A Gambian Hypothesis

JammehBy Baba Galleh Jallow

For once, we feel some level of confidence in hypothesizing that the end is near for Yahya Jammeh. Perhaps he might live a long life. But he might just be at or near the end of his days in power. Recent trends in his increasingly erratic behavior, his irresponsible and hubris-driven pronouncements, his chest pounding and his increasingly bold insults and assaults against both local individuals and institutions and global institutions points to one possible conclusion: that the fate that befalls every dictator is about to befall Yahya Jammeh. Of course like all hypothesis, the evidence will determine the thesis. However, if history is anything to go by, Yahya Jammeh has probably reached the end of his days in power. We can only say amen to that because Yahya Jammeh has long outlived his usefulness for our country and has wrecked damage on our national conscience and institutions that it will take many years to remedy.

Yahya Jammeh habitually brags that he will be in power for a million years which, we think, is just his way of saying that he will be in power for as long as he likes because he knows he cannot live even for a hundred years. If he did he would be so old and senile that we would simply lift him up from the throne and set him in the yard to enjoy some sunshine. This ‘million years’ statement projects the tragic hubris of a man who is so power drunk that he claims mastery over fate and human destiny. The blindness of the heart and the mind of which the holy books warn has afflicted Yahya Jammeh and as such, he no longer sees himself or knows himself as we would say in our local Gambian languages. We hear echoes of the Pharaoh of Moses’ day or those of Idi Amin Dada, Saddam Hussein and many other tyrants of the human race whose power had rendered mind-blind. You do not know a thing about how long you will stay in power Mr. Jammeh, or when indeed you will no longer be breathing the airs of this world. No human being does, unless they are diagnosed with a terminal illness, physical or political. In spite of all our insights into what the future may hold, we are as blind as a blind bat when it comes to knowing what will happen tomorrow, as in tomorrow, the next day after this. Jammeh has become so paranoid that he sees enemies lurking everywhere – even and especially among his own close confidantes and members of his government, including the human robots of his shadow state. And so he lashes indiscriminately out at literally everybody in this world! That looks very much like the sign of a fatal political illness.

The Peul Futa say that if you violently shake every tree you see, you will one day shake a tree full of hornets. Yahya Jammeh has already or will soon shake such a tree, since he has the very unwise and hubris-driven habit of shaking every tree he sees. He foolishly insults everybody he wishes and thinks that he can get away with anything he says or does. From ordinary security officers to government ministers and other civil servants, Yahya Jammeh lashes out with unprovoked invectives, calling people names and doling out all mighty threats of death and destruction to anyone who in his estimation, is not doing what they should be doing according to his standards which, incidentally, are world class low. There is a widely circulating rumor that he even habitually insults the mothers of his cabinet ministers at cabinet meetings. One can only hope that this is just a rumor; but it is not beyond the realm of possibility knowing that we are talking about a half-wit or maniac who happens to be wielding the most power in his country and commands the power of life and death over 1.8 million people.

Yahya Jammeh consistently insults Gambian journalists, human rights advocates and members of alternate parties, all of which groups he considers, for reasons known only to him, as illegitimate and not deserving of constitutional rights and protections. He has called journalists illegitimate sons of Africa, among other ugly names, and has declared that members of alternate Gambian parties are donkeys. This is coming from the mouth of a man who habitually invokes the name of Allah, who in the holy scriptures explicitly forbids such behavior. He habitually proclaims that neither the ballot nor the bullet can remove him from power. While the bullet issue is anyone’s guess, conducting elections while claiming victory before the fact constitutes one of many disrespectful and outright insulting behaviors towards the Gambian people by Mr. Jammeh. Why does he hold regular elections if he can declare before the polls that he will remain in power until “20 million 20” in his own words. Beyond the crudity of the obvious contempt for the Gambian constitution he expresses with such a statement, Jammeh’s pronouncements that no other party will rule The Gambia in a million years reveals the extent of his blinding hubris. It is also another way of saying that suppose the majority of Gambians vote against him in an election, he would not hesitate to use force to steal the elections or insist on staying in power. And he will do it if he thinks he will get away with it, which he might not next time around.

