President Yahya Jammeh has declared The
Gambia "an Islamic state", but stressed that
the rights of the Christian minority in the
small west African country would be
respected and that women would not be
held to a dress code.
The announcement came as the president
addressed supporters in the coastal town of
Brufut on Thursday, and the comments
were later broadcast on state television and
repeated on his website.
"Gambia's destiny is in the hands of the
Almighty Allah.
As from today, Gambia is an Islamic state.
We will be an Islamic state that will respect
the rights of the citizens," he was quoted as
saying on the presidential website.
In television footage of the address on
GRTV, seen by AFP on Saturday, the
president did not go into detail about what
the change would mean for the country,
but he reassured Christians and followers of
other faiths they would be able to worship
freely.
"Christians will be given their due
respect. The way of celebrating
Christmas will continue," he said, adding
that no one had the right to interfere
with others' "way of life".
He also warned against trying to impose a
dress code on women.
He said:
"I have not appointed anyone as an
Islamic policeman. The way women
dress is not your business," he said.
An impoverished former British colony
nestled within Senegal, and famed for its
white-sand beaches, The Gambia has a
population of nearly two million, 90 per
cent of whom are Muslim.
The remaining eight per cent are Christian
and two per cent are defined as having
indigenous beliefs.
Jammeh, 50, a military officer and former
wrestler from a rural background, has ruled
the country with an iron fist since he seized
power in a coup in 1994. The main
opposition party on Saturday poured scorn
on the president's unexpected proclamation
of an Islamic republic, saying it had no legal
basis.
Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch
branded Jammeh's regime one of the most
repressive in the world, blaming
paramilitaries and secret police for torture,
disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
In 2013, Jammeh withdrew his country
from the Commonwealth, saying it
represented "an extension of colonialism".


Source: http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2015/12/the-gambia-becomes-islamic-state.html?m=1

Islam.....world greatest problem.

Last Days frying pan to fire