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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Mauritania
Index
The Qadiriya is the largest and most highly organized
brotherhood in Mauritania. Founded in Mesopotamia in the twelfth
century by Abd al Kader al Jilani, it spread to Africa in the
fifteenth century. Like all brotherhoods, the Qadiriya includes
some emotional mystical elements, but it also stresses learning
and Islamic education as the way to find God. All members of the
Qadiriya are directed to follow the precepts of humility,
generosity, and respect for their neighbors regardless of
religious beliefs or social standing.
The Qadiriya brotherhood has had two main branches in
Mauritania, the Sidiya and the Fadeliya. Although the Sidiya has
been most influential in the vicinity of Trarza--where the family
and followers of the brotherhood's founder, Shaykh Sidiya Baba,
were centered--it has also been important in Brakna, Tagant, and
Adrar. The Fadeliya, founded in the early nineteenth century by
Mohammad Fadel, has been centered in Oualâta and Atar.
Data as of June 1988
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