Mali: Information on the Wahhabiyya; whether they practice female circumcision, who decides which member will be circumcised, whether a marriage between an uncle and a niece is permitted, whether the wearing of the chadoor is required, whether women are permitted to work in this sect, whether the presence of the bride is required at a marriage ceremony; and information on Wahhibiyya members there are in Mali
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MLI19402.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mali: Information on the Wahhabiyya; whether they practice female circumcision, who decides which member will be circumcised, whether a marriage between an uncle and a niece is permitted, whether the wearing of the chadoor is required, whether women are permitted to work in this sect, whether the presence of the bride is required at a marriage ceremony; and information on Wahhibiyya members there are in Mali, 1 January 1995, MLI19402.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac087c.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. |
Information on the population of the followers of the Wahhabiyya branch of Islam in Mali is currently unavailable to the DIRB in Ottawa. However, for general information on the population of Muslims in Mali, please refer to page 1233 of Encyclopedia of the Third World, which is currently available Regional Documentation Centres.
According to a professor of history at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who specializes in the history of Islam in francophone West Africa, and has also written extensively on the Wahhabiyya as an Islamic reform movement in that region, the Wahhabiyya branch of Islam is "orthodox in its most rigid and conservative form" (10 January 1995). The Wahhabiyya religion is not a sect, but rather an orthodox branch of Islam committed to the practice of Islam as indicated in the Koran (ibid.). To the knowledge of the professor, the Wahhabiyya branch of Islam has "never made any written or oral statements on female circumcision." The professor stated that female circumcision did not originate with Islam. According to this source, it is an ethnic practice that was originally tolerated by Islam (ibid.). Therefore, the practice is not required for adherence in that religion (ibid.). However, because most followers of the religion in that part of West Africa practice it, female circumcision has been "erroneously associated with the religion" (ibid.).
The professor stated that, female circumcision being primarily an ethnic practice, his information must be understood within that ethnic context. The family head determines whether to perform female circumcision on a member of the family (ibid.). As "a practice within the female domain," the decision to perform female circumcision becomes the prerogative of the female head of the family within the practising group.
Ethnic marriages in Mali commonly take place among members of the same clan, provided there is "a lot of blood distance between the parties concerned." For instance, marriage is common among cousins. However, the clan will frown upon a relationship in which "the blood links" between the parties concerned are close. For example, marriage between uncles and nieces will definitely be frowned upon by the clan, whatever the religion of the parties (ibid.). To the knowledge of the professor, the presence of both the bride and bridegroom is required at a Wahhabiyya marriage ceremony.
According to the professor, the wearing of the chadoor is not a requirement for membership in the Malian Wahhabiyya movement. The professor explained that the chadoor is an Arabian and Iranian practice, which has recently been adopted by "few married women of the Islamic faith" in Mali. According to the professor, Wahhabiyya women are not prevented from working either by the government or by the movement, because of their religion. The DIRB is unable at the present time to corroborate the information provided by the professor.
For general information on the Wahhabiyya branch of Islam, please refer to the attachments.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB 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.
Reference
Professor of history specializing in Islamic history in francophone West Africa, University of Illinois, Chicago. 10 January 1995. Telephone interview.
Attachments
The Encyclopedia of Religion. 1987. Vol. 15. Edited by Mircea Eliade. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, pp. 313-16.
Minority Rights Group International. n.d. No. 77. Women in Sub-Saharan Africa. London: Minority Rights Group, pp. 14-16.
Ours by Right: Women's Rights as Human Rights. 1993. Edited by Joanna Kerr. Ottawa: The North South Institute, pp. 40-51.
Radicalismes Islamiques: Maroc, Pakistan, Inde, Yougoslavie, Mali. 1986. Vol. 2. Dirigé par Olivier Carré et Paul Dumont. Paris: Editions l'Harmattan, pp. 162-180.
Additional Sources Consulted
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1989. 15th ed.
The Europa World Year Book. Yearly.
L'Etat du monde. Yearly.
L'état des religions. 1987.
La grande encyclopédie du monde. 1989. Vol. 14.
Political Handbook of the World. Yearly.
Religion in Politics. 1989.
Revolutionary and Dissident Movements: An International Guide. 1991.
World Encyclopedia of Political Systems and Parties. 1987. 2nd ed. Vol. 1.