Yahya Jammeh, the man who proclaims his Muslimhood at every possible opportunity, also practices blatant tribalism by habitually insulting Gambian Mandinkas. When he insults Mandinkas in general, he of course cannot leave out anyone belonging to The Gambia’s largest ethnic group, whether they support him or not, whether they are respectable elders or not, whether they are women, children or even babies. While he claims to be a unifier of Gambians on one hand, he singles out an entire people for insults and threats for no conceivably good reason. Surely, the All Mighty Allah whose name he invokes all the time does not approve of such ungodly behavior. One of many conclusions we can reach on this issue is that Yahya Jammeh is no Muslim or even a believer in the God in whose names he castigates all who care to listen. A Muslim cannot be so rude as to habitually subject an entire people to a barrage of insults like Yahya Jammeh does for the mere fact that he feels he can.

But Yahya Jammeh’s hubris-driven rudeness knows neither tribe nor age or social status. As is now common knowledge, religious elders are a common target of his insults and bullying. While some of these men of God perhaps deserve such maltreatment owing to their aiding and abetting of Jammeh’s tyranny, the majority of them are innocent of any wrongdoing. Witness the recent case of the elderly Sheikh Muhideen Hydara, who endured seven months of state bullying in the form of arrests, bogus charges, and repeated court appearances for allegedly disobeying Jammeh’s order to perform the Eid prayers on a particular day. The elderly Sheikh is just the most recent example of Jammeh’s unjust bullying of religious leaders. The cases of Imam Ba Kawsu Fofana and Imam Baba Leigh are also well known. Both these latter two Imams were arrested and subjected to painful and humiliating treatment because they dared to express an opinion on their country’s political affairs. Having totally personalized both the Gambian state and the Gambian nation, Yahya Jammeh sees any comment critical of his words and actions as a personal affront and proceeds to bully those responsible. Well, it is safe to imagine that these men of God also claim friendship with Jammeh’s All Mighty Allah and may well be asking Him for justice against their persecutors. There is nothing Jammeh can do about that. Even within the confines of a tight prison cell, a person can ask for God’s intervention either verbally or in their minds. For is not God the all-hearing, all-knowing? Judge Thou with truth, they could pray, for You are the Best of Judges.

Yahya Jammeh’s favorite target for abuse and insults is of course the West and Western countries and institutions. The reason for his obsessive hatred of the West is not far to see: the fact that they criticize his rampant abuse of the rights of his own people and anyone who resides in The Gambia. Jammeh’s favorite hobby horse is of course long dead colonialism and in this respect, it is amazing just how similar Jammeh’s regime is to the worst of the colonial regimes that existed in Africa. Like colonialism, Jammeh’s regime is “bula matari” to borrow Crawford Young’s memorable phrase: it is based on foundational violence that brooks no opposition and mercilessly crushes its critics. Like colonialism, Jammeh’s regime regards itself “as the sole power to judge its laws”; and like colonialism, the supreme right of the Jammeh regime is its assumed right to deny others their rights. And like colonialism, the Jammeh regime considers its “subjects” as mere things of power, to be treated with contempt and impunity at every possible opportunity. The parallels are legion that the Jammeh regime is not at all different from the most brutal colonial regimes in Africa. In fact in some respects, the Jammeh regime is more brutal than many African colonial regimes. But of course being mind-blind and intellectually corrupt, Yahya Jammeh has no way of seeing this blatant and cruel irony of the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. Mind-blindness and intellectual corruption are behind Jammeh’s arbitrary decision to pull The Gambia out of the Commonwealth and most recently, to expel the EU representative to The Gambia. Self-destructive hubris keeps him on the verbal assault against Western nations and pure foolery keeps him shouting that he will never allow the West to colonize The Gambia again. His recent threat to deal mercilessly with the European Union and other Western countries demonstrates the extent of his alienation from reality. How tragic that beautiful Gambia could be saddled with such ugly leadership.

