Ibrahim Traore Accuses Arab and Islamic States of Training Burkinabe Students in 'Extremism' - Sarmad
In one of his most controversial statements, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, head of Burkina Faso’s transitional government, accused several Arab countries of training hundreds of his country’s students in Islamic law without state supervision, announcing his refusal to host them and warning against their return to the country.
Traoré claimed that the Arab and Islamic world “wanted to exterminate Africa” by imposing slavery on it for “a thousand years,” stating that “radical Islam” has no place in the country. Addressing the preachers he accuses of extremism, he said, “If this is your Islam, we will fight it… Extremists must change, and if they do not, the battle has begun.”
Speaking about the history of slavery in Africa, Traoré asserted that Africans endured more than a thousand years of slavery at the hands of Arabs, adding that “the last slave market was not closed until 1962.”
Traoré revealed a plan to repatriate students studying Islamic law in Arab countries, alleging that more than 800,000 students are pursuing religious studies abroad without acquiring practical professional skills. He warned that those who refuse to return risk losing their Burkinabé citizenship.
This announcement follows a government directive issued in late June requiring those wishing to study abroad to obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Higher Education to ensure their programs align with government priorities.
Traoré’s remarks sparked widespread criticism. In Mauritania, politicians and religious figures warned against opening ethnic and cultural files that could have repercussions on Arab-African relations and the social fabric of the region.
Commenting on Traoré’s statements, Sheikh Sidi Mohamed Ould Sidiya, one of Mauritania’s senior scholars, said the Burkinabé president “has no knowledge of history,” noting that Islam reached the region via trade caravans in the 5th century of the Islamic calendar. He emphasized that Arabs never entered Burkina Faso as conquerors to enslave its people.
He added that the “Mossi,” the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso, initially saw Islam confined to kings and elites before it later expanded within society. He considered that Islam brought religious and civilizational values to the area and was not a project of enslavement.
Sheikh Sidi attributed Traoré’s statements to an attempt to divert attention from the internal challenges facing his country, warning that the Burkinabé people, who are predominantly Muslim, would not accept what they viewed as an insult to Islam.
