Guys,
Here is the so-called Shari'a speech Yaya Jammeh gave to the elders on Koriteh
day. It is a good case-study for any would-be psychotherapists and
psychoanalysts among us.
I pinched it from the POINT of today, 3 January 2001.
Prince
=============================================================
Wednesday, January 3, 2001
JAMMEH TALKS TO MUSLIMS ELDERS
Receiving Muslim Elders at State House, President Jammeh made the following
statement:
Some of you have spoken about tolerance and freedom of expression but let us not
forget that we are in an African country with Muslims as well as Christians.
Islam and Christianity have no freedom of expression. You cannot say all that
you want in Islam and the same goes for Christianity.
A Muslim has no right to say something that is not in the Quran or something
that tarnishes the image of Islam. The same goes for Christianity. In both the
Quran and the Bible God Forbids adultery. So can someone preach that adultery is
a good thing? Freedom of expression must respect the laws of the country as well
as the teachings of religion. Let no one fool us about democracy. We must
understand that we are in Africa and in the Gambia and we must know that we are
a Muslim country.
One should not mix politics with religion. Freedom of expression exists in
politics but it must be utilised to advance the country if not as the President
my responsibility is to protect everybody including my enemies. I will treat as
a criminal anyone using religion or politics and bent on creating trouble in
this country. Political freedom cannot be synonymous to trouble and who so ever
creates trouble using democracy would be severely dealt with. I have accepted a
lot in the past, in this coming year I will put in place Sharia.
Anyone who wants to spoil this country, Bilahi Walahi Talahi, I will deal with
him. America has just concluded their elections; they had lots of problems. Did
you hear that they killed each other? Why? Because the rule of law is there. Did
you hear that there were clashes between parties? No one can be more Muslim than
Mohammed! And no one can be more Christian than Jesus! So, democracy has its
limits. Democracy stops where one chooses ones party. Your right to vote is also
enjoyed by others for another party. But if you say that your choice must be the
choice of everyone and for that you want to create strife, Bilahi, Walahi
Talahi, this year I will not allow such to happen.
Who so ever doubts me, let him try me and you will see what I'll do. I'll not
listen to the whites, or the international community for I only see Gambia for
which I have decided to lay my life. We want to develop Gambia, I will not
accept the politics of destruction or democracy of anarchy. My only weapon is
God. Those of you behind the whites (journalists, write what I say) their
democracy is their democracy, our democracy will be a Gambian democracy, those
who do not want that are free to leave the country. The Gambia is a country of
values and prayers; those who want to destroy it will have to face me.
There can be no development without peace. I will not accept the politics of
trouble in this year. If you wish to form a political party do so and say what
you want but don't create trouble and don't insult anybody. I will not as well
accept the politics of tribalism and insults. You can say what you want but you
have no right to say things that harm others or destroy the country. You have
the right to vote for whosoever you want to vote for but that right is for
everybody.
Let's come now to religion. No religious group should be registered without the
approval of the Islamic Council or the Christian Council. I'll not stop at that,
I also want that the religious groups that are already here to be reassessed and
those that would be found wanting deported to where they came from. We have
values and we want them to be respected. We should not allow anyone to
disrespect them. In the past one could not distinguish who was a Muslim or a
Christian here; we shared Christmas and Koriteh. You are heads in your areas, I
authorise you to look into the matter in your areas and recommend to us what to
do about these groups be they Christians or Muslims.
I will not also permit people, who under the guise of religion disrupt the lives
of those who do not belong to Islam. I will not allow people to force others to
convert to Islam. No one can be forced to love God. As in politics, one has to
try to convince to win people. Last months attackers of bars and other outlets
were chanting Jihad and Allah Hu Akbar. Do you know that 98% of them were dead
drunk when the police apprehended them? What type of Islam were theythen trying
to propagate ? Now, I will like you to help us with the youths.
The country is facing serious difficulties, there is no money, people are hungry
but we all know that God does not throw manna from the skies. Look at the jobs,
they are all in the hands of Senegalese, Mauritanians. The hawkers, foreigners
hold the shops. The tailors, the mechanics are Senegalese. And you want to tell
me that there are no jobs in the country. So why are these foreigners coming
here for? If I say I can give office jobs to people, I'll be failing you. Please
help us convince our youths those jobs exist; they should invest themselves in
these skilled and unskilled endeavours to earn their living and help their
families….
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