Until recently, Yahya Jammeh only indirectly attacked his fellow African rulers. But since the issue of term limits was raised a few weeks ago, he has turned all African Union and ECOWAS leaders into stooges of the West who are being used in an attempt to recolonize the continent. Here is a segment of his rant on the subject a couple of days ago as published in the June 6, 2015 online edition of The Standard newspaper: “Now they [West] are trying to use Ecowas. They said Yahya Jammeh cannot be changed by elections. They want to use their stooges in Ecowas to impose term limit because that is … a Western agenda. Where were the so-called Western leaders today 20 years ago when I became head of state? Let me warn Ecowas – Gambia is nobody’s colony and our development is not dependent on Ecowas that has already failed because it has been hijacked by the West. Even if the whole world introduced term limit, I will not have a term limit and let me see what you can do. Democracy is power to the people and not power to the West. I am a pan-Africanist, but I will not subscribe to any institution that is hijacked by the West and be used against Africa. If it is the AU, I will leave AU; if it is Ecowas, I will leave Ecowas, but I will not be given lecture by any of these institutions on behalf of the West. Tell me about one electric pole here which was installed by the AU (African Union) or Ecowas or by the British or the Americans. We are not fools! Let them mind their own business.”

Indeed, indeed Mr. Jammeh. And you, of course are Gambia in absolute terms. And you, of course choose to forget your very own words back in July 1994: “We are not here to stay and we will not allow anyone to be in power in this country beyond ten years. In fact, ten years is too long.” I guess you will now say that ten years is too short; even twenty years is too short for you. You will be in power for a million years, long after you are dead, gone, and remembered only in history lesson discussions of Africa’s worst dictators. Anyway, suffice it to inform you sir, that your ill-conceived attack on the African Union and ECOWAS marks the end of you in a very real sense. You have now not only lost the respect of the entire big wide world; you have now become the most visible pariah, the laughing stock and the butt of unfunny smutty jokes of all your fellow African heads of state. I guess if they are stooges of the West some of us on this side of the paranoid and self-righteous equation might well be usefully described as stooges of the Rest, who incidentally, are just as bad if not worse than the West in many crucial respects! The AU and ECOWAS are probably thinking of a forced exit for all those who refuse term limits and insult them with impunity. They are probably thinking that the ECOMOG model would do the job just fine with a slight tweak in its mandate. The Johannesburg meeting is fast coming up and word on the street is that term limits will be on the agenda again!! And many more “Western stooges” will be in attendance!! And who knows, the West might perhaps be thinking that a small group of Special Forces might be a good way of colonizing our small part of Africa again as a way of convincing us that no one can be in power for a million years or refuse to deliver on their term limit promises. In any case, one has a feeling that the end is always near for those who would violently shake every tree they see.

Ends

35 Comments

  1. Well said Mr Jallow his end is indeed near but he and his evil gang will be the last to see it coming until it knocks on their door just like death….patience, perseverance and maturity in dealing with a dictator is better n wiser than violent confrontations. The more he goes on with his stupid dramas, the clearer is shows that he is and was always a fool and clueless. In some countries, jammeh would have never been allowed to join the army purely due to his mental imbalance n eratic behaviors. He will fall sooner whether he likes it or not..thanks

  2. “…the end is always near for those who would violently shake every tree they see.”

    Well articulated Galleh…. Best words of wisdom but not useful to a Foolish Murderous Paranoid NONENTITY who has “fallen on own sword” & can never nurse the terminally inflicted wounds…

    Our cowardly shameless Murderous kanilai Killer Devil has shaken almost all the trees now; whether it chooses or not, genuine Gambians have driven & tied it in the middle & will shake the couple of trees left for the hornets to activate…..

    The Murderous kanilai Killer Devil is the WORST precarious thing & accident ever to happen to Gambia; we MUST aspire collectively & finish it off; all genuine Gambians must continue with all relentless efforts in whatever ways & forms possible to bring the infectious devil down sooner…

    God helps & bless the collective endeavour to salvage Gambia; Ameen.

  3. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Jammeh’s mandinka insults always drives me nuts. I hope and prayer that one day, I will have an opportunity to look Jammeh in his face and throw back these insults at him.

    • That will make you look less Mandinka. We don’t do thing like that. Thats gonna demonstrate your inferiority complex Lafia. I know this will upset you but just try and…………….lol.

  4. Lafia Touray la Manju

    I agree with Karamo. Violence is not the answer but unity of purpose and peaceful defiance. I don’t accept that he is mentally imbalanced though. He knows exactly what he is doing and he is very calculating. People have underestimated him for a very long time and this is the gravest mistake Gambians have made.

