In line with tradition, The Gambian leader, His Excellency Shiekh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, last Thursday evening delivered his usual message on the Muslim feast of Eid-Ul-Adha known in the local parlance as Tobaski which was observed last Friday.

The president's message harped on the significance of the feast, concern on the growing weakness of families, the total degeneration of moral and upsurge of crime, the expolitation of the massses by unscruplous traders during feasts amongst others.

Below we reproduce the full text of the message.

Fellow Gambians

Asalam Alaikum Warahmatoula Wabarakatouhu;

On the occasion of the Eid-Ul-Adha (commonly called Tobaski) which Muslims are observing tomorrow, I have the singular honour to congratulate you all on my behalf, and on behalf of my family and government.

Tobaski, as you all know, is an important day for Muslims. It is a day that reminds Muslims about the meaning of sacrifice and the total submission to the will of Allah, Subhaana Watalla. Having in its roots to Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihi wasalam), who was up and ready to sacrifice his only son at the time (Ismail-Alaihi wasalam), the day has become a moment of reflection on the enormous benefits that sacrifice and obedience can bring to enhancing societal peace, progress and prosperity.

Indeed, Ismail's obedience to accept his father's command to kill him as a sacrifice, and the obedience equally demonstrated by Hajara (Radia Allahu anha), his mother to allow the sacrifice, and the eventful intervention by Allah with a sheep instead the son to be sacrificed, all go to show the importance of living up to true faith for a true Muslim and the bountiful rewards that would surely accrue.

This year, my address to you draws lessons from Prophet Ibrahim's family, which is unique and whose example therefore is worthy of emulation. I am seriously concerned with the growing weakness of families these days as institutions to help mould characters of men and women righteous to be in their deeds, caring for others around them, and helpful to all. The traditional Gambian family used to be the bastion of hope to inculcate discipline, sacrifice and caring for the good upbringing of our children. What we are now witnessing is the gradual disintegration of families, a total degeneration of morals, upsurge of crime, including heinous murders that were rare or totally unheard of in the past.

(In short, families are becoming failed institutions, and on this auspicious Eid Day, I wish to urge that we should all rise up to the challenge and put an end to this ugly and unacceptable trend. We must protect our core local values despite the odds of living in a world where foreign cultures tend to pollute these local values and our identities. In this way, we will succeed in achieving our lofty goals of nation building with pride, respect and dignity.

Fellow Gambians, residents and friends of The Gambia;

another area of concern that requires addressing is the rising disregard by unscrupulous traders and businessmen taking advantage of our religious feasts to charge exorbitant prices for essential commodities. The fact that these prices fall almost immediately after the feasts to their normal levels, lends credence to the unsympathetic greed of these traders, and their quest to undermine social cohesion by such practices. The practice is even more appalling and shameful because these sellers are predominantly Muslim, whose real tie to the fundamentals of the religion is therefore questionable.

As we celebrate the Tobaski, let us all make renewed commitment to change our negative attitudes generally in everything we do. Let us be compassionate in our remembrance of the poor and needy who have the equal rights of living a decent, fulfilling life but are only diviney destined to live in their current status. In a world that is going through food and financial crisis, Muslims have a duty to helping one another in a more compassionate manner than ever before and in line with the teachings of the Holy Prophet and the Quran, our daily reference for humanity, charity and compassion.

Fellow Gambians and friends of The Gambia;

in conclusion, I want to seize this opportunity to thank all well meaning Gambians who have stood by us and responded to every call, including the Back to the land. Call I have made, which is intended to transform The Gambia into a prosperous nation, or a nation about to achieve the First World status.

I take the opportunity of the feast to pray for lasting global peace and stability, especially the resolution of conflict situation in Africa and the Middle East. My government stands ready to participate fully in international efforts geared towards the promotion of peace, justice and equality. It is my considered view, that Africa in particular and the world in general will enjoy much progress, peace and prosperity if all nations work in unison to confront and address the perennial issues of poverty and hunger, marginalisation and exploitation that have become omnipresent, and often the main cause of many a conflict prevailing in the world.

As we celebrate the feast of sacrifice, let us pray for our pilgrims safe return and the acceptance of all that they have prayed for especially those who for the good of The Gambia, our motherland.

And, finally, I pray that Allah (SWT) accepts all our sacrifices. May Allah (SWT) continue to bless, protect and guide us and give us the continued wisdom and love to effectively participate in the development of this, our motherland. To the departed, we pray that their souls rest in perfect peace and that they be rewarded in the Heavens of Allah. May we, who continue to enjoy life through Allah?s grace, live to witness many more returns of Tobaski in good health, peace, progress and prosperity. Amin!

Long Live The Gambia

Long Live Gambians

May Allah the Almighty guide, protect and bless The Gambia always.

Wasalam Alaikum Warahmatoulahi Wabarakatouhu