Imam Abdoulie Fatty has accepted a televised debate with Imam Baba Leigh on the contentious traditional practice of female genital mutilation.

Imam Baba Leigh has said the deep-rooted practice is “unreligious” while challenging religious leaders defending it to bring up evidence-based proof that the practice is religious and healthy.

However, Imam Fatty has been one of the religious leaders who have been championing the practice as religious obligation, despite a national ban which attracts at least three years jail sentence and a hefty fine of 50,000 dalasis.

QSTV who are facilitating the debate between the two renowned Imams told Gambiana that Imam Fatty has already accepted their invitation to face his counterpart on a televised platform to debate on the issue of female genital mutilation.

”We are pleased that Imam Abdoulie Fatty has graciously accepted our invitation, and we eagerly await Imam Baba Leigh’s response. We eagerly urge Baba Leigh to consider our invitation to participate in this dialogue,” they said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba