If there were a country, let's say like Pakistan or Saudi, only that this
country was interested in having the Mourides kicked out of Senegal for a
sum which Abdou Joof decides to take and then the campaign begins to expel
the Mourides using the Imam of State House - what am I talking about? The
Mourides are Senegalese, not foreign. There is no country willing to pay
for their expulsion! I hope the manifested religious hypocrisy in the Gambia
is not in Senegal. Why is the Imam not going after my Christian relatives
who do not even believe in the Prophet of Islam (SAW)? Practice and let
Practice. Only GOD knows!
Soffie
-----Original Message-----
From: saiks samateh [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, August 23, 1999 7:13 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [Re: Imam Fatty Condemns Fankanta]
Dear Jaboh,
The problem is that the Ahmaddyias also believed that they are the true
representative of Islam and that the likes of you,Mbye Jabang,Imam Fatty
,etc
do not have a basic understanding of the Islamic religion,should they also
go
around warning other Muslim not to follow any other form of Islam that is
different from theirs ?What would be the result of such a campaign ?This is
what Kabir is trying to put through,Believe in your way of practicing Islam
and leave the others to practice Islam as they believe it to be and the day
of
judgment we will know who is right or who is wrong.We are a small nation and
could not afford such religious infighting in our country.Now the Ahmadyyais
are saying that they are no longer going to keep silent to see their
reputation been tarnish, what is this going to lead to,sister Jabou ?The
hypocrisy of people like Imam Fatty should not be entertain,as a religious
leader he is keeping his eyes closed to more serious things and choose to
attack innocent people.The murdering ,poverty and political oppression in
our
country is more serious than any of the issues he is raising,a true
religious
leader will give priority to such than talking about things he has no idea
about,and allying with those oppressing the people.
For Freedom
Saiks
Amadou Kabir Njie wrote:
<< Jabou"
Well Imam Fatty was just an example of my worse nightmare and the kind of
attitude that a certain religious posture can breed: contempt and disregard
for others, which in itself is quite un-Islamic but can I take it that since
you did not try to defend your assertion that:
".....If this is the case, then let us cease to make any criticisms of
colonialism, nor should we have
fought for independence from the same since our colonizers built schools
and
hospitals"
you agree with me that it was both invalid and futile to try to equate the
Ahmadiyyas to the colonialist?
For the Ahmadiyya have never stolen and are not stealing from the Gambian
people as the colonialist did.
The Ahmadiyya have not demonstrated any disrespect for any other faiths or
for the people as a whole, as the colonialist did.
The Ahmadiyya have facilitated the provision of healthcare and education to
many Gambians and continue to do so to the delight of many whose fate would
otherwise have been left to the mercy of inadequate and poor state of these
services that own government has to offer.
Just the other day Omar Njie told us how he attended their school, went to
their meetings, but mainly for the free cola! He managed to get himself some
education, a free cola now and then, and then went on to become an
invaluable
resource both to his country and to his own family, but continued to believe
what he wants to believe! I think that's quite a good bargain, don't you?
I think that every student that went through one of the Ahmadiyya schools
and then went on to contribute towards the development of the country, one
way or another, deserved the opportunity!
As far as the Ahmadiyya preach and practice their religion peacefully, I
think they have all rights to operate in the country without being under
constant seige.
The constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, has provided for
the
freedom worship. Every Gambian deserves the same respect that we desire for
own self and our own faith. Those who live in glass houses should not throw
stones. One day the chickens might just come home to roost!
I think that as we were talking here about widening the democratic space
sometime ago, we should also be talking about "maintaining" the religious
space! I say "maintain" because Gambians have always been tolerant of other
faith other than their own. This in turn have engendered religious harmony
and peaceful co-existence. In the Gambia faiths cut right across ethnic
backgrounds and even across family lines. Most Gambians feel that people
should be free to worship whatever way they choose as far as they do not
threaten the security of others by sowing seeds of discord.
How many times have Nigerian intitutions of higher been closed down because
of riots between Muslims and Christians and how many times has it not been
discovered that there was a political hand behind it all?
There is too much emotion attached to religion and religious issues and
which is prone to abuse by religious opportunists and unscrupulous
politicians. I think we should spend our energies on much more important and
meaningful issues than constant religious bickering. We should be careful
what we ask for, for it may be exactly what we get!
We should be grateful that ours are not sects of the kind that preach
amargedeon and mass suicide. Nor ones that sermon the masses out of their
last Dalasi, but rather ones that build schools and hospitals and do not
even
require that you subscribe to their belief in order to be illegible to join
their institutions.
Many young people have gone through these schools and gone on to gain
further educational achievements without having compromised their belief in
the Holy Quran and Islam. The same is true of probably thousands who have
gone through Christian Mission Schools. We have only something to gain and
nothing to loose!
Regards.
A. Kabir Njie.
*******************
Amadou,
l think we will just have to agree to disagree on this one, because you
miss the whole point of my argument.l am not arguing about the contributions
of the Ahmadiyyas, but about beliefs and practices they engage in that is
counter to the very foundation of islam, and which, it is a duty of every
muslim to warn their fellow muslim about.l am not a defender of the Jammeh
regime and it's cohorts, but l am supportive of the fact that Fatty is
warning fellow muslims about the Ahmadiyya movement as a sect that has
beliefs that are regarded as innovative.Despite my explanations, and the
article posted by Modou Mbye on this issue, you continue to bring forth the
contributions of the Ahmadiyya, and religious intolerance as the issue. In
my
opinion, warning muslims about Ahmadiyya constitutes educating them about
what to avoid in our religion, and strengthening our efforts to purify our
worship, end of story.
Why my quip about colonialism? Should the contributions others make in our
country and our lives be sufficient reason for us not to oppose or
criticise
them in any way, even if this opposition or criticism will result in a
greater good for us as a people in the long run? Those who colonized us also
initiated and left schools and other institutions for example, that we
still utilize.Should we have maintained that system or stand in defense of
them because of the fact that they were making these contribution? In the
same manner, should religious leaders forego warning our fellow believers
against the innovation of Ahmadiyya because they have built hospitals and
schools? l guess it is a matter of what is important to one.Please
understand
that l am not advocating the prosecution of anyone. In our quest for
excellence in all aspects of our lives, be it purity in religion, better,
more competent and non-corrupt government and leaders, a better future for
our country, if all of us listen well, get all the facts, make the
comparisons and the right choices based on facts and knowledge, then all
those institutions and practices that are based on false premises will self
destruct.
l can understand how Fatty's association with the Jammeh regime, as well as
his views on many issues elicits a negative reaction from many people
(including myself ), but again, l do appreciate his outspokenness on this
particular issue, especially since he is the first person that l am aware
of,
who has publicly addressed this issue.
Jabou Joh
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________________________________________
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
