Responsible Journalism Holds Brief In The Gambia

As concerns raised on journalism and violent conflict prevention in Africa

Amidst flurry of debates and deliberations, the topmost topical issue that dominated a national conference on "Journalism and Conflict Prevention in Africa" was the benchmark for responsible journalism as a catalyst for the sustenance of democracy in Africa, The Independent chronicles.

Though theories emerging from the summit indicate that journalism has it loopholes and manipulations, the media should strive to transmit the truth, devoid of sensationalism, inaccuracy, political prejudice and ethical inclinations, noting that ethical considerations should have precedence over anything.

In what was perceived by many to be an edge cutting presentation, Demba Jawo, the President of the Gambia Press Union (GPU), described journalism as an important tool for the emancipation of the society, as well as an indispensable tool in the promotion and sustenance of democracy and development.

He likened journalism to a fire, since it has the potential to cause havoc if not used in a responsible manner, though a good servant to mankind. "We use fire to cook our meals as well as heat our homes, in addition to numerous other good things we utilize it for. However, at the same time, when it gets out of control, it can burn down our homes and destroy our other properties", he stated.

In a similar vein, he cited numerous examples, where media has been recklessly used to fuel tensions in other parts of the world. "A good case in point has been the negative role the media was alleged to have played in fanning the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which resulted in the massacre of about a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus as well as the untold suffering of millions more’, he recalled.

He said those who have been following events that led to the Rwandan genocide must have heard about the role played by Radio Mille Colines, which was controlled by the Hutu extremists known as the Intrahamwe, who used it to incite the Hutus to exterminate the Tutsis, describing them as cockroaches.

While the media has an important role to play in the maintenance of peace and prevention of conflict, and it is no doubt playing that role by inculcating the concept of peaceful co-existence in the minds of the people, he said it also has the potential to incite trouble, noting "that is the aspect that we as journalists need to avoid at whatever cost".

He further indicated that "we should understand that as members of the society, we are human beings first before we are journalists. Therefore, whatever is good for the society should be good for us and any harm that befalls the society would also affect us", he matter-of-factly stated.

"There is no doubt in my mind that those who were behind the hate radio broadcasts during the Rwandan genocide were either directly or indirectly affected by the outcome of the genocide. It is most likely that most of them did not escape the ensuing trauma, and some of them may have lost their lives or the lives of their loved ones. Those who fled into exile also missed the rights and privileges they were enjoying in Rwanda before the genocide", he added, noting that when "we preach peace, we are not only preaching it for those who may be disadvantaged at that material time, but indeed we are preaching it for all human kind".

In the case of The Gambia, he said media could effectively play its part in the maintenance of peace, noting that we need the support of everyone, including government rather than enacting draconian laws aimed at controlling the private media.

In his deliberation, Sam Sarr, a veteran journalist, said everywhere in the world people are becoming resolved not to reconcile themselves with any system of government that is not based on the consent of the people. "It is now incontrovertible that peace and stability in any society can only be guaranteed if power is assumed, controlled, directed and maintained by the people and further exercised on their behalf by their closer representatives in their interest", he added.

He noted that it is abundantly clear that a government that is determined, controlled and accountable to the people and irrevocably by the will of the people is the only form of government that is fit to preside over the affairs of a sovereign people who are the architects of their destiny.

The future, he added "has no place for a tyrant who will command a people’s destiny. There are still governments, which refuse to learn the fundamental lessons of history and are still striving to be commanders of the destiny of other peoples. The world is going through turbulent times. The spectre of disintegration is looming in a sea of passion".

He further indicated that uncertainly is gaining ground and that governments which exist just to sustain their own proven incapacity to address the needs and aspirations of the people by imposing a climate of terror, detention and murder in their countries only succeed in robbing themselves of all moral authority, adding that such erosion of human decency impinges on the legitimacy of a government and breeds a situation where nothing works.

He enunciated that history has taught that even though force has been used to revolt against oppressors and liberate people, but when that force is guided by hunger for power by a few, the ultimate consequence is arbitrary killing, senseless destruction of property, economic disruption, displacement, rape and trials for crime against humanity.

This, he continue is one of the reasons why journalists must be alert with the dangers of media power. "We must realise that the dissemination of news may significantly influence the way society functions. The media must therefore be held accountable for its performance", he stated, noting that open expression of ideas and the unfettered circulation of information are essential catalysts of representative democracy.

"If media power is wielded irresponsibly it is capable of inflicting damage on individuals, on institutions and on society in general", he warned, citing that in a potential conflict situation an erroneous report may be amplified disastrously leading to actual conflict.

"As journalists we must understand the realities of our societies and ensure that our reports are true reflections of the reality on the ground. We must be cautious of unscrupulous individuals who, in pursuit of their selfish interest use sentiments to promote discord in order to mobilize support", he pointed out, indicating that it is ridiculous to say that Jolas have taken over the country when the vast majority of Jola speaking people are still house maids or are still languishing in poverty.

"It is even more ridiculous to talk about the Jolas uniting with Pulas, Wolofs and other ethnic groups against the Mandinkas", he added, depicting that such is a distortion of the reality which can do nothing but foment discord and sow the seed of conflict and destruction in our society.

 

 

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Works In Progress At GPA

by Ahmed Carayol

 Reports indicate that rehabilitation works on James Island, a ferry that was earlier put out of service, and funded by the Japanese government at a tune of $1.5 million, will last for eight months until August, when it would finally resume operations.

Some Japanese experts are already in Banjul to rehabilitate the ferry with a new engine, crankshaft, propeller and other necessary parts needed to restore it to normality.

It is reported that GPA staff are working on the body of the ferry, which is at the Banjul Shipyard .

Following the publication of a story captioned "GPA In Hot Financial Waters", a fact retracted from a letter sent to The Independent, the author of the piece visited the Ports and the Shipyard to get more clues on the issue, and was shown round by Halifa Bah, Director of Operations of the ferries.

At the Shipyard, workers were seen busied working on the ferry, and told one of the senior members of staff that the primer they were using was indeed very good, reports outlined.

They indicate that the ferry did not at any time got sunk, but was indeed towed to be dragged up the Camber for pumping out water. It has been standing in the water for a very long time and then started to consume water. "During the towing process, the ropes got snapped and the tail end of the ferry went into the water", they clarified.

It could be recalled that some disgruntled members of staff went to the press to express dismay over the issue Mr. Bah said that the 55,000 Euros was an offer by TTS for the rehabilitation works, which had never been materialised.

The Director of ferries, Mr. Halifa Bah, is not responsible for the shipyard, as there is a general manager called Mr. Gassama who is responsible for undertaking all works.

According to Mr. Bah, all the allegations in the letter by a GPA worker are not true and malicious towards the new MD who is really a very honest and dedicated Managing Director.

It is also very unfortunate that the allegations against the Deputy Managing Director and Director of Operations are all false and calculated to implicate innocent and honest workers at the GPA.

 

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Gambians Protest At The UN

The Gambian community in the United States, under the auspices of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in The Gambia organised a march to the UN Headquarters on The Gambia’s 40th independence anniversary. They also presented a letter to the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan regarding events in the country.

We reproduce below the letter:

February 15, 2005

The Secretary-General

United Nations

405 E. 42nd Street

New York, NY 10017

Dear Sir:

Press Release

We, Gambians based in the United States, under the umbrella of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in The Gambia, are coming together on February 18, 2005 to protest the climate of state-sponsored violence, which has recently culminated in the callous and brutal assassination of veteran journalist, Deyda Hydara.

Mr. Hydara, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Point newspaper and the West Africa correspondent of Reporters Without Borders, was shot and killed on December 16, 2004 by unidentified gunmen while on his way to drop off two female employees. According to reports, he had just celebrated the 13th anniversary of the foundation of The Point, one of the few newspapers in The Gambia and was on his way home when he was ambushed and killed. The two employees sustained leg injuries and are currently undergoing treatment in Dakar, Senegal.

