By Lamin B. Darboe
Any executive committee members who were voted into office be it religious or otherwise knew well that they were elected into office to serve certain periods of years in office which will be clearly spelt-out in their Constitution.
Any organization executive committee members who goes against that section within the said Constitutional means the executive members fail their duty and are unfair to the nation especially when the organization is a national one like The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council which all Gambian Muslim are bonafide member.
GSIC executive member should know that they are currently occupying the office illegally without the consent of the majority of Gambian Muslim Ummah thus the best decision for them (GSIC) now is to conduct credible, fair and transparent congress and election.
Gambians particularly the country’s Muslim Ummah are currently witnessing serious Islamic Religious tension for the past months due to the Council’s failure to conduct congress and elections.
Islamic Religion calls for understanding, peace and harmony among the Muslims Ummah and humanity in general. These are the main reason why as Muslims we need to set good sample to others rather than vise-visa.
Hearing from the council’s own bigwigs themselves saying that their term of office expired but they will never relinquish power is telling us (Muslims) that they are cheating us broad-day light and they chewing the national cake.
It is not only our politicians who left some stone unturned but now our own Islamic scholars now join the system of being in the leadership forever whether the people whom they are serving like it or not.
In December 2016 Gambians for the first time in history witnessed the most hard-to talk political tension in the country when the former President Yahya Jammeh refused to hand power to the Coalition Government led by Adama Barrow.
Gambia Government, other religious Islamic organizations and individuals need to completely discourage Islamic religious tension in the country because it has no room in our present day Gambia.
Islamic scholars in the country seriously suffered under Jammeh’s era while the bigwigs of The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council (GSIC) who were in power in those days watching them with smile and happiness.
The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council under the late Alhajie Soriba Jabbie was set-up to serve the best interest of The Gambian Muslims. Their main task is to always work towards unifying the Muslim Ummah in the country.
With the recent tribal sentiment expressed by the 2nd Vice President of The Gambia Supreme Islamic CouncilAlhaji Ebrima Jarjue through public broadcaster during GRTS-TV’srecent Perspective weekly program was barbaric.
We as Gambians expect Islamic scholar like Jarjue and others within the council to completely strive for unity and oneness instead of going in for social vises as well as expressing their deeper feeling against one tribe.
Sectarianism and regionalism should be totally discouraged by our Muslim scholars in any forms, if only they want to serve as peace brokers instead of peace builders in the country.
Their role as respected Muslim scholars in the country is to work towards teaching and propagating Islamic religion, rectifying the misconceptions and fulfilling the obligation of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is bad.
Islamic Religion is all about sincerity nothing else. As the situation is emerging within the Muslim communities in the country presently, Muslim scholars need to always preach peace and oneness during their weekly Friday Sermon among the Ummah and humanity in general in accordance with the teaching of HADTH of the Prophet (S.A.W) Peace be Upon Him.
Backing themslevs with the excuse that they lack funding for the congress and election that shouldn’t be taken for granted and doesn’t bear any genuine excuse in their side of the coin.
What also baffles me is that whether actually The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council is an NGO, if so why Gambia Government is using public funds to sponsor their congress.
Is it in line with the Gambia Government financial rules to funds NGOs in their programs and activities as Council members themselves revealed before the general public through media dispatched published by various media houses some weeks ago?
Will I be correct or sincere to suggest that if The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council (GSIC) is getting funding from The Gambia Government to do their activities what about The Gambia Christian council?
