VZCZCXRO2830
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPA RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHDK #1378/01 3361043
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 011043Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1503
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAKAR 001378 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL/AE AND INR/AA 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2018 
TAGS: KDEM KIRF KISL PGOV PINR PINS SOCI SG
SUBJECT: RELIGION IN SENEGAL-AL FALAH, THE WAHABBI 
 
REF: DAKAR 1286 
 
Classified By: Classified By: DCM JAY T. SMITH FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND 
(D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: This is the second in a series of cables 
analyzing religion in Senegal.  This cable concerns the Al 
Falah group who, along with Cemaat Ibadu-Rahman (reftel), is 
considered to be one of the country,s more conservative 
organizations.  They are identified by many as being Wahabbi 
with roots extending to Saudi Arabia. End Summary 
 
¶2. (C) Founded in 1930 by El Hadj Mahmoud Umar Ba, a scholar 
who studied in Senegal and Saudi Arabia, today's Al Falha is 
lead by Ahmad Mahmoud Sow.  He goes by the title of 
"President" and he is elected by a nine man group chosen from 
within a National Council made of grassroots leaders of the 
organization.  The group's president serves for four years 
and has to present a report every year to a Directorate who 
can remove him if they deem his work as being unsatisfactory. 
 Sow's predecessor passed away last year after fighting a 
long illness.  Sow is described as being much more dynamic, 
intelligent and politically astute than his predecessor. 
 
¶3. (C) During our meeting, which took place at Al Falah's 
spartan headquarter in the Kolobane district of Dakar in a 
large mosque-cum-school complex, Sow was reserved, dressed in 
a grey boubou a white skull cap and sporting a thin beard as 
proscribed in the Koran.  The conversation between Poloff and 
Sow can be best described as a dance of metaphors as Sow, for 
whom it was a first meeting with someone from the U.S. 
Embassy, tried to understand why the Embassy wanted to talk 
to him.  Previous PolCouns had visited with his predecessor 
and the meeting was presented to Sow as the continuation of 
an already established relationship.  Sow remained wary until 
the very end, preferring to answer questions with questions 
and speaking by implication rather than directly answering 
anything.  However, at the conclusion of the meeting Sow said 
he hoped we would return to continue our discussion and his 
deputy asked whether or not the Embassy had books that we 
could contribute to their schools. 
 
¶4. (C) Al Falah is a Sufi movement which places great 
emphasis on "droiture," the respect for the holy 
prescriptions which they consider to be the source of harmony 
and peace.  They spread their religious beliefs through 
education.  In reply to a question about government support 
Sow said that the government gives them virtually nothing, 
but "at least they leave us alone."  Sow said that Al Falah 
rejects material wealth and that spiritual wealth is true 
wealth: "even if others (the West) try to makes us believe 
the contrary, Muslims should be happy with what they achieve. 
 In the end, economic difficulties are only a source of 
instability if people truly believe that is the case.  If 
they believe that in the short spans that we have to live, 
materialism is a more important pursuit than spiritual wealth 
then economic problems will always burden them."  In many 
ways Sow's approach to the country,s economic problems as 
stated above is the norm in Senegal as it is founded upon a 
certain sense of fatalism that pervades Islam, a fatalism 
that many people share in Senegal.  For example, during a 
discussion Poloff had with fishermen about declining fish 
stocks they all responded, "What God gives, God takes."  This 
fatalism, in the sense that God is in control of events, is 
also one of the reasons that Senegal has remained relatively 
stable as people, with strong reinforcement from religious 
and political leaders, accept the ups and downs of life as 
the pre-ordained Will of God. 
 
Does Bin Laden Exist? 
--------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) In reply to a question concerning the influence of 
Osama Bin Laden over Islam, sow responded by asking Poloff if 
he thought Bin Laden existed.  In reply Poloff responded that 
Bin Laden's influence is pervasive, to which Sow said that 
Bin Laden is not a reference for Muslims; "Islam is a 
religion of peace, the Prophet taught us that we must have a 
humane attitude even with the smallest animal thus we cannot 
follow Bin Laden.  Islam is a religion of equilibrium, we do 
not accept too much or too little.  In fact Muslims are 
divided over things that are not significant in terms of 
dogma or the pillars of their religion.  It is this division 
that is the source of their weakness.  We need to go back to 
the source of our religion.  Many Muslims do not care about 
Bin Laden and don't trouble to bother themselves with him." 
 
