About 500 mourn devoted young father

Link: Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/29/2005 | About 500 mourn devoted young father.

The Manrilla Blog: Race In America: Reflections Of An Angry Black Man

Assalamu alaikum / greetings, speaking strictly as a white person, and strictly from my own experience. many (but not all so don’t get upset at me for saying this) white people have a tendency to pretend that racism doesn’t exist! And it is something that has always annoyed / aggravated / angered me! You’ve got some people who think that the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s fixed everything, and now everything in America, as regards race relations / racism / prejudice is just peachy!

And I can’t even say I’m shocked at the blatant housing discrimination which the brother owning the Manrilla blog has faced. I mean, a part of me wants to be shocked, but then, well, I’m not. Racism / prejudice is alive and well in this country, as much as I wish it wasn’t.

And I have my moments where, though I’m about as white as you can possibly get, white people really make me angry! One thing that gets me angry, in particular is statements like “I don’t have a racist bone in my body!” But then, the same person would completely have a conniption if their daughter dated / brought home/ married a black man!

Yeah, whatever… The same people that will talk talk talk about how un-racist / un-prejudiced they are are many times the same people who will say some of the most racist / prejudicial things.

I may not like the Klan of course, but at least they’re honest. I’d take a white guy screaming, “White power!” any day over some person sitting there pretending to be the most open-minded person on the face of the planet, but yet secretly harboring racist beliefs, only for their real feelings to surface when they think it’s “safe”.

However, having said all of this, I also bristle at the assumption by some minorities that “all” white people are racist or card-carrying members of the KKK. Not all of us are racist. And I don’t think my color should be the automatic determining factor on whether someone thinks I’m a racist or not. Let my actions and my words be the final determining factor, not something like my color, which Allah gave me, and which I have no control over.

Link: The Manrilla Blog: Race In America: Reflections Of An Angry Black Man.

* Long Sigh * Here We Go Again!

Assalamu alaikum / greetings… A friend of mine drew my attention to this site. I guess someone on an email group she was on, found the site and commented on how “this site is really waking me / us up” etc.

I was asked to look over the site and comment on it. Truth be told, I didn’t get past the front page. The motives of the site administrators are clear, mostly because of their view that “Islam has a way of taking countries back to the Middle Ages”, and also they note that they are”a bunch of regular Western guys from around the world who are against Muslim mass immigration”. So, to me, that should tell you something right there, and that should definitely let people know that these people definitely have an agenda.

Are there terrible things done, by Muslims, purportedly in the name of Islam, yes, but is this necessarily Islamic? No, it is not. However, what is more troubling to me is the site’s assertion that “this goes far beyond terrorism”. The thing is, Robert Spencer, Daniel Pipes, et al., would really love this site!

I know I should probably write a more thorough review. But to be honest, I dont have the stomach for it! If these people who have supposedly been “woken up” by this site have any questions / concerns, I’d definitely be happy to address them. But black people / other minorities are not asked to go to racist websites and made to defend themselves, just because some people have been “woken up”, by the propaganda spewing forth from such sites. And the same, I feel, is true with this site. I shouldn’t have to defend myself or Islam, just becuase some people have found a virulently anti-Muslim site and have been “woken up” by the supposedly troubling things they’ve seen there.

I just find it interesting that statements made about and against Muslims would never be tolerated if said statements were directed toward any other group of people.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh. Maybe I should “understand”, and take the time to “explain things”, but I doubt that that would do any good. People are going to see what they are going to see. And if they are going to be bigoted against Islam, there isn’t too much that little old me can do about it. I wonder if these people have even taken the time to actually ask Muslims about Islam, and ask what they feel about terrible atrocities committed supposedly in the name of Islam.

From what I gather from what little I’ve heard regarding the reaction to this site, I’d say not. And to be honest, I don’t have the time, the energy, nor the stomach to sit through a bunch of admittedly anti-Islamic videos / articles / etc., just so I can waste my energy rebutting this site to a bunch of people who are just not going to believe me anyway.

What I’d rather do is let anyone who has questions, bring their concerns one by one, so I can hopefully answer them. And I mean serious questions, if all you want to do is further your own Islamophobic outlook, then I don’t have the time for that.

So anyway, the link is below. Comment to your heart’s content.

Link: muslimsout.org.

The One Gambian Dish I Actually Know How to Cook!

Assalamu alaikum / greetings… OK, I cooked today! For everyone in the house, which I don’t do that often, simply because usually someone else is cooking. Although I’m sure I could take some initiative and start cooking more.

Anyway, there are not that many Gambian dishes that I can make. No, let me rephrase that. There is * one! * Gambian dish I can make with at least some confidence. Now, I’m not sure of the exact name of the dish, though someone just yesterday told me the name of the dish might be chu or chew? Not sure of the spelling. But here is how you make it, or at least how I make it. Any Gambian readers of this blog, or anyone knowledgeable in Gambian / West African cooking feel free to chime in and add anything or correct me if I’ve done anything wrong.

OK, for the dish, you can either use chicken, beef, or fish, though I’ve always used chicken. And then you need potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, peppers, I use green peppers, and whatever other kind of vegetables you have around. I’ve seen squash and eggplant used also. You also need cooking oil, I usually use vegetable oil.

OK, chop up your chicken into bite-sized pieces, I usually use the boneless, skinless chicken breast, though I guess you can use whatever kind of chicken you would like to use. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and whatever kind of spices you want. put some oil in the bottom of a big pot. Heat up the oil, put the chicken in, but be careful not to get the oil too hot. Also, you’ll want to chop up your vegetables too, and most of the time people peel the potatoes, though I’ve made the dish without peeling the potatoes, and it’s OK either way.

Cook the chicken, and when the outside starts getting cooked / firm, put in your onions, green peppers and garlic, you can either use fresh garlic or the garlic that comes in the jar. Then, you’ll need to put in the rest of your vegetables. Now, normally, at this point you’d also put in either tomato paste and enough water to cook the vegetables, or you can do like I do, and just get a jar / can of spaghetti sauce, and put enough of it in the pot to cook the vegetables. Either way, you’ll get the same result / consistency in the end.

OK, you bring everything in the pot to a boil, but you don’t want it boiling too much, I’d say put the stove on medium heat, and let everything boil until the vegetables get cooked. You’ll want to stir everything occasionally, though, but not too much. Then, while everything is cooking, get another pot and cook as much rice as you think you’ll need to feed the amount of people you are trying to feed. The same goes for the ingredients you want to put in the dish. Cut up as much chicken and vegetables as you think you’ll need to feed everyone you’re cooking for.

