Question:
We hope that the Party pays attention to the issues of Muslims in Africa just as it does with other Muslim issues, where a response is usually issued a day or two after an event occurs... However, regarding Gambia, for example, nothing has been issued to this day, even though its events have lasted for nearly two months. We hope for a clarification of what has happened. Why is there this support from West African countries for the new president, Adama Barrow? Why is there such strong pressure on the former president to step down? Does his withdrawal from the International Criminal Court or naming Gambia the "Islamic Republic of Gambia" have anything to do with this? Especially since the new president said in a press conference on 28/01/2017 in the capital Banjul: ("He would fulfill his promise and nullify the decision of his country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court taken by former President Yahya Jammeh"... and revealed his intention to "change the name of the state from the Islamic Republic of Gambia to the Republic of Gambia within the framework of constitutional reforms...") (Al Jazeera, 29/01/2017)?
Answer:
Hizb ut-Tahrir is a political party whose ideology is Islam. Therefore, all Muslim issues are its issues. Its consideration of priorities—where it issues a statement on one matter and postpones another—does not mean a lack of concern. I hope this is clear without ambiguity; the Party's journey in its thought and method speaks to that, and Allah is the One whose help is sought. After that, I answer the question, and success is from Allah:
The answer requires reviewing Gambia's political reality since Islam entered it and the subsequent international struggle over it... as follows:
Gambia is a Muslim country; its people embraced Islam, and Muslims now make up about 95% of the population of approximately two million people. Gambia was colonized by Britain, which granted it independence in 1965 and attached it to the British Commonwealth... It installed Dawda Jawara as Prime Minister under a monarchy following the British Crown. Later, it made him declare a Republic in 1970 to become the first president, in light of the American offensive against African countries following European colonialism, especially those with monarchical systems. Britain did something similar in Libya when America intensified its attack during the monarchy; it had an obscure officer like Gaddafi, aged 26, carry out a bloodless coup against its agent, the King, in 1969 and declare a Republic to block America's intensive attempts to stage a coup against the monarchy in Libya. Thus, Britain does not care about changes in the form of government; what matters is that the substance, which guarantees its influence and colonialism, remains.
When Gambia came under increasing American pressure and attacks at the end of the last century, Britain brought in an obscure military officer, Yahya Jammeh, who was not over 29 years old. It had him carry out a bloodless coup on 22/07/1994 against the country's first president, its agent Dawda Jawara, whose rule had lasted about 30 years, in order to maintain British influence in the country. Libya, during Gaddafi's era, used to train Gambian soldiers, as Britain utilized its agent Gaddafi to protect its agents in Africa. Just as Gaddafi began with liberationist rhetoric mixed with some Islamic and Arabist words against colonialism while implementing British plans and remaining far from applying Islam, so were the actions of Yahya Jammeh. In 2013, he announced Gambia's withdrawal from the British Commonwealth, describing it as a "consecration of neo-colonialism" and stating it exists to "impose Western hegemony plans on all developing countries." He abolished English as the official language of the country, adopting Arabic instead, saying: "For 300 years of colonialism, Britain taught us nothing but how to sing 'God Save the Queen'." He declared the Republic of Gambia as an Islamic state in 2015. He said on his country's official television on 11/12/2015 that "in line with religious identity and values, I declare Gambia an Islamic state"... and that since Muslims represent the majority of the people, it cannot continue the colonial legacy, as its constitution stipulated a secular system established by the British colonizer who dominated the country for hundreds of years. Thus, its name became the Islamic Republic of Gambia. The change was in name, not in substance or the actual application of Islam, similar to neighboring Mauritania, which is called the Islamic Republic of Mauritania yet does not apply Islam and follows European colonialism. Yahya Jammeh's move was an attempt to stabilize his rule and gain more popularity amidst criticism of his governance and American attempts to topple him. As evidence of the people's love for Islam, the population opposed sending their children to English schools, considering them Westernizing schools that produce generations stripped of their identity and subservient to the colonizer; they conditioned that teaching be in Arabic and that Islamic education be included in the curricula. Despite all this, British influence remained untouched, and it continued to hold the reins of power directly or from behind the scenes through agents in the country. Britain found no negative impact in adding the word "Islamic" to the republic as long as it remained a word without meaning—that is, without the application of Islam—and as long as it maintained the popularity of its agent in the face of American pressure.
A coup attempt took place on 30/12/2014 against Yahya Jammeh, as they attacked his presidential palace hoping to topple him while he was out of the country. America was behind that attempt, as it turned out the mastermind was businessman Cherno Njie, residing in the state of Texas, USA, along with three others living in America. After the coup failed, these four were tried in America with light sentences; Cherno Njie was sentenced to only one year in prison because, as US Attorney Andrew Luger said: "The four men violated laws in place to protect the foreign policy of our country and all Americans alike, both inside and outside the United States." (Reuters, 13/05/2016). America tried its citizens of Gambian origin to cover up the truth as if it were unaware, and had the coup succeeded, it would have supported it. But since it failed, it carried out this theatrical process of trying these individuals with light sentences.
