The Forgotten Islamic Republic: Mauritania’s Importance in the World

When one thinks of an Islamic Republic, it is common to jump towards Iran or Pakistan, or even Afghanistan, which is a former Islamic Republic. These are natural conclusions, given the importance of Islam in the Middle East, with the Prophet Muhammed founding the religion in Mecca, and the religion often being identified with modern Middle Eastern culture. However, Islam is also prominent in Africa, especially North Africa, and there is one country that is often forgotten when discussing about the three extant Islamic Republics: Mauritania. 

Mauritania’s written history begins between the third and seventh centuries C.E., when Berber and Arab migrants first settled on the land. The region surrounding Mauritania is rich with Islamic history, with Timbuktu in neighboring Mali being one of the centers for the religion in Africa with it being a part of the Empire of Ghana, the Almoravid Dynasty, and the French Empire. Since its independence from the French in 1960,  Mauritania has been an Islamic Republic, which means that Islam is the official religion of the state and the laws of the state have to be compatable with, or come directly from, the Sharia, the divine council in which Muslims base their morals and practices. 

Mauritania has many similarities with Iran and Pakistan, such as the strict penal codes that are Sharia compatible based upon certain religious beliefs. Islam is each of their official religions, and the head of state is required to be Muslim, and in Mauritania, all citizens must be Muslim. Governmental structures are also quite similar, with small differences in titles of positions and unicameral vs. bicameral legislatures. Mauritania has a unicameral legislature and their head of state and government are called President and Prime Minister respectively. Iran, like Mauritania, has a unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly called the Majles, and their head of state and government are called Supreme Leader and President respectively. Pakistan has a bicameral parliament and their head of state and government, similarly to Mauritania, are referred to as President and Prime Minister. An example would be hijab laws. Whereas in Iran the hijab is mandatory, it is not mandatory to cover the face, hands, and feet in Pakistan. With Mauritania, emphasis is placed on the strictness of adhering to Islamic law in all matters of life, with blasphemy laws strengthened in 2017, administering the death penalty to anyone who insults Allah, even if the person repents. In recent months however, the biggest divergence between Mauritania and the other Islamic Republics currently is its stance on the Russia-Ukraine War.

While Iran firmly remains in the Russia-China axis of alliances after years of partnership following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and Pakistan has declared neutrality in the conflict, Mauritania supported Ukraine in its conflict against Russia. For example, Mauritanian President Ould Ghazouani sent a message to Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenski congratulating him on 31 years of Ukrainian independence from the USSR, which happened to fall on the same date as the six-month anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ghazouani, in his telegram to Zelenski, stated he is “pleased to express my warm congratulations to you and wish you a speedy end to the war in your country and a return, once again, to peace, security, and prosperity.” While Mauritania has switched between statements, going from staying neutral to condemning Russia, Mauritania is increasing its ties with the West. These increased ties with the west indicate Mauritania’s position in support of Ukraine, a definitive departure from what many of the other Arab world and Middle Eastern nations have done.

Mauritania has been relied on and been a key partner for many Western nations in the wake of Mali’s exiting the G5 Sahel counter-terrorism group. They have been especially important for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which they have partnered with since 1995. At the last NATO summit in Madrid, Mauritania was given the status of “privileged partner,” signifying its political, economic, and geographical importance to NATO. Mauritania has also been a previous ally of Israel, and although they froze their diplomatic ties in 2009, the Mauritanian government has said they trust the United Arab Emirates’ decision in normalizing relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. All of these actions hint that Mauritania is moving closer to the West and becoming an important ally in Africa for NATO. This could ultimately affect its nature as an Islamic Republic and its relationships with the Middle Eastern and North African nations that are allied with Russia  and China.

There is a lot of information on Mauritania, however, it is not discussed enough, even though it is proving in recent months to be very important on the world stage, which shows how the forgotten Islamic Republic should no longer be forgotten. Mauriania will likely remain crucial to foreign relations in the coming months and years, not only as the Russo-Ukrainian War continues, but as Islam’s influence increases across the globe, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

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