Friends,
can any of you try and enlighten me. Why is it, that over the years I have
travelled in some muslim African countries, I never found the
veil-tradition practised by African women like their sisters in the Middle
East or Arab cultures?
Why is it that after  hundred years of islamic practise in The Gambia, that
it is first now that the gambian scholars and the muslim families has
started this tradition?
Where in the books is it said, that the women should cover themselves when
going to school, job, in the streets?
As I understand one of my muslim friends it is said, that women should only
do so (cover the head),  when they take their prayers.  But please try and
enlighten me a bit on this issue.
I have read Imam  Abdoulie Fatty reference to my Bible: "Corinthians chapter
11, verse 5". Try and read it yourself, but read from the beginning of
chapter 11 and up to verse 17 and try make a conclusion.
For me it is clear, that Paul tells the congregations, that the tradition
tells the women  to cover their heads, when the congregations has assembly
and make prayers. 
This tradition has been practised in my catholic church up till now. You
will find many catholic women come to church wearing headscarf. They take it
off after church and prayers.

Regards Asbjørn Nordam

on 09/08/03 14:34, Momodou Camara at [log in to unmask] wrote:

> Are Christians Intolerant to Muslims?
> 
> http://allafrica.com/stories/200308080599.html
> 
> The Independent (Banjul)
> OPINION
> August 8, 2003
> Posted to the web August 8, 2003
> 
> By Pa Modou Bojang
> Banjul
> 
> According to a survey conducted in the Gambia by the Federation of Gambia
> Muslim's Students Organisation (FEGAMSO), a total of 7, 650 girl students
> wear veil to schools. Threatened by this phenomenon, the Christian mission
> schools decreed that no student should wear the veil to school. It all
> started few years ago at St. Peter's Senior Secondary School where female
> students were embroiled in a fierce confrontation with the school
> authorities concerning the veil issue. As matters got worsened students
> took the authorities to task, but eventually the matter was resolved, and
> students were allowed to veil.
> 
> Students in other schools threaded along the same bumpy and rough road to
> connive with teachers to counter what they referred to as "Isamization of
> Christian schools", which is contrary to the rules of the school and
> Christian doctrines.
> 
> Currently, schools that are involved in the problem include Gambia Senior
> Secondary School and St. Therese's where students on veils were not allowed
> to sit to exams.
> 
> Adamant in their stance and faith students took the bull by the horns,
> saying "We prefer being expelled from school rather than unveiling, we fear
> God more than a mortal being." The situation at St. Therese's became so
> tense that authorities had to order the closure of the school and allowed
> students to sit to exams.
> 
> The Christian community pointed fingers at some religious leaders, accusing
> them for fuelling tension in Christian schools. Many feared that the issue
> would further plunge the two religious denominations into dispute and
> intolerance.
> 
> Virtually, Christians based their arguments on the assumption that veiling
> is against the rules and regulation of the schools. Muslims on the other
> hand insisted that it is in tandem with Shariah making it mandatory for
> every Muslim woman.
> 
> At the helm of the controversy, government had to announce that veil must
> be allowed in all schools in the country, be it Christian or Muslim.
> 
> The secretary of state for Education Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta
> 
> commented thus: "My ministry is pleased to announce the wearing of veils by
> girls in all schools in The Gambia. However, the school authorities must
> choose the colour of the veil. But this does not mean that girls will cover
> the whole of their body to school. That will not be acceptable by the
> government. If anybody wants to cover your whole body, then the best for
> you to do is to transfer to Islamic school."
> 
> Haja Kebbeh, Gambia Senior Secondary Student
> 
> "We are ready to leave school rather than throw away the veil. We are doing
> it in line with Islamic teachings and principles. We are committed to what
> we are doing because as Muslim students, we pray in school, which implies
> that we must cover our body during prayers time.
> 
> We wonder why the school authorities are going against the veil after all
> religions in the world advocate women to cover their body as a way of
> safeguarding chastity. Let them expel us but we will continue to wear the
