The Committee of Banjul Muslim Elders, alongside Imams and heads of communities across the country, on the auspicious occasion of the feast of Eid-el-Fitr, known in local parlance as Koriteh, last Wednesday paid a courtesy call on President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh at State House. This meeting is an annual event dating back to 1910, when Muslim elders of the city used such occasions to renew their loyalty to the Gambian leader as well as discuss issues pertaining to Islam and their welfare.

Speaking at a colourful gathering held at the cabinet room, President Jammeh began by assuring the elders that the government will in due course embark on the reconstruction of the city's drainage system to make it more robust, in response to an earlier appeal from them. He revealed that the government is equally concerned about the situation, adding that suggestions about the type of drainage to be put in place are already on the table, but that he [Jammeh] concurred with the view that is in favour of linking the system to Bond Road, describing it as the best.

Dr Jammeh renewed his call on Muslims to live decently and to act according to the teachings of Islam, calling on them to be true believers in God the Almighty and nothing else.  He said that Muslim states should be resolute and remain steadfast to the teachings of Islam and never allow a doctrine that contradicts their religion to take root in their societies.

The Gambian leader concluded by assuring the gathering that The Gambia under his leadership will not subscribe to 'Western democracy', which he said contradicts the teachings of Islam, citing homosexualism as a menace that has no place in a country as decent as The Gambia.

Speaking earlier, the vice president, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, called on scholars to continue teaching the principles of Islam to the society.  She suggested for the Supreme Islamic Council, the main body responsible for Islamic matters in the country, to orient members of the Ummah, whose actions they think are contrary to the teachings of the religion.

For his part, Ismaila Sambou, secretary of state for Local Governments, Lands and Religious Affairs, said hypocrisy has become a 'chronic disease' in  "our society" as people tend to use religious houses to attain hidden agendas. This menace, he went on, needs to be addressed, and only those who meet the criteria of becoming religious heads should be given the job. Alhagi A A Faal, the chairman of the Committee of Banjul Muslim Elders, hailed President Jammeh's leadership which, according to him, has transformed the country for the better.

He pointed to the stance taken by the Gambian leader on agriculture and illegal migration as areas which has yielded positive results in the shortest possible time.

He appealed for re-construction of the city's drainage system, recalling the 1948 flood in the city which lasted for three days, causing problems for Banjulians.

Several religious heads spoke at the ceremony, among them the Imam Ratib of Banjul, Alhaji Cherno Kah; the president of the Supreme Islamic Council, Muhamed Lamin Touray; and the Amir of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Baba Trawally.

Present at the ceremony were the speaker of the National Assembly, Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay, secretaries of state, secretary general and head of the Civil Service, Teneng Mba Jaiteh and the secretary to cabinet, Abdoulie Sallah, amongst others.