It is with great horror that we read of the tragic death of the head Imam of Kuntaur who was stabbed to death in his own house in the early hours of yesterday morning.  Amadou Jallow, 30, was reported to have been stabbed sixteen times all over his body as he was preparing to go and lead the early morning prayers at the mosque. The violence and aggression in this terrible act have horrified the population of the area and no doubt the whole country. It is gratifying to see that the police have been so swift in their response. Reports reaching The Point indicatethat three suspects have so far been arrested and are currently helping the police in their investigations. Unfortunately all that can be achieved now is that justice be served. This young man’s life can never be returned and his wife and three children will suffer the rest of their lives as a result. Anyone reading of this vile incident will be further disappointed by the fact that this is not the first case of its kind we have seen in The Gambia. Only last year another Imamship crisis took place in Farato village in Kombo South in which the incumbent Imam was stabbed several times. Fortunately in that case the Imam survived but it does not detract from the horror of the incident. 

According to Fatou Sal, wife of late Imam Jallow, her late husband had, for the past few days, been complaining of receiving text messages threatening to kill him.

This would seem to indicate that this was a calculated, premeditated act of murder.

When will this kind of terrible incident be a thing of the past? What is causing violence of this terrible kind in our community? We proclaim that all Gambians whether Muslim or Christian are peace-loving people; if this were the case then we would not see such terrible things happening. We must work to eradicate these kinds of incidents and make them a thing of the past. They have no place in a peaceful society.

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

Isaac Asimov