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Jammeh Castigates Gambian Muslims, Seeks Friendship with Islamic Nations
Sunday, 09 October 2011 17:45
Taking money from distant Muslims and lambasting own neighbour Muslims(Opinion) - In what appeared as total disrespect for the dead, Gambia’s president Yahya Jammeh is on record making derogatory remarks on the Muslim cemetery of Banjul, capital of the tiny West African country. Just after coming to power in July 1994, army coup leader Jammeh began to make public addresses. He meant to instil discipline and good behaviour.
Jammeh who was brought up as Christian is now portraying himself as the most devout Muslim by way of dressing and through friendship with leaders of Muslim countries including Libya and Iran where he acquired control tactics having close ties with the leaders of Libya and Iran. Libya has been instrumental training Gambians to carry out high handed terror style fear induced control over the population. Iran has been supplying war weapons to keep the Jammeh government fully armed as though a country under threat of war.
In principle, President Yahya Jammeh is seen a Muslim according to his line of friendship with Muslim leaders with open hands to receive huge monetary and financial gifts from Libya and Iran especially. The irony is how Jammeh is so unhappy with Muslims of Gambia that he blames the natural disaster of erosion washing away the graves on Banjul’s sea side as curse for drunken Muslim social life and bad behaviour.
Jammeh blamed the sea erosion of Banjul graves on drunken Muslims buried therein
For those who may not be familiar with the geography, Gambia’s capital Banjul is located in an island with the entire settlement sitting on soft beach sand. Early
settlers had burials for Muslims and Christians adjacent to each other between the sea and a single carriage road to and from Banjul. For many years, the burial place was in use until about some years ago when population pressure coupled with sea erosion made it no longer sustainable for the Muslim side to be used any further. Some tomb stones have sunken in and slowly sea eats land towards the narrow strip of road. It has not been that severe with the Christian side. So there is still land available for burial. Migration from Banjul to the suburbs meant that other locations are used by Christians for burial. Banjul Muslim burial ground has long been relocated to a wider space in the outskirts.
Rather than paying respect to the dead and taking sea erosion as natural phenomenon army chief Jammeh back in the maiden days of his leadership openly assaulted Gambian Muslims in ways that many still don’t forget. Jammeh was addressing the issue of antisocial behaviour warning the population to desist from misconduct. It was on that occasion when Jammeh said that Gambian Muslims are not well behaving. He cited erosion of the Muslim cemetery as symbol of punishment from God due to the drunken behaviour of Muslims and other bad ways. To back his point, he asked Muslims to look at how the Christian cemetery adjacent stays intact. In the views of Jammeh Gambian Muslims are suffering a curse as God has shown by sinking Muslim graves and leaving Christian graves safe.
Religious tolerance and social harmony in Gambia
Gambia is one country endowed with high level religious tolerance. It is one of the greatest social values every Gambian prides of. Though the population is said to be about 90% Muslims, anyone visiting the country in December during the Christmas and New Year seasons will be surprised. Christmas is celebrated in much the same way that every Muslim feast is observed throughout the country.
Muslims and Christian intermarry and attend funerals or naming ceremonies as part of shared social events. There is no religious discrimination. Even non-religious members of Gambian society enjoy great respect from rest of the population. Social relation in Gambia is so mutually inclusive that the naked eye is unable to pick where a person belongs by way of dress and association. It is such healthy social values that make Gambia a culturally rich and great nation.
Dressing the Muslim way to get Muslim votes
With the Muslim population of Gambia said to be almost 90% it makes lot of political sense for anyone seeking to lead the nation wear a Muslim face mask. This has worked for Gambia coup leader who now after 17 years forced rule still wants to stay on for more terms of office.
Critics of president Jammeh say that he is still a Christian by heart and Muslim by facial appearance. He is seen to be carrying what many think is copy of the Muslim holy book. Although nobody has seen Jammeh open that book in public, it is still considered by many as his way of making the Muslim population believe that he is true believer of Islam.
Since coming to power by coup, Jammeh has not only sought friendship with leaders of Muslim countries including especially Libya and Iran, he also organised Gambian Muslim religious elders and supports mosque building projects for various communities in what many see as bid for popular support.
Jammeh is seen making friends with Muslim political leaders dressing like a Muslim king or “frosted imam” as once described Gambian journalist Fatou Jaw Manneh. It is still a damaging piece of information that Jammeh blames the erosion of Banjul Muslim graves on drunken and bad behaviour of the nation’s 90% Muslim majority he now relies on to vote him for the fourth term as president.
Should Muslims vote for a president that castigates them?
Religious tolerance has reached climax in Gambia. Gambia has not been divided on religious lines and not likely that the remarks by president Jammeh will cause tension. While the population of Muslims is large enough, Gambia is still not an Islamic state in the sense Libya and Iran are known to be. President Jammeh has Muslim friends and receives lot of good gifts from Muslim nations. It is no crime in Gambia for president Jammeh to restore his Christian faith. He is called James. Gambians will still consider him who he is and not vote against him as Christian casting Muslims in disguise as one of their own.
Jammeh claims he brought lot of development over 17 years since he seized power through a coup. The remark that Muslim graves are washed away by sea waves due to drunken and bad behaviour when taken serious can be a political score point for or against Mr Jammeh’s ambition of ruling Gambia as life president. Due to religious tolerance, some Gambians will not take note of Jammeh’s hostile position against the nation’ 90% Muslim population although he wears mask liken to a frosted imam. It is election time and no doubt, Mr Jammeh needs all imams and their mosque congregation to vote him in for another five year political term. Will they reciprocate for the millions of Dalasi donation he made? In Gambia, most imams have succumbed to political patronage. Some of them are given air tickets and pocket money for pilgrimage to Mecca. It is already too hard to tear religion and politics apart due to high scale social pollution.
Written by Sarjo Bayang
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Comments
I suppose the collapse of part of the State House Wall which exposed his back yard is also a CURSE from God.
If he can't see erosion as a natural phenomenon,whic h has affected that cemetery when he was still in school,then what hopes have we got with this man. Where will his delusion take him ? After Aids, Ninkanka killing or banishing, etc .. What next ? May be to claim prophethood and I won't put it past him.
How did he know that God was punishing Muslims for their behaviour ? Why did God single Muslims out Mr Jammeh ? Surely evil and drunkenness is across the board in The Gambia.
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