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Saturday, 19 December 2009

Was Bakuwsu Arrested?

Reading through the freedom newspaper today: http://www.freedomnewspaper.com/Homepage/tabid/36/mid/367/newsid367/4750/Breaking-News-Gambia-Supreme-Islamic-Council-Engineered-The-Arrest-Of-Imam-Ba-Kawsu-Fofana--Police-Said/Default.aspx
I came across a story which states that, Sheik Bakawsu Fofana originally from Jarra Barrow Kunda was arrested for having a difference of opinion with the members of the supreme Islamic Council Gambia.
I have personally listen to tapes of Bakawsu lectures and watched a few of his DVDs to know his style of preachings. Bakawsu is a young man of 36 years as compared to Imam Karamo Touray, the president of the Islamic council. Bakawsu and Imam Karamo are very close friends. They both studied in Medina university and are both well verse in Islamic jurisprudence and general knowledge on Islam.
Bakawsu did his BA in Qur'an and Hadith studies, and his style of preaching is more or less base on those two sources. He doesn't mince his words and he hardly avoid stating the obvious. http://www.iladinolong.com/index/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53%3Abakauso-fofana&catid=34%3Adaoud&Itemid=58A lecture of Bakawsu:
Mandingo speakers will appreciate his clarity in speech, although he has some speech impediments. Bakawsu's controversial lectures includes his advise to the Jola community to take religion seriously and seize following customs which are tantamount to Idol worship. He also do regularly advise women to dress modestly and avoid revealing their under garments.
He is also a no nonsense preacher when it comes to addressing we the secular western educated Gambians. He commented, "whenever there is a religious function to do, the secular educated Gambians would like to pass on the role to others." He further said, we spend most time on material pursuits and divide the resources of our country among ourselves. He said "from early age they go to school up till they enter adulthood, then they start to work from 9 to 5. They hardly have time to learn about their faith. When they retire, they commense reading newspaper by street corners and engaging in political debates all day on end." Bakawsu further advise that, co-education should abolish in the Gambia. He said co-education has killed the jealousy that couples should have on each other. on another topic, he attack the new custom female wresling on TV.
Bakawsu on the opening of his local Mosque in Sanchaba, invited Imam Karamo Touray as main speaker on the event. So for those two parties to fall out over mundane religious matters like the date of Tobaski is rather funny.
There is more to the story than the paper made it to be. Bakawsu and the likes of Imam Karamo Touray belongs to the Islamic consultative group were they discourse matters of Islam regularly. All this people are linked through many other scholars. The freedomnews paper may be correct on Bakawu's arrest, but someone other than the supreme Islamic council may be involve.