Cerno Bokar was a devout Muslim who devoted his life to acquiring a deeper understanding of Islam, and to searching for what he considered to be the universal truths that reside at the core of all religions, a search that was marked by ceaseless and persistent questioning. But toward the end of his life the personal religious commitment of this humble and tolerant man was challenged, and he became the victim of destructive political tensions then raging in colonial French West Africa.