Senegalese-Mauritanian Shia religious leader
Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Mozdahir-a-propos.jpg/220px-Mozdahir-a-propos.jpg) Portrait of Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara
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Born
| 1959
|
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Citizenship
| Senegalese and Mauritanian
|
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Occupation(s)
| Shi'i religious leader and
international development
specialist
|
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Known for
| Founder of
Mozdahir
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Parents
| |
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Relatives
| Cherif Habib Aidara
(brother)
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Cherif
Mohamed Aly Aidara
is a
Senegalese
-Mauritanian Shia religious leader who is known for his work on
international development
in
West Africa
. He is one of the primary Shia religious figures in
Senegal
and West Africa.
[1]
Early life and family
[
edit
]
Of mixed
Mauritanian
and
Fulani
descent, Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara was born in 1959 in
Darou Hidjiratou
, a village in
Bonconto Commune
,
Kolda Region
, southern Senegal that was founded by his father. His father is
Cherif Al-Hassane Aidara
, a Mauritanian man from the Al Lakhal branch of the Laghlal tribe of Mauritania who claims descent from
Moulay Idriss
of the
Idrisid dynasty
, while his mother is Maimouna Diao, a Senegalese Peul (Fulani) woman from the Diao clan.
[2]
As a Senegalese
sharif
, Aidara claims direct descent from Muhammad (see
silsila
).
[3]
After completing traditional Islamic education in Senegal, much of which was taught by his father, Aidara continued his education at the
Alliance francaise
in
Paris
, France. He is fluent in Arabic, English, French, Pulaar (
Fulfulde
), and
Wolof
.
[4]
His brother
Cherif Habib Aidara
is the leader of
Bonconto Commune
.
[5]
[6]
Career
[
edit
]
In 2000, Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara founded the NGO
Mozdahir
International Institute in Senegal.
[7]
Aidara has focused on education and development, such as managing social development projects, promoting the use of Islamic
microfinance
,
[8]
and increasing awareness of Shi'i Islam in Senegal.
[9]
During his early career, Aidara focused his development and educational projects mostly in the
Casamance
region (
Fouladou
) of southern Senegal, but has since expanded beyond Senegal into other parts of West Africa, including
Mali
,
Guinea Bissau
,
Burkina Faso
,
Ivory Coast
, and other African countries.
[10]
He frequently travels internationally and collaborates with major international NGOs such as the
World Food Programme
.
[7]
He has built and expanded the
Mozdahir
community across Senegalese cities such as
Dakar
,
Dahra
Djoloff,
Kolda
,
Ziguinchor
,
Saloum
, and
Velingara
. He also founded the Mozdahir community village of
Nadjaf Al Achraf
and helped develop Teyel and Foulamori villages, with schools and mosques constructed in each of those villages.
[11]
Aidara also directs the radio stations Radio Mozdahir FM in
Dakar
, and Radio Zahra FM in
Kolda
(see also
list of radio stations in Senegal
).
[4]
Works
[
edit
]
Books in French:
[4]
- Les Verites de La Succession du Prophete
- Sayyidda
Zaynab
(pslf) l’heroine de
Karbala
- La priere du Prophete Mouhammad (pslf) selon les membres de sa famille
- Ghadir Khoum
: Qui relate l’evenement de Ghadir et le fameux discours du prophete (pslf) ce jour-la.
- Achoura
jour de deuil ou jour de fete ?
- Principes de la finance islamique
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Leichtman, Mara A. and Mamadou Diouf. (2009).
New Perspectives on Islam in Senegal: Conversion, Migration, Wealth, Power and Femininity
. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- ^
Qui est Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara
.
- ^
Leichtman, Mara A. (2015).
Shi‘i Cosmopolitanisms in Africa: Lebanese Migration and Religious Conversion in Senegal
Archived
2019-12-15 at the
Wayback Machine
. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, Public Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa series.
- ^
a
b
c
Portrait de Cherif Mohamad Aly Aidara
Archived
2019-12-05 at the
Wayback Machine
. Institut International Mozdahir.
- ^
"Presentation de Cherif Habib AIDARA"
. Retrieved
Feb 21,
2020
.
- ^
"SORTIE DU MAIRE DE BONKONTOU : Les precisions de Cherif Habibou Aidara"
. Archived from
the original
on February 21, 2020
. Retrieved
Feb 21,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Diop, Macoumba (2013).
L'introduction du chiisme au Senegal
. In
Histoire, monde et cultures religieuses
2013/4 (n° 28), pages 63-77.
- ^
Finance Islamique : ≪ C'est un moyen de lutte contre la pauvrete ≫ (Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara, President de l'Institut Mozdahir International)
Archived
2020-02-01 at the
Wayback Machine
.
Politique221
.
- ^
Senegal : 127 jeunes de Velingara s'informent sur l'islam chiite
.
Shafaqna
.
- ^
Leichtman, Mara A. (2017).
The NGO-ization of Shi'i Islam in Senegal: Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide
. ECAS7: 7th European Conference on African Studies. Basel, 29 June - 1 July 2017.
- ^
Le chiisme au Senegal Mozdahir
.
Shia Africa
.