Ibrahim Mukhtar

Ibrahim Mukhtar (1909-1969) was the first mufti of Eritrea. He was a student of Al-Azhar University and received a degree in Islamic Jurisprudence. Ibrahim Mukhtar was also the author of "The Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence", which remains a reading requirement at Al-Azhar University.

In 1939 he was appointed the position of Mufti of Eritrea by the Italian Colonial administrators (at the behest of Muslim leaders in Eritrea). He also served as Chairman of the Islamic Eritrean Endowment Council and of the Council of Eritrean Scholars.

Ibrahim Mukhtar also, "...reformed the Sharia courts and established a formal and modern court system with formal rules and proper procedures."cite web|url=http://www.mukhtar.ca/contentN.php?type=viewarticle&id=75&category=ebio_mukhtar|title=Biography of Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Mukhtar Ahmed Omer, the First Mufti of Eritrea|accessdate=2006-11-07] He also argued that the Arabic and Tigrinya languages should be the official languages of Eritrea, though this never came to pass. During the Eritrean War for Independence he called for negotiation to address the root causes of the conflict.

Ibrahim Mukhtar established the largest Islamic library in the country and donating more than 3,000 books from his own personal collection. [cite web|url=http://www.ifaanet.org/Economicr/Reusom_article.htm|title=Is there a good prospect of education for the younger generation in Eritrea?|date=2006-05-06|accessdate=2006-11-07|author=Resoum Kidane]

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