Despite promises of bringing the perpetrators to justice, the government of President Yaya Jammeh has yet failed to arrest and charge anybody with this crime. This scenario is not new for people familiar with incidents of state-sponsored violence committed against both civilians and members of the armed forces in The Gambia.

Since coming to power in a coup d’état on July 22, 1994, the government of Yaya Jammeh has committed various atrocities such as extra-judicial executions, assassinations, arson, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and "disappearances" against innocent and helpless Gambians. The catalogue of crimes committed under his leadership is long and in exhaustive, but we feel it is necessary to list the most salient ones.

Killings and Attempted Killings,the extra-judicial execution of an undetermined number of soldiers on November 11, 1994 after rumors of a failed coup against the military regime of Yaya Jammeh;the murder of former Secretary of State for Finance, Ousman Koro Ceesay, on June 23, 1995; the mysterious death, in September 1995, of former member of the junta, Capt. Sadibou Hydara while in state custody;the cold-blooded killing in 2000 of former presidential bodyguard, Lt. Almamo Manneh , by units of The Gambia National Army; the murder, in the same week, of Sgt. Dumbuya by units of the Gambia National Army. The victim was gunned down in broad daylight at the Albert market, the largest shopping center in the capital, Banjul; the massacre of 14 student demonstrators and a journalist on April 10 and 11, 2000; the murder of Ousman Ceesay, a militant of the United Democratic Party (UDP) on October 16, 2001;

the assassination attempt of lawyer, Ousman Sillah on December 26, 2003; the assassination of journalist, Deyda Hydara on December 16, 2004.

Arson and other Attacks on the Independent Media, the arrest and deportation in 1994 of Kenneth Best, the founder and proprietor of the Daily Observer; the closure of Citizen FM, a privately owned radio station in 2001; the fire bombing of the independent radio station, Radio 1 FM, on August 11, 2001; the arson attack on The Independent newspaper on September 20, 2003; the second fire bombing of The Independent newspaper on April 13, 2004; an arson attack on the house of Ebrima Sillah, the local stringer for the BBC on August 14, 2004; the continuous arrest, detention and sometimes torture of journalists working for newspapers deemed critical of the government; the recent adoption of the Media Bill, aimed at further censoring the independence of the private media.

Arbitrary Arrests, Detention, and Torture of Political Opponents the torture of 8 UDP militants, after their arrest and detention on June 8, 1997; two of whom have since succumbed to their wounds; the arrest and detention on March 17, 1998 of Lamin Waa Juwara, the former National Propaganda Secretary of the opposition, UDP. While under detention Mr. Juwara was seriously tortured by agents of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a government surveillance organ that is notorious in arresting and torturing critics and suspected opponents of the government; the ongoing arrests and arbitrary detention of people accused of making sympathetic statements to the opposition.

Detention Incommunicado and Disappearance

on September 16, 1996, Siaka Sonko, the Chief Security Officer of the UDP, was arrested and held incommunicado at JangjangBureh maximum security prisons throughout the election campaign; the arrest of Dumo Saho, Ebrima Yarbo, and Mr. Barrow in 2001 after being falsely accused and charged of sedition by the NIA. They were denied access to legal representation for over a year. They were released in late 2004 after an international campaign was undertaken for their release;

in early February of this year, several people including a local religious leader and some chiefs, were arrested and held in unknown locations for weeks without being charged; about five years ago, a prominent member of the opposition UDP who later joined the government "disappeared" under mysterious circumstances after being accused of corruption. His whereabouts and welfare are yet to be known and the government continues to deny having anything to do with his "disappearance".

The government of Yaya Jammeh is yet to arrest much less charge any person for the these incidents of violence against innocent Gambians. The very judiciary which should have addressed some of these cases seems powerless as attorney-generals are fired each time they refuse to tow the government line. The Gambia Bar Association has been emasculated by the intrusion of the executive in matters that are the exclusive domain of the judiciary.

We are concerned and indeed alarmed that this state-sponsored violence and culture of impunity have already spiraled out of control. It is against this background that we are calling on your support in bringing this simple message to President Yaya Jammeh: enough of the violence! enough of the impunity!

We cannot let our beloved country slide into civil strife similar to what has been witnessed in our sub-region. It is for this reason that on February 18, at 8am we will hold demonstrations at The Gambia Mission to the UN before proceeding to Dag Hammarksjold Plaza at 10am.

We sincerely count on your support.

Signed,for the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in The Gambia,New York, NY

((914)963-8479

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High expectations from new GRTS Board of Directors

 

 The recent setting up of a new board of directors for the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) is no doubt quite welcomed by many people as a step in the right direction. It gives everyone hope that the new board would inject some sanity in the public media and bring some degree of professionalism in the way the GRTS operates.

It is a well known fact that the GRTS presently operates more like an extension of the ruling APRC than a public institution paid for and sustained by the tax payers. The management seems to be more concerned about what pleases President Jammeh and his administration than what the public want to watch or listen to. As a result therefore, many people have either stopped patronizing GRTS altogether or they have acquired other more reliable alternative sources of news and entertainment. The situation has been so compromised that it is now so easy to predict what programmes would come on GRTS on a daily basis. It is for instance very likely that the first news item everyday would be about President Jammeh, and any musical interlude is most likely to be by the Kabakel or Kayon Kalon cultural groups. This is no doubt responsible for the failure of Mandinka cultural groups and many others from taking part of his Independence cultural jamboree. It is certainly not that the Mandinka groups did not want to participate, but the tendency nowadays is to give priority to Jola cultural groups during such occasions, as if they alone represent authentic Gambian culture.

Another phenomenon with GRTS is that virtually all their agricultural programmes are likely to show President Jammeh on his farm in Kanilai. Therefore, most of the programmes are either about President Jammeh or something, which is likely to please him.

While the rest of the world, including our own sub-region are busy transforming the public media into public broadcasting institutions, which serve the public interest by reflecting divergent views and dissenting opinion, the GRTS seems to be moving on the opposite direction. This is in clear contravention of the provisions of section 208 of the constitution which states that "All state owned newspapers, journals, radio and television shall afford fair opportunities and facilities for the presentation of divergent views and dissenting opinion." At the moment, the GRTS only reflects one point of view, making it quite boring and uninteresting to watch or listen to.

A good example of the one-sided view of the GRTS was clearly manifested in its failure to even mention the recent signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding by the coalition of opposition parties as if it never happened. It is indeed quite hard to understand what motivated the management of the GRTS to stoop so low when even other media organizations outside this country like the RTS of Senegal covered the event purely for its new value.

Therefore, it is hoped by everyone that the new management board, if they are to serve the public interest would ensure that the present system is completely overhauled and replaced by a more equitable and professional system which makes GRTS a truly national institution. Indeed, with the personalities involved, there is high hope that there would soon be some positive changes in the way GRTS operates.

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The Girl And The Monster

by Baba Galleh Jallow

 Every night after dinner, I would run and go lie down on Grandma Jari’s mat and ask her to tell me a story. I never tired of hearing all the stories Grandma Jari told. I did not know where she got all her stories, but she always seemed to have a new one to tell. Sometimes her stories would make me laugh and sometimes they would make me feel sorry and want to cry. Sometimes, her stories made me so afraid that when I went to bed, I would cover myself from head to toes with my blanket so that if somebody came into our house, they would not see me. Sometimes, I would go to my mother’s table and take one of her knives and hide it under my pillow so that if the hyena comes into our house and tries to eat me up as he ate the poor animals in Grandma Jari’s stories, I would stab him in the stomach or cut his throat and he would die.

One of my favorite stories from Grandma Jari was the story of the monster and the beautiful girl. If Grandma Jari could not think of a new story, I always asked her to tell me the story of Delima the monster and Yaye the beautiful girl. Yaye was the most beautiful girl in her village. But when she was young, both her mother and her father died and she went to live with her aunt and uncle. So people said Yaye was a witch and that she ate her parents. Everybody in the village avoided her. They did not allow their children to play with her. And so Yaye was a very lonely girl. She always played alone and all the children ran away whenever she came near them.

