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Subject:
From:
Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 7 Dec 2007 00:03:26 EST
Content-Type:
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Sister Ginny,
 
Very reasonable and common sensical. I think Suntou will glean a lot of  good 
advice from it.
 
Haroun. MQDT. Darbo. I am not dead yet.
 
In a message dated 12/6/2007 4:40:22 P.M. Mountain Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Hello,  Suntou, the problem is, the members of the SIC, as demonstrated
by Ousman's  quoet, are *in* politics!  It would be different if they
just said  nothing or just didn't comment, but they are making
statements, referring  to "president Jameh's directives", so if that's
not getting involved in  politics, I don't know what is.  I was also
reminded of the statement  by Banding Drammeh regarding the murdered
school children of April 10-11  that they should have "behaved
themselves better", as if he was blaming  them for being coldly
murdered!  So please don't talk to me about  "them not getting involved
in politics".  Whatever!

You also  seem to contradcit yourself by saying that they shouldn't
comment on  Jammeh's actions because it would get them arrested (and
what kinda excuse  is that?).  And then later on saying that they
*should* "do more to  advise Yahya"?  So which is it?  If they
shouldn't advise or  "castigate" Yahya for fear of arrest or reprisal
from Yahya, then how  should they advise him?  Using Hikma and wisdom
is one thing, and a  laudable approach, but we're talking about a guy
who's murdered people in  cold blood, supervised the killing of
innocent people, has made The Gambia  the laughing-stock of the rest of
the world!  What happened to  speaking the truth even if it's against
our own kin?

I'm sorry,  Suntou, I feel you're making too many excuses for the
so-called religious  leaders in The Gambia!  They're not using hikma
and wisdom, they're  seemingly being selfish because they want the
coveted position of being a  member of the SIC, and they know if they
speak out too harshly, then Jameh  will boot them out, so hikma and
wisdom my foot!   Hikma and  wisdom doesn't have anything to do with
it!  And as far as those  speaking out not getting any coverage, you
still haven't told me the who,  what, where, etc., and if they wanted
to speak out, evenif the local media  isn't going to let them, there
are as of now a prolieration of online  Gambian media that can get
their voice out there, so there is no  excuse!

Sometimes I wonder what kind of "Islam" I converted to!   You've got
people running around saying we should make excuses for  so-called
religious leaders who state that the students deserved to be  killed
because they didn't "behave themselves better", sit by and  watch
Jammeh use the Qur'an and Islam in the awful way that he does,  and
then make use of a tradition of visiting Jammeh in the Eid days  (and
yes I know this tradition went back to Jawara and that wasn't  the
point anyway), but they use the time to ask for more vehicles  instead
of making use of the time to admonish Jammeh for his  behavior!


It would have been one thing if the "scholars" had stayed  out of it,
but clearly they have not!  And in this case, they *should*  speak out
against Jammeh, instead of going around campaigning for him  and
telling people to vote for him because "God put him there".

This  is one situation that I thank God that I knew of Islam before I
really knew  the Muslims, because if I didn't, I'd think that Islam
tolerates this sorta  thing!  And it doesn't!  Regarding Somalia, I
don't know what  happened there, but what does it have to do with  our
discussion?

We're talking about The Gambia, not Somalia, totally  different set of
circumstances, methinks.

