Restructuring Female Religious Authority: State-Sponsored Women Religious Guides (Murshidat) and Scholars ('Alimat) in Contemporary Morocco

Morocco has recently taken a series of measures to curb extremist voices and blunt the growing power of political Islam. One such measure is the training of female religious guides. The deployment of women into the religious field implies a redefinition of Islamic authority and the restructuring of religious spaces, such as mosques and religious councils, which have long been male-dominated centers of Islamic authority. Although one may question whether the reforms empower women or confirm misogynistic tendencies through their voices, these women are making progress toward social agency and are redefining the relationship between the public and private spheres.