The Hadjerai are a group of people that are found in the northern regions of the African country of Chad. According to the 2000 Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, the geographic landscape of Chad starts with a lowland basin in the south and rises to the mountainous area in the north. The northern mountains, where the Hadjerai make their home, can extend up to altitudes as high as 11,000 feet. The Sahara desert covers the extreme northern parts of the country, where the Hadjerai are also located. The climate is considered to be hot and arid, being consistent with the climate of the Sahara. The country of Chad is divided into two distinct parts. The people of the south are referred to as “southerners” and are mainly black and non-Muslim. The people who inhabit the northern part, often referred to as “northerners” or “gorane,” are Arab people and practice the Muslim religion. These people would include the Hadjerai.
The Hadjerai refer to their God as Allah, which is actually the same God that Christians and Jews worship. They follow the teachings of Muhammad, who was the founder of the Islamic religion. If they had not yet traveled to the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, they would probably be planning a trip there. It is a requirement of the Islamic religion to make a pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetime, if they are able. The Hadjerai were likely victims of torture for practicing Islam religion when the dictator of Chad was Hissein Habre, so most of the people lived their lives in fear of being hurt. Habre was finally indicted in February of 2000, so currently the Hadjerai have the freedom to practice their religion.
CIA - The World Fact Book - "Chad.” http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cd.html. 3 May 2001.
"Ex-Chad Dictator Indicted in Senegal.” Human Rights Watch (3 February 2000) http://www.hrw.org/press/2000/02/hab023.htm. 3 May 2001.
"Islam,” Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. © 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation.
By Andrew Gislason