In response to Imam Fatty

By PK Jarju, Birmingham, UK

This Monday, while reading the Senegambia Newspaper, I came across their lead story in which the imam of State House, Abdoulie Fatty was quoted as describing the ongoing state sponsored witch hunting exercise in the Gambia as nothing but wild rumours aimed at discrediting the government of Yahya Jammeh.

In as much as I respect Imam Fatty's right as a Gambian to express himself, I think he should as a man of God have the fear of God in his heart and must always speak the truth and nothing but the truth in his sermons.

Imam Fatty should be burying his head in shame for he has lied to his congregation and to Allah when he chose to defend Yayha Jammeh, instead of condemning the criminal activities of his witch hunters, which is tearing many Gambian families apart.

And it makes me wonder where the hell the Gambia is heading to, when I see respected religious scholars such as Imam Fatty choosing to tell lies instead of the truth in their blind support of Yahya Jammeh.

Every Gambian knows that the stories of witch hunters arresting elderly men and women in the privacy of their homes and detaining them in Kanilai and other secret detention centres across the country are 100 percent true.

The Gambian people also know that the arrested men and women are forced to drink from unkown concoction made by the witch hunters, which is making some of them hallucinate. The Gambian people are aware that some elderly people were tortured by the witch hunters and at least five people have died as a result.

So, if Imam Fatty thinks he can fool the Gambian people by lying on the pulpit in order to save the battered and bruised image of his adopted son -Yahya Jammeh, then let him think again.

What is happening in the Gambia is unacceptable in any civilised country, more so a religious country like ours that is totally against homosexuality and skin bleaching. Imam Fatty may choose not to speak the truth, but the Gambians whose families are being torn apart by Jammeh's thugs will always speak out.

Imam Fatty should know that no matter how hard he tries, he cannot hide the true picture of Jammeh's savagery and thuggery from the Gambian people. The more he tries, the more laughable his efforts will be to the Gambian public.

Imam Fatty has made a fool of himself in the eyes of the Gambian public and his attempts to distort the truth can be compared to that of a person trying to hide from the sun with his hands.

Imam Fatty has always been a stooge for Yahya Jammeh. And I think becoming Jammeh's right hand man has corrupted his mind and blinded his eyes. His long association with Jammeh may have made him fall into temptation, thereby ignoring all the brutalities being meted out to Gambians by President Jammeh and his regime.

In recognising the dangers of religious scholars associating with kings and rulers, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is reported to have said:

"Whosoever lives in the jungle becomes hard hearted; one who is fond of hunting becomes neglectful (of everything else) and one who visits kings frequently falls into temptation."

Imam Fatty needs to take a serious look at himself. He is allowing himself to be used by Jammeh in his dirty political game, thereby compromising his responsibilities as a man of God. His blind support for Yahya Jammeh is preventing him from heeding to Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) warning that:

"...You people must preach the truth and prevent the sinners from doing forbidden things and check the tyrants to bring them to the right path, otherwise you will be accursed and your hearts will be corrupted just as Allah did with Bani Israel."

In his book Faza'il Sadaqat, Shaikhul Hadith Hadhrat Maulana Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi, said:

" Religious scholars who are concerned about the life after death keep away from the company of princes, lords and rulers, and do not associate with them unless it becomes unavoidable. For their companionship may involve seeking their pleasure and winning their goodwill. Besides, rulers often indulge in cruelty, injustice and other sinful deeds and it is incumbent upon religious scholars to forbid them from doing evil, expose their injustice or cruelty and admonish them against transgressing the commandments of Allah. Observing reticence in such matters (instead of voicing one's disapproval) amounts to compromising one's religion. Furthermore, if one is obliged to praise the rulers with a view of gaining their favours, amounts to telling lies. Our worldly minded religious scholars are worst than the Devines of Banu Israel for they go to the rulers and tell them how to evade the law (shariah) and thereby seek to win their favours. If the scholars were to tell the rulers about their responsibilities in plain words, they would never like them (scholars) to visit their palaces frequently, but their truthfulness will be a means of eternal salvation in the of Allah."

Imam Fatty needs to know that the Gambian people are fed up with Yahya Jammeh and his calls for them to rally behind a man who is responsible for their sufferings is nothing but an insult.

While he may be driving a flashy car and enjoying all the privileges as State House Imam, Imam Fatty needs to open his eyes and look at the poor conditions of the Gambian people, 53 percent of whom are being born in poverty, growing up in poverty and dying in abject poverty.

Gambians know that the APRC leadership is a complete sham. It is a bunch of corrupt and selfish individuals who are using their positions to enrich themselves at the deteriment of the people.

Imam Fatty, Jammeh has everything to do with the witch hunters. If indeed he has nothing to do with them, then why the hell is he using Kanilai as a concentration camp to detain suspected witches and wizards arrested from Sintet and other neighbouring villages? Why is Jammeh having Halifa Sallah detained at the Mile Two Prisons for speaking to the people of Makumbaya whose lives were rudely turned upside down by the witch hunters? Why are Gambian security officers being used by the witch hunters to intimidate and arrest our poor elderly parents?

Imam Fatty, the Gambia under Jammeh is not developing, but retrogressing. And if things can be that bad for the country when Jammeh is doing his best as you have said, then God help us when Jammeh start doing bad.

President Jammeh may be a great guy to Imam Fatty, but to me and many Gambians, he is nothing but an evil monster who is ruining the hopes and aspiration of the Gambian people

To conclude, let me remind Imam Fatty the famous piece of advice by Abu Darda Radiallahu Anho:

"You must command people to do good and restrain them from eveil; otherwise Allah will cause such a tyrant to rule over you, who will not respect your elders and will not have mercy on your youngsters. Then you will pray to Allah, but He will not accept your prayers; you will ask Him for help, but He will not help you, you will seek His pardon but He will not pardon you."

May the Almighty Allah protect the Gambian people from the mischief of Yahya Jammeh and his regime.