Imam Baa Kawsu Fofana is the latest Islamic scholar to share his opinion on  the ongoing squabble weather or not  to extend financial assistance to commercial sex whose business has been affected due to COVID-19 . According to him, they shouldn’t be deprived of basic necessities such as food, water and medicine simply because they are night workers.

He propounded that giving humanitarian support to prostitutes doesn’t adequate to neither supporting them or what they do. He advised that the best way to support them is guide and talk them out the profession. Fofana added that Gambian Islamic scholars must learn to logically understand issues before squelching into conclusion

“You must be enlightened enough to know that helping sex workers do not necessarily translate into having carnal knowledge of them. So, are you saying that hospitals and the MRC should not offer treatment to sex workers because if they recover, they will revert to prostitution?” the imam questioned.

“Could you say don’t give food and water to prostitutes because if you do, they’ll prostitute themselves?” He equally added that it’s odious sowe scholars talking about issues they have little or no knowledge about.

“Scholars should use reason in their arguments and must look at all sides of issues before vilifying each other. The money is not from an Islamic fund. It’s a mundane issue and nobody is soliciting the opinions of any scholar here,” Ba Kawsu articulated.

Imam Fofana vehemently believed that the best way scholars could assist sex workers is by finding ways and means to reform them and get them back to society.

 

By: Fatoumatta Samateh