The Tijaniyya Around the World

[RACINE DIA]

The following countries have known Tijani communities residing there. This remains a work in progress. Please contact us to correct a current description, create a missing description, or add your country.

Sub-Saharan Africa

* Benin
* Burkina Faso
* Chad
* Ethiopia
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Ivory Coast
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Senegal
* South Africa
* Togo

Middle East and North Africa

* Algeria
* Egypt
* Libya
* Morocco
* Palestine
* Saudi Arabia
* Syria
* Tunisia
* Turkey

Asia

* India
* Indonesia
* Malaysia
* Pakistan

Europe

* Albania
* France
* Germany
* Italy
* Russia
* Spain
* United Kingdom

Americas

* Brazil
* Canada
* Columbia
* Guyana
* Puerto Rico
* Trinidad
* United States

Europe

The Tijaniyya in Albania

The Tijaniyya was first established in Albania through Shaykh Muhammad Sha’ban Efendi Domnori (1868-1934) in the northern city of Shkodra. Shaykh Sha’ban took the Tijani wird in Mecca in 1918 from Sayyid Abd al-Qadir Minhaji. Tijanis soon made a name for themselves as some of the most renowned scholars in Albania, as several muftis, imams and professors became affiliated with the order. Of particular note has been al-Hajj Hafiz Sabri Koci (d. 2003), who served for a time as Albania’s head mufti. One of the most charismatic current shaykhs of the order is Sheh Faik Hoja, who served as mufti of Shkodra until 2003. Shaykh Faik attended the 2007 conference of the Tijaniyya in Algeria, where he presented a detailed history of the Tijaniyya in Albania. (Yahoo! Groups)

Americas

The Tijaniyya in Brazil

There is a small but growing group of Tijanis in Brazil. Many are West African immigrants, but several are Brazilian Muslims who have recently become affiliated with the order through the initiatory chain (silsilah) of Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse. Influential shaykhs in the country have been Shaykh Hassan Cisse (Senegal) and Shaykh al-Hajj Mishry (Mauritania), both of whom have visited Brazil. Another important muqaddam for the Brazilian community has been Allie Arend, a South African student of Shaykh Hassan Cisse who is fluent in Portuguese and has only recently moved from Brazil to Turkey. Resident in Brazil is Abdul Karim Taha, a Brazilian convert to Islam who has also been appointed muqaddam by Hajja Ashaki Taha-Cisse, one of Shaykh Hassan’s muqaddams in New York.

The Tijaniyya in Guyana

The Tijaniyya is not yet widely known in Guyana, but a few important figures have emerged. Shaykh Zakir Khan of the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana took the Tariqa directly from Shaykh Hassan Cisse during one of the Shaykh’s visits to Cairo. Shaykh Zakir received his B.A. from Azhar University in Shari’a Law and was in close contact with several Senegalese, Nigerian and American Tijani students in Cairo. Some Guyanese Muslims in New York have also become affiliated to the Tijaniyya. Of note is Bahir Wrights, who maintains close relations with Imam Sayyid Abdussalam, a prominent muqaddam of Shaykh Hassan Cisse in Brooklyn.

The Tijaniyya in Trinidad

The Tijaniyya has witnessed recent growth in Trinidad through the establishment of the “Zawiya Muhammadiyya” in Tabaquite and an NGO called “the African Caribbean Institute of Nasrul Ilm.” Muqaddam Muhammad Abdullahi James (the founder of both), who has studied in Senegal under Shaykh Hassan Cisse, has arranged several high profile visits of Tijani scholars, such as Shaykh Mahi b. Ali Cisse, Imam Sayyid Abdussalam and Hajja Ashaki Taha-Cisse. A report of one such trip can be found here (http://home.earthlink.net/~halimcisse/mar-07.html). The Tijaniyya has spread mostly among Muslims of African descent, but there are a few exceptions. Another prominent Tijani scholar in Trinidad is Dr. Musa Mohamed, originally from Sudan but who has made his home in Trinidad and who works closely with Muqaddam James.