Anyway, once you’re done, once everything is done cooking, then you get the plates out, put the rice on the plates, and then put the dish ontop of the rice. And that’s how you eat it!

OK, so maybe that might not be the best way of describing how to make the dish. But anyway… It’s a nice dish if you want to feed a lot of people. And everyone here at the house liked it.

Could This Be Why?

Assalamu alaikum, the following quote came from someone who’d emailed me a while back regarding the house fire. He recently emailed me again to ask how I was doing. He was on a blindness-related email group that I was also on, had been a practicing Muslim for many years, yet now is not a practicing Muslim. However, now he’s begun rereading the Quran. It’s also interesting to note that when I brought up madhhabs, he said to me that he’d never heard of madhhabs, and wanted to know what they were. Anyway, I think the quotes below demonstrate part of the reasons why many new Muslims might be driven away from Islam.

As-salaam Ailaikum,
Actually, my reason for leaving Islam was because of my visit to Saudi Arabia. I was deeply disturbed about the way women were treated in that society.
I personally observed a woman being dragged out of a car and arrested simply for driving. For a woman to drive in Saudi Arabia is illegal. Also, one of
the women in our group went out into the general population without Hijab. She was raped by a couple of men. When we complained to the Saudi authorities,
we were told in essence that she brout it upon herself because she was not properly dressed. These things truly affected me and I began to question my
commitment to Islam. Interestingly, whenever a theological issue arises, my first thought is the Islamic view on it. I guess that is because I was a practicing
Muslim for over twelve years. I don’t look at your advice as an attempt to sway me one way or the other; it is very much appreciated.

Islam, Domestic Violence, and Other Thoughts

Assalamu alaikum / greetings, some recent conversations with a few people regarding domestic violence and the Muslim community got me to thinking. Of course, as always, there needs to be education on domestic violence: what it is, the cycle of violence, etc. But what also needs to happen is, there really needs to be education given to imams / other people in the community who may have to handle and deal with these sorts of situations. They need to know that it’s not enough just to “talk to the brother” and get his assurances that it will never happen again. They also need to be careful and not be in a rush to send a sister back into a potentialy dangerous situation for herself and any children who may be involved, simply for the sake of saving a marriage or “keeping a brother from being tempted”.

Any members in the community who are responsible for handling family / marital disputes need to understand that incidents involving domestic violence / abuse could potentially be a life or death situation, an these situations need to be handled with extreme care!

I think what sometimes happens is that a sister leaves the home, seeks help from the community, and what happens is that someone goes and talks to the brother, the brother convinces them that everything is OK, that it was just a simple argument that got out of hand, and that everything is OK. So then the sister is told that she can, and in fact, should go back home, in order to save the marriage and keep the brother from “being tempted by haram things”. So instead of the brother being counselled on the “haramness” of his abuse of his wife, which made her leave the home in the first place, the situation seems to get turned around, and instead what seems to happen is that the sister gets lectured on how she has to “hurry up and go back home as soon as possible, to save your husband from being tempted”. So, it’s almost like it becomes the sister’s fault for leaving in the first place, like the problems of the marriage, and the goal of saving the marriage and putting things back together lies squarely on her shoulders!

Then, once the sister gets back home, then the brother is again safe to resume his abuse of her. And what is worse, he, in his own mind, may feel he may now have the sanction of the imam / community, because the imam or whoever was in charge of handling the dispute sent the sister back home. So then what happens is the sister gets chastized by the brother for “airing our marital secrets”.

What people need to understand about domestic violence / abuse is that it’s not just the physical abuse or the verbal abuse either that is so insidious. What is so insidious about domestic abuse is how it completely and utterly tears the victim down! And no matter how much said victim struggles to please the abuser, the abuser will constantly find things wrong with the victim. And it will get to the point that the victim will start to think that they are nothing!

How is that for damaging one’s iman, one’s Islam, one’s spirituality! I mean, how can one focous on subduing one’s nafs and purifying their heart, when they’re just trying not to get beaten, or trying to keep the abuser happy? I can speak from experience on this one and say that it’s extremely damaging to one’s Islam to be in a situation like this! And it’s even more damaging when one tries to handle things “Islamically”, yet in the end feels that the people that you turned to to help you, seem to have taken the abuser’s side. And then you feel just completely and utterly let down. So if you try to leave the abusive situation again, what would make one think that they could again rely on the Muslim community to help them? And this could be one thing that drives some people away from Islam. I wonder how the abuser will react on the Day of Judgement when Allah, Subhana wa Ta’ala, will call them to account for not only physically abusing and damaging someone on the outside, but destroying them mentally and spiritually as well.

And that’s what needs to be taken into account. Hopefully, as more Muslims in the US and around the world, rediscover and find their way back to traditional Islam, and as more “traditional Muslim” institutions are created and built, Inshallah, as programs are put into place to deal with domestic violence and other family / marital problems, that not only are the outward concerns of dealing with the immediate problems addressed, but the spiritual needs are addressed, not only of the abused but the abuser as well.

But the problem is, that can’t happen if you have “spiritually dead”, “everything and everyone else but us is kufr, shirk, and bida” and other similar masjids / Islamic communities. And this is just a thought… I’m not singling anyone out in particular! it’s just a thought.

Regarding myself, my faith in Islam, my following a tariqa, I feel, has done much to help me come to terms with and heal from, the abuse that I’ve suffered. And I’m not saying that if one doesn’t practice Islam the way I do, that one can’t heal from things like this. I am only speaking for myself here. I’ve found a niche which works for me. I’ve found a madhhab / tariqa / complete way of practicing Islam and implementing it in my life which works for me. And I can’t speak for anyone else here. I can only speak for myself.

I came across a webpage, I have to find it again, which is a very anti-traditional Islam page, which basically states that the “deen intensives” are set up to “loll ignorant and unknowledgeable Muslims into their trap”. And basically accuses certain “traditional Muslim” scholars of bida, shirk, etc. And the page goes on to contend that “the mainstream Muslim organizations like CAIR / ISNA etc. have to let these deviant people speak at their functions in order to draw more people”. Ugh! I’ll have to find the page and link it here, so others can see / comment about it. I don’t think I was “lured into traditional Islam” because I was just too gullible and stupid to know any better. But anyway…

Regarding marriage, I’ve decided that I must be patient. When Allah knows that I am ready, He will send someone. And as I think about it, it has occurred to me that said “wonderful Muslim husband” could already be someone that I know or who knows me and I not even know it yet. In this matter, I have to learn patience, and learn to be content with what Allah has decreed for me. Because sometimes, you might think that you want something, but then, maybe it’s not the best thing for you.

