VZCZCXRO5081
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHMA
RUEHPA RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHDK #1352/01 1761433
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251433Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8645
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 001352 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL/IRF AND INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KISL PTER ECON SG
SUBJECT: MOURIDE ISLAMIC LEADERS PREACH NONVIOLENCE AND GOOD 
RELATIONS WITH THE U.S. 
 
REF: A. DAKAR 1266 
 
     ¶B. 06 DAKAR 2940 AND PREVIOUS 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
¶1.  (SBU) Having recently visited Senegal's largest religious order, 
the Tidjanes (Ref A), on June 15 Ambassador Jacobs traveled to the 
holy city of Touba, to call on the Khalif of the Mouride 
brotherhood.  The Mourides are the richest and most influential Sufi 
brotherhood in Senegal.  The Khalif expressed his appreciation for 
the bilateral cooperation between Senegal and the U.S. and asked 
that Mourides in America be protected.  The Ambassador donated books 
to an education institute, toured the library of Touba, and visited 
the impressive headquarters of Hizbut Tarquiyyah.  Mouride 
authorities expressed their commitment to disseminating the 
nonviolent Islamic philosophy that has governed their relationship 
with the world since the founding of the movement over one hundred 
years ago. END SUMMARY. 
 
THE KHALIF COMMENDS US DIPLOMACY 
-------------------------------- 
¶2.  (SBU) The 92 year-old Khalif, the venerated and undisputed 
leader of the Mouride community, Serigne Saliou Mbacke, the last 
surviving son of Mouride founder, Cheikh Amadou Bamba, would not be 
easily recognized as (by our estimate) being one of the 50 most 
influential religious leaders in the world.  He received the 
Ambassador dressed in a plain cotton shift while reclining on a 
simple day bed and resting against acrylic blankets packed in 
plastic covers.  His grip was strong, his mind sharp, but his voice 
was barely audible and required repetition from his Chief of 
Protocol.  The Khalif commended U.S. diplomacy and expressed his 
gratitude to the Ambassador for the friendship that the U.S. has 
with Senegal.  He also noted the importance of the Mouride community 
in the U.S., both to explain Mouride Islam and for their economic 
ties.  He expressed his satisfaction about the compassion they enjoy 
in America.  The Khalif requested that the Ambassador be his envoy 
in helping Americans understand and "protect" the Mouride community 
in the U.S.  The short discussion did not touch on Senegalese 
politics, but Mbacke wanted the Ambassador to understand that he 
recognizes the sensitive nature of the relationship with the 
Government.  (NOTE: President Wade is a Mouride, and, as noted in 
reftels, has strongly played that card in consolidating his power. 
END NOTE.)  The Khalif insisted that the Mouride community remains 
independent of the Government. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Departing from the audience, the reality of Mbacke's 
influence became apparent as 40 or more followers (the fortunate few 
permitted into the residential compound that day) shoved past us to 
spend some moments in the Khalif's presence.  The Khalif provides 
religious and social proclamations for an estimated four million 
followers in Senegal, and thousands more in the U.S., Canada, Europe 
and the Middle East.  He heads a movement that receives millions of 
dollars a year in tithes from those followers.  His Chief of 
Protocol said that Mbacke cannot go to the mosque or participate 
directly in the annual Magal pilgrimage in Touba because his 
followers would crush each other to be in his presence. 
 
NON VIOLENCE IS A CREDO NOT A STRATEGY 
-------------------------------------- 
¶4.  (SBU) In briefing the Ambassador, the Director of the Library of 
Touba, Mr. Amdy Diattara, stressed that the Mourides have a specific 
identity, that includes a strong work ethic and a resolve towards 
nonviolence: "by faith and not by strategy."  He further commented 
that they: "reject the use of force" and "have no qualms" in 
asserting this view to the Islamic world.  Diattara stated that 
extremists have perverted the idea of jihad, stating that Islam is 
nobody's property: "We Mourides believe in ourselves and generating 
our own ideas ... our combat should only be about liberty, dignity, 
and educating people.  Our spiritual leader did not teach us to 
kill, he taught us to have faith within our hearts and be on good 
terms with our fellow human beings." 
 