Yaye grew up to become the most beautiful girl in the village. But still, everybody avoided her because they said she was a witch and ate her parents. No one would let their sons marry her. But what hurt Yaye more than anything else was the fact that no one in the village would braid her hair. People said if you braid the hair of a witch, she would try to eat you. You either died or your hands got swollen and would not heal. So even Yaye’s aunt would not braid her hair. Everyday when she went to the river to fetch water or wash clothes, Yaye would sit on the grass and cry for a long time and sing a sad song of loneliness. She would sing about the girl who had no mother and no father and who was made to do all the work in the house. The girl who was woken up every dawn and asked to go and pound the grain and cook breakfast. The girl who was sent to the forest every day to fetch firewood and to the river to wash clothes. The sad lonely girl who had no friends. Her voice was so sweet that all the animals drew near to listen to her. The birds came and perched on nearby trees and the rabbits and other small animals hid in nearby bushes to listen to Yaye’s sweet and sad songs.

There was a young man in the village who loved Yaye. Ado, the son of the village chief, was in love with Yaye. He said he would never marry any girl but Yaye. Ado was a tall, handsome and brave young man. Even though he was the chief’s son, Ado was not proud and played freely with the other boys. When they went hunting, he always ran faster than all the boys and always brought back an animal. Ado’s father was very angry when he heard that his son loved Yaye the witch girl. But in spite of his anger and his numerous warnings to his son, Ado insisted that it was Yaye he loved. He would either marry Yaye or never marry anyone. At long last, the chief agreed that Ado could marry Yaye. Yaye’s uncle and aunt did not object to the chief’s proposal to give Yaye’s hand in marriage to Ado. And Yaye herself did not object. She had always loved Ado and was so happy when Ado said he wanted to marry her. So a date was set for the wedding.

Even though Yaye was going to get married to the chief’s son, people still refused to braid her hair. They said Ado and his father had gone mad and that Yaye would surely eat her husband even as she had eaten her own parents. How could she spare anyone if she had not spared her own mother and father? Thus, as the wedding day approached, Yaye got more and more sad and worried. If only she could find someone to braid her hair for her wedding night. But no one would touch her head. So everyday, Yaye would go to the riverside and cry and sing her sad songs. And all the animals would come and listen and they would all feel sorry for her.

One day, Yaye was singing and crying at the riverside when she saw a very old woman. The old woman came up to her and said, ‘My daughter, why are you singing and crying near the river? I always see you sitting here, singing and crying. What is the matter?’ Yaye told her how people said she was a witch because her mother and father died when she was a child. She also told her about her coming wedding to Ado, the chief’s son and how no one would braid her hair. ‘Please Grandma, she cried, ‘please braid my hair, just this once.’ The old woman remained silent for a while and said: ‘My daughter, I am not a human being. I am Delima the monster and I live in the river. If I braid your hair, everyone in the village will love you. But I am afraid that you cannot afford my price. So I cannot braid your hair.’

‘What is your price?’ Yaye asked. ‘Maybe my husband can afford it. He is the chief’s son.’

‘My price is neither money, nor cattle, nor any kind of property,’ Delima replied.

‘What is it then?’ Yaye asked.

‘My price is that one month after your wedding, on the night of the full moon, I will come and eat you up. I will let you know when I am coming and you must wear your most beautiful clothes and you must come and meet me outside the village so I can eat you. That is my price.’

‘Very well,’ Yaye said. ‘I agree to your price. Just braid my hair and when the time comes, you will eat me and then people will no call me witch. I will join my mother and father and ask them why they died and left me alone.’

When she said this, the old woman asked Yaye to remove her scarf and she took her shining black hair and wove it into the most beautiful braids in the world. When Yaye looked at herself in the water, she was overjoyed. She thanked Delima and ran toward the village. ‘Don’t forget your promise!’ the old woman called after her. But Yaye did not hear her. She was too happy to think of her promise.

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AOHJ Gains International Admission

 

by Ahmed Carayol

The Assocation of Health Journalists (AOHJ) has completed its formalities with the internationally recognised institutions, namely The Commonwealth Press Union, CPU and the International Union for the Promotion of Health Education, and IUPHE, headquartered in England and Geneva, respectively.

Five years after its operations, AOHJ pioneered the publication of a regularly published Health and Nutrition Magazine, some three years ago. The executive and editors of the magazine decided to apply for membership to both CPU and IUPH, early last year.

Alhagie Mbaye, a member of AOHJ, facilitated the payments for the magazine to the UK based office.

According to Madi Ceesay, President of AOHJ, without the intervention of the donor (Alhagie Mbaye), it would be virtually impossible to raise funds for the membership.

In the same vain, Mr.Momodou Gassama, Communication Officer at the WHO Office in Banjul, who is an associate member of the association, also contributed $100 for the registration.

Madi Ceesay said AHOJ is grateful to both Mbaye and Gassama for linking them to the two reputable international organisations.

The registration fall within the ambit of the association’s bid to qualify for the link.

 

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Gambian Soldiers In Peace Mission Praised

 by Lamin Njie

At The Gambia 40th Independence Anniversary Celebrations at the July 22 square, in Banjul President Jammeh praised Gambian soldiers on peace mission duties around the world, particularly in Darfur and else where.

In his independence speech the president said, "To our gallant soldiers and officers of The Gambia Armed Forces especially those in peace missions, we are proud of you," adding that they have already proven that small countries can produce great soldiers and great peacekeepers. The president further saluted the very strong co-operation and collaboration that exists between the Senegalese Armed Forces, the Security Forces and The Gambia Armed Forces and Security Forces. "Gambia and Senegal, there is only one thing that can exist for the benefit of all between the two countries, peace and love; brotherhood and sisterhood," he added.

On the young generation, President Jammeh told them to reject all evil temptations and instead continue to work hard in schools, at homes and in their communities, and take advantage of the many opportunities at their disposal today, in order to be productive citizens tomorrow.

Finally, he said The Gambia enjoys impressive progress in almost all domains including health, education, agriculture, youth and women empowerment, communication and infrastructural development.

 

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 Local Alphabet To Be Launched

 

by Pa Modou Secka

 The Director of Nimaga African Arts Collections and the inventors of Soni Alphabet, Mr. Kaa Bully Nimaga disclosed his plan to publish a book titled Soni Alphabet. He said he had gone far in developing the alphabet into words and sentences since August 28th 1998 and an increasing number of people are learning the alphabet.

Mr. Nimaga made this disclosure during an interview with The Independent at his shop along Kairaba Avenue near Latrikunda Upper Basic School. He pointed out that he had put forward his idea of setting up a school in his native village of Kumbija in Upper River Division. This, according, to him will allow him teach more people.

He further revealed to this reporter his desire to set up branches of the school in Basse and Serrekunda.

"I have a vision, a vision of light for the world and it will be a gift for the next generations in Africa," he stated.

Mr. Nimaga went on to emphasise the need and importance for Africans to have their own homegrown written languages that would not be based on borrowed alphabets. He however said he had taken it upon himself to do something towards that direction from a dream. He expressed that almost 90 percent of his native villagers could now read his Soni Alphabet, which he promised to spread across the country out of his eight years experience abroad. Mr. Nimaga who is preparing to travel overseas to publish the book on Soni Alphabet is urging the government to emulate and support the local alphabetical language for The Gambia and Africa at large.

During the interview with the reporter, he lavishly displayed the progress made on his 28-letter alphabet with a draft of the book he produced on the Soni writing.

"The idea of the alphabet came to me through a dream which I took at the right time, right place and the right person," he said.

Meanwhile, he disclosed that he set his mind at work and translated the dream into reality. Sounding like a philosopher, he spoke of his invention as a vision from God that would serve as light to the continent.

According to Mr. Nimaya, beside the basic religious teachings he received in his childhood at home level, he had never attended any formal education. He described his invention as a gift from God.

He invited people from government, NGOs, individuals to support him in the form of ideas or otherwise to enrich the invention. Mr. Nimaga who is forty-seven has travelled widely across the world collecting and dealing in African antiques and art crafts products.

He was born in Kumbija village in Upper River Division (URD).

