Greetings Ebrima:
I know you have stated that you will not engage in religious issues on the
list and that is quite alright. However, it would not be fair for you to
have your say on this matter then quickly bring the discussion to an end
before others have the opportunity to respond. So allow me to respond to
your postings on the Soyinka - Mazrui issue.

In your first posting which provoked a response from me, you said:
"But the first point to note, which is an important one, is that Soyinka is
a devout Christian and Mazrui a devout Muslim. "

I suppose to further support your point you alluded to how Soyinka came to
the defend Rushdie. If you are suggesting by this sitation the christianess
of Soyinka, I'll have to say that I do not see it. Knowing the positions and
works of Soyinka well should have led you to a different conclusion. An
argument for intellectual freedom would have been more inline with Soyinka's
position.

Now, in my posting I said: "I am not sure if the fight between Soyinka and
Mazrui can be neatly bottled into a christian vs. muslim paradigm as Ebrima
seems to suggest."  I further state: "Does Soyinka's works not utilize a
traditional African religious (i.e. Yoruba) backdrop more so than a
christian one?"

Your response then seemed to be an over-reaction. This is what you stated:
>What I can say to you is that your opinion is your opinion and my opinion
>is my opinion. You do not have to agree with me. Religion is a very
>sensitive issue and that's why I do not even want to debate the subject. I,
>for one, will not entertain a debate on religion on the L.
>

Interesting!

In a follow-up posting, not solicited since Ebrima had already stated that
he does not want to debate:

>I'll expose - or attempt to expose - the Yuroba "mafias'" hands in
Nigeria politics, including his own hand, and ask him whether Africa needs
leaders who believe in the superiority of one tribe to the other. To be fair
to the Yorubas, the Nigerian Northerners who are Muslims are also guilty of
these tribal sentiments in Nigerian politics.
>

Well, at least now you are expanding your argument to look at the Yoruba
dimension albeit what you call the 'Yoruba "mafias"'.

In you third posting, you state:

>If you could recall, I did say, the other day, that Wole Soyinka is a
>devout Christian and Ali Mazrui a devout Muslim, but my good brother
>Latjorr Ndow held a different view.
>

So I take it the debate on religion is not closed? Anyway, if you refer back
to my posting, I NEVER 'held a different view' on the religious practices of
Mazrui or Soyinka! What I questioned was whether you can neatly bottle the
debate/fight between these two Africans in a christian vs. muslim affair!

Since I do not mind discussing religion, I think I will continue. I noticed
that the prof. you called to back your case which is all your creation and
not mine, did not actually say whether Soyinka was a christian or not,
rather that he comes from a christian family. I observe further that she
says; "but I understand he now uses an African religion (Yoruba) as well,
and in fact he feels very strongly about it"..."
Hmm...

You then stated:
>Asked further whether I was right or wrong in accusing him of having a
>pro-Yoruba agenda/bias,..."

My good friend, when did you make this accusation? Certainly not in your
earlier postings on this subject which I was responding to.

You further convey the telephone interview you say you had with another
prof. in this manner:
>
>He said while Wole Soyinka's works hardly conveys his religious beliefs,
>he, nonetheless, strongly believes and defends his religion at all times.
>

Which religion are we talking about? If you are talking about christianity
then I will have to ask you who made the assertion which prompted you to ask
this question?
Further, you say:
>according to this veteran professor, that differences
>in religion or beliefs have indeed been ONE of the MAJOR root causes of the
>hostility between the two scholars.
>"But now there is more to it than just religion", the veteran professor
>declared.

I think this is what I was saying all along! (smile)

I will close with your own profound words: "This is why in this 21st
century, it is more than necessary, that we develop very critical minds
which are capable of separating the facts from the fictions at all times,
regardless of whether the speaker is a politician, a big name professor or a
journalist like myself. " -
Latjor
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