And so my rant ends for the day. As I said, this was about a variety of things that have been going through my head lately. And now I’m off to cook! Yes, Ginny is cooking! Anyone wanna come over! Football’s still on, if you like that… And I’m talking about American football, not soccer.

Islam and the Rule of Law

Assalamu alaikum / greetings, Mashallah, what antoher wonderful post from the Mere Islam blog…

Link: Mere Islam: Islam and the Rule of Law.

EXCLUSIVE (Yahya Jammeh’s Letter to Kofi Annan)

Assalamu alaikum, antoher posting from Ebrima Ceesay…

My Fellow Gambians and Friends of The Gambia,

Further to my earlier posting which reveals information on the true reasons for the arrest and detention of Halifa Sallah, OJ Jallow and Hamat Bah, I am
now being urged by one of my sources to reproduce a copy of a letter which Yahya Jammeh sent to the Secretary General of the UN, Mr Kofi Annan, on September
15th 2005.

I can vouch for the integrity of this highly placed source, and have other confirmations that this letter is genuine and was indeed sent.  The full text
of the letter is reproduced below, followed my comments.

Ebrima Ceesay

________________________________________________________________________

"REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA

His Excellency Kofi Annan,

Secretary General United Nations,

New York.

                                                                                                   15th September 2005

Your Excellency,

SENEGALESE ACTS OF PROVOCATION, HOSTILITY AND AGGRESSION AGAINST THE GAMBIA

Let me begin by reminding you of the following facts: -

1.      During his trip to France as President of Senegal, President Abdoulaye Wade declared that the objective of his mission was to seek arms in order
to prepare the Senegalese armed forces against the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. This matter was taken seriously by my Government as it came as a complete
surprise and without any provocation from The Gambia. Fortunately, this request was rejected by the French Authorities. We informed all the diplomatic
missions in Banjul as well as other international institutions of this unfortunate development.

2.      Ever since that time President Wade has maintained a very aggressive and hostile attitude towards the Gambia and this is manifested in a multi-faceted
form. One such form was his attempt during 2001-2003 to recruit mercenaries from an African country to launch attacks against The Gambia under the code
name "The Gambia Project". This project was thwarted partly by the intervention of some western countries and partly by the lack of funds. This was followed
by incessant border closures, harassment of Gambian officials including cabinet ministers at Dakar International Airport and other Senegalese points of
entry. This culminated in the unprovoked attacks against Gambian football players and supporters during a football match between The Gambia and Senegal
in Dakar. That tragic event was fuelled by President Wade himself who had declared on the eve of the football match that the game was not a simple football
match but a war between the two countries. Buses from the Gambia were destroyed in addition to the many Gambians that were seriously injured. We did not
retaliate as a Government because we do not believe in violence and conflict but development and peace.

3.      In addition President Wade and his Government harbours dangerous criminals from The Gambia including coup plotters and would-be assassins who attempted
on my life. His sole intention in harbouring these elements is to destabilize The Gambia by launching sabotage attacks on our infrastructure and strategic
economic projects and installations.

4.      President Wade and his Government were also responsible for spoiling the excellent relations that existed between The Gambia and Guinea Bissau and
between President Kumba Yalla and myself through misinformation and smear campaign. It would be recalled that I was the first to assist and give logistical
support to President Kumba Yalla during his first year in office including the financing and facilitation of his official overseas trips. Part of the misinformation
was that The Gambia’s intention was to annex Guinea Bissau and this led to President Kumba Yalla’s unfortunate declaration that he would wipe out The Gambia
within two minutes.

5.      Because of our good intentions and peace loving nature we have been ignoring these hostile campaigns but resorted only to reporting the matter to
the International Community for their information.

6.      Since 2001, President Wade has stepped up his smear campaign and misinformation that consist also in falsely reporting The Gambia to many countries
and Governments including the Government of the United States of America.

7.      Without provocation in August 2005 President Wade closed the borders between the two countries with armed soldiers in violation of several agreements
and treaties including ECOWAS Protocols, UN Charter, the WTO Agreements and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, under the pretext that The Gambia
has increased ferry crossing tariffs – a measure which falls within the sovereign rights of The Gambia. This illegal and provocative closure is still in
force as you read this letter.

8.      He has succeeded in destabilizing Guinea Bissau, after The Gambia had put an end to a bloody civil war in that country, by interfering with their
security service which led to the overthrow of President Kumba Yalla and the subsequent crises. He has been inviting senior military officers from the
Guinea Bissau Armed Forces without the knowledge of the transitional Government and giving them huge sums of money to the point that the President of the
Transitional Government of Guinea Bissau complained to ECOWAS and several Governments and international bodies about President Wade’s incessant interference
in Guinea Bissau which has now led to more than two coup attempts up to the time of the electoral process.

9.      Since the border closure, he has not only been levelling unfounded accusations against The Gambia, but he has also been using the Senegalese media
and press to spread misinformation about alleged unrest in The Gambia as a consequence of border closure which is nothing but a figment of his malicious
imagination.

10.  The latest act is the fabrication of blatant, unfounded and malicious accusations contained in a letter to the UN Secretary General dated 8th September
2005 alleging that I as the President of The Gambia have been providing arms to the PAIGC Party in Guinea Bissau and the Prime Minister of that country
in order to attack the headquarters of the Armed Forces of Guinea Bissau. He also alleged that because of the provision of these arms the PAIGC Party in
Guinea Bissau has refused to accept the results of the elections and that Mr. Malang Bekai Sagna is The Gambia’s preferred candidate.

11.  In the same letter, a copy of which is attached hereto, he asked The Secretary General of the United Nations to put pressure on me and my Government
in order to dissuade me from interfering in the internal affairs of Guinea Bissau.

12.  Your Excellency, any sane person who knows the role of The Gambia in international and African affairs will realize that these accusations constitute
nothing but cheap and ignorant smear campaign against the Government and the people of the Gambia.

13.  As the coordinator of the "friends of Guinea Bissau", The Gambia supported and called for the convening of donors’ conferences on behalf of Guinea
Bissau at the level of the UN.

14.  Let me also remind Your Excellency about the pivotal role The Gambia played in the Cassamance peace process which has been jeopardised by President
Wade’s mis-handling of the situation despite his declaration all over the world to the contrary.

15.  We hereby challenge the international community to ask President Wade and his government to provide proof of these allegations because throughout the
period leading to the elections in Guinea Bissau, The Gambia was the only country that had refused to receive any of the Bissau Guinean presidential candidates
on the basis of the principles of neutrality that we espouse. Amazingly all these parties were frequently invited to Dakar by President Wade, and this
led to a series of problems in Guinea Bissau including the recent attempted coup by Kumba Yalla and the present stand-off.

16.  We also challenge the UN, The African Union and ECOWAS to prevail upon Senegal to provide proof of these allegations which now constitute a more dangerous
development in an already volatile situation. This indeed is one step too far, and is over stretching the Gambia’s patience and peaceful nature. For five
years, we have managed to cope with this incessant hostility, provocation and aggression from President Wade. The latest letter cited above, a copy of
which is attached hereto, is just unacceptable and stretches The Gambia’s tolerance and peaceful nature beyond its limit, and we will be obliged to take
any measure we deem fit to defend our integrity, sovereignty, national interest and international image.

17.  Since President Wade has declared war against the Gambia from the beginning of his assumption of power, we have no choice but to defend ourselves by
any means necessary and we should not be blamed for any eventual consequences.

18.  We do hope that we will not be pushed further because any further provocations from Senegal will lead to dire consequences for Senegal and the entire
sub-region.

19.  We equally hope that all decent people the world over realise how tolerant and patience The Gambia has been to date despite incessant provocation and
hostilities from a country that has benefited immensely from the Gambia’s rapid socio-economic and infrastructural development by over US$100 million from
1994 to date.

20.  Despite all these provocations and hostilities from The President and the Government of Senegal, The Gambia is playing host to over 750,000 Senegalese
nationals. These Senegalese nationals were the first among other West African citizens to benefit from exemption of the alien certificate and tax – a measure
that constitute a big economic sacrifice for The Gambian Treasury since 1995.

21.  Despite all these provocations and hostilities for the President and Government of Senegal, Senegalese living in the Gambia have not been subjected
to any form of hostile treatment from the Government of The Gambia. We invite anybody in doubt to send a fact finding mission to the Gambia.

22.  We do hope that the International Community will intervene to put an end to this dangerously escalating situation. The Gambia remains committed to
peace on the continent and in the world as demonstrated by the country’s contributions of peace keeping troops to several conflicts zones including Liberia,
Cote d’Ivoire, East Timor, Eritrea/Ethiopia, Haiti and most recently in the Darfur Region of the Sudan just to name a few.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration and fraternal esteem.

Yahya A.J.J Jammeh

President of the Republic of The Gambia."

____________________________________________________________________________

Dear Readers,

It is very obvious from this letter how threatened Yahya Jammeh is feeling by our Senegalese neighbours.  He will stop at nothing to discredit President
Wade and his government, and to put himself in a good light in the eyes of the international community.

I have received a faxed copy of a letter which President Wade sent to Kofi Annan on September 8th 2005, but the copy was indecipherable and I am awaiting
the arrival of a legible copy before forwarding it to our readers.  This letter is the one to which Yahya refers in point 10 of his letter to Kofi Annan.

Jammeh’s hysterical written attack against the Senegalese President and people as witnessed in the 22 points of the letter,  reveals Yahya as a megalomaniac
intent on destroying the good relations between our two countries.  The threats contained within the letter such as "we will be obliged to take any measure
we deem fit to defend our integrity, sovereignty, national interest and international image" are empty ones.  The consequences for The Gambia of sustained
enmity against Senegal will be dire, and not as Jammeh writes "any further provocations from Senegal will lead to dire consequences for Senegal and the
entire sub-region".  In all truthfulness, how much of a threat can our tiny nation pose to our neighbour, Senegal ?  Who is kidding who ?

We have had ample evidence over the years of Jammeh’s support of the Casamance rebels and of his ill-advised interference in African affairs.  Jammeh is
actually the creator of problems in Africa, and not the peace-loving solution finder he likes to call himself.

You, like me, will laugh out loud as you read point 19 of the letter, in which Jammeh talks of "The Gambia’s rapid socio-economic and infrastructural development
from 1994 to date."  How does Yahya possibly convince himself that our country is a rapidly developing one ? Let him step into the shoes of an ordinary
Gambian and learn the realities of life in modern-day Gambia:  let him struggle to house, feed and clothe his family, educate his children, provide health
care when necessary, afford petrol or taxi fares, have electricity and water sufficient for his needs,  look after himself in old age.  He would know how
poorly developed our little nation actually is, and how every year it becomes more and more of a struggle for ordinary citizens to lead a peaceful and
satisfying life.

In Point 9 of the letter, Yahya talks of President Wade as "using Senegalese media and press to spread misinformation about alleged unrest in The Gambia
as a consequence of border closure which is nothing but a figment of his malicious imagination".  Yahya forgets that he is the one who is fomenting unrest
in The Gambia, and the recent arrest and detention of opposition leaders like Halifa Sallah, OJ Jallow and Hamat Bah is proof incontrovertible of this.
It is Yahya himself who has stirred up decent and law abiding citizens against his murderous regime:  it is he who has made himself a millionaire at public
expense:  it is he who leads a brutal secret police force, the NIA:  it is he who has seen assault and murder committed against critics of his miserable
regime.  Let Yahya Jammeh fool himself no longer:  let him recognise his own part in the fermentation of unrest in The Gambia, and let him be ashamed of
his folly.

I urge Yahya Jammeh to inform the Gambian people about the coup-plotters and would-be assassins who are being harboured by Senegal (in Point 3 of his letter):
which elements of our infrastructure and strategic economic projects and installations have been damaged by these elements, and when ?  It would appear
that Yahya is suffering badly from a persecution complex of the worst acute type.  Those Gambians who have fled The Gambia have done so in fear of their
lives at the hands of Yahya’s thugs, and there is not one shred of evidence to support Yahya’s claims.

My fellow Gambians, I urge you to copy Yahya’s letter to Kofi Annan and send it across the world and especially to your family and friends in The Gambia.
They deserve to know what Jammeh is saying in their name, and the lies and threats he is making which put all Gambians at risk.

Ebrima Ceesay,

Birmingham, UK

Betty McCollum’s letter to Condi Rice

BETTY McCOLLUM

4TH DISTRICT, MINNESOTA

COMMITTEE ON

EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE

1029 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING

WASHINGTON, DC 20515

(202) 225-6631

FAX: (202) 225-1968

COMMITTEE ON

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

www.house.gov/mccollu m

165 WESTERNAVENUENORTH

SUITE17

ST. PAUL,MN 55102

16511224-9191

FAX:(651) 224-3056

UNITED STATES

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November
22,2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street, NW

Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

It has been reported in the media and confirmed by the State Department that on November,

15, 2005, Gambian government authorities arrested three opposition political leaders – Hon.

Halifah Sallah, Mr. Hamat Bah, and Mr. Omar Jallow. This unfortunate event casts the

appearance of an attempt by the Republic of the Gambia to silence legitimate democratic voices

of the political opposition.

