Cheikh Oumar Diagne, the close friend of President Diomaye Faye who is causing controversy

In the corridors of the presidential palace in Dakar, the advisers of the head of state Bassirou Diomaye Faye mock him by calling him ” teacher “in reference to religious vocabulary. Presidential resources director Sheikh Oumar Diagne oversees dozens of employees responsible for the administration of the palace.

He is also a Muslim intellectual who wrote a long book, The hermeneutics of dreamsan important area of ​​Islamic spirituality. Lastly, he is a frequent subject of controversy, and has been the target of criticism from the opposition for several weeks. To the point that some are wondering whether he has not become a thorn in the side of the president.

The man does not hesitate to give an interview and he receives him in his modest apartment in a residential area of ​​Dakar, a good hour from the palace where he works every day. In his white and gold living room, he sits without taking off his habar kada, a traditional Nigerian hat. “I love everything that comes from Africa, from Morocco to the Congo.” he smiled.

Since early September, Diagne has been the target of criticism from the Mouride and Tidjane communities, two powerful Sufi brotherhoods in Senegal. At issue: his statements according to which the writings of leading figures of the brotherhood such as Cheikh Ibrahima Niass or El Hadji Malick Sy are questionable and may be subject to criticism. Since then, members of these brotherhoods have demanded the dismissal of the person concerned and have threatened to organize demonstrations in Dakar.

“He harmed people from the brotherhoods”

By August, the marabouts were already upset that the presidency had refused last-minute expenses to accommodate guests at the Grand Magal of Touba, the annual pilgrimage of the Mouride brotherhood. At the time, Diagne justified his decision by rationalising the palace’s expenses. Enough so that he was accused of holding anti-Sufi Salafi views.

“I am a Sufidefends himself. I’m going to Fez in ziyara [en arabe, le terme désigne les pèlerinages sur les tombeaux de saints] to pay tribute to Sheikh Tijani, the founder of Tijaniya”brotherhood to which his father was affiliated before him. But he loudly claims the right to debate with the marabouts and to discuss “of the earthly and human work of the figures of the brotherhoods”.

“He hurt people in the brotherhoods. Some of the things he says are acceptable, but there is also a question of the way of doing things, of the method.”explains Cheikh Gueye, a researcher and disciple of Mouridism. Without deviating from his good nature, supported by religious and erudite quotes, Mr. Diagne assumes his positions and his comments, which are rare in Senegal.

“We like Cheikh Oumar Diagne or not, but he has an influence and represents something new. Before, there were secular intellectuals on one side and marabouts on the other. He is a religious man who dares to speak freely about the brotherhoods and debates with the secular people. “, confesses a renowned writer on condition of anonymity.

His outbursts get him into trouble with the law.

A television and radio enthusiast, and a master of the codes of social media, Mr. Diagne has gained a certain notoriety in recent years. In 2015, he founded a small party, the Rally for Truth. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, then an opposition figure, was present at the launching ceremony. Sheikh Oumar Diagne’s outbursts quickly landed him in trouble with the law.

In 2022, less subtle when it comes to moral issues than religious exegesis, he accuses a deputy from President Macky Sall’s camp of being in the pay of an alleged “LGBT lobby”taking advantage of the wave of homophobia across the country. Accused of defamation, he is imprisoned.

In 2024, while the protests against the former head of state were in full swing, he was arrested again, like many opponents, for unclear reasons. Detained in Cap Manuel prison in Dakar, he met a certain Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The current president then sleeps in the adjoining cell. “It made a strong impression on me. I decided to support his campaign as soon as we were released.”Mr. Diagne smiles. A few weeks after his release from prison, Mr. Diomaye Faye entered the palace.

The opposition won’t let him go

Would you resign if it damages the image of the head of state? “Without hesitation. I joined him because I believe in him and his project. I would resign if I felt I could serve any of them.”he snapped, raising his hand as if to curse.

The opposition is no longer letting itself be carried away. When he proposed equipping the presidential palace with a mosque, Moustapha Diakhaté, a former deputy of the presidential majority, attacked “Islamist and reactionary comments”. “I was thinking of a simple prayer room for the palace employees.” Mr. Diagne smiles. Before bidding: “And I have nothing against the term Islamist. I believe, for example, that we should create religious courts alongside secular courts, so that every citizen can access the justice of their choice.” And if Diagne says nothing, his detractors find something to attack him on in old videos. Some, to reinforce their accusations of his irresponsibility, have dug up his statements according to which the former king of Morocco, Hassan II, was a Freemason.

At the palace, the president’s entourage is downplaying the criticism. “The opposition seeks to undermine the president and looks for angles of attack. It became one”We whispered to Pastef (African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity), the presidential party.