The General Awqaf Authority in Tripoli, which is controlled by the former Grand Mufti of Libya, dismissed by the House of Representatives (HoR), al-Sadiq al-Ghariani, seeks to spread extremist ideology in Libya through religious schools in Tripoli and its environs, in addition to a religious program that targets primary and preparatory public schools.
The Awqaf Authority in the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, which is under the hardline mufti al-Ghariani, announced the launch of a program in public schools, which it said, “aims to spread religious awareness in schools, and to combat intellectual and cultural invasion,” during a meeting of the authority with Education Minister Musa al-Maqryef on Thursday.
Minister Musa Al-Maqrif welcomed the program to spread religious teachings in schools and stressed the importance of cooperation between the Awqaf Authority and the Ministry of Education “in instilling Islamic values and morals, facing behavioral problems, and addressing deviations spread in school circles, through educational institutions and mosques, according to an organized educational and indicative program, which includes visits schools, and conducting lessons, courses, and various activities,” a statement published by the Authority for said.
The minister recommended that this program include “students, teachers, and parents until the desired goals are achieved.”
In April 2022, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh granted the dismissed mufti, Sadiq al-Ghariani, permission, by official decree No. 709, to establish religious schools for the stages of preparatory and secondary education. Al-Ghariani issued a decree to put Dbeibeh’s decision into action and established several religious schools in various municipalities, especially in Tripoli and the cities around it.
Dbeibeh’s decree was based in its formulation on Law 3/2015 issued by the General National Congress after the end of its term, which the Fayez Al-Sarraj government refused to acknowledge or grant permission for establishing such schools.