Ginny



On  12/6/07, Ousman Ceesay <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>  Suntou,
>
> What is troubling to most of us on this issue is the  authoritarian way the
> SIC is trying to operate. Take this sentence  from their press release for
> instance:
>
> "According to  the release presidential directives have       earlier  been
> issued to the effect that there should be no     publication or radio
> programmes in Islamic matters  without       the approval of the  council."
>
> So the SIC armed with a presidential directive is  demanding that citizens 
of
> a secular nation get permission from them  before exercising what is
> purportedly an act between them and their  God.
>
> Ginny is right to bring up the hypocrisy factor. Yahya is  using the Quran 
in
> his AIDS cure madness. If you watch the video, you  will see him rubbing 
some
> kind of ointment on a semi-nude woman with  one hand, while holding the 
Quran
> in the other.Did you hear a word  from Bading Drammeh on that issue? 
However,
> when it comes to the  Ahmadis translating the Quran and announcing it's
> availability...well  how dare they? The president said nobody in the Gambia
> can do that  without Bading and his mighty Supreme council.
>
> Meanwhile we  have civil rights activist like yourself (Suntou) letting your
>  theological disagreement with the Ahmadis cloud your judgment in a  blatant
> case of religious intolerance.
>
>
> SUNTOU  TOURAY <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Ginny,sorry for the  
misspelling
> of your name ,it was an over-site.Ginny if you are  conversant with the
> advice of the messenger of Islam concerning  scholars dealing with rulers 
you
> will realise that the sic did not do  any thing wrong by not openly
> confronting our mad  president.
>
>   Think back to many years ago what  happen in Somalia when scholars try to
> intervene in matters of  politics.many scholars were killed by the communist
> regime in power  and since then somalia never have any respite.again when
> scholars try  to get involve it will the same media people who will start
> banging on  about our coveted secularism . In our day and age Islam is label
> with  all sorts of names and you want yahya to join that bandwagon? if imam
>  fatty for instance start using his sermons to castigate yahya ,he will  be
> locked up like hydara was locked up.did you heard about Imam Hydara  of
> airport mosque ? Scholars most use Hikma or wisdom in dealing with  sitting
> leaders.we have politicians who can challenge the president  using the
> secular constitutions of our country ,no problem.to accuse  an imam or
> scholar of being a T today is very easy .so yes members of  the SIC need to
> do more when it comes to advising yahya ,but since  when did yahya start
> listening to any one? yahya knows
>   he is not suppose do what he is doing .
>
>   on subject  of visiting the president in state house on days of eid,that
> was a  tradition from the days of jawara .the Christan's too visit the
>  president .
> many scholars don't get media attention because that is  not news,but the
> press release was a news item that is why it is being  made a meal out 
of.our
> journalist try to distant them self from  religious affairs as much as they
> possably can ,we are a secular  country they say .but in this issue ,human
> Rights ,religious  rights,constitutional issue,secularism and the rest of 
the
> Geneva  conventions comes into play.the papers can write what they want on
>  this one and they will get an audience.
> Ginny Quick   wrote:
>   Hello, Suntou, OK, now if members of the SIC are  seen openly visiting
> Jammeh for occasions like Eid, etc., and they  don't take the
> opportunity to advise him on things he is doing wrong  (like using
> Islam as a prop in his "ability to cure HIV/AIDS", just to  name one
> example), not to mention possibly even helping him in all of  htis!
> And to my knowledge, I've not seen any member of the Supreme  Islamic
> Counsel speaking out against Jammeh! Yet at the same time,  they want
> to excert some kind of "authority" in who and who doesn't  publish
> translations of the Qur'an and other Islamic texts, I have to  conclude
> that they prefer to use sleective authority!
>
>  Now if individual members of the council are speaking out against
>  Jammeh, that can only be a good thing, obviously, however I'm not
>  aware of it!
>
>
> So to my mind I'm not "generalizing" as I  am not aware of anyone
> "speaking out", the comment you alluded to was  made by someone
> quietly, while the SIC's latest pronouncements are all  over the media,
> which leaves me with the impression that while some  members of the
> council probably do speak out against Jammeh, they'd  rather do it
> quietly, so as not to hurt their position. I mean, if  Jammeh controls
> all of the appoints right down to the local government  councils now,
> who's to say he can't just "appoint" people to this  council?
>
> And when I'm referring to the "council" I'm referring  to the whole
> council, and when the leader of hte council speaks out, I  gather that
