Baba Leigh: An Imam for the Truth The Independent (Banjul) INTERVIEW June 8, 2001 Posted to the web June 8, 2001 Olufemi Jr Banjul, the Gambia Notwithstanding the Islamic and Christian council's avoidance, like the plague of the infamous Indemnity Bill controversy, Imam Baba Lee pounced on it giving credence to the student allegation carried by The Independent that both councils are government mouth pieces. Even Imam Fatty quick and deft at condemning, kept mute over this thorny issue. But Baba Lee, who dares speak out revealed in this portrait that his conscience would not have been appeased had he kept mum like all the others. Born in the fifties, Lee attended Daara at his father's residence and night school under Kotor Manneh and Momodou Jagne ex- commissioner of income tax before moving to neighboring Senegal for high school education. He then headed north to Libya where he obtained a diploma in electric engineering at the Al-Fatah College, Misrata, and diploma and license in Islamic Arabic studies at the Faculty of Islamic Call in the capital Tripoli. Founder of The Gambia Muslim Youth, movement, Leigh in this issue of Portrait harps on why he condemned the Indemnity Bill, the good of Shariah in The Gambia and other religious issues. could you elaborate on how you were entrusted the Imamship? Well I was the son of an Imam. Actually I belong to a family of imams. I attended daraa, completed the Holy Quran and repeated it. Then I was taught Islamic jurisprudence, which is Sharia. After completion, I was sent to Senegal where I attended the Franco Arab school where I obtained my secondary Arabic Islamic studies in Dakar. How long have you been Imam for the Kanifing Central Mosque? This is my third year as Imam. Actually I was assisting my father when he was the Imam of Serrekunda for over thirty years. When my father died and I completed my house in Kanifing I moved. We paired hands and built the mosque with the help of the indigenous people of Kanifing East. Upon completion, it found me in Saudi Arabia and in my absence, I was nominated as the chief Imam. Jammeh sparked off the Sharia issue and you picked it up. Won't imposing it in the Gambia tamper with the peaceful co-existence of Christians and Muslims? People should understand what is Sharia. When I talk, I do so as an Imam not as an ordinary person. I know the daily lives of Muslims are bound by Sharia. Marriage, building a mosque or even praying are all based on Sharia. It is even startling as a Muslim to say I'm going to impose Sharia as it is already in existence. What is amiss is the criminal code, which has never been implemented in the country. During the colonial days that portion of Shariah was taken over by Western law. I believe Shariah is helpful to mankind, especially Muslims. However people are scared stiff of this criminal code. I'm looking at it from the Nigerian perspective, which is bloody I must say. Isn't that frightening enough for small Gambia? Well in the Nigerian situation the name of Shariah was used but those who handled the implementation have to be looked at. Having the law in place is one thing, implementing it is another. If they (the Nigerians) are God fearing people and real Muslims, there should not be any problem. With Shariah people point fingers at Islam. It was not brought to the world by Islam rather, shariah is Mose's law, which was accepted and supported by Jesus and then Islam. Shariah is for everybody be they Christians or Muslims. Wont imposing Shariah divide Christians and Muslims? Well Christians and Muslims and the Gambia nation would be very difficult to divide and I emphasise. Culturally we were born here with our Christian brothers and relatives. Due to West African instability, there are certain problems that should be taken care of. For instance two years back, at the Kairaba Central mosque in one Koriteh a Church nearby with mighty loudspeakers was really making a lot of noise until one of the attendants, who was taking video shots of the prayers and who is not a Muslim went and asked them to reduce the sound. It created tension. However Muslims and Christians have lived together in peace so With our without Shariah this peaceful co-existence will continue. If Shariah were imposed as you wish would you want the criminal code to be included? As far as I am concerned only Shariah can handle the situation. Some days back, GRTS aired shocking news of armed robberies, which was not existing here, including the kidnapping of children. So you believe Shariah would calm the situation? Oh yes! Oh yes! That's what I believe and it will be positive, no doubt about that. Nobody wants to die! Having lawyers in place to fiddle with the law in defence of wrong doers criminality is encouraged more and more! How could you describe your relationship with other Imams particularly Imam Fatty? It is nice and brotherly. We used to have certain mis-understanding but everything has been cleared. Would you mind elaborating on that? As you know, I'm someone who opposes FGM and believe in population policies and family planning, which is the opposite for most of my colleagues. Also I'm somebody committed to the fight against AIDS which my colleagues shun openly. However some of them are seeing it as the anger of God, which is true. But nevertheless victims should not be isolated. Still as far as I am concerned I have no hatred against anybody particularly against Fatty. The Islamic and Christian councils ignored the Indemnity bill saga but you jabbed your fingers into it. Why only you? Look, I am not under any council be it Islamic or Christian. I am under Islamic law. I just tried to interpret the Islamic knowledge to my congregation. My Friday sermons address the burning issues of the day and at the time, the indemnity bill was the issue at hand and I addressed it adequately simply because the Indemnity bill is un-Islamic, and not in line with humanity, civilisation and democracy. Thus I came up with certain issues and explained them. When the Prophet (PBUH) called his daughter and said to her, "Fatima ask me what I have, I will give it to you but between you and your God nobody can interfere". Nobody can indemnify anybody particularly a Muslim because a Muslim believes in the day of judgement. Why do you think the Islamic and Christian councils shied away from responsibility? Well that question would have been more proper to ask them. Certainly the president must be displeased when your denunciation of a bill he has signed? Well the president has no right to be unhappy. He has the over all power to decide. As Gambians also, we are not denied in any sense to give out our opinions also particularly as Muslims. Whether he is happy or unhappy is least important as far as the truth of the issue go. He should see our words as helping and guiding him. This is a religious opinion, which we are ready to live and die for. We have very strong Quranic backing and for that matter we don't care who is angry or happy. We are trying to guide our country toward success and that is what the president is doing or should be doing anyway. Are you implying the president erred when he signed the bill? Well it will not be proper for me to say that. Maybe he knows something that I don't know: what I'm emphasising is that anybody who supported that bill is committing a crime. It has never helped and it is not even good for those in authority. But the president has the last say? That's what I'm saying. He has the last say and had done what he wanted to do! And it is proper Well you will not force me to say so. See what you can call it anyway. What type of Imam are you? That question should have been answered by you. I'm an Imam that's all. You're termed controversial and vocal? You see the word controversial is still giving me problems. I once challenged the Daily Observer over it. Those who support what is wrong are the controversial people. As far as I'm concerned I'm a genuine Imam. I cannot keep things in my mind when I'm not comfortable with them. I voice them out. In The Gambia we have a culture of seeing and keeping mute over sensitive issue but you seemed to defy that? Seeing and being silent when you are not satisfied is hypocrisy! There is a saying in Arabic that the biggest sin one can commit is to know and keep quiet. This is a sin. Those who know should enlighten those who don't know. Are you a Muslim fanatic? Well there is no fanaticism in Islam. You either believe or you don't I'm looking at it with the Algerian situation in mind The Algerian situation is politics not Islam How would you like to be remembered? I would like to be remembered as a patriotic Gambian and a non-partisan religious leader. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------