  5. Soninke

    Unfortunately I don’t see the difference all African leaders are the same we only pray for peace in our small country but nobody will fix anything for us , especially from USA / EU as they want to see us in the war and bring us the gay law witch will bring more than civil war to Africa and the Muslim world , if you politician listen the queen of the UK you lost , believe in Allah and be yourself no any law from the west

    • Do you feel the rule of law in the west Soninke? The rule of law doesn’t translate in total justice but I wish we have a liottle fraction of it in Africa. It is good to know how the the kings and queens in the west can rule their nation with the RULE OF LAW.
      You see Soninke, It not a bad idea learning good ways from your ‘enemies’, if you like to call it that way.

    • Soninke: No one is expecting anyone to fix anything for Gambians. We are as intelligent as anyone and we can fix our own problems. In fact, our most serious problems exist because we are denied the right and the space to use our intelligence to move our country and our people forward. And no one is listening to any queen. We listen only to the One who created us, and who enjoins justice and fair treatment for all of his creatures. God can fight His own battles and people like Jammeh should not pretend to be doing jihad by bullying innocent people, insulting everyone and acting as if The Gambia was created for him alone. As Gambians, we are simply saying that he does not own us or The Gambia. And as Muslims and Christians, we are saying that he should stop his ungodly activities against innocent Gambians. I do not support homosexuality because my religion forbids it. But I say again that God can fight His own battles. Moreover, term limits, human rights, the right to freedom of expression and association should be enjoyed by all Gambians and Jammeh has no right to deny others of the enjoyment of their rights. As long as he does this, we will oppose, criticize and ridicule him for as long as we are in a position to do so.

    • Halifa Jagleh

      Well Mr, Miss or Mrs Soninke the greatest threat to peace in our small country is Yahya Jammeh. He is the Saitan that is causing fitna among Gambians. And it is nonsensical to say that the west want to see us in war or “bring us the gay law.” Which gay law are you talking about? And how can such an imaginary gay law “bring civil war in Africa and the Muslim world?” You are drunk with the very kind of crap Jammeh spits out everyday and you should carefully consider your words before sharing them in a public forum. No offense intended.

  6. Yahya is opposed to anything that does not promote his continued stay in power because he cannot conceive his reality out of power, but i am sorry that he cannot do anything about it because no leader can defeat a whole people. Pulling out of all international bodies will never be a guarantee to die in power. Only time will tell.

  7. Mental illness leaves a huge legacy, not just for the person suffering from it but for those around him as is obvious in our state of affairs .so I agree with Karamo here for a minute.

    Yaya Jamme was insulting all Gambian tribes intentionally or unintentionally not just Mandingos, if you put his words in a proper context.

    People with mental illness have been the common denominator in one act of mass violence after another erratic behaviors and all source of psychological discomfort which leads to devil and evil acts. insult and assault, violently shaken every tree he sees as Baba put it.

    I think one thing is that anybody who had to deal with mental illness – whether it’s depression, bipolar illness or severe anxiety, whatever it’s has a fair amount of resilience in the sense that they have to force the ultimate suffering on others around them.

    Thanx againg brilient Baba .

  8. Soninke, I think you do not understand that the rights the west is advocating for citizens to have is Allah ( God ) given rights . How about those citizens who didn’t believe in Allah , what should they do ? If you understand Allah very well what He said in the Quran then you will understand that every one rights needs to be respected . Gays and lesbians shouldn’t be killed or inprisoned as advocated by Jammeh . Where do you see in the Quran that gays should be killed? I want to learn please . Jammeh is simply confusing Gambians about the gays issue. I am sure Jammeh is commiting serious crime than gays issue he is obsessed with . Jammeh is having sex with teenagers , old women and even married women, he killed many people in The Gambia , he kidnaped so many including elderly women , men and kids as old as 15 years . I personally do not support gay marriage and did not support the idea to kill them . There are worst things happening in Gambia than gays issues . These includes men having multiple sexual partners or girlfriends, cheating on wives , having countless children without caring for them , stealing from the public , corruption and abusing women and children . All these negative behaviors are very prevalent in The Gambia . How many gays do we know in the country of nearly 2 millions , perhaps less than 500 . So our problem is not gays issues . Our problem is our own creation , that is dictator jammeh.

