Who are the Moors of MALI and Mauritania?

Presentation of Moors of Mali & Mauritania

The People:

young mother and kids in Hamo, MALI, 2007

The term "Moor" is generally applied to any person, regardless of skin color, who speaks one of the Hassaniya (Arabic) dialects. Therefore, there are both black and white Moors who speak the same language. The Moors who live in various parts of Africa are primarily farmers, although some are nomadic, and those who are urbanized tend to be merchants.  Moors are the dominant people group of Mauritania and are a significant portion of southern Morocco, Senegal and Mali.

The Moors are very proud people, conveying a sense of superiority to others in the area.  Marriages are pre-arranged by the parents, with the groom's father requesting the hand of the bride.  A White Moor is ethnologically defined as "a nomad of Berber-Arab origin." They represent the two upper classes of Moorish society. The Black Moors make up the lower classes of Moorish society. They live in a world of their own-usually one of slavery. Even though slavery is now against the law, it continues to be a fundamental part of the social and economical structure of the Moors.

Their Religious Situation:

Within their society, the Koran is faithfully followed.  The Moors are 100% Sunni (orthodox) Muslims who follow the Malikite tradition.  Sufis of the Tijaniyya brotherhood is also strong within this Sunni framework.

The state of Mauritania has a constitution which establishes the country as an Islamic Republic and decrees that Islam is the religion of its citizens and the State; the government limits freedom of religion.  Since a change of government in 2006 some restrictions have been relaxed. And the country name has been changed to simply Republic of Mauritania.  Another coup in 2008 has left the political situation very unstable.  In 2009 they broke their pragmatic diplomatic relations with Israel after years of being one of the very few Arab nations to maintain such.

Islam has dominated the country for over one thousand years.  Converting from Islam can result in the death penalty, but this has not been applied in decades.  It is even officially illegal for citizens to enter the homes of non-Muslims.  People have been tortured and imprisoned for showing interest in the Gospel.  Several mission agencies operate vitally needed aide projects or other businesses.  The government views any conversion attempts as subverting humanitarian assistance and so Christian organizations are restricted to provide only development aid.

While there are no specific laws against converting Muslims, in practice the government uses Article 11 of the Press Act to prohibit any conversion.  Article 11 bans the publication of any material that is against Islam or contradicts the teachings of Islam. As a result, Arab Bibles are not publicly available, though some can be found among the .2% of the population who are Christians.  Publication of any form in the dialect, Hassaniya, is illegal, so no potions of a Hassaniya Bible exist yet, though some has been recorded on tape.  Authorities have arrested and detained individuals who have passed on Christian religious materials to Muslim citizens, and a few missionaries have lost their visas for being too obvious in their witness.  Since 2001 hundreds have converted, especially among the Muslim Fulani people, but these believers do not gather in church buildings.  The only church buildings are reserved for non-Mauritanians.

The Moor of Mali (written in 1997 by Bethany Prayer Center)

 The Moor of Mali inhabit a small kingdom in the northern reaches the Niger River.  Others live along the border regions of western Mali.  They are nomadic Berbers who number over 300,000.  The term "Moor" is generally applied to any person, regardless of skin color, who speaks one of the Hassaniya dialects.  Therefore, there are both black and white Moors who speak the same language.  Hassaniya, in its purest form, draws heavily from the original spoken Arabic.

