Marabout face

Religion | A different kind of Islam dominates the West African nation of Senegal, where voodoo is a regular part of life | Courtney Russell in Touba, Senegal

Senegal is 94 percent Muslim according to the 2004 CIA Factbook —but what does that mean in practice? Maybe this: On Fridays, the holy day, 10,000 people enter the sacred mosque here barefoot, the men carrying prayer beads and the women wearing head coverings and long skirts. They go to please Allah—but when it’s time to pass an exam many practice African magic.

In the mid-19th century, marabouts (Muslim clerics) led violent jihads against the pagan rulers and people in Senegal, but today the marabouts preach “tolerance” and Muslims often secretly practice voodoo. “I say ‘I don’t believe,’ but I practice it secretly. I use potions and powers. And I’m educated,” says Haby, a Senegalese woman wearing high heels, who says that it’s common for Senegalese to deny they practice magic. On the streets you see Islam, but in the dark you’ll find voodoo.