By Amadou Jadama in Soma
Rawdatul Majaalis on Thursday held its much delayed congress and announced the reelection of incumbent Sherif Nano Hydara as president.
Better known as Pa Hydara, the Brufut Caliph’s election was held in Jarra Soma.
The election, as customary, was conducted through raising of hands by the delegates drawn from all regions.
In his acceptance speech, Sheriff Nano Hydara expressed gratitude to the members of Rawda for the confidence and trust bestowed in him.
He vowed that Rawda will defend the brand of Islam practiced by “our fathers and forefathers who bequeathed it to us generations and generations ago.”
“We have vowed to safeguard that tradition against any onslaught from the Wahhabis, who, (praise be to Allah the Almighty,) are now moribund and becoming a thing of the past,” Hydara said.
He further stated that there is only one Rawda in this country and warned those using or acting in the name of the association illegally to stop.
Hydara was referring to a splinter group led by one Bamin Jaiteh which announced it has taken over the association after an ‘election’. The Jaiteh faction did not attend the Soma congress. The group’s secretary Imam Foday Mahmud Touray questioned why the IGP granted permission for the congress, when the differences are not yet reconciled as agreed.
