Taylor Entangled in Religious Conflict

The Political Leader of the former ruling National Patriotic Party or NPP appears to be seriously entangled in a religious conflict ahead of next year’s presidential and representative elections. Her role in efforts to make Liberia a Christian State may not have gone down well with some members of the Islamic Faith.

Senator Taylor, who’s appeared yesterday on the Prime Morning Driver on Prime F.M in Monrovia to discuss the issue, was opposed by many callers from the Muslim Community for her role in attempting to make Liberia a Christian state through legislation.

A caller identified as Mohammed, described the Bong County Senator as a leader who cannot be an alternative in the 2017 presidential election, owing to her full participation in the submission of the bill before the Legislature to make Liberia a Christian state.

“A good leader should not be the one to take side or wrongly advise some Liberian citizens on things that wouldn’t give this nation a good face on the international front; Senator Taylor’s action to silent Muslims was an approval of the kind of leader she would be when elected in 2017,” Mohammed of Newport Street said.

Another caller from the Muslim community pointed out that during the just-ended senatorial election, Senator Taylor was seen everywhere in the Muslim community in Bong County begging for votes, but was now attempting to silence the Muslim votes that elected her as senator.

“We, the Muslims of this Country, will make sure that come 2017, Madam Taylor will not taste anymore power in this Country; we will mobilized our people and make sure that any political party that collaborates with senator Taylor is also defeated,” a caller from the Muslim community vowed.

It can be recalled that recently, the political of the opposition Movement for Progressive Change or MPC, Simeon Freeman, admonished Muslims to organize an Islamic conference to settle their differences, following which they could also select one of their kinds to serve as his vice running-mate on an MPC ticket.

According to Mr. Freeman, his recommendation was against the backdrop of the divisiveness in the Muslim community. He indicated that during the debate following the submission of the Christian state bill to the Legislature for passage into law, influential and wealthy Muslims did not express any resentment or position because they were only concerned about what they could get from the “government of the day” for personal aggrandizement.

“There is a need for Muslims to rise up from their slumber, otherwise the Freemasons that controlled the county before the 1980s and currently, will continue to do so at the detriment of your over 300,000 votes and population,” Freeman warned.

“you have powers that we Christians don’t have – that is, you bear more children than us (Christians); so, if only you all can come together and align yourselves with one political arrangement, your voice will not only be heard, but respected in this country,” he said.

But Senator Taylor, in response, noted that every Liberian like her has his or her view on issues that matter most to the Country.

By Ben P. Wesee-Edited by George Barpeen