Last week, I sent a letter to the Ambassador of the Republic of the Gambia expressing my

concern over the arrests of these three political leaders, and I have included a copy of this letter

for you. Our country profoundly values democracy and the opportunity for people around the

world to pursue freedom and self-determination. I am
very concerned that the arrest of the

leaders of the political opposition by the Gambian government sends a signal that next year’s

scheduled elections are in danger of not being free or fair. I urge you to send a clear and.

unambiguous message to the Gambian government and hold them accountable for the safety

and well-being of the three leaders, as well as to secure their release as soon as possible.

In July
2005, I had the opportunity to meet with the Hon. Halifa Sallah, the Minority Leader of

the Parliament, in my Minnesota congressional office. He expressed to me his desire to work

with his fellow citizens of the Gambia to engage in an open, democratic process leading to free

and fair elections. This noble goal has my strong support and I would greatly appreciate all

efforts by the Department of State and the U.S. mission in the Gambia to reinforce this message

as well as our concern for the well-being of these political leaders.

Madame Secretary, thank you for your efforts and please keep my office informed of any

developments in this situation.

SinCereIY’1J
If/!~ ~’Ollum

~%df Congress

BM:cw

PRINTED
ON RECYCLED PAPER

George W. Bush wanted to bomb Aljazeera’s offices in Doha, Qatar

Assalamu alaikum, from Juan Cole’s blog…

Link: Informed Comment.

Some Thoughts On The Future

Assalamu alaikum / greetings, another posting to the Gambia-l / Gambia Post lists by Ebrima Ceesay.

My Fellow Gambians and Friends of The Gambia,

The Gambia is at a critical stage as we approach the 2006 Presidential elections, and it is vital that Gambians everywhere play a much more pro-active role
in the affairs of our beloved country. We should all be contributing to the rescue of our country from a dictatorship based on murder, brutality, fear,
corruption and mismanagement.  Some of us can help by offering money, others by offering ideas, others by offering leadership.  Each of us needs to contribute
what we can towards the restoration of democratic ideals and the reinstitution of human rights in the The Gambia.

All of us have a part to play in exposing Yahya Jammeh on the international level as well as to Gambians at home.  Let leading Gambians in international
institutions, like Dr Lamin Jalamang Sise (Head of Political and Legal Affairs at the UN, and one of Kofi Annan’s senior advisers) and Abdoulie Janneh
(Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa based in Ethiopia) use their influence to work for change in The Gambia.  Let them
work to make a better Gambia in whatever way they can, whether by offering advice or by exposing him as a murderous and  corrupt leader of a failed regime.

It is no secret that since 1994, I have been working to see a restoration of democracy in The Gambia, and have been urging Gambians to use the ballot box
to rid themselves of a corrupt regime and an even more corrupt leader.  It has always been my view that the election box holds the key to peaceful change.

However, recent events in The Gambia, culminating in the arrest and detention of our NADD leadership on spurious evidence, are making me reconsider my position.
I am now coming to the view that a well-coordinated boycott by all the opposition parties could in fact have a better impact than taking part in elections
which will certainly be flawed and which will see Yahya returned to power.

There seems to be little point in taking part in a competition when Jammeh is both a key player and the chief referee.  We are all well aware that elections
in The Gambia since 1994 have been rigged:  the playing field has not been level and there has been widespread bully-boy tactics used indiscriminately
alongside monetary hand-outs to ensure the desired pro-APRC result by the regime.

The NADD leaders are already feeling the full force of Yahya’s fear of defeat, and they are languishing in prison even before the election campaigns have
started in earnest.  How much worse will it become when the campaign gets underway.  Heaven help our opposition then (remembering a favourite phrase of
my former boss, Mr Kenneth Best) – even ordinary Gambians will be at severe risk of injury, imprisonment or worse if they dare to show favour to the opposition.

In 2002, the UDP boycott of the National Assembly elections did not have a huge impact, but there is an ideal opportunity coming within the next few months
for a united opposition to work together to totally discredit Yahya and his regime.  For the opposition to contest the Presidential election only to see
electoral defeat because of election rigging and interference in the electoral process by the incumbent candidate, will mean that the opposition have given
legitimacy to Jammeh.  International observers will see elections taking place, will witness another “victory” by Jammeh and will assume (as they do so
erroneously now) that The Gambia is a functional democracy and that the people have freely elected the candidate of personal choice.

There is a rich literature on elections in Africa. One of the chief commentators on the political scene, Naomi Chazan, has suggested that African elections
belong to one of three types.  There are non-competitive elections which serve to confirm the status of current office holders without any competition.
There are semi-competitive elections which provide for competition for legislative office but not for control of government or the regime in power, and
there are competitive elections which have the possibility of changing both office holders and the regime in power.  Using Chazan’s typology, we can say
with certainty that Gambian elections since 1994 are of the non-competitive type, and only serve to re-elect the incumbent leader.

Chazan goes on to point out that elections in authoritarian states have a significance which should not be ignored:  "we assume that elections in authoritarian
states have little or no meaning at all, but where democratic principles are not predominant, elections may still have meaning as a legitimating mechanism"
(N.Chazan writing in the Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, 17 (1) 1979 pp 137-141).

F.M. Hayward agrees with Chazan. He says that "the requirement of legitimacy is universal.  Although there is variation in the extent to which it poses
a serious problem for a particular regime, its importance is almost always recognised.  Even the most autocratic of states must face the imperative of
legitimacy.  We see repeatedly that legitimacy is something people give, not something governments assert or decree."  (F.M.Hayward, Elections in Independent
Africa, Westview Press, 1987).

It is becoming increasingly imperative that Gambians no longer give legitimacy to Yahya Jammeh’s regime.  By contesting the 2006 elections, the united opposition
will be giving legitimacy to the victor.  We are none of us in doubt who the victor will be.  As usual, Yahya will use every trick in the book, every dalasis
in the public purse, and every bully boy tactic and thug in the pay of the APRC, to achieve his goal of becoming president again.  The result will be that
the elections are perceived by the international community as the legitimate wish of the majority of Gambians, and they will consider The Gambia to be
a functioning democracy as they already do now.

How much better for the Opposition to refuse to lend legitimacy to the elections.  By a general boycott, NADD will make its refusal to bow to Yahya Jammeh
abundantly clear to the world.

I urge people to consider this policy of non-cooperation with the regime as a genuine alternative to contesting the actual elections.

Decisions do not have to be made yet on the best course of action to take, and NADD will doubtlessly be working tirelessly as we approach 2006 and considering
every option open to them.