Thus, the American offensive against European influence, including British influence, is increasing in the West Africa region as it is in other regions. Its pretext was the poor record of this or that country in the field of human rights, while in reality, they give no weight to human rights! America focused this pretext on Yahya Jammeh in Gambia to change him and introduce its influence in place of British influence. This offensive was so intense that Europe went along with it to block America's path... so the European Union temporarily suspended its aid to Gambia under the same pretext: "its poor human rights record." Britain wanted to replace agents in a way that America could not oppose because it was in the name of democracy—the tool used by Western countries to pull influence from one another or use as a pretext for intervention. Note that the Gambian constitution requires holding elections every five years, and Dawda Jawara always won the elections, as did his party, the People’s Progressive Party, which dominated Gambian politics—meaning the political class in Gambia was British. This continued during the era of Yahya Jammeh for 22 years, who also always announced his victory. Thus, the presidential elections took place at the end of last year on 02/12/2016. It was announced that his rival, Adama Barrow, who worked in London, Britain as a security guard in its stores and returned to his country, Gambia, in 2006 to establish a real estate company which he still manages, had won. He is linked to the British from start to finish.
Yahya Jammeh admitted defeat, announcing on official television that "Gambians have decided that I should step down and have voted for someone else to lead the country," and he called his rival, saying: "You are the elected president of Gambia, I wish you success and the best." However, he retracted this when the final tally review commission announced the gap between the competitors had narrowed from 60,000 to less than 20,000. He spoke about "some people being unable to vote while misinformation prevented others from voting," and said: "We will return to the ballot boxes because I want to ensure every Gambian votes under the authority of an unbiased, independent, and neutral committee that is not subject to any foreign influence." It was as if there was an agreement with him to step down and relinquish the presidency to the new agent, but he thought he could convince Britain to extend his stay for more years! However, the Europeans, especially Britain, saw that his continued presence was no longer possible for fear of America seizing the country from Britain, especially since America, through its State Department spokesperson Mark Toner on 10/12/2016, condemned the Gambian president's rejection of the election results. The American spokesperson said: "Jammeh's position is a reprehensible breach of the Gambian people's trust in their country, and a blatant attempt to undermine the Gambian people's faith in a credible electoral process, and Jammeh's goal is to remain in power illegally." This was a strong justification for American intervention. Therefore, Britain refused his stay and resolved the matter through the decision of the West African countries (ECOWAS) to intervene, which are agents of Europe, especially Britain and France, who hold influence in the region. Senegal, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, submitted a draft resolution to the Council on 19/01/2017 to allow intervention, supported by Britain and France, the permanent European members of the Council. America could not say no, as it leads the opposition to Yahya Jammeh's regime and is looking for means to intervene. Thus, the Security Council approved the draft resolution unanimously on Thursday, 19/01/2017, as the Security Council expressed its "full support for the ECOWAS in its commitment to ensure respect for the will of the people in Gambia, primarily through political means." This meant that it is permissible to use non-political means when these means fail, thus resorting to the use of military means.
And so the matter was settled... Adama Barrow, residing in Senegal since 15/12/2016, took the oath of office at his country's embassy in Senegal on 19/01/2017... Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana sent ground forces toward the Gambian border, while mediating to get Jammeh to step down and leave the country. West African countries gave Yahya Jammeh until noon on 20/01/2017 to step down and leave. The leaders of these countries arrived in the Gambian capital to give Yahya Jammeh a final chance to hand over power peacefully before a regional military force, which had already arrived in the country, ousted him... On the same day, 20/01/2017, the commander of the Gambian army announced that he "recognizes the new president Adama Barrow as Commander-in-Chief, and will not fight a regional force preparing to depose the outgoing president Yahya Jammeh"... Yahya Jammeh was forced on 21/01/2017 to take the decision to step down and leave the country as he no longer had any force to defend him internally or externally... Subsequently, the United Nations, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States announced the cessation of military operations in Gambia, while guaranteeing Yahya Jammeh's right to return to his country after he announced his resignation and departure. Equatorial Guinea government spokesperson Eugenio Nze confirmed on 24/01/2017 that his country granted Gambian President Yahya Jammeh political asylum. This was to avoid any armed confrontation in Gambia. (AFP, 25/01/2017). With this, a political crisis in Gambia that lasted for six weeks ended, and the curtain fell on Yahya Jammeh's 22-year rule, by replacing one agent with another to preserve European influence.
The conclusion is that the change that occurred in Gambia was not because Yahya Jammeh withdrew from the ICC—there are many countries not in the ICC, including America... nor was it because Yahya Jammeh included the word "Islamic" in the state's name, as several countries have this name. This is because what scares the West is the application of Islam in an Islamic state, while a mere word without meaning does not scare them... rather, the change that occurred was within the framework of the international struggle. America is pursuing the Europeans in their African colonies to seize them whenever an opportunity arises, and it seemed to have found it in Gambia under Yahya Jammeh's rule under the pretext of human rights violations. So Europe "Britain" saw fit to ride the wave and replace one agent with another, thereby blocking America's path and consequently maintaining the continuity of British influence in Gambia, even if only for a time...
The people of Gambia, like other Muslims, long for the rule of Islam and wait for someone to save them from the yoke of colonialism and the rule of kufr. It is the responsibility of every capable Muslim to exert their utmost effort in carrying the da'wah as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ carried it and as his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) followed his path, and then to establish the Rightly Guided Khilafah, by which he who lives may live upon clear evidence, and he who perishes may perish upon clear evidence:
وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ
"And on that day the believers will rejoice In the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful." (Surah Ar-Rum [30]: 4-5)
3rd Jumada al-Ula 1438 AH 31/01/2017 CE