Editor’s Note: These ‘observations’ are what I learned here and there and what I concluded here and there and, yes, I do not have any exact proofs. Therefore of course you are free to believe me or not, as you like. Interesting observations nevertheless, I think.
Sir Farimang Mamadi Singhateh, GCMG (10 November 1912 – 19 May 1977) was the second and last Governor-General of the Gambia, representing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. Succeeding Sir John Warburton Paul, who had previously been the last Governor of The Gambia before independence, Sir Farimang was the only Gambian citizen to hold that post, beginning in 1966. His wife Fanta Singhateh was the first Gambian woman to be First Lady.[1] When the country became a republic in 1970, the office was abolished, and the Prime Minister, Dauda (later Sir Dawda) Kairaba Jawara became an executive President.
source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farimang_Singhateh
Sir Singhateh was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He was also the President of the Ahmadiyya Community of The Gambia.
One incident which is not usually told: General Zia ul Haq invited the President of The Gambia to Pakistan. During the visit Gen. Zia ul Haq offered that Pakistan would like to build a hospital in The Gambia, however, there was a ‘small condition’, namely that The Gambia should cancel all resident permits of foreign teachers and doctors in the country’s Ahmadiyya Schools and Hospitals (mainly Pakistanis, but also some from African countries). The President of The Gambia refused saying when the Ahmadi Muslims came to The Gambia and built schools and hospitals they did not make any conditions and therefore if Pakistan now wanted to make a condition there was no need of that hospital.
The President of The Gambia kept this incident private. It was just conveyed to members of the community a few months later by a Cousin of the President who heard it during private family conversations.
I visited Dakar, Senegal, I think in 2004. There was only one ex Pakistani Ahmadiyya Missionary there at the time. Ex Pakistani means he was of Pakistani origin but was now holding a Gambian Passport, as he lived and worked there previously for many years.
He told me that (before 2004) the Government of Senegal had expelled all Pakistani Ahmadiyya Missionaries. (I am now not aware of the exact year. If you know please let us know in ‘comments’ below). Several members of Parliament had joined the Community and that led to frantic opposition initiated by Saudi Arabia. I spoke with one of them during my brief visit.
I stayed in the one and only five star hotel. King Fahd Palace Hotel. The Hotel was donated by King Fahd as per a note at the entrance of the hotel. An interesting thought: Could the expulsion of the Pakistani Ahmadiyya Missionaries have something to do with this ‘donation’ ? While General Zia ul Haq (with the Saudi cash behind him) offered a hospital did Saudi Arabia offer a Hotel with the same conditions?
Just a coincidence or a fact? You be the judge.
And just for fun another observation. Sorry I do not recall exactly now, it was told to me while I was in Africa. Probably it was in Sierra Leone. The Saudis sent a Pakistani guy to ‘oppose the spread of the Ahmadiyya Community’. The poor guy spent months and months in the country and was just simply ignored.
He tried to get an appointment with the President of the country, but failed to get a date. In desperation he told the Pakistani Ahmadiyya Missionary his tragic circumstances, saying that his pay masters are getting fed up with him as he cannot report any progress. The Pakistani Ahmadiyya Missionary felt sorry for the guy and picked up the phone to the Presidential Palace and requested the Secretary to the President to kindly give the poor guy an appointment, which he did.
As I mentioned, no I do not have any clear evidence. But just to show you that the Saudis are actively and officially opposing the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide I can give you the link to the published Saudi Cables covering Indonesia. Just because the cables to the African Missions have not (yet) been published however of course does not mean they are not active there (as you can see above).
OK, besides the Saudi Cables for Indonesia my above information regarding West Africa I cannot proof, but are just my thoughts and observations.
Al Haji Rafiq A. Tschannen
Categories: Africa, Ahmadis, Ahmadis And Pakistan, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Arab World, Gambia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Western Africa