Breaking!!!
The Gambian Christian community is mounting an offensive to fight the illegal declaration of The Gambia as an Islamic State. In their view, their rights will be violated in an Islamic State and their ways of worship may also be sent to the ash heap of mortality as was seen this year during the month of Ramadan when State Security Operatives entered a sanctuary in the Kombos and ordered that the Christians adhere to a Presidential directive and cease from using drums in their church service. This according to a Christian elder was not just an insult to all Christians but also an indication that the road to second class citizenship was not far off. Gainako is privy to the latest communique from the Christians in The Gambia on this issue and we now reproduce the full text;
WE GAMBIAN CHRISTIANS ARE NOT SECOND CLASS CITIZENS
We Gambian Christians contributed to the emancipation of our beloved country; great Gambians like Edward Francis Small, St Clair Joof, Pierre Sarr Njie, Rev John Colley Faye, Joseph S Joof, Paul Baldeh, Michael Baldeh , Noble Allen J R Forster, Sir John Mahoney, H R Monday and many more
Today we have reached the point where we Gambian Christians should organize ourselves our thoughts and ideas as to how to approach our Christian response on The Gambia becoming an Islamic republic. Pope Francis has given our Christian community a better guidance to position ourselves to once again play a lead role in the country’s political process. (Address. To the Youths)
The strategy is to organize a political movement nonpartisan with the sole aim of mobilizing Christians of all denominations and advocate the preservation of Religious freedom. The advocacy strategy will focus on creating awareness about the implicit threat to our human rights and sending a clear message that Christians will not align with any entity that does not unconditionally guarantee the fundamental rights and religious freedom we enjoy today
As at now, the plan is to network with everyone who would subscribe to this strategy and to invite our brothers and sisters in other Christian churches in the Country to be part of this advocacy group.
We shall also network with our Christian brothers and sisters in the Diaspora and churches worldwide to keep them abreast with relevant developments and ask for their continuous prayers and support to fight against the looming threat.
Together we can use social media and any other method of communication to denounce this evil ploy to deny Gambian Christians their birth right as full citizens.
As Christians, we cannot afford to stand idly and watch our rights eroded and our status reduced to that of second class citizens.
It is our obligation to resist all actions that may jeopardize our interests by ensuring the following:
. Our rights to continue worshiping freely must be guaranteed.
. Our rights to equal opportunities for employment to any post that we as full citizens are better qualified to carry out.
. Our rights to be elected and to hold public office including seeking the mandate of our fellow citizens to lead this country if we choose to.
. We cannot but come together and show determination never to compromise our full citizen’s rights as guaranteed by our constitution.
We will not exclude our Muslim brothers and sisters in this fight to make sure that The Gambia remains a secular Republic.
Dated 05 October 2016
Banjul
1 Comment
This is long overdue, but better late than never. We will continue to pray for a secular Gambia. In the Gambia today no one knows what to expect the next day or even the next second.