Imam Momodou Ceesay

Gambian cleric has been unanimously elected the leader of Muslim Center of Detroit. Momodou Ceesay is also promoted to the rank of Imam Ratib of the center’s mosque.

Imam Ceesay, native of Jarra Toniataba in Lower River Region, has been chosen not only base on his erudite knowledge in Islam but also the confidence, excellent leadership style, humbleness and how he cares about people.

Ceesay is grateful to Allah and the Muslim brothers and sisters the confidence they have bestowed on him. also a program anchor on Kibaaro Radio, said. “The call is a huge responsibility but I will do my best to serve the best interest of the Jamaat. We are all here on a mission which is why everyone needs to work hard in our respective areas.”

Imam Ceesay’s responsibilities include leading prayers, mentoring, counselling, represent the center and address complicated issues affecting the Muslim community. He also chairs the center’s board, presides over fundraising as well as lead interfaith dialogues.

Imam Ceesay manages the more than $3 million dollar center comprising of a mosque, 6 classrooms, shop, three offices, conference rooms and activity room that hosts marriage ceremonies and other social activities.

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By Yero Jallow

‘‘I can say with confidence and I stand to be challenged, that liver cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, we have successfully treated; because what we do is we try, for every disease, seven patients and if five out of the seven are treated, then we try again because my objective is always 100 per cent, but if I have six out of seven, I consider it a definitive ‘yes’, we can treat it,’’(Yaya Jammeh, The Point Newspaper, 01/20/2014).

It is mindboggling to hear Jammeh’s false claims of having discovered cure for Liver cancer, breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. In the past years, we have seen him make similar pronouncements openly on discovering cure for HIV Aids, Asthma, and infertility.  Part of the issue with Jammeh and his vagabond of actors, actresses, sympathizers, political benchers and masquerades, is the using of Gambia’s state resources to further their fat lies, wishful nonsense, hateful agenda and terror machinery. The man’s baggage is getting heavier by the day.

It should be well noted that herbal medicine is not new to us; at least, most Gambians came from traditional families and they’ve seen how the roots, leaves and backs of trees has been put to use in healing certain diseases. Herbal alternative is everywhere, from America to China, Africa to the other end of the spherical world. It doesn’t mean that he (Jammeh) all of a sudden, of the blue can hijack everything from traditional doctors to make it his own. The truth remains Jammeh didn’t discover any cure to any of what he is claiming. It is false. The statistical data he quoted as having to cure 5 out of 7 exposes the man’s delusional nature, and to call him a clever idiot is certainly an understatement. If you do not know what 5 out of 7 means, you need to go do your primary school mathematics again. The truth remains 5 out of 7, is too small a number to rely on for announcing a discovery like cure to cancer. Of course, Jammeh’s own wishful mind of making fancy discoveries plus the bias didn’t even factor in yet. The scientific method requires series of steps of data analysis, testing, and even calculating some of the effects that might come with using any medicine.

There are certainly many problems associated with Jammeh’s using of traditional healing. I have a fear that he will overdose his patients as some of the herbs are too concentrated. Apart from the fear of overdosing, there might be some side effects that might be associated with using whatever herbs he is prescribing which to our knowledge he haven’t made disclosures on, added to the fact of  giving false hope to patients which is disgusting. We haven’t even addressed the issue of lying about medicine and medicinal discoveries which he can carry on his head the far that he wants to travel with his stinky garbage.

Like the Akus say, “We don tire now” and are going to call the big shots again. If people cannot stop lying on the little things, they will not stop lying about the big things. Pathological lying, hypocrisy and self-denial will remain the order of their daily activities. That is exactly what has become of the big monster in Kanilai. To speak of insanity and being delusional is an understatement for Jammeh’s world. The man has lost all his head screws and his egos, pomposity, criminality and stupidity is at a whole level that is incurable.

The questions are: Who cares if you discover heaven when simple freedom, justice and basic amenities are no where around in the Gambia? Who cares if you roar to bring the earth down? With all these discoveries Jammeh is claiming to have made, and on the other hand he kills some, make some disappear and others jailed, who the hell is he going to cure? The type of attention-seeking is getting out of hand and Gambians must continue to resist in open space.

Whenever Jammeh is cornered and isolated, he will surface with some cure to diseases. Gambians haven’t seen a thing yet, as the bigger discovery of bringing the death to life is what I am waiting to hear on the next breakthrough’s anniversary. It is a shame to some of those medical doctors around who after years of research in their noble professions are trapped in falsely accepting the nonsense, together with the bunch of political whores hooking their octopus tentacles to the crumbing administration, from the head all the way to the toe. They have not only lost their moral integrity, but a public menace by their open criminality of association and participation –mere political hypocrites. Keep hanging around the tyrannical system to shamefully fill your pockets and satisfying your temporal gains. Look through the mirror and see how ugly you all look with constant panic attacks of what online commentators say and didn’t say. You all pretend as if you are not reading when your online foot prints are all over cyberspace. Who is fooling who is the question? You all are walking naked –just look through the mirror!

