Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has criticised Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, over his decision to reject the introduction of Sharia law, warning that the move could strengthen extremist groups.
In a Facebook post shared on Saturday, Gumi questioned Traoré’s understanding of the issue, describing the 38-year-old leader as someone whose experience is largely limited to military training.
The cleric argued that Traoré may lack the social and geopolitical insight needed to navigate the complex relationship between religion and governance.
According to Gumi, Burkina Faso’s decision to remain a secular state and reject Sharia law could provide extremist groups with an opportunity to recruit more followers.
He wrote, “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 complexity 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.”
Traoré had earlier declared in a national address that Burkina Faso would not adopt Sharia law despite having a Muslim-majority population.
The military leader reaffirmed that citizens would remain free to practise their religions but insisted that Islamic law would not become part of the country’s legal system.
He also questioned why some Burkinabé citizens travelled to Saudi Arabia to study Sharia law, suggesting they would have made a greater contribution to national development by acquiring skills in fields such as technology.
Traoré further stated that those studying Sharia abroad should remain outside the country, warning that they would not be allowed to return after completing their studies.