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Momodou
Denmark
11645 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Oct 2010 : 20:55:12
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Ba Kawsu Fofana Spills the Bean
Response to order to halt the activities of a propagator
 The banned Imam, Islamic scholar and preacher Ba Kawsu Fofana wrote in response to the order of the Supreme Islamic Council banning him from preaching to clarify some of the matters raised in the letter.
In his letter copied to Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Information and Information Technology, Inspector General of Police, National Intelligence Agency and President Gambia Supreme Council, he stated: "Generally the order is requesting me to stop all Da’awah (preaching) activities based on four points of contention by the council."
He explained that the reasons of the council for the ban are that he is trying to agitate Fitnah (unrest) among people, using the wrong methodology in Da’awah that his Fatwahs (opinion) not in line with that of renowned scholars and researcher and falsifying lies against innocent people.
"Although the nature and type of Fatwah have not been made clear, I would like to point out that I have preached or conducted sermons and have participated in conferences across the length and breadth of the country since 1998. On average, I conduct over 500 sermons per annum. During this period there has not been a single occasion when my preaching raised any controversial issue that may have caused any Fitnah or agitation either during or after the sermons," he pointed out.
As a matter of fact, he said individual members of the council, including the current president Imam Momodou Lamin Touray, have given him the honour to lead the annual conference at his own mosque at Gunjur since 1996. In a most recent event, he said Imam Touray profusely recommended him at the annual Ziyar (Islamic homage) of Dasilami Sangajor which was held in June this year. He stated that Imam Touray, as President of the Council, gracefully opened that Ziyar and introduced him as an able and knowledgeable scholar to conduct the ziyar preaching.
Ba Kawsu said Da’awahs are generally based on a theme for any particular occasion, adding that during all these years of his Da’wah, he had based his deliberations on two major issues; Knowledge and Discipline.
He said from the history of his preaching, it would be observed that he had always deliberately and consciously avoided all controversial themes or subject matters that may affect the various schools of thought (Majhabs) in Islam. "The reason for me is simple, I am not here to change the fundamental beliefs of people in the various schools of thought nor am I here to introduce any new issues in these beliefs which have been debated and have been around for the past several centuries," he stressed.
In order to have a positive impact on the Muslim society, he said the themes he has consistently chosen are the foundation of any national development – Knowledge and Discipline. He said his approach and adherence to these themes have been reinforced after the 1994 takeover by the promulgation and deliberations of President Jammeh, whom he described as our patriotic head of state and great supporter of the Islamic cause, who has consistently advocated for the need for education and discipline in our society as the bedrock of our national development. He went further to say that we have so often heard the president say that for education "the sky is the limit" and that as Gambians we must change our attitudes. "How so often have we heard this and how so evident are these in the education to a university, from the strict form of adhering to the truth and forsaking ‘Maslaha’ (compromise) to the uprooting of evil such as corruption in society. How much evidence do we need as individual citizens to attest to the efforts of our able leader in building mosques all over the country in general and in government institutions in particular?" he quizzed.
Fofana said any seasoned preacher must have a theme that is relevant to the issues of the day much more in support and complementary to the national unity and development efforts. He added that a history of his preaching will indicate this, saying that he has not only conducted Da’awah but he has also developed and supported over ten Islamic schools of learning and for the memorization of the Holy Qur’an.
He maintained that his method of preaching is based on the Qur’an and Hadith, which he said are the fundamental requirement of Islam. He further said preachers must use these as the basis of conducting sermons. "There is a common saying at Islamic Ziyars and conferences that when a preacher speaks, almost everyone tends to feel that the preacher is referring to him or her, because in most cases the topics and/or examples are so broad and relevant to individual everyday life and conduct," said Kawsu.
He said it is un-Islamic to use any other method or basis of preaching other than the Qur’an and the Sunna, both sources of which do not at any place mention names or insults people. He noted that it would be most unmerited for the council to make a general accusation and try to place issues out of context.
