Only a few weeks after apologising for calling the Manjago ethnic group Kafirr, Imam Musa Boto Saidy has come under fire again for defending the killings and atrocities of former president Jammeh who, he said, should be allowed to return and accorded full amnesty and that whoever goes against that, be killed.
In his sermon on Friday, Imam Saidy said Jammeh should be left with God.
“In fact what has he done? That is The Gambia for you. They do not even celebrate Barrow’s achievements. This is why I like Yahya Jammeh. I like the killings he did because there are undisciplined people in society who should be beheaded and sent to face Allah in the hereafter instead of arresting them,” the imam said.
He further said these kinds of people should be killed in order for the country to be stable. “They need to disappear and secretly buried in the deep bushes. Nothing will come of it. They want to destroy the country. Yahya Jammeh killed them during his era,” Imam Boto said.
The imam’s comments have been sharply repudiated by human rights activist Madi Jobarteh who said the remarks are terribly concerning.
“They are insensitive and utterly irresponsible especially coming from a person who claims to be an imam,” Jobarteh said, adding that religion does not tolerate injustice, abuse and oppression and therefore Imam Saidy’s celebration of a tyrant responsible for the most grievous crimes is both “ungodly and inhumane”.
He said The Gambia has launched a truth commission which heard harrowing stories about the violations that took place under Jammeh.
“So it is utterly unacceptable for Imam Saidy to promote such things and I call on the relevant authorities to take action against Musa Boto Saidy,” Jobarteh said.
He concluded that Imam Saidy has become notorious for hate speech, disregard of human rights and total contempt for democratic rights and decency while flouting the very tenets of Islam that he claims to propagate.
