As a special gesture of goodwill and teachable lessons of the true faith of Islam a Gambian exiled Muslim Cleric Sheikh BaKawsu Fofana who was arrested, detained and tortured by the Gambian authorities for almost two years has extended a special invitation to the President of the Gambia Yahya Jammeh who ordered his arrest and torture in the Gambia. The popular Imam whose preaching were deemed a threat to the religious false pretense of the rogue regime in Banjul, Sheikh Imam Fofana was arrested and reportedly tortured until his finger was broken.
The eloquent Imam’s troubles began when he openly disagreed with the highly politicized Supreme Islamic Council of the Gambia who are being funded and used by the Gambian President to impose their religious ordinances on the rest of the Gambian population. Sheikh BaKawsu openly disagreed with the orders of the council and had a personal confrontation with the then President of SIC Momodou Lamin Touray and his council.
The Sheikh fled to neighboring Senegal to escape what was a systematic abuse and torture by the notorious NIA. He was reporting to the NIA headquarters regularly in addition to receiving numerous threats on his life. The Imam like other imams fled the country to neighboring Senegal. He has since been operating in Senegal where he continued his religious teachings.
In an article authored by Foroyaa newspaper titled Bakawsu Fofana gets new village in Senegal Courtesy of the Senegalese government the Imam is reported to have been granted land and given permission by the Senegalese authorities to build his own village and continue his religious teachings without hindrance. The Imam build a grand Mosque in the Village and is reportedly going to head his own village. Senegal has a very tolerance political and religious environment. The report further indicated that in an unprecedented gesture of goodwill the outspoken Imam extended a special invitation to the President of Gambia who ordered his arrest, torture and detention. The same invitation is extended to the President of the Supreme Islamic council who may have caused the Imam all his troubles. A prominent opposition politician Halifa Sallah of PDOIS is also included in the invitation to grace the inauguration of the village and the Mosque.
Many observers commenting on that article indicated that Sheikh BaKawsu’s invitation is a great manifestation of the real teachings of Islam where citizens need to coexist harmoniously instead of the constant animosity and political divides. By inviting the leader who allegedly ordered his arrest and torture the Sheikh has shown that he is certainly better and have more understanding and humanity that Yahya Jammeh who saw him as a threat for following his Religious teachings. It is almost certain the embattled President will never honor such an invitation as he is always bitter against his fellow citizens. Certainly this historic invitation will agitate him even further against the Senegalese President who he accused of harboring Gambian dissidents including the Cleric. Whatever the out, the invitation is an unexpected humiliation on the Gambian President. Sheikh Bakawsu has demonstrated the true teachings of Islam; peace, love and reconciliation with ones fellow Muslims.
Reported by Demba Baldeh Associate Editor
Link to Foroyaa article: http://www.foroyaa.gm/archives/5593