Berkley Center

Imam Chérif Mballo is the president and founder of the Ali Yacine Association, a Shi’ite organization based in Senegal. He has studied philosophy, Islamic law, and Arabic in Iran and Lebanon, in addition to receiving his diploma of advanced studies in Senegal. Although Mballo is Shi’ite, he is the imam of a Mouride (Sufi order) mosque, leading sermons by highlighting the unifying aspects of the different belief systems. Mballo is also a researcher at Cheikh Anta Diop University, has been involved in the Senegalese Islamic Movement for over three decades, and serves as the secretary general of the Committee for the Support of Palestine in Senegal. His passion for inter- and intra-religious harmony is illustrated in his research, activism, and religious duties.