Introduction

The Political Circle of the Justice and Spirituality Movement [Jamā’at al-‘Adl wal Ihsān] was founded on the occasion of a special session of the movement's Consultation Council [Majlis ash-Shūra] in Marrakech on July 9, 1998. The new entity’s official announcement was made two years later at a meeting of the same council on July 9, 2000.

What is the Political Circle?

The Political Circle is an institution that deals with all affairs pertaining to the commonweal. Its mission is to communicate and propagate the opinions and positions of the movement regarding political, economic, and social issues. The founding of the political circle was not an abrupt change in the course of the movement, nor was it a calling into question of its principles and positions. It was not a novelty in the thinking of the movement or its tendencies, but its formation was delayed due to the multitude of missions and occupations of its members.

The project of the Political Circle proposes to combine the affairs of the State with the objectives of the Call [1] rather than separate them.

The separation of the two fields is purely functional. While the management of the commonweal is entrusted to the Political Circle, the other missions of education, training and teaching fall within the competence of the other bodies of the movement. Thus, the Political Circle is a functional body working under the supervision of the movement’s ruling institutions in order to keep in harmony the missions of the Call and those of the State, the men and women of the Call and those of the State. Furthermore, the movement has opted for this mode of dealing with the affairs of the State to avoid the approaches hitherto adopted by the Islamists who have entered the political scene. They either content themselves with a mere political party, or ally with an existing political party-a fragile alliance by all accounts.

Why the Political Circle?

The reasons that led to the formation of the Political Circle may be summed up in four major points:

·         The current situation of the country: all observers agree that the Moroccan regime lives in a situation of total decrepitude exacerbated by acute crises that have brought it to a   deadlock. All the initiatives that have been taken so far to save it from the impasse have been doomed to failure. That is why we believe that we are on the threshold of a new era and that we ought to prepare to assume its heavy tasks as of now.

·         The possibility offered by the Political Circle that enables a larger participation of the movement’s members

·         The possibility to multiply occasions for communication and contact with sympathizers and people of good will to invite them to serve the cause of Islam according to each one’s availability

·         The effective preparation for the Islamic State

The Missions of the Political Circle

The missions may be summed up in the five following points:

·         Train potential political activists

·         Conduct researches and prepare programs that propose viable alternatives

·         Work for a wider communication with the various actors of the society, namely those having moral, economic or political influence

·         Lay out a framework that unites all those who serve the cause of Islam in our country

·         Prepare the Islamic Covenant [2]

Bodies of the Political Circle

·         The Sections

▪          The Women’s Section

Dedicated to the issues of women and the family, the Women’s Section seeks to train, direct, and instruct women in order to make them active members of the society. It also aims to break the trilogy of ignorance, poverty, and violence that prevents women from joining the process of development and help fight illiteracy. The Women’s Section also deals with the social problems of women and puts at their disposal a range of social, charitable, and humanitarian services. The Women’s Section collaborates with the committed associations and organizations, and takes care of education, training, and all activities related to children.

▪          The Youth Section

The mission of the section is to train, supervise youngsters and discover, develop, and enhance their various skills and abilities. It gives them training courses in the fields of culture, politics, and union action. It also advises them on the courses to follow at school and teaches them opening, communication, and leadership skills within youth associations.

▪          The Trade Union Section

Five dimensions govern the missions of the section: the one related to training, professional career, social security, workers’ claims and lastly the one related to the Call to God. The section aims to promote its members’ professional abilities, to dispense the necessary training in the vital sectors and to ensure a better communication with all the components of the society. The section encompasses several professional sectors amongst which are those of education, health, engineers, workers, government officials, etc. In addition, the section carries out researches and prepares projects concerning different branches of industry.

·         Research Consultancies

The Political Circle also includes research consultancies dedicated to conducting research works in the economic, social, industrial, technologic, agricultural, naval domains as well as those of education and communication.

·         Regional Institutions, Branches

Geographically speaking, the Political Circle’s bodies work through a network of regional institutions made in their turn of branches that form the cornerstones of the political organization.