“Official” Islam in Post-9/11 Mauritania

Abstract

The “League of Mauritanian Ulama” (LMU) was established in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in 2001. The period between its foundation and the presidential election of 2003 delineates a definite change in the way Islam has been organized in Mauritania. It has become fundamental to incorporate actors not directly related with the official religious hierarchies in religiously focused discussions, and theologians have been approaching religious issues from a centralized state logic.