The so-called Supreme Islamic Council and their imams are the very ones the Inspector General of Police must invite to give them a stern warning to desist from hate and bigotry and discrimination against other sections of The Gambian population on account of their religion.
The Supreme Islamic Council is violating The Gambian Constitution in multiple provisions including entrenched provisions by its constant and determined assault on the Ahmaddiya.
Hence now is the time for the police to stand up to protect the rights of the Ahmaddiya. The police cannot arrest a mere university professor for speaking his mind and offering advice to the president yet that same Police remains silent when a religious group spews hate and prejudice against a whole body of citizens.
The IG cannot deny a group of citizens from occupying Westfield for poor electricity services on the basis of national security yet ignores another group that direct insults at another group of Gambians on account of their religion.
If there is any national security issue in this country it is the actions of the Supreme Islamic Council that constitutes the topmost national security issue since 19 January 2017 when Pres. Barrow took over.
The irresponsible and violent and anti democratic stance of the so-called Supreme Islamic Council is a direct threat to the peace and stability of The Gambia. They are sowing the seeds of division and religious intolerance which is the fertile ground for extremism and violence as we see in northern Nigeria with Boko Haram or in Somalia with Alshabab.
The Inspector General must realize that they have a constitutional mandate to protect the human rights and freedoms of all Gambians. If any threats and violence are inflicted on the Ahmaddiya community then it is the IGP that is responsible.
At the same time the Minister of Justice must give advice to the Minister of Interior and the President that they must take action against the Supreme Islamic Council. The Justice Minister cannot remain silent while the police are failing to protect the rights of Gambians. The Justice minister must give legal advice to the relevant authorities that their mandate is to respect the constitution and abide by the rule of law.
Furthermore the Office of the President must call in the Supreme Islamic Council to put it to them that they don’t own Islam. They must be told that they don’t own The Gambia either and they cannot deny or grant permission to any human being to worship anyhow! So let the Supreme Islamic Council contain and confine themselves to their own understanding and practice of Islam and let others also do as they wish.
The rights and lives of the Ahmaddiya are in the hands of Pres. Adama Barrow and Minister of Justice and the Interior Minister and the Inspector General of Police. If anything happens to the Ahmaddiya community it is these public officers who must be held responsible for their failure to execute their duties by law.
All citizens also have a constitutional duty to respect and defend the rights of the Ahmaddiya as gambia citizens by upholding the constitution. If we fail to do so then we are also responsible for anything that befalls the Ahmaddiya. Are we going to fail our duties as a citizen or not?
For The Gambian Our Homeland.
Dont worry. These thugs (SIC members) would want to be arrested to make names for themselves. They are nothing but mere irrelevant sugar-dadis seeking public attention. The police should ignor them just like the Ahmadis are. It will continue to make themlook like mad dogs berking at shadows in the dark, with no sympathy, no onlookers but people redicling them.
I disagree with Madi as his inauspicious article smacks of artificiality and shallowness of judgement.
Madi exhibited farcical knowledge of the almost century old history of Ahmadis proclamation and the principles their religious believe evinced vis a vis mainstream muslims.
It begs belief how shallow it sounds to subjugate majority interest to that minority. It is ironical how someone who call himself muslim would advocate minority sympathy to presupposes the sanctuary of democracy.
where in the world today an organisation, a nation or even an individual does not react to the risk posed by another entity being it a group, another country or another person to its interest. Today’s geopolitics if all about assesing risk to a national from all realms and react accordingly and that is human reality.
If the Muslim majority see the ahmadis as a great threat, they should stay docile because the right of a minority is important, what a fallacy. Ahmadis regard us as kaafirs and we cannot lead them in prayers and any marriage with their believers is null and void. Not only that, they should even pray for our dead even it be their own children. Go and readnthe history not from sunni Ulama but their own books. If you have little know about a matter, it is bettet to stay quiet that mislead people because on the day of qiyamah you will be held accountable for erroneous utterances and whatever you pen.
Anything one submit with vehemence that the muslim should allow ahmadis to be allow a profound media platform like TV to Qafiyanis does not understand the extent and islamic implications of such a stand. It means you are submitting that Rasoolullah was wrong to attack Musalimah alkajab and sarja who also proclaimed that they ate prophets and that Abubacar tye first Calipha was in error in declaring those who refused to pay zakat after the demise of the prophet and thus fought them. All the shahabas evntually rallied arround him and fight both imposters untill they were killed and truth is allowed ti prevail.
Since the time of Bun Jeng, Ahmadis has the audacity to challenge our Ulamas to parade truth of their twisted interpretation of the Qur’an. Now if they are muslims why they see it imperative to convert muslims and people with little religious knowledge wield the democratic wand and proclaim we should not response because it is democracy as if democracy is a establishment of minority interest over majority interest.
I am ready to response to Madi perhaps in my next article. If members pf supreme Islamic jas committed manifest errors during Jammeh regime of intimidation should this be held against them for the rest of their lives, man this incorrect and injustice. Most the people lambasting tuem shoupd be asked, where was your dad during Jammeh era, did he make a stand against yaya’s excesses or he was just as scared as the majority was.
@Lamin Darboe: “Anything one submit with vehemence that the muslim should allow ahmadis to be allow a profound media platform like TV to Qafiyanis……….It means you are submitting that Rasoolullah was wrong to attack Musalimah alkajab and sarja who also proclaimed that they ate prophets…….”
I think the above quotation clearly demonstrates how you (Lamin Darboe) have completely misunderstood what some of us are saying about this Ahmadi TV license issue. My brother Lamin, personally I am not saying that I agree with the Ahmadi Sect and their explanations or justification for their existence and regardless of how many broadcasting platforms they have in the country, I will NEVER belong to their sect.
Notwithstanding, I recognise their rights to belong to the sect, to practice their faith the way they wish and in accordance with the laws of the land, and to enjoy the same fundamental rights, freedoms and protection that The Republic of The Gambia guarantees ALL her citizens and residents. And in this regard, I hold the view that their application for a license to start a TV channel should NOT be treated any differently from, say, that of QTV or any other prospective license applicants.
Nobody here is saying that you (Lamin/SIC/& others) should not subject Ahmadis teachings to scrutiny, expose what you think is wrong in their teachings and even criticise their manner of worship and core beliefs, if different from mainstream Islam, but we must all refrain from using language and/or actions that may likely disturb the peace or constitute infringement of their rights. Let the “battle” to be fought be that of ideas and powerful substantive arguments to win hearts and minds.
After all, GRTS and QTV do show things on their platforms that certainly go against mainstream Islamic Teachings, but neither the SIC, nor people like you, are calling for the revocation of their licenses? Why the double standards?
Lamin,
there is a difference between being scared of a callous dictator on the one side or licking his boots ( and worse) in order to get benefits for oneself on the other side. It is the difference between being part of the people or being part of its suppressers!
Folks, this is not a response to the ill-informed Darboe fellow that is looking for a sparring partner to practice his bullying and self acclaimed debating skills!
I’d say to you all to save your breath as the object of his narratives are becoming increasingly clear and have no place in civilized society.
Clearly, there’s no winning in his twisted version of debating Islam and the Hadith.
His idea of a Mullah is, to crack the whip and wield the sword at what he perceives to be infidels or dissenters.
We’ve read about lost souls. Here’s one in the making alongside the sycophants of an SIC that’s lost all credibility on the ground in The Gambia.