They are different 
 
DAKAR 00001378  002 OF 003 
 
 
------------------ 
 
¶6. (C) In a discussion with Professor Mamadou Ndiaye, of the 
Arabic Studies Department at Cheikh Anta Diop University, he 
said that in the past Al Falah used to get a lot of money 
from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, but that after 9/11 much of it 
dried up.  He was unequivocal in characterizing Al Falah as 
being Wahabbi: "You should see their mosque in Kolobane, it's 
like Saudi Arabia over there."  This in reference to the fact 
that all the women are covered and the men dress in more 
traditional garbs.   Ndiaye, who is also the Director of 
Studies at the Islamic Institute of Dakar, posits that 
Wahhabism is on the rise in Senegal as lots of students are 
now studying aboard especially in Saudi Arabia.  According to 
him, "They pray in the Arab style.  We here put our arms down 
by our sides, but they cross their arms across their chests. 
They also have the clothes and beards favored by the Arabs. 
They are indoctrinated to dislike the brotherhoods (i.e. the 
Mourides and Tijanes that dominate Senegalese Islam) and told 
not join one when they return.  Their influence is low key 
but they have money and they know that theirs is a long-term 
struggle.  For example, in the past we rarely used to same 
amen during prayer time and if we did, we did it quietly. 
Nowadays you hear amen all the time and it is loud, this is 
an importation from the Arab world." 
 
A New Dogma 
----------- 
 
¶7. (C) Professor Abdou Aziz Kebe, an Islamologist and 
professor at the Arabic Department at Dakar's Cheikh Anta 
Diop University, argues that in the past the main battle was 
between East and West and that with the fall of communism the 
new battle is between the West and Islam: "There has 
certainly been an increase in the Islam from the Gulf.  In 
the past this was not as prevalent but now there are many 
groups from this region active in Senegal.  Also, in the past 
the political and social landscape was dominated by the 
political philosophies of East versus West.  Nowadays it is 
more about the West versus Islam.  In my generation we fought 
for democratic and political plurality.  Now Islam is the new 
battleground.  I have seen an increase in Islamic dogmatism 
similar to the communist dogmatism of the past."  Professor 
Kebe feels that the Salafists, Wahhabi and Reformists have a 
small toehold in Senegal and that there is a fight between 
Sufi Islam, as practiced by most Senegalese, and a Sunni 
Wahabbi interpretation of the Koran.  According to him, 
"Sufism is built on Divine Revelation, whereas Sharia is 
based on The Rules of Law.  These two views are in stark 
contrast to one another.  Sufism is an individual experience 
where you are supposed to realize your own understanding. 
The Prophet spoke of the Jihad against one's own soul to 
cleanse it from sin.  In this view the Imam is like a 
spiritual coach.  But a coach cannot have thousands of 
students like some of the marabouts do in Senegal.  In 
effect, the brotherhoods have become a societal group and 
this is why the radicals are seen to be right when they 
criticize them for their lack of spirituality." 
 
¶9. (C) However, despite seeing where the cracks may occur in 
Senegal's Muslim landscape Professor Kebe believes that 
groups like Al-Falah will only appeal to a very select few: 
"I am not too worried about the radical groups.  So, while I 
have seen an increase in the number of mosques being funded 
and built especially by Salafist groups, Senegalese Islam is 
open and more importantly it meets the needs of the people. 
The Senegalese prefer to live their religion and have their 
freedom.  That is why Al-Falah, just like Ibadu-Rahman, 
changed their tone when they realized they were scaring 
people away.  But, their influence may continue to rise if 
the brotherhoods do not revert to a more spiritual path. 
This is especially true for younger people who have many more 
streams of information at their disposal and who are now much 
less dependent on their marabouts to tell them what to think." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (C) Sow was very wary during the meeting and seems to 
have a mistrust of and opposition to Western values 
especially those that center on the pursuit of material 
wealth.  He refused to make any comments that were critical 
of the brotherhoods but in the same vein as Ibadu Rahman it 
was fairly clear that they think that the brotherhoods are 
far too materialistic and mercantile (in particular the 
dominant Mourides brotherhood which places a great deal of 
emphasis on work and commerce).  For Al Falah, enlightenment 
through proper education is the key and Sow seemed averse to 
 
DAKAR 00001378  003 OF 003 
 
 
the brotherhoods' tradition of having marabouts act as the 
intermediary between acolyte and God.  Despite what looks 
like an extensive and well-organized education and charity 
program, Al Falah does not really appeal to many Senegalese 
who, above all, value their freedom.  Much to his chagrin, 
Sow noted that Senegal is an "open" and "secular" country and 
that people have the freedom "to do as they wish."  As this 
was a first meeting, it is difficult to say for certain that 
this group has no violent tendencies or if they are open or 
vulnerable to radicalization because unlike other 
conservative groups they do profess an Islam that is close to 
what is practiced in Saudi Arabia.  However, religious 
violence and jihadism are virtually non-existent in Senegal 
and despite their austere and strict worldview it is fairly 
unlikely that this group will resort to violence to "fix 
Senegal's Islam."  So while, Sow and his deputy seemed more 
reticent than the leadership of Ibadu Rahman, this may just 
be because the U.S. Embassy is an unknown entity and thus 
they may open up in future engagements.  End Comment 
BERNICAT