President Jammeh Orders Immediate Dissolution of Gambia’s Islamic Council Executive
By Njie Khakatarr, State House
Unassailable reports at State House reveal that Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh has ordered the immediate dissolution of the Supreme Islamic Council Executive. At an emergency meeting summoned at State House on Tuesday August 5, 2008 and attended by the current leadership of the Council, the Secretary of State for Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs, and senior government officials, Jammeh announced that the current leadership of The Gambia's Supreme Islamic Council has outlived its tenure and therefore, ordered for its immediate dissolution.” I am, with immediate effect ordering for the immediate dissolution of the Supreme Islamic Council Executive, and want the Secretary of State for Religious Affairs to select a Committee to steer the affairs of the Council until a Congress is held," decreed the dictator.
Meanwhile, Sources said Religious Affairs Secretary Ismail Sambou was in the process of selecting a Committee to that effect. Thus far, a date for the Congress has been scheduled for 16 August 2008 at the Council's Kanifing Conference hall. Jammeh's dictatorial move was said to have been prompted by his unhappy inauguration of the Supreme Islamic Council new’s building as part of events marking his 14 years of disastrous rule characterized by gross human rights violations and uncountable killings, attacks, threats, torture and other inhuman treatment of Gambian citizens.
During his inaugural speech of the new Islamic Council building, Jammeh lambasted the current Executive for inviting him to open an incomplete project. He asked why should the Council's Executive invite him to inaugurate a building that was uncompleted. He also rebuked the religious leaders for what he calls their culture of begging-begging for money and vehicles, saying, "Religious people do not beg, they wait for God to help them." The Gambian leader threatened to deal with whoever is involved if the begging persists. It could be recalled that the Council's leadership paid a courtesy call on the errant Jammeh to thank him for financial support for the stalled project and promised that before the 2008 July 22 celebrations, Jammeh would be invited to inaugurate the project.