Africa-Press – Liberia. Liberia’s Chief Imam Sheikh Ali Krayee has criticized both the government and the Muslim community of perpetuating inequality, declaring that tribal loyalty has overshadowed Islamic unity and left Muslims marginalized in national life.
In his end-of-Ramadan message, Imam Krayee noted that “Muslims in the country are treated like second-class citizens. “While holidays are declared for events as trivial as football victories, Muslim holy days remain unrecognized. “From winning football matches, to just anything that comes in the imagination of the President. And yet, holidays for Muslims are so far-fetched.”
A History of Neglect
Krayee traced the neglect of Muslim rights back to Liberia’s civil war and the subsequent peace accords in Accra. He noted that Muslims participated in the negotiations and transitional governments but failed to press for recognition of Islamic holidays.
“Muslims were there with arms to impose their will,” he said. “If Islam were our priority, the Muslims who sat in the Executive Mansion during three transitional government periods would have ensured that holiday was declared.”
Instead, he argued, Muslim leaders pursued personal gain. “Those people were fighting, number one, for lucrative positions for themselves and their tribesmen,” Krayee said. “The struggle for Islam in this country is less important than the struggle for tribal dominance.”
Tribalism and Division
Imam Krayee ’s central theme was the corrosive effect of tribalism. He accused Muslim leaders of prioritizing ethnic identity over religious unity.
“In this country, there are three things that are a priority to the Muslims, personal interest, tribalism, and politics. Islam is not one of the three,” he declared.
He pointed to the existence of ethnically divided mosques in Monrovia. Vai, Mende, Fula, and Mandingo as evidence of entrenched divisions.
“There are mosques where even among Muslims, certain tribes take precedence and other tribes are treated as secondary people,” he said. “How can you have an Imam that is divided along ethnic lines and you think people should respect you?”
Criticism of Muslim
Imam Krayee criticized wealthy Muslims of failing to support their religious leaders, stressing that it has compromised their dignity by aligning with politicians. “As we speak, the Imams in this country are all beggars. You have your imams lining up behind non-Muslim politicians receiving bags of rice or camera. And you are not embarrassed,” he said.
Missed Opportunities
The Chief Imam cited recent efforts to demand recognition of Muslim holidays, including a 2020 in which he told the government to take their bags in demand for Muslims rights to holiday. However, he said those efforts were undermined by internal betrayal.
“We’re stabbed in the back twice by the National Munafi Council of Liberia, who came and criticized us,” Krayee said. “Instead of attacking the system that was oppressing the Muslims, denying us our rights, they attacked us.”
He argued that the failure to mobilize students, traditionally the drivers of social change, has also weakened the movement. “In most societies, revolutions are engineered by the students. But in our case, all we could get is a few likes on Facebook,” he said.
A Call to Action
Krayee insisted that change will only come when Muslims themselves prioritize their faith over tribal identity. “As long as our tribe is more important than our religion, we will remain second-class citizens in this country because tribalism will not elevate you. Fully Islam will,” he said.
He urged collective action, warning that one leader alone cannot achieve reform. “One man cannot transform society. It takes the masses of the people to rise up and seize the opportunity to bring about a change in their own condition,” he said, quoting the Quran: “Allah will never change the condition of the people until they change themselves.”
Rejecting Tribalism
He insisted that the responsibility lies not with the government but with Muslims themselves. “It is not up to the government. It is up to you and me,” he said. “If we want the holiday on this Eid al-Adha… we will have it. But that is if we are serious.”
Imam Krayee further warned against tribalism, invoking the Prophet’s teachings: “Anyone who invites people to tribalism is not one of us. Anyone who fights in the cause of tribalism is not one of us. Anyone who dies in the cause of tribalism is not one of us.”
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