Ladies and Gentlemen – Please stay away from Jammeh’s herbal treatment as far a distance as you can. It is all lies, evil and hypocrisy. The jerk of a criminal ruler hasn’t discovered a damn thing other than his own fetishes. We are seeing his medulla oblongata sickening by the minute. The man is way overdue for ‘Tanka-tanka’ (Campama). The same man that used hallucinogenic substance (traditionally Kuubehjaara) in 2009 to poison Gambians must never be trusted with anything else. He has proven to be one of the most evil leaders that the century bore. Don’t forget so soon, just four years ago, either a family member or some friend you knew was forced to drink the hallucinogenic substance in the name of witch craft nonsense from Barra all the way to the Fonis.  You all certainly know the only one who was behind it was none but Jammeh. That is the opposite of what doctors do. A doctor heals and doesn’t kill, imprison or poison others to death. A doctor doesn’t give false hope. A doctor does thorough research, tests, and come up with experimental data that can be relied on. Left to me alone, Jammeh will rot in his pack of lies about these false herbal discoveries, because he doesn’t have the brain to lure me in believing in his fetishes. Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr. said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

The author is an associate of Gainako and contributes to most of Gambia’s online media.

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Kibaaro News is launching a new project aimed at scouting and promoting Gambians who have excelled in academic and professional levels. Kibaaro News and Radio will dig into the background, education and careers of these well accomplished Gambians. It’s in this regard that we are running a story on Dr. Alhagi Manta Drammeh, a distinguished Professor in Scotland.

Dr.  Alhagi Manta Drammeh has a background in Islamic Studies, particularly in the areas of Qur’anic hermeneutics and methodologies in dealing with Islamic sources, Political Science, Comparative Politics, Islamic Political Thought, Civilisational Dialogue, Middle Eastern Politics, Muslim political movements, Foreign Policy issues in the Muslim world and the “West”, and Muslim-Western relations.

He is currently assistant Professor (Lecturer) in the Study of Islam and Muslims at Al Maktoum College of Higher Education, Dundee, Scotland. He was formerly a lecturer at International Islamic University in Malaysia (IIUM) from 1996-1999 and the European Institute of Human Science at Wales, UK from 2002-2004 where he played a key role in developing the BA curriculum in Islamic studies.

He holds a BA (Hons) in Political Science (International Islamic University, Malaysia), MA in Comparative Religion, Theology and Philosophy from IIUM Malaysia, PhD (Muslim College, London affiliated with the University of Al-Azhar, Egypt), Doctoral Taught Programme (American Graduate School, Paris), PGCertHE (University of Dundee, Scotland).

Dr. Alhagi is the author of the book, ‘The Fallacy of the Inevitability of Clash of Civilisations: a common ground for mutual understanding and co-existence (IIUM Press, 2009). He has also published in refereed journals and edited books. He has supervised and examined a number of MA and PhD students at various British universities as well as presenting academic papers on Islamic methodologies, Civilisational Dialogue, and Islamic Education in the UK, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Norway and the Gambia.

He is currently conducting research in the areas of ‘Methods of Dealing with Islamic Primary Sources’, Ethics of Pluralism and Peace in the Qur’anic discourse and is also conducting research on the Arab Spring between Islamism and Liberalism.

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Gambian Muslims in Birmingham Invites You to their annual Islamic Conference:

The Gambia Islamic and Cultural Association calls Gambian, Muslims and well-wishers at large to their Islamic Conference scheduled to be held on the 11th of January 2014, from 12 Mid-day. Several speakers will address issues around faith, culture and community cohesion.

The Imam of Birmingham Gambian Mosque, Sheikh Daouda Jallow will open the conference. The Imam of Birmingham Greenlane Mosque, Sheikh Abu Usama At-Thahabi, Gambian Scholar, Dr Alhagie Manta Drammeh will also be a keynote speaker.

Contact Laye Camara for details on 07786551180.

Kibaaro radio presenter Bamba Sering Mass will be there to relay the event live. We thank Speed Enterprise for sponsoring the advert on Kibaaro news.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ) [Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return].

Gambians are mourning the sudden demise of Alhagie Sambou Samateh who joined his ancestors on January 1^st, 2014.

He was better known as Samateh Agriculture mainly for being one of the pioneer founders of the agricultural department. He worked at the Agriculture Department between 1938 and 1978.

Alhagie Sambou Samateh, the father of Sillaba Samateh, has been one of the greatest and noble sons of the Gambia. Here was a man who dedicated his entire life to the service of his nation. “My father served the Gambia to the best of his ability and with humility,” Mr. Sillaba Samateh wrote in his tribute.