Kawsu also said he is further accused of having a different opinion from renowned scholars and researchers without making reference to any scholar and researcher. In Islam, he proceeded, "scholars and researchers are so abundant and indeed they themselves have varying and diverse opinions depending on the issue under consideration." He emphasized that this is a common phenomenon in all matters of discourse. He mentioned that an off the cuff remark made by the council in this regard is most gratuitous as a matter of fact, one presume, to try to unify national opinion on issue that may be seen as controversial approach in Islam. He opined that this objective and approach will ensure national unity and safeguard national interest.
He said falsification is a very serious sin in Islam, much more against a person, stating that the evidence of his conduct through the recommendation of the individuals and well known scholars of the council attest to his good conduct as a scholar in delivering his sermon without any objections from members of the council – either as a body or from individuals. "As a good and practicing Muslim, I do not entertain falsifications," Kawsu pin pointed.
"Allow me to inform you about the humiliation and the threat I was put through that culminated in the submission of the Council’s letter. I was initially invited to a meeting by the Council through a letter (in Arabic) to discuss some issues they considered pertinent and current. However, I attended the meeting just to realise that it was organised to orchestrate my humiliation and to threatened and intimidate me into submitting and accepting the accusations made in the letter submitted to you," He said.
Ba Kawsu said the contents of the letter were already laid out and prepared even before the meeting of 16th September that he had with the council and it was produced at the meeting for him to sign and accept. He stated that it is clear that a decision had already been taken by the council to issue to bar him from preaching even before they conducted or verified any accusations, noting that the sequence or events mentioned on the first page of their letter attests to this.
He also added that the so-called interrogation was made by over 300 participants at this meeting who were shouting and hurling words of humiliation at him. He said he was all alone and never was he at anytime during the session – from 9.30 am to 4.30pm – rude or conducted himself or reacted in any rude or uncouth manner. He said it was the most tortuous moment of his life. Despite all that, he said he never gave in to the demand to force him to say or do anything that he never did or accept.
He further explained that the council with all those attendants were the judge, jury and prosecutor on that day. He intimated that listening to the cassettes of the deliberations of that meeting will no doubt underscore in the minds of many of the wrongful approach by the council in its attempt to resolve issues – perhaps the very cause of some controversies in leadership since opinions differ but have and could be streamlined with diligence and efforts of sensitisations and not coercion.
Kawsu said he has always had very high regards and respect for the council and its individual members, pointing out that evidence of this lies in the numerous consolations he have had with them on several issues in the past in addition to the fact that they have always given him the honour and privilege to lead Da’awahs at which they themselves have been present. He said he find it most disheartening that there is this sudden change of heart on his conduct and performance after several years of character upheld by them in the past several years has suddenly changed so ominously in the last year.
He further said that in the continued gesture of fostering unity and reinforcement my high regard and respect for them and upholding the national interest, he will refrain from any form of Da’awah for the time being although in congnisance of the fact that their authority to bar me does not have any legal or even Islamic basis. "I am not a man of Fitnah. I am most willing to work with the Council in fostering such unity amongst the Ummah and willing to share my ideas on that process," said Fofana.
"Sir, I look forward to a resolution of this issue which I do not personally think should have warrant such acrimony and incitement of so much animosity against me at various official circles. My goal is to support the development process through the vehicle and instruments of Da’awah using the ever relevant themes of "Knowledge and Discipline" which are the core foundation of the development programme of our patriotic and very Islamic leader Sheikh Professor Dr. Alhagie Yahya AJJ Jammeh. I am most willing to discuss and/or clarity any issue related to this matter amicably."
"May I take this opportunity to extend my sincere and most heartfelt appreciation to the efforts of our great leader in support of Islam and the Islamic Ummah which is recognized beyond our national borders and continue to pray for him for long life and good health," concluded Ba Kawsu Fofana.
Source: DailyNews
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