INDEPENDENT ISLAMIC STATES

Mauritania

Official Name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Capital city   : Novakshot

Important Cities: 12 regions and 1 capital; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza
Area: 1,030,700 km2.

Population        :  4.200.000 (2021)[1].  39 per cent of the population lives in cities.

Average Human Life Span: 51 Years

Ethnicity: 80% of Mauritania's people are Mores (Mauritanians) of Arab-Berber descent. The Mores have also spread to Morocco, Senegal, Mali and Gambia. Mores are generally white-skinned. However, there are also dark and black-skinned ones among them. All Morus are Muslims. The second ethnic group is the Tukulors, who make up 12%.

Language: The official language is Arabic. French is the second official language.

Religion: The official religion is Islam. All of the people are Sunni Muslims. The great majority is Maliki.

Geographical Situation: Mauritania, one of the Northwest African countries, is surrounded by Algeria from the north, Mali from the east, Senegal from the south, and the Atlantic Ocean from the west. The most important river is the Senegal River, only a part of which is in Mauritania. 0.2% of Mauritania's territory is agricultural land, 38% is grassland and 14% is steppe. A significant part of its territory consists of deserts that are the continuation of the Great Sahara. Mauritania is a hot country. Except for a small area suitable for agriculture in the south, the remaining lands are generally arid. The southern region is rainy. Days are hot and nights are quite cold throughout the country. In Novakşot, the capital city located on the Atlantic Ocean coast, the average annual temperature is 26.5 degrees and the average annual precipitation is 44 mm.

Mode of Government: It is a multi-party democratic republic. The country is governed by a constitution that entered into force on 21 July 1991. The head of state is also the head of government and the members of the government are appointed by the head of state. The country has a bicameral parliamentary system. The first parliament consists of 56 members and the second parliament consists of 79 members. Although the official name of the state is Islamic Republic, Islamic laws are not fully implemented. The Islamic laws related to special cases are applied.

International Organisations of which it is a member: UN, OIC[2] (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), Organisation of African Unity, Economic Community of West African States, African Antilles and Pacific Charter, League of Arab States, IMF, Islamic Development Bank.

Political Parties: Social Democratic Republican Party: It is the party of President Muawiya Waled al-Tayi. It holds the power. Union of Democratic Forces, Unity for Democracy Party, Gathering for Democracy and Unity Party. The government does not authorise the establishment of an Islamic political party.

History: French colonialists, taking advantage of the Arab-Berber conflict, occupied all of Mauritania in 1920. After the occupation, Mauritania became a province of French West Africa, which consisted of eight provinces. After the French occupation of Mauritania, they started a large-scale Christianisation effort through the missionaries they spread all over the country. However, among the Mauritanian Muslims, who were extremely devoted to their religion, the Christian missionaries released by the French could not achieve any success. The people of Mauritania constantly struggled against the occupation administration. In this struggle, some sect sheikhs and religious scholars had important activities. The struggle for independence became quite effective in 1958. The French government granted Mauritania the status of an independent member of the French League of Nations, having firmly rejected the Constitution of the 5th French Republic. On 22 March 1959, a constitutional assembly was established for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Then, on 17 May 1959, the first general elections were held in the country and the Mauritanian Unity Party won the elections and Mukhtar Waled Dade, the leader of this party, was elected as the head of state. On 28 November 1960, full independence was declared. In the elections held in August 1961 after the declaration of full independence, Mukhtar Waled Dade was re-elected as the head of state. In the same year, Mauritania was accepted as a member of the UN. Colonel Mohamed Huna Veled Haydalla was finally appointed prime minister in August 1979. He became head of state in July 1980. Colonel Haydalla's rule was ended on 10 December 1984 by a military coup d'état carried out by Colonel Muawiya Waled Sayyed Ahmed et-Tayi'. et-Tayi' later served as chief of staff. Mauritania has been ruled by Muawiya Waled et-Tayi' since 10 December 1984. et-Tayi' was re-elected to the presidency with 62.65% of the votes in the presidential elections held on 6 March 1992.

Internal Problems: Mauritania's black tribalism, which troubles Mauritania outside, also disturbs its peace inside. Twenty per cent of the Mauritanian people are black. These are the Tukulors (Takarirs), Fulbes and Soninkes. Before the colonial period, blacks and whites were fused with the feeling of brotherhood of faith and lived in peace. However, due to the ignorance policies of the colonialists, some people who forgot their religion and got caught up in the tribalist understandings imposed by the colonialists who kept their countries under occupation for years, started to oppose those whose skin colour was not like theirs and entered into a power struggle with them. In October 1987, an organisation called the African Liberation Front, which wanted to take Mauritania out of the Arab League and turn it into a black state shaped entirely according to the ideas imposed by the French, attempted to seize power. However, it did not succeed. Nevertheless, these groups, which are provoked and nurtured especially by French missionary organisations, continue their struggle for power and their efforts to spread black tribalism. The headquarters of the African Liberation Front is in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, which has adopted black tribalism as a national policy and is the guardian of France's interests in the region. The Front claims that blacks in Mauritania are victimised and persecuted by white Arabs. Some militants of the Front have also carried out attacks and bombings in the Mauritanian capital, Novakshot. The African Liberation Front is known to be in close contact with the French embassy in Dakar and the Israeli embassy in Côte d'Ivoire, from which it receives financial support. In 1990 and 1991 there were many deaths in demonstrations and incidents provoked by black tribalists. Another internal problem of Mauritania is the issue of Western Sahara. Most of Western Sahara is within the borders of Morocco and a small part of it belongs to Mauritania. The Polisario Front, which fought against the Spanish occupation in the past but fought for Western Sahara to become a separate state after the Spanish withdrawal, poses a problem for both Morocco and Mauritania. Today, the Polisario Front is supported by many Western countries, especially France and Spain. Mauritania, which needs to strengthen and modernise its army against the Polisario Front, has therefore entered into significant economic difficulties.

