To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Islamic State of The Gambia? Not In Our Name
Please help us stop The Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, from changing this once beacon of hope into an Islamic State that could potentially turn the country into a haven for Terrorists.
Why is this important?
Since the illegal takeover of power from the then democratically elected government of Sir Dawda Jawara on July 22, 1992 by President Yahya Jammeh, The Gambia has known anything but peace -- Gambia was regarded as "the smiling coast of Africa" by the international community. Therefore, the recent announcement by Jammeh to turn this once beacon of freedom into an Islamic State is a continuation of the abuse of the constitution that has been his Modus Operandi from the onset. What makes this move more alarming than the pervasive killings, disappearances, and tortures of the citizens for all these years is that it is an attempt to change the very character and history of The Gambia. Sharia could become the law of the land, the already traumatized Christian and other religious minorities could be pushed further into isolation, the country’s pariah State status will be further worsened. All these circumstances will only allow for far worse human rights abuses than we have already witnessed, and the country can erupt into a violence that could threaten the entire sub-region. In light of these potential dire consequences, We the citizens and friends of The Gambia, hereby make the following declarations:
-Because this action is unconstitutional, it will not be done in our name
-Because this could encourage Boko Haram and ISIS type organizations to use Gambia as a base, we are totally opposed to it
-Because Gambia is a Secular State, any religious interference into state matters will compromise the core principle of Separation of Church/Mosque and State that this country was founded on
-Because this action will only worsen the human rights abuses that have been pervasive in this country, it cannot be accepted
-Because the minority Christians and people of other faiths will see it as an effort to further isolate them, it will only divide our people. That makes it unacceptable
-Because President Yahya Jammeh's pronouncement is unconstitutional and does not represent the core values of Gambians who have inter-generational relations between Christians, Muslims and Pagans, this will breed divisiveness within those sects.
-Because this action is unconstitutional, it will not be done in our name
-Because this could encourage Boko Haram and ISIS type organizations to use Gambia as a base, we are totally opposed to it
-Because Gambia is a Secular State, any religious interference into state matters will compromise the core principle of Separation of Church/Mosque and State that this country was founded on
-Because this action will only worsen the human rights abuses that have been pervasive in this country, it cannot be accepted
-Because the minority Christians and people of other faiths will see it as an effort to further isolate them, it will only divide our people. That makes it unacceptable
-Because President Yahya Jammeh's pronouncement is unconstitutional and does not represent the core values of Gambians who have inter-generational relations between Christians, Muslims and Pagans, this will breed divisiveness within those sects.