In the heart of The Gambia, a nation forged on the unshakeable pillars of faith, family, and communal harmony, the creeping shadow of homosexuality demands an urgent and unequivocal rebuke.
As Muslims and proud Africans, we stand resolute: this deviant practice is not merely a personal choice but a grave sin condemned by the Quran, the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the collective conscience of our society.
To entertain, tolerate, or normalise it is to invite divine wrath and erode the moral fabric that binds us.
Islam’s verdict is crystal clear, etched in divine revelation. The Holy Quran recounts the destruction of the people of Lut (Lot) in Surah Al-A’raf (7:80-84) and Surah Hud (11:77-83), where they were obliterated for their pursuit of unnatural lusts—men approaching men with desire instead of women.
Allah declares: “Do you commit immorality no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Indeed, you approach men with desire instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people” (Quran 7:80-81). This is no ambiguous metaphor; it is a direct prohibition, reinforced by the Prophet’s (SAW) hadiths, such as in Sunan Abu Dawood (4462), where he warns that those who commit the act of Lut’s people will face the same fate. Scholars across the Sunni madhabs—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali—unanimously deem homosexuality a major sin (kabira), punishable in the hereafter and, in Islamic governance, by severe earthly penalties to deter its spread.
The Gambia, as a secular state with Islam as the religion of over 95% of its people, cannot divorce its laws from this sacred truth.
Our 1997 Constitution upholds human dignity rooted in moral rectitude, and Section 144 of the Criminal Code explicitly criminalises “unnatural offences,” including sodomy, with up to 14 years’ imprisonment. This is no relic of colonial imposition but a reflection of our indigenous Islamic ethos, predating British rule and echoed in the Maliki school’s dominance here. Recent attempts by Western-funded NGOs to decriminalise homosexuality—masquerading as “human rights”—reek of cultural imperialism, aiming to dismantle our values under the guise of progress. We reject this outright. President Adama Barrow’s administration must fortify these laws, not dilute them, to shield our youth from rainbow propaganda infiltrating schools and social media.
Consider the societal rot: Homosexuality fractures families, the bedrock of Gambian life. It defies the natural order of procreation ordained by Allah, where man and woman unite to build nations (Quran 16:72). In a country grappling with poverty, youth unemployment, and economic strain, we cannot afford distractions from moral decay. Statistics from global bodies like the WHO show homosexuality linked to higher rates of STDs, mental health crises, and family breakdowns—afflictions we witness even in subtle encroachments here. Our imams, from Banjul to Basse, echo this: tolerance today breeds normalisation tomorrow.
Gambians, awaken! Let not the allure of foreign aid or elite approval sway us. Rally behind the Supreme Islamic Council, our National Assembly, and faith leaders to enact stricter enforcement and public education. Preach tawbah (repentance) for any ensnared, for Allah’s mercy is vast, but enjoin the ma’ruf (good) and forbid the munkar (evil) as commanded (Quran 3:104). Homosexuality has no place in our Islamic or Christian Gambia—excise it root and branch, lest we forfeit our divine covenant.
