VZCZCXRO0299
RR RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHMOS RUEHPA RUEHPW
DE RUEHJL #0343/01 1490949
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 290949Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY BANJUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6704
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANJUL 000343 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PHUM KISL KDEM GA
SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: DISCUSSIONS WITH ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS 
FIGURES 
 
REF: A. BANJUL 303 
 
     ¶B. BANJUL 297 AND PREVIOUS (NOTAL) 
 
BANJUL 00000343  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOSEPH STAFFORD, REASON 1.4 (B AND D) 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1. (C) In separate meetings with Ambassador, two prominent 
Islamic clerics indicated that a priority of The Gambia's 
Islamic religious establishment was to prevent radical, 
foreign Islamic elements from establishing a foothold here 
through brainwashing of the country's youth.  The pair 
stressed their commitment to upholding religious freedom and 
inter-faith harmony, as reflected in the social integration 
of the Bahai community.  One interlocutor, Imam Al-Haji 
Banding Drammeh, Supreme Islamic Council head, portrayed the 
Islamic religious establishment's relationship with the GOTG 
as harmonious.  However, the other, Imam Tafsir Gaye, 
asserted that The Gambia's Islamic clerics lacked "effective 
channels" for consultation with the government.  Both 
portrayed The Gambia as stable following the aborted coup 
plot in March, but Drammeh evinced little knowledge or 
concern over authorities' subsequent abuses, while Gaye 
indicated that he was deeply concerned but that he and 
like-minded clerics lacked ways of approaching the GOTG on 
this score.  Ambassador urged the pair to find ways of 
conveying concern over the abuses to the GOTG.  END SUMMARY. 
 
OVERVIEW 
--------- 
 
¶2. (C) As part of Embassy's outreach to Islamic religious 
figures, Ambassador recently met separately with two leading 
Gambian Islamic clerics, Imam Al-Haji Banding Drammeh, 
chairman of the country's non-governmental advisory body on 
Islamic issues, the Surpreme Islamic Council (SIC) and Imam 
Tafsir Gaye, head of a large mosque in the Gambian capital. 
Both men were educated at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, and 
Ambassador's conversation with Gaye was in Arabic, as the 
latter's knowledge of English was limited.   As with 
Ambassador's previous conversation with another prominent 
Islamic cleric, Imam Baba Leigh (ref a), principal 
conversation topics included the danger of radical Islamic 
influence in The Gambia, relations between the Islamic 
religious leadership and the GOTG, and The country's domestic 
scene following the March 21 aborted coup plot here (ref b). 
 
CONCERN OVER POTENTIAL EXTREMIST FOOTHOLD 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Both Drammeh and Gaye stated that a priority of The 
Gambia's Islamic religious establishment was to prevent 
radical Islamic elements from establishing a foothold here. 
They asserted that while Gambian Islamic clerics had little 
sympathy for radical Islamic views, some foreign counterparts 
(e.g., from Gulf Arab states, Pakistan) were another matter. 
Our two interlocutors expressed worry that, over time, 
foreign clerics operating in local mosques and Qoranic 
schools ("madrasas") might succeed in instilling an extremist 
orientation in impressionable Gambian youth. They stressed 
the need for the country's Islamic religious establishment 
and the GOTG to be more vigilant in monitoring the activities 
of foreign clerics and the content of their sermons and 
school lectures.   The pair also agreed that Gambian clerics 
needed to be more active in propagating orthodox, apolitical 
Islamic doctrines among the country's youth.  (COMMENT: 
Septel report of possible pro-Al-Qaida sentiment in rural 
Gambia -- as reflected in murals depicting the 9/11 terrorist 
attacks -- suggests that the Gambians' concern over a 
possible Islamic extremist foothold being established here is 
well placed.  END COMMENT.) 
 
