Editorial: Is President Jammeh A True Muslim? Discriminating the opposition during Ramadan!
Editorial: Is President Jammeh A True Muslim? Discriminating the opposition during Ramadan!
  Is President Jammeh A True Muslim? Discriminating the opposition during Ramadan!

For many years Jammeh's faith as a Muslim has been put to question. Many are not convinced if President Jammeh is a true Muslim as he claimed. Beside, the atrocities linked to him, Jammeh is openly spreading hate messages at this time of the holly month of Ramadan. This is a month in which Muslims are expected to reconcile their differences and avoid committing any act of sin. Considering the holiness of the month, the least we expect from President Jammeh was to unite the country and not to sow seeds of discord  in the impoverished West African country. Jammeh Jinlanka has once again proven his skeptics right by demonstrating that he is not a true believer. After looting our nation's coffers, Jammeh is dishing out sugar,rice and other handouts to poor Muslims in The Gambia. Interestingly, Jammeh is using the gift distribution to discriminate against opposition supporters. He told his errand boys that opposition supporters should not benefit from his Ramadan gift. Hear Jammeh in this statement"President Jammeh warned the Regional Governors receiving the gift on behalf of their region to be honest when distributing to avoid problem. It is not for sale and it is not for the oppositions supporters."he said.

A true and devoted Muslim would have used a different message unlike Jammeh's divide and rule politics. The said statement attributed to Jammeh by the state house reporter clearly tells us that Jilanka is a faked Muslim. Jammeh should stop fooling himself as God is here to judge us on judgment day. For Jammeh, he thinks that for one to be qualified to be a pious Muslim he or she must possess praying beads and the holly Koran. Jammeh ought to grow up and stop his maroon attitude. Islam is a  noble faith which don't entertains falsehood. For Jammeh to be taken as a God fearing Muslim who is committed to the teaching of Islam he must be ready to accept Muslims, Christians, non Muslims, opposition supporters and everyone in the country as one people. A good Muslim don't harbor grudges or hatrate against his own people or other denominations.

The Supreme Islamic Council and the State House Imam should help to raise Jammeh's awareness on the duties and responsibilities of a good Muslim. Dishing out Ramadan gifts is not enough for one to be called a Muslim. If Jammeh was a true believer he would not have black listed the opposition supporters including the management of this leading paper. A good leader should be a unifer and not a divider. Going by the teaching of the Koran, gifts are meant for the poor and the needy. We still cannot see the rationale behind Jammeh's Ramadan gift since he is sidelining the poor and the needy. Is Jammeh telling us that the opposition are not part of the poor and the needy? Their are opposition supporters who cannot afford one square meal in Fototo, Gambiasara, Niamina and other parts of the country today. Jammeh is committing a big sin at this time of the Ramadan by trying to discriminate against the poor and the needy. The purpose of of his gift had been defeated. In this holly month, we expect Jammeh to treat Gambians and non Gambians with love, care and hospitality. Anything sort of this would be unacceptable.

Going by what the state house reported "President Yahya Jammeh distributed 11,000 bags of rice and 7000 bags of sugar as his annual Ramadan gift to Muslims across the country at a ceremony held at State House." Members of the security forces also benefited from Jammeh's gift. Sometimes, we tend to ask  if Jammeh is richer than the state. How come that a man whose saving bank account at the defunct Continent Bank was in the Red is today lavishly dishing out millions of dalasis to our Muslim Community? Remember, that none of Jammeh's parents were born rich. Jammeh was a poor destitute and a wanderer for that matter in our neighborhood at some point. This was the poor kid salvaged by the late Pa Tamba of Latri-Kunda from becoming a menace to our society as all indications suggested that Jammeh was posed to be in the streets if not helped. His sudden riches is of concern to all true and patriotic Gambians. Our religious leaders should start questioning Jammeh's wealth. It makes no sense for these religious leaders to close their eyes and pretend as if Jammeh's so called riches was inherited.

As we are on the verge of completing the fast period, we call on President Jammeh to be real and stop his double standards. He should repent to God and seek  forgiveness from people he wronged whether directly or indirectly. Jammeh should also cease his killing spree, torture chambers and persecution of political opponents. Unless, he reforms we will continue to ask if Jammeh is a true Muslim or not? His present comportment don't suggest that he is a true Muslim. We wish happy Ramadan to our Muslim brothers and sisters. Jammeh should not use Islam to preach hate messages. It's  unGodly and unIslamic. Peace!

Posted on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 (Archive on Sunday, October 29, 2006)
Posted by PNMBAI  Contributed by PNMBAI
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