Imam Lee Condemns Wastage of Resources At Nayconf 2001 The Independent (Banjul) July 2, 2001 Posted to the web July 2, 2001 P.K.jarju Banjul, the Gambia The Imam of the Kanifing East Mosque Baba Lee has condemned the resources wasted on the holding of the National Youth Conference and Festival (NAYCONF), which recently ended in Basse, Upper River Division. Speaking during his Hutbah on Friday, Imam Lee said the over D3million spent during the festival could have been better used in the development of the socio-economic sector instead of putting all that money on playing football and other games. He added that it is against the teaching of Islam to waste money. He quoted a Hadith, which said, "any squanderer of resources is an evil doer". That he said showed the importance attached to wealth, which he said has an important role to play in the propagation and protection of Islam. Turning to the role of the youths in national development, Imam Lee said as the leaders of tomorrow, the young people could only achieve that position if they are prepared to struggle for it. Apart from being the leaders of tomorrow, he said "the young people are also going to be the prisoners, drug addicts and thieves of tomorrow, depending on how they comport themselves." He therefore urged parents to train and inculcate good manners and behaviour in their children in order to enable them assume the responsibilities as leaders of tomorrow. Commenting on Vision 2020, Imam Lee said although it is a noble initiative, but the Gambian people should be ready to face the challenges in order to achieve the lofty aims and objectives of the Vision. He highlighted certain social vices like poverty, which he said, can only be alleviated through education and the acquiring of relevant knowledge. Imam Lee expressed concern about the current state of Gambian society, which he said, is full of quarrels and hypocrisy, which he said is against the teachings of Islam. He therefore called on his colleagues in the Islamic fraternity to teach the words of the Almighty Allah to the general public so that everyone would benefit from His mercy and blessings. _________________________________________________________________ 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------