  9. Deyda Haidara

    Baba don’t mind this hallucinating rat, he will soon be a thing of the past.

  10. Soninke

    Hahahahaaa what Max that’s white name I’m talking to my Gambian bros/sis . What Allah said about homosexuality in the H Quran ??? Mashaa llah I mean the west are angry now with Mr Jammeh because of his gay law not what he is at all if you the them , I’m here since I was 14 I know them very well , African politician are doing what west said that’s why we can’t understand each other , today if Jammeh sign what ladyboy Obama said about the gay law they work with him , what we need good N gently opposition less talk and no rubbish from the west , I think u guys are too far from

    • We know the wrath that awaits homosexuality and environments of the strange sexual preference as layed down by the Quran but in the Gambia, only evasive hypocrites who want to evade the serious and dangerous political situation will use the word ‘homosexuals’ as an issue to draw the attention from our cultured and principled elderly statesmen. There is no truth in the heart of hypocrites but evil, deceit and darkness. Soninke you need light!

  11. Soninke

    Hahahahaaa what Max that’s white name I’m talking to my Gambian bros/sis . What Allah said about homosexuality in the H Quran ??? Mashaa llah I mean the west are angry now with Mr Jammeh because of his gay law not what he is at all if you know them , I’m here since I was 14 I know them very well , African politician are doing what west said that’s why we can’t understand each other , today if Jammeh sign what ladyboy Obama said about the gay law they work with him , what we need good N gently opposition less talk and no rubbish from the west , I think u guys are too far from

    • Maxs: You are right, the issue of homosexuality in relation to the Gambia is just a smokescreen to divert attention from the real issues confronting the Jammeh regime. Jammeh withdrew the Gambia from the Common wealth of Nations because that organization is putting pressure on him specifically on Electoral Reform and Human rights.
      Despite the EU’s massive contribution to Gambia’s development efforts, Jammeh could not work with them because they are pressing for reform in human rights-17 points including Electoral Reform but there was no mention of homosexuality but which he is not interested.
      Jammeh still has qualms with the Americans because they too are clamoring for Electoral Reform and Human Rights and the December 30th event made things worse.
      To divert attention from the above issues which concerns every Gambian, our president decided to concentrate on filling the ears of people with his campaign against perceived Homos and Lesbians but refused to ever mentioned the above issues during his rallies or talks so that the people would support him thinking that the West want to impose that on us.
      Now that ECOWAS and AU are also raising their voices on electoral reform especially the two-term limit, Jammeh is again saying over his death body and throwing tantrums that the two institutions are stooges of the West and since the West could not bend him they decided to use them to tell him to accept.
      Is he going to say that the Gambian opposition too are stooges of the West because they are talking about electoral reform? So what is clear like Day-Light is that any talk of reform which might wrest power from Mr. Jammeh is interpreted to the people by him to mean that the West or White people or Kafirs are the ones meddling with our culture and religion which is so sacred that we would not succumb to them, etc. He thinks he will get sympathy for campaigning so not knowing that the Gambian people are so tired and so fed up that they too are praying to God to redeem them from such a regime.
      The West should not respond to him on Homosexuality but should concentrate efforts on Human rights such as detention without trial etc and Electoral Reform so that all will become clear of his attempts to divert attention from the pressing issues.

  12. @Soninke. ..”….today if Jammeh sign what ladyboy Obama said about the gay law they work with him , …”

    Please, tell me that you are teasing Maxs and don’t mean what you wrote…

  13. Si fatanfansoo jul joo mu buwayaa baa letti. Lafia Balan naa, you better endorse this.

    • Lafia Touray la Manju

      Who told you Jammeh was insulting mandinkas on behalf of a given tribe or that a given tribe has instructed him to insult mandinkas on their behalf?? You simply don’t know your spanish.

      • The well informed Lafia, and what the portuguese, ‘Jul Joo mangkee buwayaa ti’??? Jul Joo Jul Joo Jul joo……and what the wreck this portuguese means. I definitely don’t like spanish language. I feel people who speak it well are good oppurtunist informants. You have an idea of the language? Damn………….My blood chills. My heart pumps………………….KUK. KUK. KUK. …………………….fffffffffffffffffph.