It is believed that the Moor probably emigrated from neighboring Mauritania into the Sahel region of Mali.  The Sahel, vast open grasslands, lies immediately south of the Sahara and stretches 5,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.  Mali is generally flat and the land consists of plains and plateaus though some of the southern part of the country is hilly.  Disturbances among nomadic groups in the region often occur over watering, grazing rights and clan power struggles. From the early 1970's into the 1980's, the Moor of Mali were seriously affected by drought and famine.
What Are Their Lives Like?
The Moor are a nomadic tribe who live in tents made of woven wool. Their basic family unit is the "tent." Most of the Moor living in Mali are a mixture of Arab-Berber-Negroid. They are very proud of the fact that their origin can be traced to the Arabs.  Some families claim direct descendance from the prophet Mohammad.
Marriages among the Moor are pre-arranged by the parents, with the groom's father requesting the hand of the bride. A Moorish woman never marries against her family's wishes. She is given a dowry (money or property) upon marriage. After the wedding, the groom never enters the tent of his in-laws, nor does he share their table or look them in the eye when talking. The parents visit their daughter only when their son-in-law is absent. Sadly, divorce is common among the Moor.
When Moors from different nomadic tribes meet, several rigid customs are followed. These customs, which are a consequence of the long history of raids in the desert, are used by the groups to regulate the meeting. For example, when two people are talking, several mannerisms are used to indicate their involvement in the conversation. If a Moor blows on his hand during a conversation, it means he does not believe anything that is being said. If he puts his finger in his ear, it means that he is not interested in what is being said.
Moorish society is organized into successive ranks of tribes, clans, sub-clans, and tent units. There are four basic class divisions that are based on heritage, race, and occupation. The White Moor form the two upper classes, while the Black Moor make up the two lower classes. This division is based solely on parental descent, not on skin color. For example, if a father is considered white, his children, despite the darkness of their skin or the social condition of their mother, inherit the status of "White Moor."
A White Moor is ethnologically defined as "a nomad of Berber-Arab origin." They represent the two upper classes of Moorish society: the warriors and the religious leaders. The Black Moor make up the two lower classes. They live in a world of their own—usually one of slavery. There are two types of Black Moor: the 'abd-le-tilad (slaves who belong to the tents and are part of the family), and the 'abd-le-tarbiya (acquired slaves). Even though slavery is now against the law, it continues to be a fundamental part of the social and economic structure of the Moor.
What Are Their Beliefs?
Virtually all of the Moor of Mali are Malikite Muslims.  They faithfully adhere to the laws of the Koran and the basic Islamic practices, which include praying, fasting, and giving alms to the poor.  The Moor acknowledge two main Islamic brotherhoods: the Qadiriyya and the Tijaniyya.  The Qadiriyya is the most widespread group and is characterized by many secret societies that are saturated with mysticism.
What Are Their Spiritual Needs?
Although three mission agencies are currently targeting the Moor of Mali, they have made very little progress.  The Moor need to experience the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ.  Much intercession is needed to reach them with the Gospel.  Because of cultural differences perhaps new methodology is needed to prevent initial resistance to Christian workers who are perceived as from a decadent culture that wants to dominate them.

chatting and drinking tea in el Gelita, MALI

Prayer Points

• Ask the Lord to call people who are willing to go to Mali and share Christ with the Moor.
• Pray that God will raise up qualified linguists to translate the Bible into Hassaniya.
• Ask God to give the small number of Moor believers boldness to share the love of Christ with their own people.
• Pray for the effectiveness of the Jesus film among the Moor.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Moor towards Christians so that they will be receptive to the Gospel.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Moor bound.
• Pray that God will raise up teams of intercessors who will faithfully stand in the gap for these precious people.
• Ask the Lord to raise up strong local churches among the Moor by the year 2000.

Statistics
Latest estimates (1997) from the World Evangelization Research Center.

THE PEOPLE

• People name: Moor
• Country: Mali
• Their language: Hassaniya (Badawi)
• Moor Population:

(1990) 267,100
(1995) 313,100
(2000 est.) 364,200

• Largest religion:

Muslim (Malikite) 99.9%)

• Christians: <1%
• Church members: 31
• Scriptures in their own language: None
• Jesus Film in their own language: Available
• Christian broadcasts in their own language: Available
• Mission agencies working among this people in MALI: 3
• Moors who have heard the Gospel in MALI: 75,200 (24%)

Those evangelized by local Christians: 9,400 (3%)
Those evangelized from the outside: 65,800 (21%)

• Persons who have never heard the Gospel: 237,900 (76%)

THEIR COUNTRY

• Country: Mali
• Population:

(1990) 9,211,700
(1995) 10,795,300
(2000 est.) 12,559,300

• Major peoples in size order:

reflection off pond at
el Gelita, MALI

Bambara 31.4%
Fula Macina & Fula Toro 9.5%
Soninké (Sarakolé) 7.4%
Songhai 6.3%
Northwestern Malinké (Maninka) 5.6%
Toureg 3%

• Major religions in Mali:

Muslim 85.3%
Ethnic religionist 12%
Christian 2.7%

• Number of denominations in Mali: 18

Sources:

Joshua Project  www.joshuaproject.net/peopctry.php

Bethany World Prayer Center,

Voice of the Martyrs  www.persecution.net/country/mauritania.htm

Wikipedia,  “Status of Religious Freedom in Mauritania,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_religious_freedom_in_Mauritania

International Christian Concern,  www.persecution.org/Countries/mauritania.html

Photos by J P B

Prepared by Rev. Jim & Jennifer B, serving in Mali, West Africa under United World Mission