A boycott of the elections will certainly see Jammeh remain in power, but he will lack legitimacy in The Gambia and in the international community. He will
no longer have reason to assert that he is the people’s president of choice, and he will become far more isolated in international politics than he is
at present.  That in its way will give MORE power to our opposition, and more weight to our pleas on the international stage for help in returning our
tiny nation to democracy.

I repeat that I am not calling now for an immediate boycott of the elections, but I am urging people to consider this as a viable alternative to making
a powerful political statement and a good means of de-legitimising Jammeh.

Ebrima Ceesay,

Birmingham, UK

New Light Shed on Halifa, OJ and Hamat Bah’s Arrest

Assalamu alaikum / greetings, the following was posted to the Gambia-l and Gambia Post email lists by Ebrima Ceesay.

My Fellow Gambians and friends of The Gambia,

I join others in condemning the arrest and detention of Halifa Sallah, O.J.Jallow and Hamat Bah.  These men are decent, law-abiding citizens and each has
his own unique qualities.  Combined, they form a very considerable force for democracy in The Gambia. I know each of these men personally, and have had
the pleasure of working with them on many occasions.  It is clear to me, and to all those who know them, that each of them has the best interests of The
Gambia and Gambian people at heart and in mind.

Yahya Jammeh has yet again shown himself to Gambians and to the whole world to be a corrupt and cowardly dictator.  Arrest and detention are Jammeh’s habitual
responses to oppositional challenge:  any hint of criticism of the regime leads to imprisonment and often to murder.  Jammeh’s notion of himself as a democratic
leader of a fully functioning democracy reveals his increasing mental instability:  The Gambia is no longer the haven of human rights and democratic principles:
indeed, it has not been since July 22nd 1994.  It is now characterised by irresponsible and inept leadership, misappropriation of public monies, cronyism,
illegal detention, brutality and assassination.

Despite a very heavy professional and personal schedule at the moment, I have been urged to make public comment about recent events in my homeland, and
to pass on information which sheds new light on the arrest of Mr Sallah, Mr Jallow and Mr Bah.

Unimpeachable sources close to the Senegalese government have told me that recently, the Senegalese government received several documents, purportedly from
the NADD leadership in The Gambia and also an Intelligence Report on Senegal signed, apparently, by Samba Bah, former Director General of the NIA.  The
documents supposedly from NADD, urged Senegal to intervene in The Gambia, because Jammeh was supporting Casamance rebels.  The document purportedly from
Samba Bah told the Senegalese government that Jammeh is currently arming the Casamance rebels in order for them to attack Senegal.  This particular document
alleged to have been sent by Samba Bah also asks Senegal to help Gambians to topple Yahya Jammeh, and names people like Lie Conteh as amongst those seeking
Senegalese help in "de-throning" Jammeh.

Now, believing these documents to be genuine and above-board, Senegal confronted Jammeh first at ambassadorial level and subsequently face to face when
Jammeh visited Senegal last month.  Jammeh was shown the documents themselves and the arrest of Mr Sallah, Mr Jallow and Mr Hamat Bah followed.

Senegal continued to investigate the provenance of the documents and has since found them all to be forgeries emanating not from The Gambia, but from the
USA (I am awaiting further source information before revealing the name of the forger).

Senegal immediately informed Jammeh that the documents were in fact forgeries, and that the information contained within them was spurious.  It was too
late for our NADD leaders and Samba Bah however: the NIA had already picked them up and charges of sedition had been laid against Sallah, Jallow and Hamat
Bah by the regime.  But Jammeh’s preferred treason charge was shattered when the Senegalese informed him that the documents had been proven to be forgeries.

Jammeh’s evidence base of NADD’s supposed incitement of Senegal against The Gambia collapsed, and the original charges he had in mind (ie.treason) had to
be dropped.  However, Jammeh is reluctant to talk publicly about the reasons for this (he and his regime would be made to look both gullible and foolish),
and Mr Sallah and Mr Jallow are being charged with unfairly criticising the regime (Halifa in an open letter to the Gambian people, and OJ in an interview
given to Gambian journalists).  Hamat Bah is now being held because of his failure to surrender government documents following his defeat in the by-election
(i.e. his Gambian diplomatic passport). My sources tell me that Mr Bah has no intention of surrendering his Gambian diplomatic passport until his appeal
against the conduct of the by-election and its result has been heard.

We can trace the arrest and detention of our Opposition leaders directly to the forged documents sent from America, and I personally urge the forger to
refrain from sending any more of these unhelpful documents to the Senegalese, or any other, government.  The documents serve to put our opposition party
at serious risk, and to add to the fuel of discontent between Senegal and The Gambia.

I am no friend of Samba Bah or Lie Conteh, but I am a believer in the truth.  The situation in Casamance is already grave enough, without adding unnecessarily
to it.

We none of us have to resort to forging documents to expose the butchery and ineptitude of Yahya Jammeh and his cronies:  they do this well enough themselves
and without our help.  Jammeh can be exposed without implicating others and putting them at risk.

In international politics, there is little regard for the damage which may be done to innocent people when forgery is perpetrated and incorrect documents
passed on. Senegal did not give thought to the implications for Halifa Sallah, OJ Jallow and Hamat Bah when it showed the forged documents to the Gambian
regime:  the Senegalese government’s concern was on a different level. However, it was these forged documents that directly brought about the arrest of
our opposition leaders.  Let us all be aware of the dangers and miscarriages of justice that can occur as a result of forged documentation.  Let us think
of those people on the ground who are already at grave risk in their struggles for honesty and decency in government, before we expose them to further
risk.

Let us now pray that Yahya Jammeh will now drop all charges against Halifa, OJ and Hamat.  We know now why our friends were arrested and detained, and that
the reasons underpinning the original charges were false.

Yahya:  I challenge you publicly to release our NADD leadership and to put the record straight.  The eyes of Gambians and the world are on you.

May God Bless The Gambia and help her in her struggle back to democracy and decency.

Ebrima Ceesay

Birmingham, UK

allAfrica.com: Morocco: Islam United to Stop Female Genital Mutilation

Link: allAfrica.com: Morocco: Islam United to Stop Female Genital Mutilation.

Miller keeps it businesslike | IndyStar.com

Link: Miller keeps it businesslike | IndyStar.com.

Halifa Sallah’s Wife Writes to President Jammeh

Detained Politician’s Wife Writes to Jammeh

Mrs. Ida Jallow-Sallah, wife to detained NADD Coordinator Halifa Sallah, has written a detailed letter to President Jammeh outlining circumstances surrounding
her husband’s arrest and calling for his immediate release.

