On many occasions some of us were made to believe that Imam Baba Leigh is an outspoken and reasonable religious leader.I did not regret in defending some of his opinion but the fact here is that he is thinking just like another fascist.Read it for your self.His ignorance of what is going on in Nigeria is a testimony of the fact that the need for open minded religious leaders,who are able to see things and think through the eyes and minds of their age is in great need,not only in Nigeria but also in the Gambia.Such people must be exposed,they could be dangerous in the long run. Thursday, January 4, 2001 IMAM LEIGH CALLS FOR SHARIAH The imam of the Kanifing Estate Mosque, Baba Leigh, has renewed the debate on whether the strict Islamic law, shariah, is appropriate for The Gambia. Speaking to Daily Observer yesterday, the controversial imam said, "President Yahya Jammeh should not even bother. It is very easy for people to tarnish a leader's image through a simple thing. I agree that the head of state was misquoted by the media but let him not even make any rectification because the introduction of shariah in The Gambia will not be any mistake. Muslims should be naturally governed by shariah law because Islam calls for shariah. It is quite puzzling for a Muslim to say that he or she cannot live with shariah. This is owing to the fact that shariah is misunderstood. It is seen as a very terrible, bloody and horrifying law by such people. That is very incorrect," he said. Imam Leigh said shariah "is not all about cutting hands, killing or beating. It is a way of life as Islam is. A Muslim, after declaring his faith in Allah and His messenger, must abide by the stipulations of the shariah." He argued that critics of shariah are simply ignorant of its implications. "These ignorant people are part of the Muslims of The Gambia who start thinking about what goes on in Nigeria or Iran as soon as one talks about shariah. If I were the head of state, I would have expressed my wish for introducing it in The Gambia without imposing it on anybody," he remarked. Imam Leigh said shariah should be introduced by the people of The Gambia and that task must be carried out by the ordinary Muslim citizens of the country. He said he was aware that non-Muslims also live in The Gambia. "Those people have their constitutional rights which must be protected. Shariah, when introduced, will not effect them as they too have their own religion and way of life. We are not going to do it the way Nigerians do it as we can't drive away these Christians," he said. Imam Baba Leigh said he wanted an audience with the president to discuss this issue of shariah. "I have tried this many times but to no avail. I would like to advise the head of state on this issue if I have any chance of meeting him personally. It is rather unfortunate that I only see the president when meeting him in a group. I will not only tell him that shariah is good or ideal for only The Gambia but for the whole world. We are now living in a very confused society with three different sets of laws; Western law, customary law and part shariah law. A single state being governed by three sets of laws is confusing," he argued. Imam Leigh said imams and other erudite Muslim scholars must sensitise their followers about shariah. "People need to be sensitised before shariah can be introduced so as to waive the fear people have about it. Shariah works effectively for the interest and welfare of people. It was not the non-Muslim president of Nigeria who introduced shariah in areas governed by shariah but the people themselves and this is what Gambians must emulate. I am calling for the introduction of shariah but it should not be with force," Imam Leigh concluded. During his Eid-ul-Fitr meeting with religious leaders at State House last weekend, President Jammeh was quoted by Radio Gambia as saying he was going to introduce the strict Islamic law in The Gambia in 2001. However, that statement was hotly disputed by the State House press and PR director, Fatoumata Jahumpa-Ceesay, who said the president was misquoted. However, the constitution of The Gambia has entrenched the secularity of the state and frowned upon the introduction of any state religion. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------