President Adama Barrow, in his Christmas message, has called for interfaith dialogue among Gambians and pledged that his government won’t allow extremism of any form “to take root” in the country.

“We are all aware of the grave distortions of religious teachings as excuse for extremism, leading to evil, social disorder, instability and loss of lives. We must not allow this to take root here.

“For our part, my Government will continue to adhere to the principles of good governance, based on justice and the rule of law without discrimination or prejudice against any citizen or any section of the Gambian nation.

“We will remain undeterred in upholding the spirit of the Constitution and the Laws of the country, while implementing the National Development Plan we have developed together as a nation to attain our development goals and aspirations.

“The dignity of the people has to be maintained through reason, dialogue and strengthening interfaith collaboration, therefore Christmas is a reminder for us to continue to propagate the true teachings of Jesus Christ.”

The president urged Gambians to continue demonstrate the tolerance and peaceful co-existence the country is known for.

“Thus, I enjoin all citizens to promote collaboration across religion and diversity in development projects, cooperate to eliminate crime and subversion, and strive to reinforce peaceful co-existence.

“We already have a solid cultural foundation to help us act and build on the values that cut across our civic, social and religious lives. We have the opportunity to tear down the barriers to peaceful coexistence, the barriers to progress and success, and the barriers to advancement as individuals and as a people with a common purpose and destiny. These opportunities must not be wasted for any reason.”