​Mauritania: The spiritual laundering of ill-gotten wealth 

  Between mosques, pilgrimages and sacred impunity. In Mauritania, where the religious word is often more redoutée than the law, l’argent mal acquis ne reste jamais long suspect.. It is quickly laundered, not in offshore banks, but in mosques, pilgrimages, public zakat and teleguided sermons. A moral purification takes place, not before justice or society, but before the religious appearance by mobilizing God as an advocate and religion as a machine to wash the suspected fortunes. The mosques are like spiritual laundries. It is not uncommon to see politicians, businessmen or military men building a mosque in their village of origin or in a popular neighborhood, often with financing from the Gulf (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Emirates) obtained in the name of Islam. On the plans sent, it is sometimes de complexes dignes de Médine; dans la réalité, on obtient une simple salle de prière avec des murs de briques non crépis.