Got the following message from Ebraima saidy, the imam involved in the FGM
debate in Norway.
11/10/00
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH , MOST GRACIOUS MOST MERCIFUL
THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT (NORGE)
POST BOKS 1956 VIKA SENTER: SCHWEIGAARDSGT. 32
0125 OSLO 0191 OSLO
NORWAY NORWAY
TEL: 22179795
Press Release
The Independent in one of it's last issues carried an article entitled:
TWO
GAMBIAN IMAMS FACE PROSECUTION IN NORWAY - this was in connection with
the
ongoing debate on FGM. The Norwegian daily "Dagbladet" was quoted as
its
source.
As one of the two Imams in question I would like to react as follows.
First, I was utterly dismayed that a supposedly serious paper like the
Independent would in this age of technology and fast communication
carry such an article about us (Gambians abroad) without contacting us first
for our comments and at least obtain a balanced view of the whole matter.
Secondly, I am Imam of The Islamic Movement (Norge) and Sheikh Tijan
Jeng is our Secretary General. Kebba Secka, also implicated in the said TV
documentary on FGM, is up till now president of the Islamic Council of
Norway. He is also a founding member of The Islamic Movement (Norge).
The Islamic Movement has about 900 members, 90% of whom are Gambians.
Fakeba Jagana, on the other hand, is the Imam of The Islamic Solidarity
Society, a small group of some 84, mostly Gambians who broke away from
The Islamic Movement a couple of years ago after an internal conflict.
We therefore, completely dissociate ourselves from whatever he may have
said or done on the so called doumentary or elsewhere.
As to myself and Kebba however, let me first point out that the Senior
Norwegian State Counsel handling the case at the Attorney General's
Chambers Bjørn Christian Soknes has so far told the press that they have not
found any incriminating evidence on either of us from the hidden cameras.
There is therfore, no grounds for prosecution.
Kadra, the 20 year old Norwegian girl of Somali origin on whom the
hidden camera and microphone were placed came to me on a very busy day at
the
mosque several months ago dressed in a traditional Somali (chaddor)
veil. I had to loan the adjoining offices of The Gambia Association to talk
to
her.
She then posed as a poor helpless 15year old girl whose parents wanted
to send her back to Somalia with a younger sister for the traditional FGM
ritual. I first reacted by telling her that this was a purely
traditional practice which had very little, if anything at all to do with
religion.
I then suggested to her as a first step to try to talk to her parents
directly (as she sounded so intelligent and mature). I said she could talk
to
them herself and try to make them change their minds. She however pointed
out to me that this was impossible. They wouldn't listen to her. I then
asked if she had any relatives; extended family members or family friends in
Norway who could help her in this case. There was no such person for her,
she
said. Then I offered to mediate directly. I was ready to talk to her
parents on her behalf and possibly get them to change their minds.
"No", she said - "they wouldn't like that."
What can we possibly do now? I was running out of ideas. This was
precisely when the young girl herself brought up the sensitive,
delicate and important issue of obedience to one's parents. Now what was I,
an
Imam, a spiritual leader, supposed to tell this innocent young Muslim girl
(as
she seemed at the time) in this highly materialistic secular society. Do
not do as your parents say and the result would be to give them away to the
authorities. She would then become one of the children of the Child -
Welfare Office's institutions. We have seen these children time and
time again snatched away from the custody of their usually semi-illeterate
immigrant parents and placed in forster homes and/or institutions. The
vast majority of them grow up into wild youg adults, hardened criminals who
would raid banks and join youth gangs who as it only recently happened would
sometimes shoot at each other in broad daylight on open streets.
These were the thoughts that very quickly crossed my mind as I said to
her: "Look young girl your situation apparently is extremely difficult and
though it would be certainly painful - I think the best thing you can do is
to listen to your parents". I gave this painful advice - yet feeling deep
down in my heart very sorry for this poor little girl when it never occured
to me that I was actually being set up - there was a hidden camera with a
mike under her thick long veil. I was indeed under a lot of stress that
day.
A few weeks or so later, Tonje Steinsland, a female TV reporter from
the Norwegian TV2 station came to the mosque by appointment to interview me
on the same topic. I expressed to her the same views as I did to the
Somali girl at the start of my conversation with the latter without even
stopping to make a connection between the two.
In the said documentay however, after showing horrible scenes of the
FGM ritual from Somalia, the TV2 producers decided to show a brief shot of
one of my Friday sermons where I attacked the habits of lying and betrayal
as evil and un-Islamic. Then my interview with Steinsland was shown and
last part of what I said to the Somalian girl (Kadra) taken with the hidden
camera. This was how the Norwegain TV2 producers concocted, and
distorted different images of this unfortunate episode of my life presenting
everything out of context and making me appear as a villain and a liar.
This was what I attempted to explain at the beginning of the debate
following the documentary when the Child Welfare and Family Minister
backed by the programme presenter unceremoniously interrupted me and asked
me
to apologise instead. Realising the politics inplay, the explosiveness of
the situation and the ultra-nationalistic tendencies of Norwegians
generally - I thought it wise to do as they said and keep my calm. After
all this
young lady "succeeded" in very elaborately setting me up although the whole
scheme was that of a powerful media conglomorate.
We have since come to learn that Kadra was actually 20 years old and
estranged from her family long before she came to me. Her mother never
wanted to send her to Somalia or subject her to FGM. She is completely
assimilated into mainstream Norwegian Society with a live-in-boyfriend.
Islam however, is as it seems all over the world, the fastest growing
religion in Norway. Muslims here totally accept integration but say a
definite no to assimilation. We the Imams are usually blamed by the
nationalists for this.
I was, on the other hand the only Imam in Norway who sat on national TV
and declared that the Islamic position on homosexuality can never be
compromised and after the first purpose built mosque in Norway applied for
licence
to do the call for prayer over the public address system, I was again the
first Muslim in Norway to make the Adhan on national TV and very hotly
debate
the topic based on the freedom of religion with leading politicians also on
national TV.
Kebba Secka, also being among the most prominent first generation
immigrants especially from Africa who have made it to the top: he is one of
two
Muslims who up until this sad incident sit on the highly prestigious Values
Commission and the only one in its Central Steering Committee. Many
ultra - nationalist have been fighting him since.
All in all the anti-Islamic and racist undertones in this entire
unfortunate escapade cannot simply be ignored.
However, not all hope has been lost. Support, consolation, sympathy
and solidarity has been overwhelmingly flowing from the Gambian and
Somalian communities particularly but also from good well - meaning
Norwegian
personalities such as journalists, church - leaders, academics and
members of the Moral-Re-armament Norwegian Chapter.
The Independent has also reported that practice of FGM is rampant among
Gambians and Somalians in Norway. The fact however, is that TV2 has
produced a list of 29 children who supposedly underwent the ritual in
Africa. Among them only one is said to be Gambian. No proof of this has
been forwarded and no one in the Gambian community seems to know who this
child or her parents are.
The issue of FGM has indeed never been an area of concern in our small
Gambian Community in Norway because the plain truth is, it is
non-existent as far as our children are concerned.
And by the way I have only one wife.
Thank you for space.
Ebraima Saidy
Imam
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