The comments made by the founder of the Gambia Action Party (GAP) Musa Yali Batchilly towards the independent candidate Essa Mbye Faal have been flagged as hate speech by the Malagen media monitoring desk. Speaking at an NPP political rally, he labeled Faal as Ahmadis, declared him an enemy of Prophet Muhammed and called on his fellow Serahule tribes’ people to deny him their vote.

Context

Musa Yali Batchilly is the founder of one of the many new political parties, the Gambia Action Party (GAP). He holds the title of party leader and Secretary General. However, he has been suspended from the party earlier this month when he publicly backed President Adama Barrow as the party prepared for nomination. GAP eventually formed an alliance with opposition Gambia Democratic Party (GDC)

Ahmadiyya constitutes less than 1 percent of Gambia’s population, according to the 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom. Those who belong to the faith have been under constant isolation by the Sunni majority which constitutes 95 percent of the population of the Gambia.

Batchilly, who left his party to throw his weight behind the incumbent Adama Barrow recently was speaking at the NPP’s rally on Wednesday, 17th November 2021 in Baja Kunda, in Wuli, Upper River Region ahead of the presidential election. 

What did Batchilly say? 

Speaking in Serahuli language, interpreted for the audience in Mandinka, Batchilly said: “The independent candidate Essa Fall is finished because he goes against the prophet. He’s Ahmadiyya. With all his activities around the country, he’s being sponsored by the Ahmadiyya. Gambians and Soninke [Serahuli] should know that the independent candidate Essa Faal is an enemy to the prophet and you don’t give him your votes. His problem is that he claims he is educated, he traveled around the world, yet he was complaining about the vehicle saga as the richest man in The Gambia. He goes to the Ahmadiyya and claimed he is a Muslim leader.”

Analysis – why is it hate speech 

In analysing the speech by Mr. Batchilly, the following considerations have been made:

1.  Status and influence: Batchilly may not be in the league of the most influential politicians in the country. But as a founder and leader of a political party, he holds a degree of political influence and power that cannot be underestimated.
2.  Falsity of his claims: It should be noted that this is not the first time that Essa Faal has been labeled by opponents as belonging to the Ahmadi Muslim sect. However, Essa has repeatedly denied the claim that he belongs to the Ahmadiyya faith; that he does not belong to ‘this group or that group’. He describes himself as a simple Muslim.
3. This is hate speech: By calling on Gambians, especially his Serahule tribes people to not for Essa Faal because he is an Ahmadi, Bachilly is clearly advocating for hatred, hostility and discrimination against an individual (Essa Faal) on the basis on his religion. His speech contains the constitutive elements of hate speech.
4. A persecuted minority: The Ahmadiyya Muslim group is one of the most persecuted religious minority groups in the country. Political leaders and mainstream religious leaders have openly and publicly advocated for violence, hatred and discrimination against them. Comments made by Batchilly have the potential to reinforce the hatred and violence constantly being advocated against the group. More worrying is that the president, his ministers, religious leaders and many other powerful and influential people were in attendance and none of them made attempts to rebut Bachilly’s comments.
5.  The publicity generated: The speech was live-streamed and has generated more than 600 views on YouTube as of November 22.  The comments were made at a rally attended by thousands of supporters of the NPP and their allies. The comment has the potential to cause grievance against Essa Faal by the country’s majority of Muslims members.