By: Dawda Baldeh
The National Assembly Member for Lower Fulladu West Constituency, Honorable Gibbie Mballow, has been praised for being the first elected representative to host a dialogue with religious leaders in his constituency.
Mballow is believed to be the first National Assembly Member to gather approximately ninety-seven (97) religious leaders from seventy-five villages (75) within his constituency.
Speaking to The Fatu Network shortly after meeting with religious leaders, Mballow said the purpose was to unite them and foster a peaceful and democratic society where everyone will feel respected and play their part in national unity.
“I aim for unity among the religious leaders in my constituency because without unity, meaningful development cannot occur,” he responded.
According to Mballow, the discussion at the meeting centered on key areas such as unity, the role of Religious Leaders in promoting peace, their challenges, and addressing pressing issues such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
He disclosed that he provided the religious leaders with forty thousand dalasis (D40) to establish an association that would look into their welfare and bring them under one umbrella.
“I want this association to bridge the gap in religious teachings and foster tolerance.
I extensively discussed matters of unity and maintaining peace with them,” he added.
Mballow noted that he also engaged the religious leaders on the issue of FGM and explained why he chose to support the ban.
“Some religious leaders opposed my decision to support the ban on female genitalia mutilation, stating that my stance does not represent their views, while others supported it.
That’s the beauty of unity and dialogue,” he added.
However, after a lengthy discussion, the Lower Fulladu lawmaker revealed that his stance on FGM was understood based on his experience as a seasoned health professional.
“Some (Imams) told me that they will respect the law but will continue to practice FGM in secret, while others said they will not engage in it.”
Mballow also discussed other pressing issues affecting his constituency and urged his people to unite and strive for a better Lower Fulladu.
“Gambia is not an Islamic state, and some Imams have agreed that not everything they do aligns with Islamic rulings (Sharia), which is why we have different views on matters,” he added.
They mentioned that this was the first-ever dialogue in the history of Lower Fulladu where their representative held a dialogue with religious leaders.
He added, “Initially, the young Imams were somewhat challenging to convince, but we reached an agreement, and it was very successful.”
Among the association’s focuses will be advocating for the welfare of Imams, teaching the elderly the Quran, raising awareness of Islamic principles, among other initiatives.
The religious leaders also had the opportunity to directly interact with their representatives and raised key concerns regarding their representation in the National Assembly, urging their lawmaker to continue advocating to address their concerns.