According to Mr. Nimaya, his numbers and 28 letter alphabet would be taught and spread out to the people across The Gambia so that with time he hopes Gambians and Africans would be able to read, write and count in their own language and in writings developed by their own people.

"I want to ensure that I leave something behind before I die that will be beneficial to the people," he philosophically stated.

Kaa Bully is a businessman who deals in African antiques and other art products. He mainly operates in America where he took part in many exhibitions.

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 Senegalese Army Chief Visits The Gambia

The Chief of Defence Staff of the Senegalese Armed Forces Lt Gen Papa Khalilou Fall paid a four day working visit in The Gambia between the 17- 20 Feb 05 on the invitation of the Chief of Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces Commander Assan Sarr. He was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation of senior officers and a football volleyball team from the Senegalese Armed Forces Sports Association.

The purpose of the visit was for the Senegalese Armed Forces hierarchy to acquaint themselves with their counterparts in The Gambia.

In this regard, the Chiefs of the two Armed Forces hope to further strengthen the already existing bonds of understanding that exist between the two Armed Forces, which is in line with the vision of the two Excellencies.

As part of the programme of the visit, the general and his delegation witnessed the 40th Independence Anniversary celebration parade at the July 22nd Square. His Excellency the President of the Republic of the Gambia Alhagie Yahya AJJ Jammeh, the Grand Master of the occasion awarded Lt General Papa Khalilou Faal, the Senegalese Armed Forces chief of Defence Staff, the Insignia of Grand Commander of the Nation Order of the Republic of the Gambia -G C R G.

The President also awarded the Millennium medal of the Republic of the Gambia to six officers among the delegation. The delegation paid courtesy calls on the Permanent Secretary of the Department of State for Defence, Her Excellency the vice President of the Republic The Gambia and H.E Excellency the President of the Republic of the Gambia and Commander- In-Chief of The Gambia Armed Forces.

As a major feature of the programme of the visit, the chiefs of the Armed Forces of The Gambia and Senegal met at Banjul on Saturday 19 February 2005 to examine a draft memorandum of understanding dealing with issues affecting the Armed Forces of the t countries.

Present at the meeting from the Senegalese side were General Papa Khalilou Faal and his delegation, while the Gambia was represented by the Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Defence and Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Staff Office of the Gambia Armed Forces.

During the ensuing discussions, the two sides examined in great detail the draft Memorandum of Understanding which touches on military cooperation aimed at bringing personnel of the two Armed Forces closer so as to breed brotherhood and es-spirit de-corp for the greater goal of making the two states more peaceful, stable and secure.

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 President Jammeh's 40th Independence Address

 

President Jammeh last week Friday addressed the 40th anniversary of the independence at the July 22nd Square in Banjul. Below we reproduce the full text of the address:

We are gathered here to mark a significant milestone in the annals of our nation’s history. The Gambia, today celebrates 40 years of nationhood. On this auspicious occasion, I would like to seize this opportunity on behalf of the Government and people of The Gambia and on my own behalf to extend warm welcome to my Dear Brothers, Colleague Heads of State and Government here present and their delegations, Representatives of Foreign Governments and visiting dignitaries who have responded positively to our invitation to join in the celebration of this great day.

It is exactly 4 decades since our dear country was admitted into the comity of nations as an Independent Sovereign State. It has been 40 years of great challenge and hard work, 40 years of great sacrifice to ensure national stability, progress and development. I am heartened by the tireless efforts and great zeal of the Gambian people who have left no stone unturned in the quest to achieve social and economic progress and development. We stand as a nation today not because of individual endeavours but because of our collective efforts and contribution to the common good. I am proud to be at the helm of the affairs of the State of a peace-loving, hardworking, enterprising and caring nation. The Gambia today enjoys impressive progress in almost all domains, including Health, Education, Agriculture, Youth and Women Empowerment, Communication and Infrastructural development. My Government would not have been able to achieve the great strides without the unalloyed support and encouragement of The Gambia. I am further energised by your patriotism and commitment to the advancement of our dear nation and I solemnly pledge that we shall together as One people and One Nation make The Gambia a model in Africa and in the world at large. All I ask is that we continue to strive and redouble our efforts on all fronts in order to meet up to the challenges of the modern world.

As we celebrate this great day, I call upon the younger generation, the youths, students, boys and girls, who are our future leaders, to shun all ills and continue to work hard at school, in their homes and in the communities and take advantage of the many opportunities at their disposal today in order to be productive citizens tomorrow. At this juncture, I would like to register sincere thanks and appreciation to all our partners in development for their support and assistance over the years in our socio-economic development endeavours. I wish to thank all those who have contributed in one way or the other in making this year’s Anniversary Celebration a resounding success; most especially, the children, parents, teachers, private and public organisations, individuals and all cultural groups.

I am especially grateful to my Colleague Heads of State and Dear Brothers here present and Representatives of Foreign Governments who have left their busy schedules and countries to celebrate this important day with us. To you all I say a very big thank you on behalf of the entire Gambian nation. We hope you will all enjoy your stay with us and we ask you to feel very much at home in our midst.

Finally, I wish to congratulate all Gambians on this auspicious occasion, those at home and abroad, including our gallant Peace Keeping Forces and security personnel in Darfur in the Sudan, in Eritrea, Burundi, East Timor, Liberia and Sierra Leone who are tirelessly assisting global efforts to bring peace, stability and normalcy to the war-torn countries. I pray that Allah the Almighty continue to guide, protect and bless us all as One Nation, One People in peace, love and unity.

God Bless us all

I thank you for your kind attention.

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 Islamization Of America Or Americanization Of Islam

by Muhammed Jaiteh

 The American national psyche is profoundly obsessed with the looming threat of terrorism a phenomenon greatly associated and squarely blamed on the Islamism and their generous sponsors worldwide. To contain and smother this sanguinary battle of attrition, the west in general and the American administrations in particular have collectively embarked on an audacious initiative of all out confrontation in an attempt to uproot this lurking danger.

However, all conceivable efforts invested in this concerted action of total annihilation proved only to be a palliative and not a panacea. The simple underlying reason for this relative failure is the reprehensible inability to consider the causes before the painful effects are remorselessly leashed on the world with untold anguish and destruction. Different groups in various ways diabolically and negatively label America e.g. the great Satan, the fallen angel, the despised people etc. Anyhow all these image denting configurations are mere emotional and sentimental projections and darts directed at America both as a nation and people. Has the American fully construed and understood the underlying and active unchangeable laws of the rise and fall of nation and its corollary of civilization dilapidation and extinction.

Come what may, America’s political, economical and military supremacy and hegemony is for a while, ordained by the objective and subjective forces of natural law to persist until the appointed time is come.

Hopefully, the American people and their administrations are fully endowed with all the needed potential moral caliber and spiritual raw materials to hear, accept and succumb to the thunderous echoes of reason, rationality and sanity in their doubtful quest for the permanent validation and qualified authentication of augmenting the unbreakable link between the seen and unseen – harmonious reconciliation and integration of the spiritual aspect and the material side of existence. It is no exaggeration if we purport that the only ideal place for an alien anthropologist from the outer world whose interest into study the human spices is in America, thanks to its beautifully cocktail mixture of diversity and pluralism in diverse ways and forms in almost every aspect of human occupation and vocation.

Almost fifty percent of Americans are regular church goers and if this figure is accurate or even less than there isn’t a shred of doubt that Americans are religious in their own way, but religion beliefs deeply influenced and controlled by a pervading sense of materialism borders on agnosticism and the ultimate denial of the independent existence of a creator. Until and unless the western mind is cleanse and purge of the firm hold of the material senses and the unjustifiable notion that whatever is beyond the senses is supernatural and beyond human comprehension.

Islam, in its civilizing mission for the total emancipation of humanity from the intricate and complex grip of forces whether seen or unseen, complemented by the common thread of virtues that cross through all monotheistic religions making them share a common denominator of unity and diversity of generality and specificity of locality and universality; this divine message and human missionary work characterized by peace, love and cooperation is what must be fully appreciated even if the spirit is weak to take it by virtue of already well established ideas and notion ingrained over centuries and not likely to go away very easily.

