Dear Editor,
I am using your medium to write to His Excellency, President Adama Barrow. I write to send him Ramadan greetings, prayers, and best wishes and to the entire First Family.
I have received with great joy, pride, and pleasure on his recent cabinet reshuffle, a move that could not have come at a better time. I congratulate him once again for such a well thought out decision. It’s indeed a very welcomed development.
I pray for God the Almighty Allah to continue granting His Excellency the strength and fortitude in fittingly directing the country to the right path for the good and well being of all.
Musa B Suso
Sukuta-Sabiji, Dembadu
DR Congo, the forgotten war
Dear Editor,
Thanks to Western governments and companies and local politicians and warlords, the war on DR Congo has been raging on since 1998 with no end in sight. Meantime, its vast mineral and natural resources continue to benefit a tiny bunch of local politicians, warlords and dishonest intellectuals in connivance with Western nations and companies who continue to greedily feed themselves from the wealth of the people! We have seen how the US, UK and the EU continue to equip and arm Israel to perpetuate genocide on the Palestinians while giving similar support to Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression. If similar concern, care and support were provided to the people of DR Congo the story would have been different long since. But more so, if only Western companies and nations would stop arming rebels and stop mining the minerals of this vast and most endowed nation, peace and prosperity would have flourished in the DR Congo.
Double standards and hypocrisy at the international stage are the basis of human rights violations and conflict across the world.
While other conflicts monopolise world media attention, we must not forget the people of the DRC, whose very survival often depends on emergency humanitarian aid.
According to UN estimates, in 2024 over 25.4 million people in the country will need assistance – out of a total population of 113.6 million. This only underlines the urgent need for concerted action to relieve human suffering and stabilize the region.
Madi Jobarteh
Kembujeh
Is female circumcision Islamic?
Dear Editor,
Female circumcision has been a very controversial issue for last few decades even among those who had been performing from former times. Apart from its scientific views lots of scholars have been intensely arguing the value and religious views of female circumcision.
In Islam, circumcision is considered to be ‘fitrah’ which means the natural character and instinctive temperament of human being.
It has been narrated by Abu Huraira that Prophet Muhammad said, “Five practices are characteristics of the Fitrah: circumcision, shaving the pubic region, clipping the nails and cutting the moustaches short.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Circumcision has also been regarded as the sign of Islam; to the extent that if a dead body is found, the manner of verifying that he was a Muslim is to see if he’s circumcised.
Now before delving profoundly into the question of female circumcision, we would like to make it lucid that “female circumcision” means removing the prepuce of the clitoris which is situated above the opening of the urethra, not the clitoris itself. The Sunnah is not to remove all of it, but only a part.
Umm Atiyyah al-Ansariyyah narrates that a woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet said to her: Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband. [Sunan Abu Dawud]
According to Fatawa Raheemiyah Volume 6, page 261 (Darul Ishaa’at), “Circumcision is Sunnah for men, and it is an honour for women, but it is not obligatory for them.”
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal said: “For men it is more strictly required, but for women it is less strictly required.” Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah (Rahmatullahi ‘alayhi)
I therefore conclude from aforesaid discussion that “female circumcision” will be regarded as mustahab while male circumcision is sunnah.
Allah knows the best.
Ml Mohammad Saidy
Tallinding