External Problems: Mauritania is in conflict with its southern neighbour Senegal due to its French-led racist policy. There are still many Mauritanians living in Senegal today. Mauritanians had brought Islam to Senegal in the past. Therefore, they were respected by the Senegalese. French missionaries made Senegalese believe that Mauritanians had exploited Senegal in the past. This belief spread over time and in mid-May 1989, large-scale riots broke out in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, at the instigation of French-born Jean Goulan. Black Senegalese attacked and looted the businesses and houses of white Mauritanians.

Islamism in the country: The Islamic movement in Mauritania is influential and strong. There are two main organisations carrying out the Islamic struggle: Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic Orientation. In 1991, after the enactment of the law on political parties, the Islamic orientation group petitioned to establish a political party called the 'Ummah Party'. However, the administration did not authorise it. The Ummah Party continues to work unofficially. The founding chairman of the party, Muhammad Amin Ibn al-Hasen, said that they will continue to work until they get official permission for establishment.

     Islamic communities carry out their activities through various associations, societies and educational institutions. One of the organisations established for this purpose is the Islamic Cultural Society. This organisation has opened many centres for the education of youth and children in different centres of the country. It forced the aforementioned organisation to close some of its clubs and educational centres for young people. An organisation called the International Institute of Islamic Thought was established in Mauritania to carry out Islamic cultural and scholarly work. This institute organises conferences and symposiums on current Islamic issues without engaging in political debates, conducts and publishes scientific research and organises various educational activities. The International Islamic Relief Council was established to organise charity work. The Islamic movement wants the full implementation of Islamic laws in the country and is waging an effective struggle for this. Although President Muawiya Walad al-Tayi promised in July 1980 to implement Islamic laws, he did not fulfil this promise. For this reason, members of the Islamic movement heavily criticised the president. The government's refusal to authorise the establishment of political parties with Islamic aims leads to a constant duel of words between the Islamic movement and the administration. The reason why the government prevents Islamic communities from engaging in political activities is that it realises that they have a support that cannot be taken for granted. Because in the local elections held in December 1990, even before the enactment of the law on political parties, the candidates from the list of the Islamic orientation received 57.6% of the votes.

     Seeing that the Islamic movement is getting stronger and stronger, the government is increasing its pressure on this movement. France, which has political and economic interests in Mauritania, has an important role and influence in this pressure. From time to time provocations organised by the men of some international intelligence organisations are also used against the Islamic movement. Sufi orders are also widespread in Mauritania. However, in most of the Sufi orders in this country, there are traces of the policy of ignorance during the colonial period, and the people who enter these orders are preoccupied with superstitions that have nothing to do with Islam, such as circumambulating the houses of their sheikhs, etc., instead of educating themselves in terms of Islam. Sheikh Ma'a'l-Ayneyn had a significant influence in keeping the spirit of Islam alive in Mauritania. Ma'a'l-Aynayn also wrote many scholarly works.

Economy: The majority of the people live on animal husbandry. Therefore, the economy of the country is largely based on animal husbandry. Sheep is the most commonly bred animal. Agriculture is practised only in a narrow area on the banks of the Senegal River and in the valleys to the north-east. The most produced agricultural products are dates, millet, cereals, rice, peanuts and various vegetables. The share of agriculture and animal husbandry in the gross domestic product is around 32%. Fishing is also an important source of income in this country. The rate of those working in agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries is approximately 75 per cent. Mauritania has various underground resources, especially iron and copper. Iron and copper ores are exported and contribute significantly to the country's economy. The export of mineral ores generates an annual foreign exchange income of around 180 million dollars.

Currency: Mauritanian Ugya.

National Income per Capita: 2,179 USD. (2021)[3]

Foreign Trade: The main exports are fish and fish products, iron and copper ore. The main imports are transport vehicles and spare parts, machinery, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, foodstuffs and petroleum products. Foreign trade is mostly with Spain, France and Japan.

Industry: The most important industrial establishments are mining facilities. In the city of Nawadhibu, where Mauritania's Atlantic coast reaches the border with Western Sahara, there is an oil refinery where crude oil from Algeria is processed, a steel mill and a sugar factory. Nawadhibu, which is the centre of fishing, also has fish processing facilities. Ten per cent of the working population is employed in the industrial sector.

Energy: 82% of electricity is obtained from thermal power plants and 18% from hydroelectric power plants. Annual electricity consumption per capita averages 70 kw/hour.

Transportation: There is an airport open to international traffic in the capital city of Novakşot. There are 9 airports with scheduled flights throughout the country. There is a port in the capital and the industrial city of Nawadhibu, which is used for export and import. It has 675 km of railway and 7560 km of road network, of which 1,700 km are asphalted. There is one motorised transport vehicle for 133 people.

Health: Moritania has about 20 hospitals, 220 doctors, 25 dentists, 1000 nurses. There is one doctor for 9864 people.

Education:

[1]   www.ticaret.gov.tr(October-2021 Access)

[2]   www.oic-oci.org

[3]    www.ticaret.gov.tr(October-2021 Access)