Nouakchott- Although the Mauritanian people are among the poorest people in the world and the farthest Arab people in terms of distance from Palestine, the Mauritanians have shown a great rush in spending in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, which has been exposed to an unprecedented Israeli war since last October.
With the start of the aggression against Gaza, a general mobilization campaign was launched in Mauritania through mosques and associations active in supporting Palestine. In incitement to support and support the Palestinian resistance, Mauritanians hastened to spend their money individually and collectively, and through parties and unions.
But what was striking among these were the tribal initiatives that alone have so far been able to raise more than $5 million for the benefit of those affected in the Gaza Strip, as documented by these initiatives on their pages on social media.
Tribal race
The first place in this competition was given to the Beni Hassan tribe, which handed over the representative of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Mauritania, Muhammad Sobhi Abu Saqr, an amount of 100 million ouguiya (about 253 thousand dollars) on December 30, 2023.
Then came the “Lagalal” tribe, which donated 220 million ouguiyas (about 558 thousand dollars) last February, and the competition continued, as the “Tanwajiu” tribe donated 300 million (about 761 thousand dollars) on 27 last March.
On April 1, the “Ouled Abiri” tribe announced its contribution of half a billion ouguiyas (about 1,269,000 dollars). Thus, the pace of the tribal race accelerated, and it has been announced so far that 12 tribes will participate in this spending in support of the people of Gaza, and it was the highest contribution – so far. – In the amount of 600 million ouguiyas (about one million and 522 thousand dollars) delivered by the “Taknant” tribe to a Hamas representative on May 15 last year.
The money collected from this tribal competition is handed over to three parties: the representative of the Hamas movement, the National League for the Support of the Palestinian People, and the Mauritanian Islamic Forum, and this is documented in a handover ceremony for each contribution.
A number of Mauritanian imams and scholars supported this tribal rivalry, as the Mauritanian preacher Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hassan Al-Dado issued a fatwa in which he affirmed that the Aws and Khazraj tribes were competing in jihad, explaining that the money paid to the people of Gaza falls under the heading of jihad and not charity.
Both the Rabat Organization and the Islamic Forum Organization published on their pages and through the Mauritanian News Agency website data, pictures, and videos documenting the distribution of Mauritanian aid in Gaza, funded by Mauritanian tribes, which included establishing refugee camps in Gaza, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, distributing cash and food baskets, and providing water. Covers and more.
Are the poor of Mauritania more in need?
Despite the widespread support for these initiatives, criticism emerged from some writers and bloggers for this tribal rivalry. Dr. Sheikh Al-Zein considered on his Facebook page that “it is not appropriate for the Mauritanian tribes to collect money for Gaza, as that is the mission of the state, not the mission of the tribes,” asking, “Have you heard of a tribe in Morocco, Algeria, or Egypt do this?
In turn, writer Abdullah Muhammad asked about the technical mechanism adopted to deliver donations through the Rabat Organization and the Hamas representative to Gaza, and what is the percentage deducted from the amount and the legal legality of taking it within the effort to collect it, if that happens? Is there a way to monitor its arrival in Gaza?
As for the blogger, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Mukhtar Fall, he considered that the money collected by the tribes was more deserving of the poor and needy who are killed by hunger and disease daily in Mauritania in general, as he put it.
Baathist political activist Muhammad Al-Kuri Al-Arabi considered on his page that “the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Mauritania was able to infiltrate the tribes by arousing religious passion with the aim of collecting money under the pretext of helping Gaza. They sparked pre-Islamic fever and primitive boasting among the tribes, taking advantage of the absence of a state personality,” adding that “there are signs To infiltrate families to obtain a percentage of the proceeds from women’s dowries, with the aim of also helping Gaza,” according to his description.
Al-Arabi added, “During the past 30 years, the Brotherhood was alone in collecting money from citizens in the name of its widespread charitable organizations, with which it built institutes, centers, and hospitals, and financed its party, youth, and union campaigns.”
Responses to criticism
On the other hand, the Secretary-General of the Mauritanian Islamic Forum and the coordinator of the Ould Abiri tribe initiative to support Gaza, Sheikh Abdullah Ould Amin, confirmed in statements to Tel Aviv Tribune Net that he had seen all these criticisms, but he did not see that they had any merit.
Regarding the statement that this competition constitutes an invasion of the tribe at the expense of the state, Ould Amin considered that it is an invalid statement because supporting our brothers in Palestine falls within the social and charitable roles that the tribe would play without affecting the power of the state or its authority, unlike the political and security roles that it should play. It remains within the jurisdiction of the state.
As for the objection that the poor of Mauritania are more in need, the issue – according to Sheikh Amin – is not viewed with such simplification, as the poor of Mauritania, regardless of their need, are not besieged and supplies can reach them from every direction, and they do not face – like the people of Gaza – imminent security dangers such that one of them waits for a military bombing at any time. If it did not cost his life, it would cost his house, his possessions, and more. Therefore, it is unfair to compare the need of the people of Gaza to the need of Mauritanians or others.
Regarding the statement that this spending aims to strengthen a specific political spectrum, Sheikh Amin explained that these tribal initiatives were co-led by loyal and opposition figures and figures belonging to the Salafist spectrum, which is a movement that has no party in Mauritania.
Therefore – according to him – there is no truth to the claim of some that the National Rally for Reform and Development “Tawasul” party, which is affiliated with the Brotherhood, is in control of these initiatives. He adds, “It is true that the party is interested in the Gaza issue and its members are actively working on support initiatives, but they are not alone in that.”
As for skepticism about the arrival of aid to those who deserve it, the coordinator of the Awlad Abiri tribe initiative to support Gaza says, “Several Palestinian leaders visited us in Mauritania and praised these initiatives and confirmed that the money is reaching them. Their statements are available in the media and on social media pages and can be referred to.”
He believes that all of these criticisms have no basis in reality, and a popular Mauritanian proverb applies to those who make them, which says: “He is stingier than the son-in-law of a people who does not honor them and does not leave behind those who honor them.”
