Dear Sisters, Destructive elements like Imam Fatty are the biggest treat to the development of our human society.His ignorance and the fear of loosing control will always blind him to the truth.If he does not have respect for his muslim fellows(the Ahmaddyias)how do we expect him to have respect for the ideas of those who think different.I am sure that Gambian women will not let such people to dictate their lives.Who is even paying this man as the Imam of State House ? I only hope that it is not the money of tax payers. This is not the first time at it will not be the last to hear such disgusting elements demanding the rolling back of Human development.To say that the idea of freedom is the property of the West is the biggest insult to the human being.It is not new that Fascist hide them selves behind religion(as in Afghanistan,Iran etc)to justify the oppression of their fellow human beings.But this Imam will understand that Gambian women are no property of men,they are capable of thinking for them selves. For Freedom Saiks > --------------------------------------------- > Attachment: > MIME Type: multipart/related > --------------------------------------------- The Daily Observer Published at 12:00pm G.M.T 08/18/99 Gamcotrap reacts to Imam Fatty The women's advocacy group on harmful traditional practices affecting women and children, Gamcotrap, yesterday, reacted to the statement attributed to the vocal imam of State House mosque, Abdoulie Fatty, describing women activists as "infidels who are subverting Islam." Mary Small, Gamcotrap's coordinator told the Daily Observer that some Islamic scholars felt threatened by the messages to empower women. She denied any foreign power bankrolling the organisation adding that they are above such deals. Ms Small said the Holy Qur'an has been translated into various languages including English and that,"it has been realised that, in fact, there is nothing like religious injunction particularly on female genital mutilation," she claimed. Ms Small said their FGM campaign "is going on in full force," adding that recently they met Islamic scholars in the Central River Division to discuss the issue. She said that the meeting was successful. She said that religious people play an important role in the society and as such, are Gamcotrap's target. "They are the first point of contact by women and as a result we can't leave them behind," she said, stressing, "we are neither forcing nor opposing anyone. We only stress on information sharing and open dialogue." Ms Small revealed that in their endeavour to empower women, Gamcotrap is now operating a girls' education project aimed at sponsoring girls in primary and secondary schools, including university. The issue of female circumcision, which came to be popularly known as female genital mutilation and is now referred to in politically correct parlance as female genital cutting, is banned from being discussed over government-controlled media. The topic elicits strong reaction from people advocating its banning as a health hazard and those promoting its continuation as a respectable social tradition.. ____________________________________________________________________ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------