[ad_1]
If we go back to the singer Julien Jouga (1931-2001), who composed a now famous cover song “Lambi wa fass”? Why not think of paying tribute to Cheikh Ameth Tidiane, the founder of the Tijaniyya Sufi Muslim Brotherhood? It must be a good time to remember this man from a musical family in Diola, who was trained in Gregorian chant at a young age. At a time when this debate is deepening and needs to be broken more than ever, our thoughts inevitably turn to this defender of Islamic-Christian dialogue. The recent exit of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has been debated for days. On the occasion of the celebration of excellence, the head of government spoke about the issue of wearing the veil in places where the religious beliefs of Muslims are different from those of Muslims, while answering a question from one of the winners of the 2024 general competition. For Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, “our model is based on secularism. But it is a secularism that is deeply religiously oriented. She does not exclude religion. We believe that we need to institutionalize and adopt our budget plan. We know that the Dara issue is a concern for our country. Outside Senegal, people have their own models and apply them. In our country, we have our own and we want to be respected. We live in a tolerant country and as Muslims we have our own model. We will no longer accept in Senegal and in any institution that our children are prohibited from going to school because they wear the veil. We have this responsibility! All children are equal and must have equal opportunities before the Republic.” The Prime Minister’s remarks caused an outcry even within the Catholic Church.
Abbot André Latyr Ndiaye opened the hostilities with a “salty” letter of 1520 characters, which left indifferent not only the pimps of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, but also the religious community. In his speech, the churchman recalled that “private Catholic schools are polite: they train and produce executives, very polite, very cultured elites for Senegalese society and the whole world! You have evidence of this every day: your partners and some of your ministers or general managers. A private Catholic school is an institution like all other private schools. You do not criticize an institution in public; one does not speak to an institution in a threatening tone. Moreover, the level of social networks was not calm, with some considering this outing of the abbot inappropriate and indecent, while others applauded the “warning” to avoid the topic. Guy Marius Sagna, El Malick Ndiaye and Amadou Ba de Pastef all expressed their caution not to “add fuel to the fire”. The State will for now refrain from engaging in religious criticism” (Cheikh Anta Diop, Black State and Culture, African Presence, 1954 2013, p. 23), writes a deputy close to Ousmane Sonko, inviting us to focus on the main points. The main one is the wise activism that the Senegalese president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, his prime minister and all the new deputy who replaced Birame Soulèye Diop are talking about in the government. Sometimes it is called “not to exacerbate certain controversies, which only distract us from important issues. »
We must know how to accept and ignore it, because it is not just a temporary strategy, but a sign of political maturity. No one can stop the controversy, writes Amadou Bâ, a member of the Bastaf party, but everyone can prevent it from spreading through restraint and patience. While all these outings are triggered by these inflammatory lines from Father André Latier Ndiaye, who reminds Ousmane Sankoh that a true Pan-Africanist would not ignore or trample on the art of oratory, the rules and virtues of dialogue under the negotiation tree, other actors always sound the alarm to protect the common life that Senegal cherishes so much. Common life is also a concern of the missionary Oustaz Alioune Sall. In a video that has gone viral due to the sensitivity of the subject raised, the missionary gives his opinion, calling on all parties to exercise restraint, especially in respecting the rules set by the community. “You can’t register your children in an institution and ignore the regulations that apply,” says Oustaz Alioune Sall, who is joined by Bishop André Guèye of Thiès.
We must already find a balance between controversy and threats to social cohesion. It is imperative to first understand each other. Questioned on this issue by colleagues of Le Observer, sociologist Mamadou Wangen believes that the reactions of the prime minister and the abbot are still clumsy. “The reactions of the prime minister and Father Ndiaye are clumsy. The prime minister is a populist. To understand this, we have to go to Latin America, where we see the icons of populism, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara. They have the same behaviour, the same gestures, the same way of wanting to irritate others. Father Ndiaye’s reaction was also a knee-jerk reaction, because he could have tried to see how he could try to sit around and discuss to solve this problem, instead of wanting to ridicule him or infantilize him. It is not a good reaction. » These reactions, he believes, must stop. “It is not easy to stop Ousmane Sonko because it is his nature, he likes what we call logic. »
The National Catholic Education Office and the National Laity Council expressed outrage at the prime minister’s remarks.
It is noteworthy that in Senegal, the atmosphere of conviviality that strengthens the enduring bonds between ethnic groups and religions is one of the nourishing sources of the Senegalese exception. The religious principles of Islam and Christianity, in the sense of traditional values, have contributed greatly to the socialization of peace and the dynamic construction of a good life together. This alchemy of endogenous and exogenous values of difference, coming together as a whole, makes the dialogue between Islam and Christianity unique. Whatever the analysis of the Prime Minister’s exit, the divergent opinions must always guide us to preserve this heritage that has never distinguished between Muslims and Christians. What binds us together remains stronger…
[ad_2]
Source link