Mrs. Jallow, among other things, noted the continued broadcasting, by GRTS, that Sallah was on the run hours after he had been arrested and after having
called GRTS to refute the government’s allegation that he was on the run. Mrs. Sallah also highlights the various difficulties the families and friends
of the detained Messrs Sallah, Bah and Jallow have encountered trying to stay in touch with them Below is the full text of Mrs. Jallow-Sallah’s letter
to President Jammeh as reproduced in the Foroyaa Newspaper issue of November 24-27, 2005.

Your Excellency,

The respect of the letter and the spirit of the rule of law is not only paramount but it is a compulsory common duty as it engenders common interest by
ensuring peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, political and socioeconomic stability and development. In other words, we are all bound, without exception,
to adhere to this principle in order to be different from an inhuman society where might rules. This is one of the reasons why it is a constitutional requirement
for a citizen to take oaths before holding a public office. The holding of the Koran, the Bible or, some other sacred as supporting documents does not
only affirm one’s sincerity and commitment but gives hope and assurance to people that one’s actions will be always guided by humanism and sense of morality
which call for the reign of justice, impartiality and tolerance. Moreover, one would become more assured when he or she sees his or her country being the
host of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights and constantly hears the holder of the highest office of the land and his immediate subordinate authorities
make strong emphasis on the respect for the rule of law. But, your Excellency, the arrest and detention of my husband, Halifa Sallah, and his colleagues,
Omar Jallow and Hamat NK Bah, proves the very opposite of all these. Their rights are grossly being violated.

Allow me, your Excellency, to draw your attention to the illegal actions perpetrated by the government authorities supposedly known as the protectors of
human and democratic rights of all the Gambian people: 1. On 15th November 2005 around 7.30 pm, Halifa was arrested in my presence in his office at the
People’s Center in Churchill’s town by four plain clothed NIA (National Intelligence Agency) officials without serving him any arrest warrant attesting
to their authority to carry out such act. 2. Halifa was then taking by the NIA officials in a red Mercedes Benz without number plates. 3. In the presence
of the NIA officials some standing and some seated, like Mr Dampha, near his office desk, Halifa was talking to Radio Gambia on the untruthfulness of the
press release which says that he was at large. The clarification made by Halifa did not deter GRTS from reading again the same press release at 8. pm news,
30 minutes after his arrest. 11hours 30 minutes after his arrest and detention, the same press release was again broadcast. How can one be arrested and
detained and still be declared as being at large? Is this act legal or illegal? Are these media officers acting according to their terms of reference or
to command? If the latter stands, what was really the motive behind this act?

Your Excellency, no matter the degree of contempt one holds for another, is it rational, decent and human for an authority to order such an illegal action
against his fellow human being, particularly against someone who has so immensely participated in the national development in all spheres of life of our
motherland, The Gambia? Unfortunately for that authority, the news did not serve its purpose instead, it has created more sympathy for Halifa and has consolidated
the love and respect that the Gambians have for him. Being with him throughout that day, from home to the offices (the bureau and the People’s Center),
I am one of the right persons who can testify to the untruthfulness of the press release. From home and the bureau, Halifa was in his office serving the
people. No matter how, Halifa will never run away from anybody because he is a law abiding citizen who does not only urges others to obey the law but even
teaches them the reasons why they should do so. His high sense of patriotism, morality, decency and humility are indisputable. He is a man of conscience
who means whatever he says and does. His image can never be tarnished by anybody. The mind that pays tribute to the past and honours the present will never
turn a blind eye, or pay deaf ears, to the good work and sacrifice that Halifa has done for his country. 4. Even though they are remanded, according to
the ruling of the presiding Judge, Justice Paul, normal access to them by their families, as guaranteed by standard procedures, is denied to them. The
normal visiting days and hours of the remand prisoners are as follows. 9 am to 11.30 am and 2 pm to 3.30 pm from Monday to Saturday. As for Halifa, Omar
and Hamat, we encountered lot of difficulties before we were given access to them. Despite all the struggle, a friend who went to visit Halifa Wednesday
23rd November 2005, was told that visits to these three people are limited to only two days (Monday and Thursday) instead of six days in the week. Efforts
have been made to get the Director General of Prisons for clarification but to no avail.

Does the nature of the charges warrant this situation? Your Excellency, are the prison officers working according to procedures or command? If the latter
stands, who is giving that command? If the principles of good governance are being respected, is that person entitled to give such command? Where do we
stand or what future could we envisage in a society where authorities are vehemently violating the laws that guard our individual and common interests
and human rights? Where are we heading to? Are we paving the way for the past to regenerate its roots for a society where oppression, indifference, intolerance,
contempt and vengeance will be the order of the day? Where might determines the rule of law and Justice, democracy, freedom of _expression mourn for lack
of respect? Where one’s self defense is considered to be sedition and when the mighty utters insults and threats, and justice becomes a captive?

Your Excellency, the 21st century does not call for this type of society. Rather, it calls for a society where the exercise of a high sense of decency,
morality, maturity will guide our actions. It calls for liberty, freedom, fairness, impartiality and transparency of state institutions in the execution
of their duties in accordance with constitutional procedures or their terms of reference, since they constitute the key to good governance, democracy,
respect for human rights, development and stability. Your Excellency, history has its noble pages widely open but jealously guarded by the pillars of wisdom.
They only absolve those who answer to this call, those who accept and respect the rule of law and the will of the people. Your Excellency, the arrest and
detention of Halifa and his colleagues Omar Jallow and Hamat NK Bah, has indeed revealed illegal practice in the functioning of the state machinery? Are
they the norm or are they intentional acts?

Whatever it may be, bear with me that the image of our country is nationally and internationally at stake. The integrity and the credibility of our nation
are being questioned. So then, what do we do as citizens of The Gambia? Do we have to close our eyes on it and accept to be victims of isolation? Or is
it the duty and the democratic right of every citizen to give his or her contribution for lessons to be drawn? If "Yes", is it an offense, or rather an
act of patriotism if one makes such a move? Ideas are food for thoughts whether we accept or not. Your Excellency, for your information, the arrest and
detention of these three people is a big shock to the nation. Sorrow has since invaded the hearts of the Gambian people. The situation does not give credit
to Your Government as it is unexpected and unwelcome, The Gambian people want peace and this is what they expect from the Government and the opposition.
Whoever does the opposite will sooner or later account for it. All hands should, therefore, be put together to save our nation from commotion and instability
as they constitute the enemies of development and prosperity.