As the proper dissemination of any idea is dependent on the timely provision of conducive environment and the unbiased encouragement of the requisite forces, the American environment contrary to the generally held belief of American hostility towards the idea of the spread of Islam. Despite all the aberrations of American policies in the context of dealings with the Islamic world by its unquestionable support for Israel and the likes, America nonetheless offers very rare fertile ground for Islamic propagation. The only bitter dilemma agonizing the American mind is whether America can embrace the civilizing faith adorned with a completely different cultural identity or must the idea be culturally revised and adopted clothed in an American jean wear so as to make it sensible to the American mind.

Islam, in essence is the peaceful and harmonious functioning of the body and the mind in full cooperation and understanding subject to the overall monitoring of the spirit which is beautifully and edifyingly inspired by its Creator Allah to differentiate between right and wrong. This organically natural arrangement is augustly reinforced by a deep belief in the unity of Godhead and the unity of the divine source of Prophet hood. Righteous deeds in both word and action qualify this cultivated belief system.

In view of the sharp analytical and scientifically American mind set one would not hesitate to assert that Islam will one day Islamize America so that in return America can Americanize Islam.

 

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 Zakah and Islamic Social Justice

 by Dr. Omar Jah Jr 

Introduction

With the beginning of the new Muslim calendar, it is appropriate to remind myself and our Muslim brothers and sisters of their divine obligation of Zakah in order to help them enjoy peace and stability in the next twelve months. Just before the end of the year, the world witnessed an utterly devastating natural calamity of the Tsunami, one of the lessons one learns from this disaster is that no matter how much knowledge, wealth or political power human beings may enjoy, our needs and dependency on Allah is increasingly felt day by day. It was very indicative to those who learn fast that human knowledge and technology have their limitations and that the fate of this planet is in the hands of the Omnipotent who does not consult anybody when He takes His decisions. Under such circumstances, Zakah can serve as an instrument of preventive mechanism of such disasters as well as a corrective measure for the victims in need.

1.0-Unlike other heavenly religions, Islam has always been a complete way of life. It combines this world and the next world in a very subtle and fascinating manner. Prior to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), linkages between different parts of the globe were not strong. Today, due mainly to the intermarriage between science and technology to which classical Muslim thinkers contributed tremendously, the world has become a global village; a cough in a remotest village in Australia can be felt in Ethiopia and a sneeze in China is probably experienced in Yamen. Peoples are getting more interconnected and information is rapidly circulated. In Such a world, any form of social injustice is easily observed and channels of distributive justice become more accessible.

Contrary to what half- baked Muslims and non-Muslims may wrongly perceive, Islam considers this world to be very important as much as it serves human destiny and welfare in the real world to come. Because of the fact that human welfare here and there is dependent on justice, from scratch, Islam regulated its economic system with different checks and balances institutions. In the coming series of articles, we will attempt to discuss three Institutions: the institution of Zakah, the institution of waqf (Endowment) and the institution of al-Hisbah (Price control office)

Upon his arrival to Medina, the Prophet (pbuh) embarked on very serious economic strategies:

1- He firstly encouraged all well to do Companions to find their way to the market to effectively participate in business and trade in the new land. And soon they realized the importance of economic self-sufficiency and the necessity of controlling one’s source of income as the only condition for perpetuation of Islamic dignity and Muslims’ integrity.

2-He secondly institutionalized and formalized a very important institution, the system of Zakah. Unlike the capitalist societies, where all forms of taxies are paid merely for the sake of helping the state to run the day-today worldly activities, Zakah is a system that serves both the economic welfare of the Islamic state as well as purification of one’s wealth and soul to help man attain happiness in the next world.

It may sound awkward to claim that the Prophet institutionalized the system of Zakah in Medina. But that was exactly what happened. He received the revelation from Allah and made it known verbatim to the public.

Zakah is one of the five pillars of Islam. The terminology Zakah occurs in the holy Qur’an with unusual frequency. It is mentioned with the word Salajh (prayer) about 82 times.

According to Sayid Sabiq, the informal and ethical prescription of Zakah started in Mecca. Informal because the types of property and the quorum required were not defined then. It was left to the generosity of Muslims.

The formal and legal prescription started in Medina in the second year of Hijrah (migration). It is widely believed that it was in this year when details of its types, quorums and recipients were determined.

The philosophy behind the imposition of Zakah is very simple. Like our human biological bodies, this physical world is entirely the creation of Allah. None has helped Him or even witnessed him creating it. The wealth therein, which is the source of human dignity here and there, is created evenly and justly based on the divine law of relative causality and in accordance with the basic necessities and needs of especially human beings. He is also the One who decides provisions and fortunes in accordance with the divine law of relative determinism. As a result of the law of relative causality, good planning plus hard work carries with it the highest probability of generating a lot of fortune and bad planning and laziness carry with them the highest probability of poverty.

However, as a result of the law of relative determinism, the opposite may happen. And in case some people receives more than their share in the world wealth, Zakah is imposed to return the surplus to those to whom it belongs to correct social imbalances that causes hatred and grudges.

In our next article, we, by the grace of God, will look into what is Zakah, what are the charitable types of properties, what are different quorums and who are the recipients?

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FORGIVENESS- A SIGN OF MAN’S LOFTY SPIRIT

 

by Ibrahim Kromah 

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Dear Readers,

May the Almighty Allah continue to bless and guide you towards the right path of those whom He has bestowed His blessings. The path of guidance of those whom you shall be questioned on the day of Judgement (102:8). That is the straight and right path of which Allah says. Lo! This is My straight path (the Right Path). Follow it and do not follow any other way or else you will diverge from His way (6: 153). My brothers and sisters, All praise be to Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Peace and blessings be upon the Guide and Saviour of Mankind, Muhammad (SAW), and his infallible progeny (AS), the lights of guidance and signposts of piety, and upon the righteous warriors for Truth among his companions

FORGIVENESS IN ATTTRIBUTE & CONSEQUENCE

Allah, the Most High, who created man, showed him the two ways of righteousness and evil, by revealing the Divine messages and sending down the Prophets to guide and lead Mankind towards obedience, and piety and to warn them against evil. The Almighty Allah has bestowed His blessings and favours upon mankind by leaving the door of repentance open in the case that one is misled or gone astray or is encircled by sins and crimes. He Allah, made this door of repentance open for those who repent and seek forgiveness and enter it without fear and, in addition their sins will be forgiven as if their mothers had newly given birth to them.

Fellow readers, what is important in this discussion, is to recognise forgiveness as an impact in our lives, occurring among the impacts of Divine attributes. If man does know the true meaning of (There is no God but Allah) and comprehends its concepts and contents and then recognises its impact in his/her life and the connection it has with his existence, surely he/she will understand that everything in this existence is founded on the Phrase (There is no God but Allah).

Most people, including some of those who recite the names of Allah (blessed be His names) who study the science of Monotheism with its text and rules and speak about the vividness of the essence of Allah and abundance of His mercy and the relationship of the existence with His power are still yet unfamiliar with most facts and distinct impacts of the phrase. ‘There is no god but Allah’. If, however the dimensions of the self are opened to these vast horizons and if intellects would comprehend what the word of Monotheism carries in it of meaning and attributes concerning the Divine self and lived under its rays and the outpouring of lights, surely man would understand that he lived under the impacts of these Divine attributes. They are facts that are obvious in the world of existence and are in connection with the essence of man and his existence. He would also understand that every distinct Divine attribute filled a gap in the human self and also created hope in him/her. Thus, happiness would overwhelm him and he would absolutely feel the meaning of existence if he lived while seeking inspiration from its surplus and fills the gaps in his self with its impacts.

In view of this, we may come to realise that, all fields of existence, including human existence, have a connection with an attribute among the Divine attributes. Whatever exists in this universe like might, wisdom, science, justice, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, power etc is but and shadow reflection in the unlimited Divine perfection, and the distinctions of this perfectness is a secret which aligns the world and the source of its existence is adopted among His everlasting generous. Indeed, the Holy Quran speaks about numerous Divine attributes and the Almighty Allah describes and glorifies Himself with them. Here, we will discuss with what relates only with the subject of forgiveness for it is one of the distinct impacts of visible Divine attributes in man’s life.

