Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently welcomed Sheikh Chérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara, president of the High Islamic Council in Mali, to Church sites in Utah. His Eminence is a leader of millions of Muslims in West Africa and surrounding areas.
| Elder D. Todd Christofferson greets Sheikh Chérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara, president of the High Islamic Council in Mali during a meeting in Salt Lake City Utah on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 8 |
The Muslim leader is traveling with his family, advisors and Yeah Samaké, a native of Mali and political figure in the country. Samaké, a Latter-day Saint, is a graduate of Brigham Young University.
The delegation met with Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the Presidency of the Seventy and other Church leaders on Temple Square on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
Elder Christofferson presented Haïdara with a French copy of the Book of Mormon.
The dignitaries toured Welfare Square and the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, November 10. They attended Sunday’s broadcast of “Music and the Spoken Word” and took a tour of the Conference Center. On Monday, they attended the open house of the Orem Utah Temple and visited the BYU campus in Provo.
Haïdara espouses the Sufi tradition of interfaith relations and peace building through religious influence in Mali and surrounding areas.