The
Amir of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jammat, Baba Trawally, yesterday testified before the
TRRC, accusing Imam Abdoulie Fatty for castigating their faith since 1997.
Amir
Trawally said Fatty’s 1997 Friday sermon suggested that Ahmadis gather at
McCarthy Square to convert to Islam or be killed.
“It
was then we wrote a letter on June 23, 1997 addressed to the president. We told
him that The Gambia has been living in absolute peace and harmony and
Ahmadiyyas have enjoyed that but Imam Fatty wanted to destroy it as he kept
calling us non-Muslims.”
Amir
said they were assured by the government that The Gambia was a secular state
and that the government would safeguard the religious tolerance. He added that
they further assured them that the sermon of Fatty had no way represented the
policy of the government.
The
Ahmadiyya has been existing in Gambia since 1961, Trawally said, adding he
became the amir in 2009 and their relationship with the government of the first
republic was very cordial.
He
said when the world wanted to declare Ahmadiyyas as non-Muslims, it was Sir
Dawda who defended them and said the Ahmadiyyas in his country are Muslims
because they are building mosques and praying.
Further
talking about Fatty, he said: “His belief is that we are not Muslims. But that
is not true because according to the Prophet (SAW), anyone who declared itself
to be a Muslim is a Muslim. Only Allah knows what’s in the hearts of others and
nobody or government can declare a person non-Muslim.”
He
said Fatty went further to the media and said Ahmadiyyas should be banned;
adding that Fatty should be the person to be banned because he is a foreigner.
The
witness recalled that the government had one time expelled foreign Ahmadiyyas
from the country, but were later allowed to come back.
He
added that their Radio and Television programmes at GRTS and other local media
were stopped because they were told to contact the Supreme Islam Council (SIC)
for approval.
“We
are not members of SIC because we were not invited to join. They just existed
in 1991 and we were in existence since 1961, so why shouldn’t they contact us.”
In
July 2000, he explained that their mosque in Wuli was demolished and the
government took the matter to court. According to him, the court ruled that the
mosque should be built within 60 days.
On
a mosque built in Sarre Ngau in 2011, he testified that the former governor of
CRR Ganyi Touray and the president of SIC Muhammad Lamin Touray ordered the
demolition of the mosque.
On
Dr. Zakir Naik’s visit to The Gambia, he stated that Zakir said the Ahmadiyyas
are outside the ambit of Islam and people should not take their children to
Ahmadiyya or Christian schools.
“Dr.
Zakir attended St. Peters High School in India, so why should he tell people
not to attend Christian schools. Zakir will not visit a country once or twice
without problem in those countries. That’s why he was banned in many countries
and his visit to the country brings us some problems.”
He
continued that in January 2015, there was a publication by SIC that Ahmadis
should not be buried in Muslim cemeteries.
“Sunday
30 August 2017, when one of our members Mr. Masrit Dibba died at Kerr Sering
and we brought him to Tallinding and buried him there. On 1 September 2017, we
were called at Talinding Police Station. We were asked whether we have any
permit from SIC and Sheriff Bajang, the vice president of SIC said that we are
non-Muslims and we should not bury our people there. Spt. Kambi openly took
part by defending SIC in that case.”
On
the sighting of the moon, he said they never have problem with the government,
because they obeyed their announcement.
He
continued that one of their lands at Farato-Jambur was occupied by some people;
adding that they took the matter to court and it was ruled in their favour,
however, hundreds are still occupying the place.
“We
have more than 50, 000 members and we are law abiding. If we had reacted, it
would have been another thing but we are peaceful people.”
He
further told the commission that on Saturday 20 May 2009, he was arrested by
late Louis Gomez and Demba Mbaye and taken to NIA. He added he met his
colleagues from GRA, saying they were released on June 2009 and he was
dismissed.
In
his concluding remarks, he called for the word ‘secular’ to be put in the new
constitution, in order to avoid the problem we are encountering.