According to the logic of Monotheism, forgiveness comes as an impact that should be achieved in the system of creation, and as long as its creator is described with this attribute it is inevitable that the abundance of good appear.

Forgiveness as a word generally means elimination, covering, protection and conservation against impurity. But, forgiveness concerning Allah, the Most High, is to purify His Servants, eliminate their evil deeds, protect them against chastisement, and guard them against shortcomings without disclosing them. The Almighty Allah says: "Allah will not call you to account for what is vain in your oaths, but he will call you to account for what your hearts have earned. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Forbearing", (2:225). And again He says: "…And know that Allah knows whatever is (latent) in yourselves, there be careful of Him; and know that Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Forbearing (2:235). Allah, the Exalted is distinguished by His knowledge of what is in human souls of good and evil and does not disclose them but on the opposite He protects them and gives them the opportunity to repent and return towards truth. Indeed Allah the Almighty is distinguished by this characteristic, which is called clemency. Verily, He is distinguished with clemency, forgiveness and protection and opens the door of repentance to His servants; as He does not deal with them through punishment, but He embraces them with His clemency, generosity, forgiveness and widespread mercy, and promises them to take away their sins. The Almighty is attributed with forgiveness and power. His being attributed by power is the base upon which forgiveness is built, from which repentance results. If one follows the description of the Holy Quran for Allah, the Almighty, and the attribute of forgiveness is being related to Him, one will find that His being attributed as a Forgiver mostly accompanies forgiveness and sometimes it is associated with clemency and might. The Almighty Allah says; "and certainly Allah has pardoned them. Surely Allah is Forgiving, Forbearing." (3: 155). However this is just a jist for us to understand forgiveness in attribute and its impact in man’s life. We will now move to the next segment of our discussion.

FORGIVENESS IN MAN’S LIFE

In trying to understand fully the depth of forgiveness as a sign of man’s lofty spirit in his sphere of existence which denotes a true understanding of "There is no god but Allah" and a true recognition of its impact in his/her life and the connection it has with his/her existence, we therefore have no choice but to examine and study the conduct of the members of the holy Prophet’s household who are the practical and demonstrators of the concepts and contents of monotheism (Tawhid) after the Holy Prophet (SAW) .As a matter of fact, the Muslims’ social life is based on punishment for the wrongdoings and at the same time, in some cases forgiving other faults has been generally praised. In praising the chaste believer, Allah says: "Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity, who restrain anger and pardon (all) men..."(3: 134). Also Allah says: "Forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds) for God loveth those who are kind" (5: 14) And again, He says, " Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that God should forgive you?" (24:22). Imam Sadiq (AS) the sixth holy Imam among the infallible descendants of the Holy Prophet’s Household (i.e Ahl-ul-bait) (AS) states: ‘Forgiveness, when one is powerful is from amongst the morals of the Prophets of Allah’ (Safinat-ul-Bihar Vol. 2) and also the Commander of the Faithful, Chief of the Pious and the Wasi (successor) to the Holy Prophet (SAW), Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) states: "Forgiving others is considered as your thanksgiving to Allah for the power He has bestowed upon you" (Safinat-ul-Bahir Vol. 2). With due consideration and understanding, one may come to the realisation that indeed forgiveness is one among the signs of man’s lofty spirit. When a powerful person forgives others in addition to proving his spirit’s loftiness, and taking a step towards dominating his soul’s desires, he may influence the trespasser by his behaviour so much so that he may never make such mistake.

Moreover, when you forgive the person who does wrong to you and due to his shamefulness he des not repeat his wrong deeds, others who most probably would have become victims against this person would remain free from him/her. So with your forgiveness, you may strengthen your spirit, stop the wrongdoer from continuing his wrong deed. Such is a lofty virtue for man’s spirit or life.

Let’s see how much lofty virtues manifested in the life and conduct of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (AS) the 5th Imam of the Ahl-ul- bait (AS) the (Cleaver of Knowledge) or the (Analyser of Knowledge) "Baqir-ul-ulum". One day a Christian in a mocking manner, changed ‘Baqir’ with ‘Baqar’ meaning ‘cow’; saying to the Imam: ‘Anta Baqar’ i.e. ‘You are the cow’. Without showing any annoyance and anger, Imam (AS) with mere simplicity said: ‘No, I am not ‘Baqar’, I am ‘Baqir’. The Christian went on further and said: ‘you are the son of a lady who was a cook’. Imam (AS) replied; "yes her job was this which cannot be considered as insulting and disgraceful". Then the Christian goes on to say: "your mother was black, shameless and was having bad tongue’. Imam (AS) replied as thus; "if whatever you say about my mother is true, I pray to Allah for her remission and to forgive her sins. And if it is false, I pray to Allah to forgive you for telling lies and committing slander" .One can see and clearly understand how the attribute of forgiveness of Allah impacts the life of the holy Imam due to his comprehension of the concept and content of ‘There is no god but Allah’. This really proves the connection it has with his existence.

The observance of so much forbearance of this sort, by a person capable of punishing a man who was not a believer of Islam, was enough to revolutionise the Christian and attract him towards Islam. Later on, the Christian became a Muslim freely due to the magnanimity of Imam’s (AS) conduct towards him.

Let us also study the case of Amir al-Muminin Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) the most patient and forgiving person. The truth behind this description can be observed through the events of the Battles of the Camel and of Siffin. Without going into details of the histories of both battles, it is sufficient to just highlight the high spiritual and comprehensive station of Imam Ali with regards to ‘There is no god but Allah’ which from the foregoing discussion embodies the meaning and attributes of which forgiveness is one among others concerning the Divine Self which impacted in the life of this devout servant of Allah.

In the battle of the Camel, Ali (AS) defeated Marwan al-Hakam who was a warmonger and a mischief that had instigated this battle against Imam Ali during his caliphate. Marwan was one of the bitterest enemies of Ali and his heart was filled with hatred yet Ali (AS) forgave him. In the same battle, Abdullah Zubayr who openly insulted Imam Ali (AS) was held captive, yet Ali (AS) forgave his faults. He told him "Go away so that I may not see you anymore". Sa ‘id ibn Aas, another enemy of A1i (AS) was also captured in the same battle. When brought before Ali (AS) without reprimanding him in anyway, the latter forgave his deeds and spared his life. During the same battle, the people of Basra drew their swords against Ali and his sons (AS) and they insulted him bitterly. When Ali (AS) defeated them, he sheathed his sword without pursuing the fugitives, hurting the wounded or killing the captives. After the battle and the conquest of Basra, the Imam did not permit his men to loot the enemies’ possessions and equipments and prevented taking the children captive. However, he could have done all these things if he wanted to, but he willingly forgave them all. This of course is a replica of the morals of the Holy Prophet (SA W) on the occasion of the conquest of Mecca. He forgave all the residents of this city although the infidels were still there and hated the Prophet (SAW) and his followers.

Next is the Battle of Siffin. When Mu’awiyah’s troops occupied the Euphrates, they blocked its entrance, not letting Ali and his army fetch any water from it. Though Ali (AS) urged them to allow his men fetch water, they utterly did not accept. It was when Ali realised that he and his soldiers might face death due to thirst that he decided to attack Mu’awiyah’s troops and in sudden time, dispersed them from the occupied centers.

After killing many of them and scattering their body parts, he captured the Euphrates bank. With this victory, Ali’s (AS) companions said to him that since Mu’awiyah’s troops deprived them from drinking water from this river, he too should retaliate by preventing them from getting water from it. The holy Imam (AS) Chief of the Pious said: "By God!" I shall not behave like them. Leave open a corner of the riverbank to enable them reach the river and fetch water. With swords in our hands, we do not need to resort to such conduct".

