Mali: Information on the Wahhabi religious movement
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Direction des recherches, Commission de l'immigration et du statut de réfugié, Canada |
| Publication Date | 8 October 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MLI27906.F |
| Reference | 1 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mali: Information on the Wahhabi religious movement, 8 October 1997, MLI27906.F, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4dd423.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided during a telephone interview on
6 October 1997 by the President of the Association of Malian Jurists (Association des juristes maliennes, AJM), an association that runs a legal clinic offering legal assistance to people, especially Malian women, who are having problems with Malian family law.
The Wahhabi movement is a fundamentalist Muslim movement. It has much greater representation in the urban centres than in the countryside. The Wahhabis have access to significant financial resources, and the movement is becoming more widespread; new members are very quickly recruited, particularly from among young people who face very high levels of unemployment and receive small gifts. Several sources claim that financing of this movement comes from outside, notably from certain Arab countries. The President of the AJM stated that her legal clinic is seeing more and more women who are victims of the fundamentalist environment they live in. They frequently complain, for example, that their husbands and their fathers are forcing them to stay at home; forcing them into marriages; requiring them to cover their head and face and to attend only Koran schools (the Medlefa); and refusing to allow them to watch television and listen to the radio.
According to Radicalismes islamiques, [translation] "the Wahhabis are the most radical of the Islamic movements, distinguished by the desire for a complete break with all non-Muslims" (1986, 162). Attached are extracts which give the history of these movements in Malian society.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Association des juristes maliennes (AJM), Bamako. 6 October 1997. Telephone interview with President.
Radicalismes islamiques. Maroc, Pakistan, Inde, Yougoslavie, Mali. 1986. Vol. 2. Olivier Carré et Pierre Dumont. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan.
Attachment
Radicalismes islamiques. Maroc, Pakistan, Inde, Yougoslavie, Mali. 1986. Vol. 2. Olivier Carré et Pierre Dumont. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan, pp. 162-178.
