By A. Omaska Jallah

Monrivia, Liberia- May 24, 2020: The National Chief Imam of Liberia, Ali Krayee is craving the indulgence of the government of Liberia for Islamic National Holiday to be celebrated throughout the country.

Giving his Ramadan sermon to fellow Muslims at the climaxed of the Ramadan prayer at the Benson Street Mosque, Chief Krayee said the Islamic Community in Liberia appreciates the government and other well-meaning Liberians for all the kind gesture and the bags of rice but will not allow the injustice of perpetual denial of Muslims rights to be begin celebrating Islamic holidays in Liberia.

Imam Krayee said with the appreciation of gestures from the government and other well-meaning Liberians, the Muslims of Liberia are no longer interested in in gifts without allowing Muslims to begin celebrating Islamic National Holidays “no…we don’t want bags of rice, we want our rights, we want holidays.”
The National Chief Imam of Liberia said Liberia cannot be the only country in West Africa where Muslims do not have holidays, drawing dominant Islamic County like Mali, Guinea and Senegal as an example, where the Muslims majority allowed the Christians minority to have their Christmas and Easter as holidays.

He said Muslims in Liberia are growing out of patient, despite they have being very peaceful, calling on his Christians counterpart in the religious leadership to stand up to the true meaning of the teaching of Jesus Christ which said “do unto others as you will have them do unto you,” pointing that they should also do unto the Muslims in Liberia as it is done unto Christians of Guinea, Mali and Senegal.
He said the Muslims will not continue to craw on their knees to beg what legitimately theirs’ in this country.
He said the crisis of acknowledging Islamic holidays was never created by this government, “this government did not start segregation against Muslims in this country, it is something that started since 1847.”

He acknowledged that the last past government have tried, noting that President William V.S. Tubman constructed the Benson Street Mosque and as such, he was highly in favor of the Islamic Community, “we also recognized the effort of President William R. Tolbert for the building of Mosques in Ganta, Nimba and Zwedrew In Grand Gedeh Counties respectively.”

mam Krayee maintained that President Charles Taylor was also much more instrumental in sending Muslims to Hajj to perform the pilgrimage, adding that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf appointed Muslim as Chaplain at the Supreme Court and President George Weah also appointed Islamic Religious Advisor and constructed billboards, extending happy EID Mubarak message to Muslims as an encouragement for the religion “but please, this don not serve to quench the aspiration of Muslims of this country that have long being yearning for equality in terms of holidays and their people are continuing to wonder why is that Christians are not giving bags of rice, during Easter and Christmas, but Muslims are getting bags of rice during Ramadan.

At the same time, Imam Krayee has said they will continue to talk, corona virus has thought everybody one thing and that is united and for all to be united, there has to be justice for all and that there cannot be justice in the midst of global fight “so we called on our people, the Christian leadership, the government and all the political leaders in the to recognize that this nation is trawling a very dangerous path “we are not threatening anything, but our people are very impatient.”

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