Ansar Al-Sharia fi Bilad Shinqit (), better known as Ansar al-Sharia in Mauritania was a small radical Islamist group that operated in

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

Background

The Mauritanian Ansar al-Sharia was established by Islamists jailed in the Dar Naïm central prison on 11 February 2013. Ahmed Salem Ould al-Hassan, one of the group's founders, described its purpose as combating secularists, implementing

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

, and reinstating the position of Islamic scholars within the nation. The group was said to have been influenced by the founding and activities of Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia). At the time of its founding, it was joined by some

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

s from extremist mosques and a very few Mauritanian Islamist politicians.

References

{{Militant Islamism in Sub-Saharan Africa Rebel groups in Mauritania Islam in Mauritania Jihadist groups