To end this letter Your Excellency, it is not a weakness or a shame for the perpetrators of the illegal practice to repent, rather it is an act of patriotism,
love and respect that they hold for their people who believe in forgiveness for peace, tranquility and stability to be the eternal wealth of our dear motherland,
The Gambia. Let our actions be guided by the observance of the collective interest. As we come to this world empty handed and we’ll depart from it empty
handed, our only treasure will be the noble place we secure in history. For our deeds to become a treasure, maturity, patience, tolerance, mutual respect,
justice and impartiality must guide our actions and we leave the rule of law and the will of the people to determine the faith of our nation.

Your Excellency, while hoping that this letter will be given due consideration, I remain

Yours truly,

Ida J. Sallah

I’m So Sleepy, So Very Very Sleepy…

Assalamu alaikum / greetings…

Well, I’m at my parents’ house for the night, leaving tomorrow to go back home Inshallah, which is only like 10 minutes from here! Spent the day watching football, an Indiana Pacers game (yippee!), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I also went with Mom to feed the goats and chickens. I fed corn to the chickens, and fed apples to both the goats and chickens. And let me tell you, goats normally don’t bite hard, but if you’re holding an apple that they are trying to get to, they can get you pretty good if you don’t get your fingers out of the way.

I probably would have stayed outside longer, but it was really cold! And my ears were freezing! So we went back inside, after Mom got the chickens and goats put in their places in the barn for the night.

I got to eat some good food, I got to see my cat Binks, and of course all the other animals we still have in the house which include Hennessy, Princess and Akira who are dogs, my dad’s dog Otis stays outside during the day and gets put in the back of the house during the night. And then we have Binks and Charlie who are the cats.

Binks is huge! That cat is really big! I wouldn’t be surprised if he ways 20 pounds! And I think he remembered me! I couldn’t find him, and I thought he was still in the basement, because he had run down there because Mom was using the vacuum cleaner and he doesn’t like that, so I went and opened the door and started meowing at him. And he meowed back at me and slowly came up the basement steps! And then he came out the door and followed me over to the couch, and jumped in my lap as soon as I sat down!

I love that cat! He’s a good-natured cat, without being too overbearing about it! Kit Kat is a good cat, but he’s too clingy, always wants attention, and he’s always licking me! Like a dog! And I don’t like that. I jokingly call him a dog cat!

Anyway, was skimming through some of the Thanksgiving posts on the Planet Grenada blog, and given that I’m sleepy and thus not thinking as clearly as normal, my first thought was, “Should I have wished anyone a happy Thanksgiving”? Anyway, I’ll have to post my thoughts on Thanksgiving at some other time when my mind isn’t muddled by sleepiness. I don’t think even some good mbalax is going to wake me up at this point. So I think it’s time I get my bed on the couch made and get to sleep.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Assalamu alaikum / greetings, am wathcing this movie now, not sure what channel, though.

Link: Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Lamppost Productions – Maliki Fiqh Corner

Assalamu alaikum, below is an answer I found on the Lamp Post Productions website, and which also can be found on the Tariqul Islam Yahoo Group. In the answer below, female circumcision is touched upon. When you click on the link, scroll down to the heading entitled “circumcision”.

Link: Lamppost Productions – Maliki Fiqh Corner.

Islam council boss on FGM

Assalamu alaikum / greetings, I almost never post any articles from the Daily Observer newspaper, but I couldn’t pass this one up. the “Islamic boss” quoted in this article called FGM “just an ordinary thing”? But the thing is, as SunniPath and other sites I’ve read say, there is a difference between “FGM” and the type of very miniscule cutting mentioned in the few ahaddith on the subject, yet in this article, it seems to be suggesting that FGM is spoken of in the haddiths. I really didn’t think the article was very well written, and all it seemed to do was gloss over the issue and to also at the same time maintain the status quo. It should also be remembered that President Jammeh has threatened some people in The Gambia who are working to end the practice of FGM or to at least educate people on its harmful affects, where Jammeh said something to the affect that anyone advocating for the education on FGM or elimination of its practice should not be surprised if they do not reach their homes. What?

Some Muslim scholars have ruled female circumcision as “mandub” or recommended, but not stressed. However, where I’ve seen this ruling, there doesn’t seem to be much detail on what that actually means, and how that should be applied. If it’s Mandub, who decides if the woman undergoes it? It would be one thing if the woman was old enough to make these decisions for herself, but what if we are talking about a girl who is not yet old enough to make such decisions? What happens then? Is it left to the parents? Do the parents wait until the girl is old enough to understand and then leave the decision up to her?

Because of the stigma surrounding the current manifestation of female circumcision / FGM, and because of the reasons given for the practice, which seem to have more to do with the control of women and upholding of cultural norms, rather than any kind of reward to the woman for undergoing the practice, and what I’m talking about is in a spiritual Islamic sense, where a woman is doing something Mandub as a way of getting reward from Allah, I have strong misgivings about the practice. I am not sure if I’m being clear on this. What I’m saying is, I have misgivings on this, because the emphasis is on “morality” and other things other than pleasing Allah, and I guess that is what bothers me about it. I would really like to see Islamic scholars, especially Maliki scholars, some of which seem to hold the practice as being “mandub” to expound on why this is, and if the practice is mandub, what form it should take, how it should be carried out if at all, who should carry it out, and who should undergo it.

Just saying that “female circumcision is mandub” and then leaving it at that doesn’t really seem to be enough for me. I’d like a clarification on the subject. I’m wondering, though, if the practice referred to as “being mandub” is a “lost art” which the SunniPath Q and A I posted below seems to suggest, and thus, is something that, for our time now, is sort of obselete? Meaning that, though it would be a mandub action, that as of now, no one around today would even know how to do it? Thus, it would not be incumbent upon anyone to undergo it? Hmmm… I’d sure like to know more on this issue, and Google isn’t being very helpful on this. I’ve seen many articles which suggest that “FGM” isn’t part of Islam, which they are right, but to suggest that and not allow that some form of female circumcision was at least recognized during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), I don’t know, just doesn’t seem to be addressing the whole issue to me. And come to think of it, it seems that this question was answered, within another question, on the Tariqul Islam group. So off I go, hunting for more answers. I’d really like some comments and input on this, and also the Daily Observer article linked below.

Link: Daily Observer Newspaper – Islam council boss on FGM.

SunniPath on Female Circumcision

Assalamu alaikum, given my recent posting on some villages in Senegal giving up the practice of FGM, I was reminded of some articles / Q and A’s that I’ve come across in the past dealing with FGM / female circumcision and Islam’s stance on it, and if it is a “recommended” or “obligatory” act, and if so what is meant in Islamic terms, in fiqh terms by “female circumcision”. The below is the first, Inshallah, in a series of articles / Q and A’s I’d like to put up here on this blog. So here goes, the first SunniPath Q and A…

Link: RE: Female circumcision.