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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
 Posted - 02 May 2019 : 11:12:16
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When politicians invoke God!
By Basidia M Drammeh
The pronouncement by the Vice President Dr. Isatou Touray that opposing President Barrow is tantamount to opposing Allah has triggered a frenzied uproar and sneering condemnation on social media platforms. The statement was generally characterized as “alarming and shocking” having come from an academic personality and a human rights activist of Dr. Touray’s calibre.
Our politicians are notorious for invoking God to win the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting Gambian people, where over 90% of the population is Muslim.
To entrench himself in power and to give the impression that he was a pious Muslim, former President Yahya Jammeh, since he took off his military camouflage, to run for office as a civilian, has always worn his trademark grand robe, held prayer beads, a sword and a copy of the Holy Quran. He built a mosque in the State House. He invited religious leaders to mark the birth of Prophet Mohammed and sing religious chants. He invited people like Zakir Naik to preach. He held Quran competitions where he dished out stacks of Dalasi to the contestants. He changed the Gambia into an Islamic Republic. He gave himself grand religious titles, such as Sheikh and Nasirul Deen. He was on record that the Jinni will vote for him regardless of whether the masses have voted for him or not. The list goes on and on. In short, religion was deployed as a disguise to cover up his gross human rights violations that are being revealed at the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission.
Apparently, President Adama Barrow has equally learnt from Jammeh’s playbook. Media reports have quoted the President as saying that “Only God can remove him from power.” The statement has been received with outright dismay and backlash from Gambians who see it as a reminiscent of Jammeh’s self-perpetuation tactics.
Meanwhile, Vice President Dr. Touray has re-echoed the President’s statement or paraphrased it in stronger terms, suggesting that opposing President Barrow means opposing God.
It’s true that Allah said in the Holy Quran: “O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honour whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent."
While nobody could question the veracity of the verse, it should, nevertheless, be put in context. While Allah gives sovereignty to whom He wills, He does so through people so it is the people who choose and vote for a leader. Didn’t Caliph Abu-Bakr know this verse when he summoned senior companions to choose his successor? Didn’t Caliph Omar know this verse when he set up a committee to select his successor? Didn’t the companions know this verse when they consulted and unanimously installed Caliph Ali to succeed Caliph Othman who was assassinated by rogue elements?
Therefore, telling people that only God can remove one from power, without proper contextualization, is misleading. For instance, Allah is the sustainer but does that mean that we idly sit and wait for Allah to sustain us.
There is nothing wrong with politicians invoking God but when they do so, it shouldn’t be geared towards scoring political gains or misleading the masses. And we must ask: Why don’t our politicians invoke Quranic verses that dwell on, for instance, injustice, profanity, complacency and corruption, with which the Quran is replete? Why are they selective? Please give us a break!
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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When politicians invoke God!
