, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This region now has the largest number of Christians in the world, 30.7% of all Christians live there, surpassing Europe. The growth in Africa is largely due to higher birth rates compared to Europe, where Christian numbers are declining. Islam, fastest-growing religion Islam witnessed the largest increase in numbers, growing by 347 million people between 2010 and 2020. This growth is faster than any other religion, and as a result, Muslims now make up 25.6% of the world's population, up 1.8 percentage points from 2010. The main reasons for this rapid growth are natural population increases. 'Increases in the global Muslim population are largely due to Muslims having a relatively young age structure and high fertility rate, two characteristics that result in natural population growth,' reads the report. Only a few countries saw large changes in Muslim populations as a share of their total populations, with some growth in places like Kazakhstan and Lebanon. While Christianity's global share is declining, Islam's share is rising, and together they make up more than half of the world's population. Religiously unaffiliated people, also called 'nones,' are another fast-growing group, especially in countries like the United States and parts of Europe. The report also shows that religious changes are connected to demographic factors such as age, birth rates, and migration patterns. For example, regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and the MENA region are increasing their share of the world's population, which influences the distribution of religious groups. Tags: christianityIslamReligion
