Majmouat Rawdatul Majaalis, a Muslim group, is demanding fair treatment after one of its members was arrested for allegedly “directing derogatory remarks” at Imam Abdoulie Fatty.

The incident was reported to have happened last week in Jarra Sutukung and a man identified as Ahmad Sillah is confirmed by the group to have been arrested and bailed. 

The group’s spokesman Aboubakar Jabbie told Gambiana in an exclusive interview that the group was being treated unfairly by the police. 

“We need justice, a simple justice. Our leader was insulted the same way Imam Fatty was insulted and they treated us very differently,” Mr Jabbie said. 

He added: “we want justice so that these insults and threats among Muslims to stop in this country. 

“We want both of them to be prosecuted for that we stand in front of justice, no one is above the law.”

He however described the police arrest as ‘not civil at all’ explaining that “two trucks loaded with paramilitary personnel came to arrest that person like a criminal.”

According to him, two CID officers went to arrest the man and that the police told him “now we came to arrest you but you have to wait because we came with a motorcycle but our colleagues are coming to pick you up to (take you to) Mansakonko police station.

“Because it happened to us by one of these groups call Sunni. Alieu Fatty insulted our leader the new Supreme Islamic Council head Sheriff Nano Hydara (with) very, very nasty words and we took the matter to Brusubi police station.

“But we saw more than 300 youths coming to support that man and they told the police ‘if you detain this boy here, tonight we will burn the police station’, and they released him,” Mr Jabbie said.

“And up to now we want that case to be in court so that we will stand in front of a magistrate for them to give us our rights,” he said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba