By Amadou Manjang
Imam Muhammadou Touray in his Friday sermon at the mosque in Bakoteh Moyorfield has preached against the use of kush drug in the country. The sermon condemned kush among harmful drugs claiming the lives and health of many young Gambians.
Imam Touray told his congregation that they all need to be vigilant in the fight against kush drugs. He called on parents and guardians to protect their children from the dangers of drugs, saying Islam tasked them to prevent their families and relatives from using harmful substances like kush.
Meanwhile, he called on the youth to learn skills and professions to benefit themselves rather than engage in drug abuse. He said drug abuse will not benefit them (the youth), adding that it affects both drug abusers and society.
‘If our youth are dying and it is nothing that kills them but kush drug, where are we heading? If all our youth are killed by kush who will take over the country in the future,’ he asked his silent congregation.
He further said youth learn skills and professions to develop the country rather than engaging in drug abuse because Gambians are daily crying about poverty in the country.
‘Youth fear God, be patient and work hard to develop the country because you are the future leaders,’ he told the youth present.
He further called on people to be vigilant and be community police in their societies to report kush drug sellers and users to the relevant authorities. He believes they should not be given any place to operate in society.
‘If you see anyone selling kush drug, please report him/her to the security forces whether the person is your friend, relative, or family member. They are nothing but destroyers of lives and you should not protect them,’ he said.
He preached that God prohibits killing. He said stabbing someone is not the only thing that makes one a killer; selling or distributing anything that kills equally makes one a killer. He added that those who are taking kush are committing suicide.
‘Those who bring kush drug and those who sell it are all murderers because they are all contributing to taking innocent lives and they all receive the same punishment under the shariah law which is hellfire in the day of judgment,’ he preached.
The imam further preached and condemned the trade or selling of cigarettes, cannabis, kush, or any drug sustenance harmful to people. He strongly condemned the presence of kush drugs.
‘Kush is killing our children, our youth, and our future leaders of this country, stop selling it,’ he stressed.
He added that all those who participate in this harmful trade will be punished by God because they are corrupting and destroying lives sanctioned by God. Life is sacrosanct, he said, calling on the youth to stop taking substances that will destroy their lives.
He said it is disheartening that Gambian youths are taking drugs that are claiming their lives, adding that any life lost saddens him because it is the lives of the future leaders of the country.
‘We need to protect our young people,’ he said.
