Islam in the Gambia
Islam is the major religion in the Gambia, representing 97%[1] of the 2 million population, with the first Muslim communities in the country arriving in 11th century.
[5] Other religious societies exist in the country, including Catholics, Protestants,[6] Hindus[3] and Traditional African religions.
[7] Evidence of Islam in the Gambia exists from as early as the 11th century, stemming from the arrival of North African Muslim merchants.
[2] The Soninke-Marabout wars (1850), a series of jihads, led by the Marabou sect resulted in most of the Soninke Gambians (the traditional religious adherents) converting to Islam.
[9] The Gambia gained independence from British rule in 1965,[10] initially as a constitutional monarchy, before becoming a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970.
[13] The Gambia has a diverse array of traditional cultural practices, stemming from the various ethnic groups that make up the population.
Despite declaring the Gambia an “Islamic republic”,[8] in 2015, the then President Jammeh, maintained that no dress code would be enforced and that citizens would still have the right to practice any religion freely.
However, one month after the statement was made, Jammeh placed stricter regulations on clothing, “order[ing] female government employees to wear headscarves at work”.
[19] Despite criticism over the historical accuracy of Haley's research, the novel has played an important part in investigating African and Islamic history in America.
[5] In 2015, President Jammeh, announced a ban on female genital mutilation, stating that the practice was not required in Islam.
Specifically, Sanneh writes, “The Gambia has demonstrated an intricate pattern of blending cultural practices with Islamic religious beliefs”.
[8] This is demonstrated by the incorporation of a traditional xiin drum, similar to the sabar, into the culture of the Baye Fall subsect of the Mouride Islamists in the Gambia and Senegal, as adherents play it whilst walking the streets and begging for alms.
An example of such prominence, is the fact that the Ahmadis were the first Muslims in West Africa to set up schools that taught both religious perspectives as well as providing secular education.
[26] He became the first Ahmadi to serve as the head of any state or colony, following his appointment as the second and last Governor-General of the Gambia, after the country was granted independence within the Commonwealth of Nations as a constitutional monarchy in 1965.
In a separate interview conducted in her 2013 monograph,‘Islam,Youth and Modernity in the Gambia: the Tablighi Jama’at,[5] Janson spoke to a Gambian man who, "decided to become an Ahmadi, much to the dissatisfaction of his relatives, most of whom broke off contact with him."
[31] A further impact of the Tablighi Jaamat, claims Janson could be a rebellion of young Muslims in Gambia against the older adherents of traditional Islamic schools of thought.
Sir Farimang Mamadi Singateh, (1912–1977) became the first Ahmadi Muslim to serve as the head of any state or colony, following his appointment as the second and last Governor-General of the Gambia, after the country was granted independence as a constitutional monarchy in 1965.
