The women, mainly Fulas and Serehuli who wear full veil look like masquerades. Masquerades are masked dancers that go around entertaining people especially on festive events. Muslim women have lived in the country from time immemorial but did not dress in this way we are witnessing, black robes, black socks, black gloves and worse of all black full face veil which makes the wearer looks masked with only the eyes being visible. Gambia is not an Islamic state and such public appearance should not be tolerated for apart from being socially distasteful, the full veil has security implication.
How can individuals be moving about in public with their identity concealed? We live in a civilized society and people who appear in public should be easily identifiable. Beside how can we be sure that all those going about and around in full face veil are women? Can’t men disguise as women? In fact I understand that in Guinea Conakry, there are cases where men were discovered having disguised as women while they go after the wives of other men. That aside I can sense Islamic fundamentalism setting into our peaceful Gambia. The authorities should act now and not delay until things get out of hands. Righteousness is manifested in our way of life, the things we do and not the clothes we wear. I have witnessed an ‘ibadu’ woman caught stealing ‘Ganila’ material at the buffer zone.
What we learn from this experience righteousness is in the character not the appearance.
Salieu Ebun John
Democracy realised
Dear editor,
Taking a daily dose of our various civic engagements online, I can’t help but thank the almighty God, my fellow country men and women, Ecowas and friends of The Gambia for helping us realize this priceless dream called democracy in our country.
During Jammeh administration, many horrible things happened to Gambian citizens. In all of these unimaginable crimes, Jammeh almost never had to rely on foreign nationals to cause us harm. He never lacked willing perpetrators, cheerleaders and those who turned the other way as if nothing horrendous was happening because they were beneficiaries of the bloody system.
Today, some of the most deafening cries about the coalition government come from Jammeh supporters. All of a sudden, they became experts in good governance and champions of human rights. They seem to have solutions to every problem in our country (or so they assume). The question is, are these chronic complaints from Jammeh camp the result of collective guilt for their calculated silence when their leader was brutally violating Gambians or are simply acts of vengeance because Gambians have dethroned and exiled their Mansa who promised to rule for a billion years?
Whatever the answer to the question above is, I am certain of a very fundamental difference that separates Coalition government supporters (including genuine critics) from the supporters of the banished former president. While Jammeh’s hardcore fans still stick with him, praise him, make excuses for him and idolize him despite his proven cruelty as they have been doing for 22 damn years, President Barrow or his government will never enjoy such blind support among conscientious Gambians the moment he starts trampling on the inalienable rights of our fellow citizens.
This unique difference, therefore, comes down to human conscience.
Gambians with conscience will never allow this government or any future government to treat us the way Jammeh did and I am glad our Coalition leadership embodies sacred human values.
Never again with Jammeh, his presidency or ideology and hope this is clear to his online Bai Faals.
Zakaria Kemo Konteh
Queens, USA