  14. Soninke, there are so many evil things people do every day that are condemn by various religions but it is decision of individuals to make those choices. Who are you to judge people? God himself has given us choices that is why we will be accountable for our deeds according to our various belief systems. Should you frown on me if I choose to drink my beer? That is my choice. Should I frown on you if you choose to have sex with your four wives? It is not my business who you have sex with, that is your personal choice and your constitutional rights to pursuits your happiness. So we need to follow the law of our land and we shouldn’t allow our leaders to make laws that are at the detriment of our citizens especially when they are not commiting crimes to cause damages, inflict material lost or affect the wellbeing of others. In our case dictator Jammeh want to kill gays and lesbians. This is wrong. It is God who should judge them and punish them if they even believe he exit. I am not here to judge anyone. I have my own belief which is personal.
    West is talking about human rights of all people including gays and lesbians. I will not support a law to kill anyone.

  15. Soninke

    Gambia is Muslim country and H Quran condemns the homosexually so or you follow ladyboy Obama or you follow the H Quran that’s it , and 1 thing if Mr Obama can’t fix gay law in the USA want to expose it to us? And the black lives in the USA are in danger , any politician in The Gambia must be clear and condemns the homosexuality otherwise will be in the opposition for life by great of Allah I’m 100% sure no Muslim will vote against the Quran and Gambia is Muslim land yes or yes

    • We don’t want to be told by a pretentious hypocrite idol worshipping and false Muslim who has no basic or background understanding of the holy Quran. The last presidential inauguration ceremony was not mark by idol worshipping rituals? This is one of the common Gambian ills at its best mano man. Trying to make a point at all cost. Damn Soninke time you pack up and join Jammeh in his distracting anti gay campaign. You must be the fakest Muslim living in the diaspora. Homosexuality, adultry and idol worshipping are all grave offences in Islam. Hypocricy too is very grave that ALLAH said won’t forgive. They perform ORG— in the Kanilai festivals and it is as punishable as homasexualism.
      Hypocricy is what held us back for long as a nation.

    • Soninke: You want to enjoy your right to express your opinion, right? That’s what all this conversation is about. It’s not about God over and beyond the fact that God created all human beings and The Gambia belongs to all who were born on Gambian soil. Just as you want to be free to express your opinions and you have every right to do so, so does every Gambian have a right to express their opinions. And Yahya Jammeh does not want anyone to express their opinion if their opinion is different from his opinion on any issue – whether the issue is homosexuality, human rights, the rule of law or anything at all. That is what is not acceptable to some of us. He has the right as a Gambian to say what he wants. So do you and I and every other Gambian. As far as homosexuality is concerned, it is haram for all believers in the Holy Quran. But God, not Yahya Jammeh, should punish those who engage in it. And it should not be used as a smokescreen behind which Yahya Jammeh can hide to avoid dealing with issues of Gambians’ God-given human rights. I suggest that we agree to disagree on this issue and other issues without any hard feelings, imputations of ignoble motives, or attempts at imposing a peace of the iron grid on our ccountry.

  16. Soninke

    Asalam wa alaikum

    وَلُوطًا إِذۡ قَالَ لِقَوۡمِهِۦۤ أَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلۡفَـٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِہَا مِنۡ أَحَدٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٨٠) إِنَّڪُمۡ لَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَہۡوَةً۬ مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ‌ۚ بَلۡ أَنتُمۡ قَوۡمٌ۬ مُّسۡرِفُونَ (٨١)

    Translation (interpretation of meaning):

    We also (sent) Lut: he said to his people: “Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? (80) “For ye practise your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds.” (81)

    The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

    مَنْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ فَاقْتُلُوا الْفَاعِلَ وَالْمَفْعُولَ بِهِ

    Whomever you find doing the actions of the people of Lut then kill the one doing it, and the one it is done to

    Attirmidhi
    I’m 50, never vote lol; never vote. I don’t trust the politic. I know all of them is after corruption free meals, cars and cash from our pocket but try to with Allah and Quran 100% inshaa llah.

