Using religion as a cover for violence

Editorial,

“In this country, just like in any other country, there are laws one has to obey, whether Gambian or non-Gambia… where one fails to obey such laws, one should be prepared to face the consequences.”

This is how Magistrate Edrisa Mbai of the Banjul Magistrates Court summed up his judgment, as he passed the verdict on what is one of the most fascinating of cases of recent times in this country – arising from bizarre offenses committed against an innocent people and its leadership – an offense committed by a morally corrupted bunch.

Apparently, the aim of David and his wife was to inflict maximum damage on the exemplary relationship that exists between the two religions of Christianity and Islam in this unquestionably peaceful nation. But by the Almighty Allah, they were doomed to fail.

The reaction of the British press to last Wednesday’s verdict was however evidence of how disrespectful and indifferent the Western media could be to Africa and Africans. ‘‘A British couple jailed in hell ‘hole’ Gambia,’’ is how one British newspaper described the couple’s arrest. Ironically, that ‘hell hole jail’ - as they mentioned in that piece - had been built by Imperialist Britain.

The fact that such a biased and judgmental press focused on helping in accomplishing the devilish work of the convicted criminals - deliberately tarnishing the image of the country – is not what should bother us as a civilized people; what we should focus on however, are the lessons to be deduced from this experience. That is, it is not all who come with smiling faces who really come with genuine intent.

This is not David’s first conviction. He was once convicted for armed robbery in his own country. So why all the hypocrisy in this case? 

As a matter of fact, it was during David’s term of imprisonment that he was said to have found God, and The Gambia, unfortunately, was where he set out to lend his Godforsaken expertise for religious salvation. And despite all the privileges he enjoyed, he did not see any reason to treat these very people that hosted him with justice. His aim, as it were, was to set this country on fire, as indicated in one of their correspondences.

But if anything, David and his wife, Fiona, have failed. Destiny had it that the climax of their judgment would come at a time when the country’s Christian-Muslim relationship manifests itself more profoundly – the period of Christmas.