By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
President Yahya Jammeh, who has for twenty-one years served as Gambia’s president, declared his nation an Islamic republic claiming this action would serve to break from the nations “colonial past.”
Though Gambia’s population is ninety percent Muslim and this would be in many ways seem an alignment with the culture of its people, the nation nevertheless has a very poor reputation for human rights, especially in its treatment of its homosexual citizens.
Jammeh is a vehemently and vocal anti-gay leader who told gays and lesbians in 2008 to leave the country or risk decapitation. Five women have now been arrested as accused lesbians in what human rights groups are calling a national campaign of terror and torture by the police.
The law criminalizes what it calls “aggravated homosexuality,” involving “serial offenders” and people living with HIV or AIDS. The law lumps such “repeat offenders” who engage in homosexual relations with people who engage in homosexual acts with someone who is under 18, disabled or who has been drugged or is under the “authority” of the homosexual. The accused face life in prison.
Amnesty International has charged that people are being tortured by police and forced to confess to homosexual acts or to accuse others of such acts.
Last year the European Union withheld aid packages to the small nation over its human rights record.
President Jammeh claimed in a television interview that no dress code would be enforced and promised that people of all religions would be allowed to practice their faith. He continued, “As Muslims are the majority in the country; the Gambia cannot afford to continue the colonial legacy.”
Jammeh withdrew Gambia from the British Commonwealth in 2013 claiming it was a neo-colonial organization.
By Darren Smith
Source: BBC News
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
One of the reasons why I hope that Islam reforms, is that every single Islamic Republic abuses human rights by our standards – killing gays, less rights for women, flogging, no free speech, little tolerance for other religions, etc. Dubai is a popular tourist destination and prominent venue for equestrian sports, and yet it is based on Sharia Law, with its attendant atrocities. It does have a Dubai Media Free Zone, but that is the only area in which journalists even have limited protection. And it’s infamous for the abuse of foreign workers, especially women, and there are labor camps. Non-Muslims are considered dogs, regardless of the lip service the government gives to foreign investors. When workers protest their living conditions and wages, they get imprisoned. Par for the course, I’m afraid.
The few strides in a positive direction seem to have been wiped out by the pushback by extremism.
So sad.
I wish people living in those countries could enjoy the rights, tolerance, and equality that modern Muslims enjoy in America.
Every word that I wrote about our CAIR -supporting po is the truth, and that is what has his Muslim panties in a bunch. Nuts? Lol! Being called “nuts” by a traitorous and warped individual like po is a compliment. Thanks for making my day. Send my regards to CAIR.
Olly, I think I agree with you, but what do you mean by natural rights worldview? Rights inherent to being human?
Thank you Ken and that includes the edits. 🙂
bam bam
1, December 12, 2015 at 12:34 pm
Isn’t that po’s brother? Funny how everything that the US and Israel does merits po’s much expected and eye-crossing long, rambling, incoherent diatribes of derision, yet he will stay mum–absolutely silent–when it comes to the atrocities committed by his own African brothers and sisters on a daily basis. Notice, folks–not a word. In a continent, where slavery still exists and human rights are considered an evil relic of colonial oppressors, po conveniently never mentions the sweltering hell hole from which he emerged and never mentions America’s superiority in every conceivable manner…
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Bambam accusing me of rambling incoherent diatribe of derision in the above?
What is wrong with you? Get yourself checked brother!
God is right (haha) bam bam…nut…nuts
Did you mistake what I wrote with what Nick wrote?
Why do you two have to run a perfectly good thread with your direct (in your case) and indirect (in Nick’s case) idiocy?
The following is what I wrote, only a crazy person would find issue with is:
Po said: “To make it easy on everyone, Jammey is a dictator…and possibly, likely insane.
His people do not like him…
His neighbors do not like him.
he claims to be able to cure AIDS and HIV …
His tormenting gays comes after his having tormented everyone.
This is a perfect example of religion being used as a tool of oppression by people who are already criminally insane.”