SPREADING THE WORD 
------------------ 
¶5.  (SBU) The visit concluded with a tour of the headquarters of the 
Hizbut Tarquiyah Institute, the brotherhood's step into modernity, 
with hi-tech equipment and research spaces that promote interface 
with international researchers, and a focus on business development 
and the inclusion of women.  This powerful Mouride association is 
also the largest youth movement in the brotherhood.  It provides 
religious and vocational education to young people, supports women's 
economic activity, and manages the complicated logistics of the 
Magal that brings an estimated two million people to Touba once a 
year.  The leader of Hizbut Tarquiyah, Mr. Atou Diagne, is often 
asked by the current Khalif to be the interface between the 
brotherhood and the Government.  As noted in Ref B, Diagne is one of 
the Mourides' leading intellectuals outside of the Khalif's 
bloodline.  He is working to modernize the movement and promote its 
 
DAKAR 00001352  002 OF 002 
 
 
beliefs to a wider audience. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Following his 2006 participation in the Department's 
International Visitors Program for Young Muslim Leaders, Diagne used 
part of the Hizbut's Tarquiyah's estimated USD 2 million annual 
budget to bring all the participants from his program to Touba to 
further continue their dialog, explain the nonviolent Sufi 
philosophy of Mouridism, and to exchange ideas on how to spread 
positive messages about Islam.  Diagne noted that "Mourides doctrine 
is a rehabilitation of Islam in its original form: "Islam is 
moderate; those other forms we see today are deviations."  The visit 
is detailed in Hizbut Tarquiyyah website at http://www.htcom.sn. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) When asked about Mouride participation in the Organization 
of Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit planned for Dakar in March 2008, 
Atou Diagne was dismissive of the effort, saying that as yet no 
invitation had been extended.  He added that preparations for the 
summit are all about Arab countries financing projects in Senegal, 
and not about a true inter-Islamic dialog. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶8.  (SBU) The visit to Touba confirmed the Mourides' influence in 
Senegal and beyond, with both strong ties to tradition via the 
Khalif and efforts to have a modern, global reach, via Atou Diagne 
and the Hizbut Tarquiyyah Institute.  The question is how much 
greater impact will the Mouride movement have in the coming years 
politically, economically, and religiously?  The Mourides' political 
influence is probably less than it could be.  Despite the followers' 
general support of Wade, in large part due to the Khalif's personal 
relationship with him, they do not vote as a block, and the Khalif 
does not ask them to do so.  Even without a united front, the 
Mourides are learning that they can have influence via individuals, 
whether it's a powerful marabout, such as Bethio Thioune (Ref B), or 
an influential government minister, such as Foreign Minister Cheikh 
Tidiane Gadio. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) While it is difficult to estimate the amount of direct 
donations sent to the Khalif from the faithful, it is clearly in the 
tens of millions of dollars per year, and likely much more.  Having 
almost captured the market in local transportation services, and 
remaining strong in agriculture, small-scale commerce, and 
construction, the issue is what to do with all the money?  Whether 
the Mouride leadership and the most successful of its businesspeople 
decide to grow into light manufacturing or other sectors, the 
purchase of traditional financial instruments, or expand their 
investments in international property, as a group, the impact on 
Senegal will be profound. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The most interesting question, however, is whether the 
next generation of Mouride leaders and intellectuals will be more 
public and aggressive in promoting their moderate, tolerant, and 
nonviolent brand of Islam.  Atou Diagne and the Hizbut Tarquiyyah 
Institute certainly appear ready to go international, and with an 
economic base and strong networks in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and 
the Middle East, other Mouride leaders and institutions could well 
follow suit.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶11.  (U) Visit Embassy Dakar's SIPRNET Web site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/af/dakar. 
 
JACOBS