United Nations celebrates Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba Day

PC: Mamadou Dabo

The Mission of Senegal officially celebrated the 29th Annual Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Day at the General Assembly Hall on July 28, 2017. The highlight of the evening program was the keynote speech of Serigne Cheikh Mame Mor Mbacke, the spiritual leader of the Mouride Brotherhood in Senegal, who was on a nationwide speaking tour of the United States.

Cheikh Mbacke emphasized the essence of the life and teachings and legacy of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride Brotherhood. Cheikh Mbacke stressed the message of nonviolence, giving all power only to Allah and surrendering one’s will and actions to the Divine. Both oppression and peace are learned through education and not through force, he said. Education achieves what violence never can achieve.

Also that day in NYC, hundreds of members of the Murid brotherhood marched in the streets of Harlem in celebration of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba Day, one of the most important days of the 25th annual cultural weeks. The disciples who were dressed in white were lead by his grandson Shaykh Mame Mor MBacke along with several Muslim and political leaders. Shaykh Mame Mor MBacke took the challenge to continue the work his late father Shaykh Murtada MBacke started more than a decade ago, which is to spread Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba’s legacy and a peaceful message of Islam.

The program included a welcome address and prayer by Imam Bassirou Lo followed by remarks from His Excellency Abdou Salam Diallo of Senegal to the UN and various thought leaders and experts in the teachings and practices of Cheikh Mamba.

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