Mauritania Uses Female Guides to Counter Extremism

In Mauritania, female Islamic guides—known as mourchidates—are working with the state’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs to counter violent extremism through religious counsel and community outreach. Since 2021, these women have been trained in Islamic scholarship and deployed to schools, mosques, hospitals, and prisons. They address the theological arguments used by armed groups and offer alternative interpretations of Islamic texts.

The mourchidates program originated in Morocco after the 2003 Casablanca bombings, offering a model for women’s religious leadership as a peace-building tool. Aminata Dia of Elles Du Sahel Network notes Mauritania understood early on that security responses alone could not address extremism. They focus on building trust and addressing social factors that make young people vulnerable to radicalization.

While Mauritania has not been immune to attacks, it has largely avoided the scale of violence seen in neighboring countries like Mali and Burkina Faso. However, the program’s reach is limited by resources, and replicating it in other contexts—particularly where state-community trust is low—presents challenges. The work of building relationships and addressing root causes continues.