“Our religion is a true, honest religion that treats women with justice and fairness,” she said, leaning forward for emphasis.
She knows what she’s talking about. She is the daughter of Baba Ould Maata, a highly respected Mauritanian scholar.
Inspired by her father, Ms. Maata started her own journey at a young age, studying the Koran and other traditional texts. She graduated from Mauritania’s largest Islamic institution and studied Islamic law at postgraduate level.
Raised in an Islamic household, Ms. Maata believes it is her responsibility and duty to give back to her community.
public relation
Religiously trained women like Ms. Maata, known as the Mourchidates, are educating their communities on the issue Risks of violent extremism.
Established in 2021 with support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Mauritanian Ministry of Islamic Affairs and the Association of Women Heads of Households, the Mourchidates Network works in Mauritania to counter violent extremism in various settings, including prisons.
Mauritania is part of Africa’s Sahel region, an area prone to “spreading terrorism and extremist movements,” Ms Maata said.
Since 2005, Islamic terrorists have carried out multiple attacks across the country, much to the dismay of devout Muslims and proud Mauritanians, she said.
Take action against hate messages
“We Mauritanians are tolerant and understanding of others, and we accept and welcome people of other religions,” she said. “These attacks went against both Mauritanian culture and Islamic Sharia.”
When asked how best to defend against rhetoric that uses and distorts Islam, she replied that the answer was simple: “the Koran.”
The women have been specifically selected for their expertise in Islam and focus on using Islamic arguments to counter messages of hate and violence.
“We clarify verses from the Koran and explain the Hadith [a collection of sayings from the Prophet Muhammad], both of which promote peace and civil and community security,” she said. “We point out the seven concepts used in extremist discourses such as jihad and use Islamic arguments showing the correct intent of these verses combating extremist ideologies.”
The Mourchidates determine where and which groups are at risk of falling victim to extremist arguments. They then use their network to facilitate dialogue in prisons, mosques, schools, markets or even at home.
Extreme prison sentences breed extremist ideas
“Once we visited Mourchidates a prison, it was the first time something like this was allowed in Mauritania,” she said.
Inside, they discovered that one of the female prisoners had been a powerful leader of the Salafist group, a conservative Islamic movement that follows the practices of earlier generations of Muslims.
“Extreme punishment often creates extremist ideas in prisons,” she says. “We are proud that we were able to convince them with religious arguments that Islam is a just and tolerant religion.”
Finally, the prisoner announced her withdrawal from these extremist ideas and vowed to get involved in activities that serve Mauritania’s security and civil peace, Ms Maata said, adding that the woman had agreed to participate in one of religious scholars and former Salafists to take part in dialogue sponsored by the Mauritanian government.
A boy walks on a sandbar around a refugee camp in M’bera, Mauritania.
early warning systems
In 2022, Mourchidate’s aid reached more than 10,000 people. In Nouakchott, the Mourchidates supported the wives, sisters and mothers of the detainees and helped them to abandon violent, extremist ideas.
In Ould Yengé, near the borders of Mali and Senegal, the Mourchidates have contributed to an early warning system by alerting law enforcement to suspicious cases.
Meanwhile, in Adel Bagrou, a town bordering Mali, the Mourchidates network supported young terror victims who had found refuge in Mauritania and helped them integrate into everyday life in their new country.
Mauritania has not experienced a single terrorist attack since 2011, thanks in part to the efforts of the likes of Zeinabou and the network, they said UNODC.
“Women are capable of achieving anything they put their minds to,” Ms. Maata said. “They have the ability to persuade and tip the scales in their favor and they should use that ability to help their countries.”
Find out more about UNODC’s gender initiatives in the Sahel Here.
The UN Counter-Terrorism Week will take place from 19 to 23 June at the UN Headquarters in New York. Learn more Here.
