Back and Next - Back and NextThe role of religious leaders
Monday, January 19, 2009
Editorial
A basic principle of any religion is the promotion of peace, unity and harmony among people. This is provided for in the way and manner of worshiping the Almighty Allah. And there is no doubt that religion commands a strong force among the people of this increasingly wary world. Therefore, religious leaders around the world command an undisputable authority.
The power of religion manifests clearly in the influence religious leaders around the world control. If only they could employ this influence in peace building effort, the world would have been a totally different place!
This is what The Gambia is aware of, and the attitude of government towards this justifies its claim on the status religion occupies in the country. President Jammeh, as the head of state, is no stranger to constant calls on religious leaders to play their part in the maintenance of peace and stability.
His recent pronouncement at the meeting with the visiting Grand Imam of Medina Kaolack provided another productive forum for discussion of this very important matter – religious tolerance and the role of religious leaders. In fact, this development came just few days after he had the same discussion with the heads of the various religious denominations in the country.
The giant steps taken by the president in bringing peace in the sub-region, particularly in the Casamance region, as well as his relentless strives to promotion of regional integration are unique among his peers. His belief in the strong bond that ties the two countries is built on the feeling of the shared values – the same ethnic groups, the same languages, the same cultural values and social norms.
This is why his every action denotes a move to making the citizens of The Gambia and Senegal feel a sense of fraternity and act together in a common spirit to achieving our development aspirations for the advancement of humanity in general.
We hope others will recognize this effort of the president and The Gambia, and drain the colonial concept of micro-nationalism from their minds to reciprocate in that same magnitude, since religion which we all claim to uphold, regardless of what denomination we are, calls for unity and cooperation among people. The religious leaders have a big stake in this.
A basic principle of any religion is the promotion of peace, unity and harmony among people. This is provided for in the way and manner of worshiping the Almighty Allah. And there is no doubt that religion commands a strong force among the people of this increasingly wary world. Therefore, religious leaders around the world command an undisputable authority.
The power of religion manifests clearly in the influence religious leaders around the world control. If only they could employ this influence in peace building effort, the world would have been a totally different place!
This is what The Gambia is aware of, and the attitude of government towards this justifies its claim on the status religion occupies in the country. President Jammeh, as the head of state, is no stranger to constant calls on religious leaders to play their part in the maintenance of peace and stability.
His recent pronouncement at the meeting with the visiting Grand Imam of Medina Kaolack provided another productive forum for discussion of this very important matter – religious tolerance and the role of religious leaders. In fact, this development came just few days after he had the same discussion with the heads of the various religious denominations in the country.
The giant steps taken by the president in bringing peace in the sub-region, particularly in the Casamance region, as well as his relentless strives to promotion of regional integration are unique among his peers. His belief in the strong bond that ties the two countries is built on the feeling of the shared values – the same ethnic groups, the same languages, the same cultural values and social norms.
This is why his every action denotes a move to making the citizens of The Gambia and Senegal feel a sense of fraternity and act together in a common spirit to achieving our development aspirations for the advancement of humanity in general.
We hope others will recognize this effort of the president and The Gambia, and drain the colonial concept of micro-nationalism from their minds to reciprocate in that same magnitude, since religion which we all claim to uphold, regardless of what denomination we are, calls for unity and cooperation among people. The religious leaders have a big stake in this.
Author: DO
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