The constitution provides every person the right to practice any religion, as long as doing so does not impinge on the rights of others or on the national interest. The constitution prohibits religious discrimination, the establishment of a state religion, and religiously-based political parties. On July 25, President Yahya Jammeh stated, “The Gambia will become a truly Islamic country, and the constitution shall be the Quran.” In December 2015 President Jammeh had declared the country to be an Islamic state, a measure which opposition parties and others continued to oppose. Approximately 12 Christian youth were arrested in June following a statement by the inspector general on June 7 that music, drumming, and dancing would not be tolerated during Ramadan. The individuals were released 24 hours later. Three imams who were arrested without explanation by the National Intelligence Agency in October 2015 remained in detention at the end of the year despite a court order for the release of one of the imams – Alhagie Ousman Sawaneh. The Supreme Islamic Council (SIC), a government-sponsored religious council tasked with providing Islamic religious guidance but with no legal mandate to regulate religious groups, continued to ban the Ahmadi Muslim community from airing religious programs on the government-owned Gambia Radio and TV Station (GRTS), and on all public and private radio stations. On January 4, President Jammeh issued an executive decree requiring female government employees to wear headscarves to work, but the decree was revoked a week later after much attention and some criticism from international media and opposition parties.
There was some evidence of growing intolerance between the Tablighi and Sufi Muslim communities which sources said was due to a divergence of opinions on Islamic schools of thought. The Tablighi stated that they were frequently condemned by some Sufi Muslims and labeled as “extremists” or “fundamentalists” by the Sufis. Some Sufi Muslims refused to send their children to Islamic schools where teachers were known to be affiliated with Tablighi practices. Some Muslims who sought to convert to Christianity in connection with marriage reported hostility from Muslim neighbors and family members. The Interfaith Group for Dialogue and Peace, composed of representatives from the Muslim, Christian, and Bahai communities, met regularly to discuss matters of mutual concern, such as religious freedom and the need for peaceful coexistence.
The U.S. embassy discussed the need to maintain religious tolerance with ministers of government, regional governors, and members of the National Assembly. On June 24, the U.S. embassy hosted an iftar during which the Ambassador encouraged participants, representing Muslims, Christians, Eckankars, and Bahais, to maintain religious tolerance and to consider the critical importance of religious freedom to the development of peaceful communities. The Ambassador urged religious leaders and their congregations to continue their interfaith dialogue and to maintain the country’s tradition of religious tolerance. Embassy officials met representatives of the SIC, the Ahmadi Muslim Jama’at, individual regional Muslim mosques, and leaders of the Catholic, Bahai, and Methodist missions during a countrywide tour and discussed various religious issues, including the possible application of sharia on all residents of the country.