By Landing Colley
The Aamir of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Baba Trawally has said bigotry against the Jama’at began in June 1997 when then-State House Imam started castigating the sect.
Ahmadis in The Gambia have been on the receiving end of sustained prejudice and bigotry with most mainstream Muslim Gambians viewing them as non-Muslims.
Imam Fatty has been an outspoken critic of the sect and has in many occasions used his sermons to demand that they be banned in The Gambia. Ahmadis are accused of holding the belief that a new messenger would come after the Prophet Muhammad.
Baba Trawally appeared before the TRRC on Wednesday and told the probe the hate campaign against his sect started in 1997.
Mr Trawally said: “It was Friday 6 June 1997 when the Imam of State House that time Imam Abdoulie Fatty started castigating, attacking the Jama’at, and saying so many things. That Ahmadis should be taken to the McCarthy Square to be killed.
“[That] they will recant or be killed. This was said by him. So, this process went on for quite a well. From June up to September and beyond. And he claimed that we are not Muslims.”
Meanwhile, he also said: “you cannot have a political council whereby you are dictated one way or the other or you don’t have courage to execute your duty…we cannot be part of that council and is the same as what’s happening now between the current supreme Islamic council and the other council also all about politics is not [a] matter of righteousness.”
Mr Trawally, 64, added: “we are not members and we cannot be members. Supreme Islamic Council was formed in 1992, Jamat came into this country officially 1961.”
And if we are not contacted, if we are not embraced to come in, we are not going to beg for that, he said.
According to him, in other countries madam for your information when you go to Ghana you have interreligious council, if the president is a none Ahmadi Muslim the secretary will be Ahmadi Muslim and vice versa.