Traoré Has Given Extremists A Weapon – Gumi Warns As Burkina Faso Rejects Sharia Law

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has reacted to Burkina Faso leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s decision to reject the introduction of Sharia law in the country, questioning the military ruler’s understanding of the issue.

In a Facebook post shared on Saturday, Gumi described Traoré as a young leader with limited experience outside military training.

Naija News reports that he said the Burkina Faso president may not have enough knowledge of social matters and international politics to properly handle the debate surrounding religion and governance.

The cleric also argued that Traoré’s decision to keep Burkina Faso as a secular state and prevent the adoption of Sharia law could give extremist groups an opportunity to attract more supporters.

According to Gumi, the statement may become a tool used by such groups to increase their influence.

“Capt. Ibrahim Traoré (born 14 March 1988), with his anti-Shariah stance, at the age of 38, with nothing but military training on his resumé, is too naïve to understand even the complicity of the society he is ruling under the gun, let alone the dynamics of contemporary geopolitics. He has given the extremists the weapon they need to conscript more foot soldiers against his secular regime”, Gumi wrote.

Traoré had earlier announced during a national address that Burkina Faso would not adopt Sharia law despite being a Muslim-majority country.

The 38-year-old leader said citizens would continue to have the freedom to practise their chosen religions, but the country would not introduce Islamic law into its legal system.

The Burkina Faso president also questioned the decision of some citizens who travelled to Saudi Arabia to study Sharia law, saying they would have been better served by gaining skills in areas such as technology that could contribute to the country’s development.

Traoré further warned that those students should remain outside the country, stating that they would not be allowed to return after completing their studies.