> veil."
> 
> St. Therese's Girl Students
> 
> "We thank and extend praise to Allah for guiding us to the right path.
> 
> We have not been instigated by anyone, but decided to vein upon receiving
> guidance from Allah. This attracted eyebrows from the school authorities
> that remained defiant that we should throw away the veil.
> 
> But we are committed to the veil, and we wear it at all times. We sleep
> with it. We are ready to leave school rather than abandon the veil.
> 
> Contrary to claims, nobody is sponsoring us. We count on Allah's support
> and hope that He will make us steadfast in our faith. We fear none except
> Allah alone. Those who don't want to see us wearing the headscarf will die
> of grudge."
> 
> Imam Abdoulie Fatty of State House
> 
> "The fact is that there is lack of proper Islamic conduct in The Gambia
> otherwise the veil issue will never raise controversy or heated debate.
> 
> All schools should allow girls to wear hijab to school because it has
> nothing to do with performance of the girl child. Whether the school
> authorities want it or not, students will veil themselves by Allah's will.
> The veil issue will undoubtedly put many parents into hell if they fail to
> ask Allah's forgiveness. It is an irony to hear parents lamenting against
> the veil calling it a new thing in The Gambia. Such statements are
> misleading and offensive to God's sanctity. It is therefore incumbent on
> the government to stick to right Islamic teachings, than to fear any mortal
> being. They have the powers to succumb to good morals in the society or
> else fear God's wrath on the day of judgement.
> 
> "Those veiled students should be steadfast in their faith because God loves
> them that was why they see the light. The Holy Quran has advised believing
> men to ask their daughters and wives to cover their whole body so that they
> would attract other men. We have been praying to God to instill faith in
> our wives and daughters so that they would continue to veil themselves. It
> is a clear proof that God has started answering our prayers but it is
> surprising for a handful of people to go against the veil. These are the
> real Satan. Surely with Allah's powers, girls in Western schools will
> continue to wear the veil unhindered."
> 
> Imam Saja Fatty of Tallinding Central Mosque
> 
> "A big judgement awaits the parents who signed the school rule that their
> daughters will not cover their heads while in school. This gives power to
> school authorities to bar Muslim girl students from practicing their
> religion in school. The Gambia is 98% Muslim population, meaning that our
> voice should be raised to the highest zenith."
> 
> Alh Afang Essa Bojang, the Imam of Manduar
> 
> "The veil matter shouldn't be a big issue in The Gambia if 98% of our
> country's population are Muslims. I may wonder why some people frown at
> veil since it plays crucial place in Islamic teachings. This order came
> from Allah that woman should cover the whole of her body except the face
> and hands. It is incumbent on Muslim parents to inculcate Islamic teachings
> into their children both in and out of school. Then the authorities
> concerned should not bar girls from wearing veil to schools. We are praying
> for religious tolerance in the country."
> 
> An Islamic scholar
> 
> "I squarely blame Imam Fatty for fuelling what happens at St. Therese's
> because he called on girl students to wear the veil to school. Gambian
> girls are not used to putting on the veil, so how can they be used to it
> overnight. The problem is not the Christians but Muslims who double speak
> on the issue."
> 
> Alieu Sillah, Islamic Student
> 
> "I am surprised to hear that the Christians are against their own Biblical
> teachings. Perhaps they don't know or are trying to ignore that truth. The
> Bible (I mean the unaltered one) advised women and girls to cover their
> body but only Sisters at the Church are obeying this rule. What about other
> Christian ladies? Are they above the Biblical teachings? Are they not
> supposed to follow their own holy book?
> 
> I implore Muslims clerics to tackle the veil issue as soon as possible
> because this could spark off religious intolerance in the country in
> future?"
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Copyright © 2003 The Independent. All rights reserved. Distributed by
> AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to:
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
> To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web
> interface
> at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~