Serign Saliou Mbacké passes away

Serign Saliou Mbacké, 92, leader of Senegal’s influential Mouride sect, whose image is ever-present in the homes of his millions of followers, died last Friday and was buried on Saturday.

President Abdoulaye Wade called for a three-day period of national mourning, with flags flown at half mast. Although Senegal is a secular country, the majority of its democratically elected rulers have had to seek the endorsement of Serign Saliou Mbacke.

His image is displayed on the dashboards of bush taxis and in the homes of his  followers.

Among Serign Saliou Mbacké’s achievements was the transformation of the holy center of Touba from a rural outpost into a city that now has a population of one and a half million. He is credited to have brought the holy city into modernity.

Located in the heart of Senegal, Touba was founded by the venerable Mouhamadou Bamba Mbacké, who died in 1927, and has often been described as a state within a state. Inside the city limits, visitors cannot drink, smoke or dance.

The deeply religious city now has a 5,000-student university. The mosque, whose loudspeakers broadcast the call to prayer over  11 kilometers or 7 miles, has over the years become the epicenter of major religious observances like the Magaal and the Maouloud.

The Mourides brotherhood is one of several in Senegal, centered around allegiance to the teachings of its founder based on the fundamental principles of Islam. The Mourides have become wealthy based on Serign Saliou Mbacké's investments in agriculture, particularly in peanuts.

Serigne Saliou Mbacké was the last surviving son of Touba's founder. The new khalif, Serigne Bara Mbacké, is one of the founder's grandsons. He is poised to continue the mission, initiated by the founder of the Mouride sect.