> he's representing *all* of the council, and if he is not,  then the
> members who disagree with him need to voice that and not in  the way of
> haivng others speak for htem. In your example, you did not  give a
> name, a time, or a place, the person you referred to, as far as  making
> any public statements, has not done so! It's only an  anecdotal
> statement of "well I know someone who's a member of the  council who
> doesn't support Jammeh". That is all well and good, but  when you have
> the "leader" of the SIC making a statement, I would  assume that he is
> speaking for the whole concil, unless there is  antoher public
> statement to the contrary!
>
> BTW, I love  how my name gets mis-spelled even though it's right there
> in the  header of my message, but anyway.
>
> Your points are well-taken,  but I am not in total agreement iwth them.
>
>  Ginny
>
>
>
> On 12/6/07, SUNTOU TOURAY wrote:
>  > HARUNA,THIS IS NOT ABOUT RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE.the Christan's have  there
> > council that over see the interest of the Gambian  Christians and the
> Muslims
> > also have there own  council.the ahamadiya should apply for there own
> council
> >  to represent them in matters like this.but they don't wish to do that
>  ,they
> > intend to operate like a green snake on a green grass .if  they so wish to
> be
> > under there own command the  constitution allows them that privilege.let
> them
> > apply  for there own authority which will not inter-fare with the rest of
>  the
> > non-ahamadiya followers.
> > as for Genny ,the usual  accusation at sic is mostly wrong allegations.no
> > one is  perfect.if some members approve jammeh ,there are many who openly
> >  speak against him and his military machinery.lets not discredit our
>  scholars
> > for political point.in-fact ,during my stay in the  Gambia recently ,a
> > scholar was ask to refrain from mentioning  politics but his answer was
> ''GOD
> > DON'T CARE WHO THE  RULER IS ,SINCE THAT RULER HIMSELF IS SUBJECT TO GOD'S
> > RULE ''.he  also made a great speech against the military .he advice them
>  to
> > stop harassing fellow citizens and any such maltreatment of  human beings
> > warrant god's wrath.so not all scholars are genuine  but not all of us are
> > genuine also.this man is called Bakawsu  Fofana .his samon can be access 
on
> > www.iladinolong.com .
>  >
> > Haruna Darbo wrote:
> > Ladies & Gentlemen,  Colleagues,
> >
> > I have followed the discussion on the  apparent disagreement between the
> > Supreme Islamic Council and the  Ahmadiyya for the latter's translation of
> > the
> > Qur'an  into some of our local languages. I must say I was both
>  disappointed
> > and
> > confounded in some of the  submissions.
> >
> > In my opinion, The Ahmadiyya are a  missionary group like the Islamic
> Council
> > and the  Christian council. They all vie for the spiritual life of
>  Gambians.
> > Since Gambia is not an Islamic republic, this matter  seems to me a public
> > policy conundrum than anything else.  Citizens must not war over a public
> > policy
> > mistake.  The policy makers ought to make the policy right and consider 
the
> >  debilitating effect of bad policy decisions on the citizenry.
>  >
> > 1. The Islamic Council must not be given the title "The  Supreme Islamic
> > Council".
> >
> > 2. The  Ahmadiyya, like the Christian Brotherhood, and their governing
> >  councils must never come under the purview of the Islamic Council  
without
> > their
> > acquiescence, and if I have any common  sense at all, they will never, and
> > rightfully so.
>  >
> > 3. To foster religious fraternity and harmony, A "Council on  Religion"
> ought
> > to be created with equal representatives  from all religions, even the
> > religions founded or to be founded  by Gambians.
> >
> > 4. Gambia is a nation of religious  tolerance and freedom of religion. It
> is
> > a bad idea to  feign preference for Islam. I am a muslim and I prefer the
> >  Islamic Lifestyle. However, to be a true muslim, I must recognize the
>  > freedoms of
> > people of other faiths. Someone accepted the  Ahmadiyya and Christian
> > brotherhoods as missionaries in Gambia.  They have done a lot of selfless
> > good. They
> > do not  force anyone to convert. The Islamic brotherhood must follow the
> >  example of these other religions and remain honest to the divine  spirit.
> It
> > is not
> > decided that Islam is the  best religion for anyone's salvation. If we 
give
> > the Islamic  Council free reign over our spiritual lives at the expense of
> >  other
> > spiritual nourishment, we will live to regret it and die to  proceed to
> > hellfire.
> >
> > Laa Hawala walaa  khuwwata, Illa Billaah, Li-Aliyyul Atheem.
> >
> > Haroun  Masoud. MQDT Darbo. Al Mutawakkil. If Islam is the best religion
>  for
> > salvation, I would like Allah, subhaanahu wa-ta aala, to take  my life
> before
> > I awake in the morn.
> >
>  > Thank you.
> >
> > Haroun Masoud
> >
>  >
> >
> > **************************************Check out  AOL's list of 2007's
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