@Olly
1, December 12, 2015 at 2:06 pm
“It should be completely apparently (sic) by now that the moment a culture abandons a natural rights-based worldview for some other worldview that they begin to justify any manner of tyranny of the minority. A natural-rights centered worldview is the only one that can unite everyone without having to support or reject religion. Two key elements of this worldview is (sic) that we have rights merely because we exist and the only legitimate purpose for government is to secure these rights.”
You’ve previously written some comments I’ve taken strong exception to, Olly, but here you’ve packed a ton of truth into one short paragraph.
I sincerely hope it receives the thoughtful reception here that it richly deserves.
Thanks for writing it.
It should be completely apparently by now that the moment a culture abandons a natural rights-based worldview for some other worldview that they begin to justify any manner of tyranny of the minority. A natural-rights centered worldview is the only one that can unite everyone without having to support or reject religion. Two key elements of this worldview is that we have rights merely because we exist and the only legitimate purpose for government is to secure these rights.
As for the comment from our resident deity libeling a good woman like bam, I suspect that will disappear. I must say, the God infecting this blog must be Old Testament because he sure is angry. Wait, he’s an atheist “God.” They’re always angry.
Who is surprised?
This despot and many others on the continent of Africa has the old timers waxing poetic about the colonial times. Everything is relative folks. Everything is relative.
bam, Our resident Muslim usually avoids these posts, so this is a baby step forward for him.
Any theocracy should be off our foreign aid list.
Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, Gambia, ISIS, etc…. religion as a device to control. Israel uses it to justify by referring to its suffering of the past and linking it to a never again therefore. The only place where religion is not used to govern, the ‘West’, is the paradise spoken of in these comic books. Closer but not there by a long shot, held back by hypocrisy-if Gambia had oil they’d be OK. However, where religion is linked to power, Satan is at the helm. If you believe all that God versus Satan mumbo jumbo. Who know what evil lurks in the minds of men? The Shadow do.
Thank you. Coming from a delusional and disturbed creature, who has the sick and perverse audacity to use the screen name of God in vain, I consider that the highest of compliments. If you considered me sane, I’d worry.
bam bam is nuts nuts
Islamic State, Jewish State, Christian country, why are people so intolerant of others with just slightly different thinking? There are so many areas on which most people agree, yet they choose to label their country as a country for only one way of thinking.
It’s all Satans sunan duwad slavery and Leviticus sharia manu laws of Satan DRAGON kui THELE Allah, not god deed of righteousness holy Qur’an surah 4:122. They (dupes by Satan) Satan’s sharia law HOLY Quran surah 4 numbers 120-121 (all abode is Sheol sijjin forever) lov Enoch sar ha-padim, Happy Hanukkah Merry Christmas Christmas and happy Kwanzaa…
Isn’t that po’s brother? Funny how everything that the US and Israel does merits po’s much expected and eye-crossing long, rambling, incoherent diatribes of derision, yet he will stay mum–absolutely silent–when it comes to the atrocities committed by his own African brothers and sisters on a daily basis. Notice, folks–not a word. In a continent, where slavery still exists and human rights are considered an evil relic of colonial oppressors, po conveniently never mentions the sweltering hell hole from which he emerged and never mentions America’s superiority in every conceivable manner. Instead of kissing the ground here, thankful for the opportunities and freedoms that he receives in the West, he and his CAIR buddies want to turn the US into another one of these stinking, rotten Muslim rat holes. Thank God the people are beginning to awake to the danger within.
To make it easy on everyone, Jammey is a dictator…and possibly, likely insane.
His people do not like him…
His neighbors do not like him.
he claims to be able to cure AIDS and HIV …
His tormenting gays comes after his having tormented everyone.
This is a perfect example of religion being used as a tool of oppression by people who are already criminally insane.
Of course you are aware that many African Christian countries have horrific laws, including the death penalty, against homosexuality, right Darren? Or are you just annoyed that a country whose population is 90% Muslim has been declared an Islamic republic?