Analysing these events of the two holy Imams (AS) we may come to realise and comprehend the true standards of the Imams with regards to their understanding the true concepts and contents of ‘There is no god but Allah’ in their lives and their existence. Moreover, they demonstrated a high sense of forbearance and patience of which they are characteristics to foster the process of enjoining to the good and forbidding to the evil. If today leaders and rulers of this world especially those who say they are Muslims truly utilise the true concepts and true meaning of "There is no god but Allah" in their lives, seeing themselves as slaves of the Almighty Allah, desiring to seek the pleasure of Allah, may also stand on the same plane of forgiving their adversaries, their oppositions and even those who stood against their authority. In so doing, not only will Allah enhance happiness in their domain of leadership but will serve as a model for future generations to come. Society will blossom and unity will be strengthened. Imam Mohammad Al- Baqir (AS) says: "There are three things out of the completions, worth and values of the world and thereafter:

(1) Forgiving the one who committed excess and aggression against you.

(2) Joining the one who cuts off relations and ties with you.

(3) Forbearance and tolerance for the one who committed a folly and showed insane behaviour and conduct towards you (TUHFUL AQOOL P293).

A person once asked Imam al-Reda (AS) the 8th Imam of Ahl-ul-Bait (AS): "Who are the best of servants? He (AS) responded; those people that when they perform good deed they become glad and when they perform bad deed they ask forgiveness (of Allah) and when they are granted they thank (for it). And while they get afflicted and grieved they exercise patience. And when they get enraged and angry they forgive". (Overlook other faults) (TUHFUL AQOOL P445).

My brothers and sisters, thus man’s endurance for the total realisation of forgiveness as in the attribute of Allah the Almighty and its consequences results from the depth of man’s understanding the basis of his existence, which is: ‘There is no god but Allah’ both in concepts and meaning and its impact on his life.

Therefore a clear understanding of its manifestation within the sphere of human existence can be seen fully in the conduct of the Holy Prophet’s life and the lives of the holy Imams of his household (AS). To conclude this discussion of this phase on the subject Forgiveness, I must draw your attention that the Prophet (SAW) on numerous occasions informed his companions that his progeny, the Ahl-ul-Bait are like the Gate of Repentance of the children of Israel; (Al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim Vol. 3 P151, Yanabi’ al-Muwaddah P30, 370, Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah by Ibn Hajar, P184 and P234 etc). Ibn Hajar in his book gave the following commentary: "The reason for comparing the Ahl-ul-Bait with the Gate of Repentance is that Allah made (Gate of Jericho or Jerusalem) a sign of His forgiveness, similarly, Ahl-ul-Bait are the means of Repentance for this Ummah".

God willing, we look into the issue of Repentance, the road to seek forgiveness. In short, to summarise the details of this discussion, we may come to know Forgiveness in attribute of Allah and its consequences and impact on man’s life and its real manifestation in the lives of Imam Ali and Imam Baqir (AS). Being the true models of the Prophet’s (SAW) virtues and merits in all dimensions of existence.

May Allah reward you as you endeavor to seek guidance and understanding? Peace be unto you all.

 

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 "School Competitions Vital To Sports Development" - SoS Faal

 

by Namory Trawally

The Secretary of  State for Youth and Sports, Hon. Samba Faal said that inter-schools competitions are the keys to sports development in any country, and any nation that fails to nurse those competitions should forget about sports development, as schools sports are the nursery for any sport. Mr. Faal made those remarks last Tuesday when he received the executive committee of the Gambia Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) in his office.

Mr. Faal, continuing in his statement, indicated that The Gambia has the best youth teams of all disciplines in Africa but the country cannot perform when it comes to senior levels. He attributed that failure to the lack of good transitions from school level to association competitions.

Mr. Faal welcomed the move of GSSSA to work hand and hand with his department of state but called on the association to challenge the education department to bring back physical education (PE) into the school curriculum.

He acknowledged that it would be very difficult for his department to fully support the secondary school sports association, as the department of state for education is their parent body.

Mr. Faal further stated that he is aware of the good work the association is doing in revitalising school sports through their own individual commitment.

He urged all sporting associations to assist the Gambia secondary schools sport association as they are doing the job of the national sporting association.

Speaking earlier, the vice-president of the GSSSA, Mr. Alieu Jeng said that the association is running competitions for both male and female categories in junior and senior secondary schools as they have more than hundred schools members countrywide.

Mr. Jeng, however, revealed that the association is facing financial constraints as their only sources of income are gate takings during inter-schools finals, the assistance from the Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC), and contributions from schools, which is not forthcoming as some principals are not cooperating.

Mr. Jeng thanked President Jammeh for reconciling Gambia High and Saint Augustine’s after the fatal violence in 2000.

He also appealed to President Jammeh to assist them with two trophies that would be presented to the most disciplined in junior and senior schools.

The other members of the delegation were, Mr. Mbye, Mariama Sallah, Mr. Bah and Mr. Njie.

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 Brikama Hosts League Matches

 

The Gambia Football Association (GFA) first and second divisions league matches will from today be played at the Brikama Box-Bar mini-stadium as both Serrekunda East and West mini-stadiums would be under-going some rehabilitations for the forthcoming CAF U-17 championship.

Serrekunda East mini-stadium has been identified as the second venue that would host some matches of the Under-17 championship, while Serrekunda West would be use as training ground for participating teams.

Meanwhile, the GFA first division league will resume today Friday after a week break due to the 40th national Independence celebration.

On the programme of Week 6 today, Steve Biko will play Armed Forces.

Tomorrow Saturday, two matches are on the programme.

At 3pm, GPA will face a difficult game against the league leader Hawks FC, who has regained their winning machine since their defeat in Week One.

The second game of the day will be at 5pm between the league runner up, Real de Banjul and the third placeholders Gamtel.

On Sunday, the blue boys of Wallidan will face a difficult game against their long time archrival, Bakau United.

In the second game, Kaira Silo, who upset Real de Banjul in Week five, are ready to add another glory when they meet Sait Matty on Sunday.

 

In Independence Charity Match

Jammeh Leads Politicians To Victory

President Yahya Jammeh last Sunday led the politician’s football team to a two-one (2-1) victory over the private sector as part of the 40th Independence Celebration of The Gambia.

President Jammeh coached the politician’s team, which got the winning machine to beat a courageous private sector captained by Alhagie Sankung Sillah.

The match, played at the Serrekunda West mini-stadium was well attended as Gambians anticipated to see President Jammeh in action. However, President Jammeh preferred to coach the politician’s team as according to him, his presence would affect the fair play of the match as the private sector players would not challenge him, as it should be done.

On the pitch, the politician’s team opened the scores in the early minutes of the second half with a goal by Essa Faye but the private sector was soon to level the scores with a goal by Mohammed Jah of Quantum.

Commandant Lang Tombong Tamba later scored the winning goal for the politicians with a long distance kick.

Speaking to journalists after the match, President Jammeh said the match is a clear manifestation that his government does not have anything against the private sector and vice versa as the country cannot develop without the private sector and no private can exist sector without government.In the second game of the day, the private sector female team beat politician’s female team 1-0 Aminata Singhateh-Bah of Africell scored the goal.In the third game of the day, the Gambia U-17 team beat the all-star selection on penalty kick 5-3.Lang Tombong Tamba was voted the best players in the politician’s team and Ousman Jallow the captain of the U-17 as best in the third game.In another development, the Gambia Armed Forces last Saturday beat the Senegalese Armed Forces 3-2 at the Serrekunda West mini-stadium.In handball, the Senegalese Army beat The Gambia 2-1.

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May Day Sports Rescheduled

 

by Sainabou Kujabi

This year’s May Day Sports in The Gambia has been rescheduled. According to George Gomez, Executive Secretary of the Gambia National Olympic Committee, the date has been rescheduled in view of the intense preparation for the CAF U-17 championship, which is expected, to kick-off barely few days after the first of May.

Gomez called 2005 a special year for Gambian sports as the country will be hosting two major events that any country would to be involved in because of the benefits honours and promotion associated with them. The Gambia will also for the first time, apart from the CAF U-17 tournament, host the Queen’s Baton relay for the 2006 Commonwealth Games to be held in Melbourne.