    • Soninke: I am beginning to suspect very strongly that as far as you are concerned, we are dealing with the blind man and the elephant here. However, I will venture to make one last comment: The Quranic injunction and hadith you quote are applicable in a country under Sharia law, such as Saudi Arabia for instance. Our country is not under Sharia law and so with all due respect, your quotes are not relevant to our context. And since I suspect we are dealing with the blind man and the elephant, I beg to bow out of this conversation at this point, “politic” or no “politic”. Wa Salam.

  17. Soninke, I know you have rights to your religious belief , keep it to yourself. Gambia is sovereign secular republic as enshrined in our constitution.
    Here is what chapter IV ,section 17 (2) in our constitution state about protection of fundamental rights and freedoms

    (2) Every person in The Gambia , whatever his or her race , color , gender , language , religion ,political or other opinion , national or social Origin, property, birth or other status , shall be entitled to the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the individual contained in this chapter but subjects to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of the public interest .

    Please read the constitution to understand what it said . If you want to be religious zealot , it is better you move to Saudi Arabia where there is sharia. Our country is not sharia state. It is sad to see that you are too ignorant to indicate that you never vote or don’t trust politics when your life is impacted by decisions made by politicians . Even in Islam there is politics . Wake up and understand your religion , otherwise you will be influence by terrorist like imam fatty.

  18. I think if one’s house is on fire with kids inside the last thing you should worry about are the flowers planted outside the house.

    Soninke if you rather rescue the flowers no one should waste their time holding a conversation with you

    • Absolutely Paul. Many too I believe can also start quoting from the same source in defence to what they think until the end of time. This is the way troat slicing savages talk on camera thinking they are doing something on Allah’s behalf. According to teaching, Allah himself sent his wrath on the people of Lut and not any man. What the best one can do is refrain oneself from lewdness, incest, etc etc.

  19. Lafia Touray la Manju

    SHOULD MOMODOU SABALLY APOLOGISE TO MANDINKAS TO END THIS CURSH?

    The bail was granted in October on ‘abuse of office” charge from HIGH COURT but refused today on “abuse of office” in MAGISTRATE COURT. Momodou Sabally is remanded in custody in mile 2, again. I guess his Kora tunes did not amuse the dictator so he went above the law and arrested him.
    Momodou Sabally lost everything. At a time he was mourning his mother, he got arrested. He is going through the hardest time in life and I feel sorry for him but on a second thought NO SORRY! No Sympathy! I feel sorry for his beautiful wife and gorgeous children (imagine what they going through). For Sabally, let him learn the hardest way and maybe he will respect the Mandinkas and apologies because you cannot insult a historical tribe with waves of scholars and find an inner peace.

    Posted by one Ndey Sarr on facebook much to my delight

  20. Soninke….

    Be careful what you ascribe to the Prophet (SAW)… Hadith is nothing but hearsay…It is a humanly endeavour to recollect, from memories, what the Prophet ( SAW ) did and said/taught, at certain places and under certain circumstances, during his life time.

    And this is fraught with so many difficulties, not least of which is the danger of fabrications and modifications, to suit all sorts of agendas.

    It is therefore very unwise to quote any Hadith that ascribes anything to the Prophet (SAW) that is not mentioned in the Qur’an, and I don’t think killing of homosexuals is mentioned in it…Certainly, not in the verse you quoted in your comment.

    For those who lie against the Prophet (SAW) commit sins, perhaps, far greater than the sin of homosexuality and saying the Prophet (SAW) said something which he didn’t, is a lie against him.

    So be very careful if you are a Muslim, though why a Muslim would adopt the pagan title Soninke, as a pen name, is beyond me.

  21. Bax, thanks for your insight and clarification . Soninke indicated that my name is white man’s name and am not a Gambian lol, but in the reality his name is not even a Muslim name if that is criteria . I can see the hypocrisy in him . I wanted to ignore his ignorance but you have rightly pointed out. Looking at the history of Islam in The Gambia , he didn’t know that there was not so many Muslims in The Gambia before Soninke/ marabout war. My great great great grandfather was a soninke , so do many other Gambians who are Muslims today. There was traditional African belief system they practice before the importation of foreign dominace religion in our country which was result of Arab trade with Africans . Christianity also foreign dominace religion introduced to Africans . These are historical facts to my understanding .I do think Soninke did not understand true meaning of Islam and what it stand for.

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