My attention has been drawn to an article published on the October 17th edition of the Daily Observer captioned Jammeh calls for Islamic solidarity. In the story, President Jammeh during a meeting with Muslim elders at State House, called on the Islamic Ummah to be steadfast, bold and united in the spirit of Islam to condemn any form of attack on the Islamic religion.
President Jammeh: What is in his head?
While I agree that there is a need for the Muslim ummah to be united as we are all descried as Brothers by the Holy Prophet, Muhammad (SAW), I completely disagree with President Jammeh's description of the war on terror as a war against Islam. The war on terror is not against Muslims, who observed the five pillars of Islam and follow the teachings of Allah and His noble Prophet (SAW). It is a war against Muslim extremists who hide behind our peaceful religion to kill and maim innocent people in the streets, shopping centres, entry ports, and even schools.
Terrorism is not a new phenomenon in Europe. In Britain, Ireland and Spain alone, thousands of lives have been lost to terrorism over the past 30 years. This experience has taught us that the only way to defeat terrorism is to confront it. Terrorism is a threat to all states and to all peoples. It poses a serious threat to our security, to the values of our democratic societies and to the rights and freedoms of the citizens, especially through the indiscriminate targeting of innocent people. Terrorism is criminal and unjustifiable under any circumstances. And recognising these dangers, the Gambian National Assembly in 2002 enacted an anti-terrorism legislation.
Islam has always been a religion of peace and has never tolerated the wanton destruction of properties and lives. Take for instance, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) prohibited his soldiers from killing women and children, and he would advise them: {...Do not betray, do not be excessive, do not kill a newborn child.} And he also said: {Whoever has killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance is found for a span of 40 years.}
Also, the Prophet (SAW) has forbidden punishment with fire. He once listed murder as the second of the major sins, and he even warned that on the Day of Judgement, {The first cases to be adjudicated between people on the Day of Judgement will be those of bloodshed.}
In light of these and other Islamic texts, the act of inciting terror in the hearts of defenceless civilians, the wholesale destruction of buildings and properties, the bombing and maiming of innocent men, women, and children are all forbidden and detestable acts according to Islam and the Muslims. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the vast majority have nothing to do with the violent events some have associated with Muslims. If an individual Muslim were to commit an act of terrorism, this person would be guilty of violating the laws of Islam.
President Jammeh can try to play politics with religion but he cannot fool us. Has he forgotten that The Gambia is ally in the war on terror and that the battle against terrorism is not only being fought by the US and Britain. It is a global war which includes Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon; you name them.
How insane is one who shouts Allahu Akbar and blows him/herself up together with innocent people in the name of Allah? That is more than criminal and every decent human being should never stand by and watch such evil minded people to continue recruiting and corrupting the minds of Muslim youths. Muslim extremists are like a disease and we should never go near them.
How can’t President Jammeh recognised Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorists organisations when they continue to blow themselves up and innocent Israelis in the name of liberation?
For God sake, we are in the 21st Century and any person or organisation that embarks of the indiscriminate killing of people and destruction of public properties is nothing but a bloody terrorists.
Islam is today being highjack by some evil hearted Muslims who think that blowing themselves up is the key to entering paradise. President Jammeh needs to know that Islamic fundamentalists are trying to associate such an ungodly act with Islam. And as long as Muslim extremists continue cause wanton destructions, they will be hunted down and lock up.
With regard to the prosecution and hanging of Saddam Hussein, I am not surprise to see President Jammeh trying to make a childish defence against one of the world’s worst dictators. Saddam and Jammeh both have one thing in common. They are all vicious and blood thirsty dictators who take pleasure in burying their opponents six feet deep. Both Jammeh and Saddam have no regards and respects to the rights of their subjects. As rulers, they regard themselves as prophets and kings who have the god given right to do anything they want with impunity.
Saddam should thank his God that he was allowed to stand trial before an Iraqi court, which sentenced him to death for some of his crimes. Like Jammeh, some of Saddam's victims did not have the chance to stand before a judge to defend themselves. Those who got the chance were leapfrogged before mercenary judges who just sent them to the gallows.
The Situation in Iraq is worsening day in day out not because of the Americans and the British. The suicide bombings and beheading of ordinary Iraqis are not cause by the coalition forces but by selfish Iraqis who do not want to see any progress. In Iraq today, it is not the coalition that is killing Iraqis, but Muslim Shites killing Muslim Sunnis with the backing of Iran, which not surprisingly is a key ally of the Gambia.
The number of Muslim deaths will always skyrocket as long as Muslim extremists continue to blow themselves up day in day out in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia; you name it. The number will also increase as long as blood thirsty dictators like President Jammeh, continue to kill, arrest, and torture innocent civilians without giving a monkey to the country's laws.
The terror squads we have in Iraq have some similarities with the killer boys in the Gambian army, who take pleasure in killing journalists, burning newspapers, and persecuting innocent people who have the balls to challenge the Jammeh regime. And like the Iraqi death squads, the killer boys have succeeded in sowing fear in the minds of the civilian population. Criticise the regime and you are buried six feet deep.
While lecturing us on the Islamic rule, President Jammeh failed to realise that though we are a Muslim dominant country, we are governed by a constitution not shariah. And if we are to follow the shariah teaching, then President Jammeh will no doubt be found guilty of corruption, injustice, greed, hypocrisy, murder among others.
If President Jammeh wants to start punishing people who sing and dance while worshipping Allah like the Bai Faals as we call them in Jollof, then I think he must start with himself. This is because he was shown on TV dancing the bucarabou in Kanilai with his satanic praying bead in his hand.
How can a president who organises wrestling matches between men and women, as well as host many festivals in Kanilai which bring together thousands of hot blooded men and women all over country and beyond start teaching us about morality? How can a president who advocates youths to use condoms talk about shariah? How can a president who wants to outlaw Muslim students from wearing the veil talk about shariah? How can a superstitious president like Jammeh who wears millions of jujus talk about the greatness of Allah? How can a president like Jammeh who busy himself watching wrestling matches and dancing in Kanilai while the time for prayer is up preach us about God? How can a president like Jammeh who orphaned children, widowed women, and made parents childless tell us to fear God? How can a president who orders the kidnapping, torture and detention incommunicado of his opponents talk about shariah?
Mr. President, take a proper look at yourself first before talking God in front of our respected Muslim elders.
Peace.
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