Gomez pointed out that this year’s May Day sports will be held on Sunday 29th may 2005 adding that arrangements will be the same as in previous years with a registration fee of D3000 for full participation and D2000 for companies or institutions that wish to take part in the march past only.

Rev Fr Comer Memorial Tourney In Progress

Rev. Fr. Vincent Comer Memorial Tournament, an inter-catholic basic schools competition that is being competed in the form of quiz, football and volleyball is entering its Week 2.

In Week 1, Brikama, Bwiam and Sintet were the three venues where competitions were going on simultaneously. In Brikama, Presentation clashed with St John’s school for the Deaf in the football and volleyball matches in both male and female categories. The matches ended 2 sets to zero in favour of St John in both male and female categories, while they lost in their foot encounter with Presentation which beat them 2-1 and 1-0 respectively in the male and female encounters. However, St John withdrew from the quiz competition.

The Bwiam encounter featured Bullock against St Edwards who competed in all three areas. Bullock won 12points to 6 in the quiz competition while St Edward won both football and volleyball in the male and female categories.

The third venue featured Sintet with Kanilai, which proved to be a difficult encounter as Kanilai won the quiz by 12points to 10 and won 2-1 in volleyball and 1-0 in football in the male category; while Sintet girls won 2 sets to zero in volleyball and drew 0-0 in the football encounter.

Meanwhile the tourney will be entering week two and matches are as follows:

Group A

St Johns vs. Kartong

Group B

Bullock vs. Sintet

Group A

Ngonjon vs. Presentation

Group B

Kanilai vs. Bwiam.

 

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Ansu Hopes To Lower His Timing

 by Njonji Drammeh 

The Gambians best long distance runner, Ansu Sowe told Independent Sports that his ultimate aim, in the final round of the Standard Chartered Bank sponsored Greatest Race On Earth, is to reduce his timing.

The 19-year-old marathoner, who left Banjul last Tuesday, will be among over 11,000 runners on Sunday in Hong Kong.

Ansu, who is being sponsored by President Jammeh for the second time, competed the third round of the Greatest Race On Earth in January in Mumbai and came 60th position out of 11,000 runners with a timing of 3hrs 02 mns 33 sec.

Before his departure for Hong Kong, Ansu Sowe told Independent Sports that he is going to reduce his timing to at least 2hours some seconds. He also took the opportunity to thank the Gambian leader for sponsoring him once again for the Hong Kong run.

It could be recalled that Ansu’s air ticket, hotel accommodation and pocket money of 200$ were provided by President Jammeh when he was going to Mumbai.

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D30,000 Bail Bond For Dembo Jassey

by Lamin Njie

Dembo Jassey, the Chief Security of the Brikama Area Council who was recently arrested and subsequently detained at the State Central Prisons of Mile Two, and charged with fraudulent conduct was on Monday 14th February 2005, bailed with a sum of D30,000 and a Gambian surety before Magistrate Buba Jawo of the Brikama Magistrate Court.

At the beginning of the case, Police prosecutor, Kawsu Ceesay asked for an adjournment, since the case he indicated is being transferred to ASP Badjie, who was at the time busied with the rehearsals for the Independence anniversary.

But L.K Mboge, the counsel for the accused objected to the application made by the prosecutor, saying that the excuse is not authentic, since the case is IGP versus the accused and not between ASP Badjie and the accused person. He said the accused needs a speedy trial to do away with the charges hanging over him. He further indicated that "ASP Badjie is not a witness in this case; the reason given is a flimsy excuse. It is not correct to put the accused in custody for a week only to apply for an adjournment".

However, the magistrate granted bail to the accused person with a bond of D30,000 and a Gambian surety. The case was finally adjourned until further hearing.

It could be recalled that Mr. Jassey who earlier appeared before Magistrate Jawo of the Brikama magistrate court was charged with fraudulent conduct for obtaining a sum of D20,000 from one Modou Nasir Touray in order to restore to life a shop belonging to the said Touray which was earlier closed by the Brikama Area Council.

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GPA PRO Breaks Silence

Says No Compromise On Economic Saboteurs…

 

by Momodou Gassama

The GPA Image maker, Ebrima J.T Kujabi, has revealed that the recently introduced tough measures by the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) to clamp down on economic saboteurs and corruption would continue in good faith for more revenue accumulation.

He said he was not surprised by a story carried by The Independent, considering the tough measures being put in place to crackdown on all malpractices. "They can write anything about us but this would not deter us from doing what is expected of us. We are doing everything in our capacity to represent the interest of our esteem customers and the nation as a whole. But first and foremost we would not allow personal interests to undermine our national interests", he warned, noting that GPA is reviewing all aspects of the Ports.

The GPA Public Relation and Communication Officer made these remarks two days ago. Mr. Kujabi, a seasoned journalist, further stated that these are "things that are completely fabricated, malicious and intended to damage reputations.

"There is no iota of truth whatsoever, no grain of truth in the allegations. But I’m also very delighted to note that the author of the piece have realised how effective these tough measures introduced at the Ports are. These measures mark another stepping stone in the activities of the Ports", he indicated.

Mr. Kubaji said he has since called the author of the story Ahmed Carayol to express dismay and disappointment over the issue. Kujabi who is also a member of the Gambia Press Union said he has earlier lodged a complaint to the GPU President D.A. Jawo concerning the issue. "I think I should lodge a complaint there considering the magnitude of the story".

Kujabi warned "his colleagues in the media not to be used by unscrupulous elements in the society to write about people’s personal character, which he said could be libelous.

He said such letters were earlier sent to various media house "but were rejected for publication considering its implications". Kujabi said such allegations would never frustrate "our good effort and our managing director M.L Gibba, who is ever ready to deliver to the people.

Mr. Kujabi, further revealed that a restructuring exercise is currently underway at the Ports and it would last until "our objective is achieved: So I see no reason why some people are making loud noise about it. But I was not surprised too because this shows that something was wrong somewhere else. Mr. Kujabi who sound confident over the phone further indicated that the institution would soon organise a press conference to inform the public about recent developments.

Kujabi himself a trained Libyan intelligence Operator cum journalist has failed to name the authors, but indicated that he personally knows all those who are behind the issue.

Mr. Kujabi, who is expected to take an international assignment in Abidjan for a French Development Magazine, said those days are gone when certain unscrupulous elements would enrich themselves at the detriment of the nation. "We are going to endorse tough stance until our aims and objectives are realised", he added.

 

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Imam Fatty Tough On Corruption

 

by Sana Camara

The senior Imam of the State House Mosque, Abdoulie Fatty has made fierce attacks on unscrupulous officials, who use positions of trust to squander state resources at the expense of taxpayers.

Speaking to The Independent, the Imam said Islam as a religion has been instituted to safeguard five essential elements of living, notably among which is the protection of public wealth. This, he added is one of the reasons why Islam prescribed amputation as sanctity for stealing, especially when it comes to plundering of national wealth.

While indicating that a theft of such magnitude is meant to deprive others from their rightful possessions, he said swindlers deserve to be reduced into nothingness in the eyes of Islam, noting that since The Gambia does not operate under Islamic jurisprudence as the fundamental laws of the land, stealing either from individual or the public is a grave societal ill which must be fought tooth and nail for a decent nation to thrive, hence the need for honesty.

Unfortunately, he said the society continue to be plagued by selfish syndrome of loving oneself at the detriment of others, thus, encouraging a widely held notion that "a cow does not alone graze where it is being tied." Even whereas it is true, he said it should be noted that "a cow will never eat everything on the spot and they are sometimes wounded and even killed when they eat what they were not supposed to eat."

He further indicated that the resultant effects of patriotism and unselfishness is development and stability, adding that "every pint of water from the state tap belongs to all and that any Dalasi being put in the state coffers belongs to all".

He said as a matter of concern, officials working for the people should realise that God has appointed them for the general welfare of the society, and to prudently use state resources for the interest of all.

"Such people who steal in Islam are in two categories – Mufsideen Fil Ardee and Muharideen; and severe punishment await them in the hereafter, where they would not escape punishment for the wrongs in this world", he concluded.

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