As Salamu Alaykum
Peace be upon you
Hallo and greetings
from everyone at
Bakoteh Proper Lower
Basic School. How are
you all?
We are back at
school now after a
long summer break
and extra time off to
celebrate Tobaski.
The rainy
season has
almost finished
and it is very
hot these days.
The water melons are now in
season. They are delicious to
eat especially when you are
thirsty.
We are all very worried
about the ebola virus. It
is not in the Gambia yet.
But in countries like
Sierra Leone and
Guinea that are close
by. We hope they
find a cure soon.
We also worry you
might be getting the
wrong impression of
Muslims because of
the wicked things
some terrorists are
doing.
People like the Islamic state
fighters in Iraq and Syria
and Boko haram are just
wicked people and spoil
the good name of Muslims
The Muslim religion
teaches us to be kind
and tolerant people.
85 percent of the
population of
Gambia are Muslims.
Because Britain once ruled The
Gambia the other 15 percent are
Christians and we live happily side by
side. Christmas and Easter are public
holidays and are celebrated by all as
are the Muslim festivals of Koriteh
and Tobaski
So please can we tell
you a little bit about
the Muslim Faith and
how its teachings and
rules make sure we
are good people
There are five important
pillars on which being a
good Muslim is built
The first is
Shahadah – That
there is only one
God. We call him
Allah. But we all
worship the same
God
The latest Prophet of Allah was
Muhammed and we following his
teachings. They are set out in the
Qu’ran. We also believe Jesus was a
Prophet and his teachings are set out
in the Bible.
Salat tells us
we should
pray five times
a day
Zakat tells us we should give to the
poor once we have met our own
needs. So at the feast of Tobaski if we
are lucky enough to be able to buy a
ram we share the meat with families
who were not able to buy one.
Sawn tells us
once we become
adults we must
fast for the 28
days of the Holy
Month of
Ramadan
We are not able to eat or drink
from sun rise to sun set. It
reminds us what it is like to be
hungry and thirsty and to make
sure we help those who are
suffering or in need.
The fifth pillar is
Hajj. And that means
if at all possible once
in your life you go on
a pilgrimage to
Mecca.
And you pray in Kabba – The
mightiest of Mosques. Mecca is
where the Prophet Muhammed
was born and lived most of his
life.
As Muslims we study
the Qu’ran a lot. It
teaches us to be
good and kind
people and never to
hurt anyone – even
our enemies.
So you can see that Muslims,
like Christians and Catholics
and Jews try to be good
people and do God’s work on
earth