Monday, October 20, 2014

Doctor WHO?

The Dr. Zakir Naik train is still not at its final destination so let’s keep riding.:-). There are some who believe that Dr. Zakir Naik should not be challenged because he’s an Islamic scholar and full of wisdom. Maybe it will be helpful to remind them than he is also a human being and vulnerable to all the temptations that we all struggle with daily. Anyone who attempts to spread something we believe not to be true should be challenged, Muslim or not, doctor or nurse.

Dr. Zakir said he never heard of Gambia prior to his invitation, but he was quick to declare Jammeh a good president and a good Muslim. How?  Based on what? Is he in the business of judging who is a good Muslim and who is not? You mean to tell me that this “fine Islamic scholar” didn't take the time to google Gambia? Not buying it! If Dr. Zakir can have an opinion about Jammeh to declare him a good president and a good Muslim without prior knowledge of him, then it’s totally fair for others to have an opinion about Dr. Zakir too, for making statements as a “scholar” without doing his homework.

Dr. Nakir Naik branded himself an Islamic scholar and a warehouse of religious knowledge and wisdom, and he sells himself as such. The promotional videos on his website are a testament to that. To me, a scholar of such caliber should be able compose himself/herself when faced with a simple challenge regarding what he preaches,  and be able to intelligently and confidently answer any questions or defend challenges pertaining to statements he made?

Well, not Dr. Zakir Naik! When he was challenged by a young Christian lady in the Gambia regarding a statement he made about Christianity, you could vividly notice that he was agitated and uncomfortable. To avoid having the conversation, he told the young lady that he does not debate women, accused her of having a sickness and needs to be cured, and that she does not understand English. In short, he ridiculed her to avoid having the conversation, and in the process, may have contributed in inciting the crowd to get hostile against the young lady. Then at the end, the young lady’s mic was cut off. I thought “scholars” were open minded? I am so proud of Christina Jatta!  In addition, the fact that he (Dr. Nakir) never at any point in his lectures in The Gambia addressed the issue of tyranny exposes him even further.  As a scholar, he should have known the waters he was swimming in.

And for a president of a nation to invite Dr. Nakir with all the expenses involved, just to ask questions like “should a Muslim man marry a woman who is not a virgin?” is just out of this world. President Jammeh could not have found out for himself or ask any of the Imams in The Gambia?  What is he walking around with a Quran for then? I though he mastered the Quran enough to used it in his curing sessions?  Not sure if this was the ultimate disrespect to all the Imams in The Gambia because Jammeh may have more in store for them, but it sure is up there.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Pan-Africa for WHO? African Leaders, A No Show on Ebola

Pan-Africans say “Africa for Africans” and “we can take care of our own”. I have not seen the AU (African Union) in the vanguard of this Ebola fight anywhere neither have I seen any African leader taking the lead or attempting to lead the fight.

The UN General Assembly held a session in New York a couple of weeks ago, and the African leaders missed the opportunity to lay out their ‘Ebola plan of action’ there, when the whole world was listening. Was there a plan of action in the first place? I heard a lot of ranting about other issues there though.

Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has been in the news lately bragging about being feared by the West, and talking about how other African leader are cowards and afraid to stand up to the West, but nothing about Ebola. I believe Ebola is a more pressing issue. Has Mugabe sent any doctors or nurses to help fight Ebola in Liberia or Sierra Leone? Instead, he’s contemplating recalling his soldiers that are part of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Liberia.

Paul Bayi of Cameroon and Yaya Jammeh of Gambia are subscribers to Pan-Africanism too, but have they sent any doctors or nurses to the Ebola affected areas to assist? Where is the sense of urgency for Los Pan-Africanos?  How come they are not using the media to talk about Ebola and their plans to contain or eradicate it?

I have seen others scrambling to send personnel and equipment to the affected areas, but nothing in the form of personnel and equipment from the Pan-Africans. Is Pan-Africanism just talk and no action? Africa for Africans and we can take care of our own?

With the help of the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, Malaria still kills over 500,000 a year in Africa. I recently read an article listing the 10 richest African leaders and the billions and millions they have accumulated. How much have they contributed towards malaria research? Ebola is collapsing the fragile health systems that exist in the affect countries, and the Pan-Africans are nowhere to be found.