Sambou Agriculture was a native of Salikene in Central Badibou who settled in Banjul until his last breath. Many people described Mr. Samateh as a hero, an icon and inspirational leader with clean record of national service.

“Mr. Alhagie Samateh was a wonderful and loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle and a brilliant leader of communities in Salikeni, Banjul, and the whole of Badibou,” Netherland-based Sillaba said. “My father’s demise is a great loss for Gambians and humanity as a whole,” he said, praying that his soul rest in eternal bliss.  “May his noble soul rest in eternal, perfect and everlasting peace and be granted one of the highest places in Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen Ya Rabbi.”

The Samateh family is extending the sad news to all Gambians.

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By Awa Sanneh

My Hero!

He refuses to hate, his actions are forever guided by love

Turned away from greed, his every step determined by principle

Never to shy away from hard work

He is a farmer, accountant, philanthropist

And forever a freedom fighter

More of a civil servant than the titled ones

More keen on national interest than the lying tongues

His virtue not to be hidden, it is evident in his every role

As a family man, a professional… A patriotic soul

Shy he is in the glares of attention

Bold he is in the face of detention

Unsurprised at such false conviction

And ever sure, of his Lord’s affection,

Family’s devotion and the inevitable vindication

Oh father! I struggle to turn away from despair

My heart is heavy, yet I try to revel in the brilliance of the sun

To yield the endless strength, courage, security and hope

To be found in trusting He that is one

I have not forgotten father, that the matter of a believer is always well

When it is good he praises Allah, and that for him is best

When he is tested as you are, he turns to Allah

And that for him is still the best

In your footsteps I will follow, diligently and sure

That where ever they may lead, is where I would want to be

As you have perceived, I now understand

That we are engaged in a cause greater than any one man

From your strength I draw

From your courage I stand tall

And with my heart I now scream

Alhamdullilah! For I see that Allah is with us all

Ever aware, patient and fair

I am in His fold, and you are in His care

Have you ever wondered why Allah has said

Inna ma’al usri yusra – indeed with hardship comes ease

With! He said, for within every period of sorrow there is a saving grace

A hidden treasure, that will bring light to your face

A nugget of inspiration that will make you see

The greater plan that He has coursed for thee

Remain well Baba, in our prayers you reside

In due time you will be received with arms open wide

By all who know and love you, and to you have always remained true

And with thy Lord rests the verdict, for those with actions undue

Innallaaha ma’as sabiruun – Verily Allah is with the patient

So rejoice father, for He is with you

And as we lie patiently waiting, take comfort in knowing that He is with us too.

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By Lamin Sabally, Minneapolis, Minnesota

A prominent Gambian Islamic preacher and distinguished scholar has said that every good Muslim  exemplifies a walking  constitution of an Islamic state, while passionately dismissing unnecessary slogans being forcefully chanted by some Muslim groups for the physical establishment  of Islamic states in their respective countries.

Alhagie Ousman Jah made this convincing clarification on Saturday December 22, 2013 at the Gambian Association Community Mosque in Minnesota during celebrations marking the annual Magal organized by devotees of the venerable Serigne Amadou Bamba.  “Celebrating the deeds of Mam Bamba means following the teaching of the holy Quran and the Hadith and Sunnah (authentic narrations and deeds) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pubh), because the sheikh lived by these teachings, which was epitomized by his absolute commitment to the servitude of Allah” explained Oustazz Jah in an event organized by Dahiratul Majmohu Noreyni and the Foundation of Khadimou Rassoul of Minneapolis and Minnesota.

While giving detailed importance of Islam, Oustass Jah reminded the congregation which comprised Gambians and Senegalese that GOD has created mankind for a clear purpose and that is why Islam, which is unshakably anchored on five fundamental pillars is prescribed as a way of live for all Muslims. “There is no part time Muslim in Islam”, he clarified adding that a Muslim must always be in the pure state of Islam 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year, and determinedly counseled that no Muslim must die unless he or she is in the state of total submission to the will of Allah

According the prolific preacher, among all Allah’s creation, the humankind is the best of all because of the faculty of thinking bestowed on us by our lord. When that faculty is not utilized for its purpose, a human being can degrade himself to the lowest ebb, which is an equivalent of a beast. It is at this sorry status that a human being has the propensity to cause irreparable destruction to live and property. He observed that such unguarded situations engender wars and conflict situations that now chronically bedeviled a number of both Muslim and non-Muslim countries in the increasing unpredictable world.

The annual Magal celebrations were interspersed with melodious Zikr, recitation of the Quran and Khassida of the internationally revered Marabout and Founder of Touba, Sheikh Amadou Bamba also widely known as Borom or Sereign Touba. The late evening convergence was later joyfully wrapped up with memorable socialization event that came with feasting on a long menu list of quintessential Senegambian foods and beverages.