By Omar Wally
The Imam of Kanifing Estate Mosque, Baba Leigh, has said that the Supreme Islamic Council were among the big enablers of former president Yahya Jammeh in whatever he did.
“Supreme Islamic Council served as a mouth-piece of Jammeh’s regime, speaking on his behalf and rarely raised a voice against his misdeeds,” the Imam told The Standard.
He further said even after Jammeh executed 9 death row inmates, the GSIC issued a press release saying Jammeh did not kill anybody, justifying the executions.
“I Baba Leigh knew the execution was not Islamic and in my nature, I don’t keep quiet on such issues,” he said.
Shortly after his condemnation of the executions on the Standard Newspaper in September 2012, Baba Leigh was arrested and detained for six months. The Standard Newspaper, which carried his comment, was shut down.
Recalling that ordeal, Imam Leigh said he still does not know why he was arrested and almost tortured to death but while in detention and being tortured, he was asked why he hates Yahya Jammeh.
“They also asked why was I giving information to the American Embassy, western agencies, or working with GAMCOTRAP condemning FGM and condemning the executions of death row inmates,” Imam Leigh said.
Imam Leigh said he did not hate Yahya Jammeh as a person but hated what Jammeh was doing. “When I was arrested, I was given several outrageous options to do in order to regain my freedom.
They said I should say that I was misquoted by Standard Newspaper, I was in the pay roll of the American Embassy, that one Alhagie Kebba Touray of Tobacco Road was sponsoring me to go against Jammeh and his government, that OJ Jallow was the one who dictated me to go against Jammeh and spiritually I was backed by Cherno Abdourahman Barry of Bogal in Senegal,” he claimed.
Imam Leigh said he flatly refused to do any of those things and he still hasn’t forgiven Jammeh.
Read his full interview on Bantaba Friday.