COMMITMENT TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND INTER-FAITH HARMONY 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶4. (C) The pair stressed what they described as their 
commitment and that of The Gambia's overwhelming (95 percent) 
Muslim majority to upholding freedom of religion and 
inter-faith harmony in the country. They noted that the 
harmony extended not only to the Muslim and tiny Christian 
and animist communities, but also to adherents of other 
faiths seen as heretical by some Muslims  elsewhere, Bahais, 
in particular.  They emphasized the full integration of the 
largely expatriate (e.g., Iranian) Bahai community into 
Gambian society. (COMMENT: Indicative of this integration, a 
recent "graduation" ceremony at a local Bahai-run vocational 
training center received prominent coverage on national 
television. END COMMENT) 
 
 
BANJUL 00000343  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
 
SIC'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GOVERNMENT 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) SIC head Drammeh portrayed the relationship between 
the Council and the Gambian Islamic religious establishment 
generally, on the one hand, and the GOTG, on the other, as 
harmonious.  He claimed that the government's point-person on 
Islamic religious issues, the Minister of Religious Affairs 
(who also holds the Youth and Sports portfolio) was readily 
accessible to the SIC.  According to Drammeh, the government 
provided no direct subsidy to the SIC, but did occasionally 
cover the travel costs for SIC members to attend Islamic 
religous conferences abroad.   Revealing a firmly 
pro-government outlook, he stated that SIC members sometimes 
accompanied President Jammeh and other senior officials on 
"meet the people" trips into the country's interior to 
demonstrate loyalty to the GOTG leadership. 
 
A DIVERGENT VIEW 
---------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Imam Tafsir Gaye was less upbeat in his assessment of 
Islamic clerics' relationship with the GOTG, claiming that 
the two sides lacked "effective channels" for consultation. 
Asked about the SIC, Gaye responded with a rhetorical 
question: "does anyone think the Council is an effective 
channel?"  While unwilling to criticize SIC head Drammeh 
directly, Gaye left the clear impression that he viewed him 
as an ineffectual spokesman for the Islamic religious 
community vis-a-vis the GOTG leadership. 
 
DOMESTIC SITUATION FOLLOWING THE FAILED COUP PLOT 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶7. (C) The divergent views of the two clerics were also 
evident in the discussion of The Gambia's internal situation 
following the coup plot thwarted in March.  While both agreed 
that the stability of the GOTG and the country generally 
remained intact following the incident and expected it to 
remain so, Drammeh professed little knowledge or concern over 
the ensuing deterioration in the human rights situation here. 
 He repeatedly condemned the failed plot, asserting that he 
had "no real knowledge" of torture of detainees or other 
abuses and expressing confidence that the accused would 
receive a fair trial. 
 
 
¶8. (C) Gaye, by contrast, indicated that he regarded the 
reports of detainee abuse as based on fact and that he was 
deeply concerned.  He also expressed worry over the GOTG's 
move against the private media in closing the journal, 
"Independent" and detaining its personnel.  However, Gaye 
demurred when asked whether he and other like-minded clerics 
would approach the GOTG to raise their concern over the 
abuses, repeating his earlier point that there were no 
"effective channels" for doing so.  He ruled out acting on 
his own and going public over the deteriorating human rights 
situation, suggesting that to do so would only invite 
retribution from authorities. 
 
¶9. (C)  Ambassador emphasized to both clerics our concern 
over the GOTG's backsliding on human rights, as highlighted 
by the reports of mistreatment of detainees and urged that 
The Gambia's Islamic religious establishment look for ways to 
register concern to the GOTG. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶10. (C) SIC head Drammeh is known for his conservative stance 
on social issues, as exemplified by his failure heretofore to 
express opposition to FGM, unlike less tradition-bound 
clerics such as Gaye and Baba Leigh.  Drammeh also came 
across in the conversation as the sort of pro-government 
stalwart that the GOTG leadership could rely on to prevent 
the SIC or the Islamic religious establishment generally from 
voicing public criticism over the backsliding of late on 
human rights.   As for our other interlocutor, Gaye, like 
Baba Leigh, indicated his frustration at the lack of 
"channels" for concerned clerics such as he to convey that 
concern -- privately -- to the GOTG.  On a more positive 
note, Drammeh, like Gaye, made clear his commitment to 
upholding the inter-faith harmony prevailing in The Gambia, 
including, as exemplified by the social integration of 
adherents of the Bahai faith.  END COMMENT. 
 
 
 
 
BANJUL 00000343  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
STAFFORD