Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – President Adama Barrow has officially revived the National Muslim Elders Advisory Council, a body of Islamic clerics and scholars from across The Gambia, with the establishment of a fully functional office at the State House. The council, first formed in September 2023, held its maiden meeting with the president on Friday, marking a new phase in the state’s engagement with the country’s religious leadership.

The 18-member Executive Council, headed by the revered Imam Muhammad Lamin Touray, was joined by 85 regional representatives in a high-profile audience with the President, where they pledged full support for his development agenda and offered prayers for national unity and peace.

In his address, President Barrow praised the initiative as an important step in strengthening moral guidance and peacebuilding in The Gambia. “We could have run this organization without even sitting together like this,” the president said. “But there is a saying in Fula, ‘If they hear you, they must also see you.’ That’s why we’re doing this official launch today.”

Barrow revealed that, in preparation for the Council’s full functionality, an office was already established at the State House and a bank account opened for its operational needs. He pledged to donate a vehicle to ease the council’s work and promised that monthly funds for fuel and operations will be deposited regularly to ensure their mobility and sustainability.

“I will stand to ensure that funds for the operations of this organization are mobilized and set for use every month,” Barrow affirmed. “Like you all said, our preachers and guides deserve consideration.”

Imams Unite Behind the President

One by one, the council’s members expressed their appreciation for the president’s initiative. Imams Mamadi Kanteh, Abdoulie Bah, and Momodou Lamin Drammeh praised Barrow’s consistent support for Islam and his commitment to peace and tolerance. They pledged to rally their constituencies behind his administration’s programs and called on all religious leaders nationwide to follow suit.

Imam Touray, the Council’s Chairman, said the Council would not only advise the President on religious and social issues but would also act as mediators during times of conflict and work to unify Islamic scholars and madrasas across the country.

“The National Muslim Elders Advisory Council is open to all religious leaders in the Gambia and is ready to work with all stakeholders to promote peace, foster dialogue, and tolerance,” Touray said. He described the Council as a complementary structure to the Gambia Supreme Islamic Council, focused on entrenching harmony and supporting national development.

Anecdotes on Divine Choice and the Role of Destiny

President Barrow, reflecting on his unexpected rise to power, shared personal anecdotes about how destiny plays a role in choosing leaders — citing his own experience and those of his predecessors.

“In The Gambia, those who sought the presidency never got it. Only people who never thought about the leadership of the country surprisingly succeeded in becoming president — and I am one of those,” he said. Drawing comparisons, he recounted how former President Dawda Jawara was a veterinarian approached to lead a political movement and how Yahya Jammeh was not even one of the original coup plotters but was pulled in by his peers.

“These are not coincidences,” Barrow said. “If the presidency ends, it’s over — and God knows it must end one day. At the end, you will return to the community where you came from.”

Ending on a spiritual note, Barrow requested continuous prayers from the imams, emphasizing the foundational role of peace in national progress.