In a recent interview with The Standard newspaper published on 31 October, Imam Abdoulie Fatty, is quoted as saying the “Ahmadis should be banned”.
Here, following, is the full version of the article published by The Standard newspaper:
The imam of State House Mosque, Alhaji Abdoulie Fatty, has characterised the members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in The Gambia as non-Muslims, asserting that they should be banned from propagating their faith in the territorial confines of the country.
In an exclusive interview with The Standard, the Saudi trained imam said: “The prophet (SAW) said none could be faithful until they love him more than their own parents and all the people. Omar Ibn Khatab told him he loved him more than anybody else except himself and the prophet told him his faith was still incomplete. And then Omar told him ‘I love you above everything else’ thereafter he confirmed his faith. So, to attempt to cheat the prophet of one of his attributes constitutes contempt. The people who did it aforetime were referred to by Allah as kafir. There are some sects like the Shi’ite who say the prophet is in hell. They believe the prophet will enter all parts of paradise except one because he married an unserious woman in the person of Aisha. That is a big insult.
“Ahmadiyya are not Muslims. The facts that they say, ‘There is no supreme being but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger’ should not mislead any Gambian. The head of hypocrites Abdullahi Ibn Salul used to pray behind the prophet but Allah said he is in the lowest depths of hell. I mean to address our fellow Gambians who found their parents on the religion of Islam but Pakistanis have come to them and convinced them Prophet Muhammad is not the last messenger. They have now abandoned the way they found their parents; now seeing them as non-believers. If death befalls their family member who is not an Ahmadi they do not observe funeral prayer for them. Even if it is their own father they will never pray for him.”
He maintained: “They came here at the time of Farimang Singhateh although people claim he accepted them due to ignorance about them.
They have registered and got centres in this county using Islam to propagate their faith. Even Zakir Naik said to one girl, who had asked him a question, to transfer from their school. They are using the name of Islam and we will never let that continue because we will never sit idly watching while pests destroy your farm. Islamic propagation is our farm and we will always seek to protect it. Despite the fact that they have hospitals and schools around the country they should be banned. President Jammeh has built enough schools and hospitals which will adequately serve people without them. Even in Pakistan they are referred to as non-Muslim minority which shows they are not Muslims.
These people are in pursuit of fitna anywhere they go. In Kerr Mahmut Fana there was a big problem there involving Ahmadis and the people which we had to mediate. You should have seen how defiant they were.
Allah urges us to hold onto His rope and not be divided among ourselves but these people reject Muhammad’s conclusion of prophethood. Prophet Muhammad said his followers will split into 73 sects and out of that only one will go to paradise which will be the followers of his path.”
