As Salamu Alaykum Peace be upon you

Hallo and greetings from everyone at Kabafita Lower Basic School. How are you all? We are back at school now after a long summer break and extra time off to celebrate Tobaski.

The rainy season has almost finished and it is very hot these days. The water melons are now in season. They are delicious to eat especially when you are thirsty.

We are all very worried about the ebola virus. It is not in the Gambia yet. But in countries like Sierra Leone and Guinea that are close by. We hope they find a cure soon.

We also worry you might be getting the wrong impression of Muslims because of the wicked things some terrorists are doing. People like the Islamic state fighters in Iraq and Syria and Boko haram are just wicked people and spoil the good name of Muslims

The Muslim religion teaches us to be kind and tolerant people. 85 percent of the population of Gambia are Muslims. Because Britain once ruled The Gambia the other 15 percent are Christians and we live happily side by side. Christmas and Easter are public holidays and are celebrated by all as are the Muslim festivals of Koriteh and Tobaski

There are five important pillars on which being a good Muslim is built So please can we tell you a little bit about the Muslim Faith and how its teachings and rules make sure we are good people

The first is Shahadah – That there is only one God. We call him Allah. But we all worship the same God The latest Prophet of Allah was Muhammed and we following his teachings. They are set out in the Qu’ran. We also believe Jesus was a Prophet and his teachings are set out in the Bible.

Salat tells us we should pray five times a day Zakat tells us we should give to the poor once we have met our own needs. So at the feast of Tobaski if we are lucky enough to be able to buy a ram we share the meat with families who were not able to buy one.

Sawn tells us once we become adults we must fast for the 28 days of the Holy Month of Ramadan We are not able to eat or drink from sun rise to sun set. It reminds us what it is like to be hungry and thirsty and to make sure we help those who are suffering or in need.

The fifth pillar is Hajj. And that means if at all possible once in your life you go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. And you pray in Kabba – The mightiest of Mosques. Mecca is where the Prophet Muhammed was born and lived most of his life.

As Muslims we study the Qu’ran a lot. It teaches us to be good and kind people and never to hurt anyone – even our enemies. So you can see that Muslims, like Christians and Catholics and Jews try to be good people and do God’s work on earth