During Jum’ah Prayer on Friday 22 March, two Imams fought in a Mosque, forcing the congregation to scramble out for safety.

A truck loaded with Police officers later arrived at the scene, closed the mosque and took the two Sheiks along with them for questioning.

That happened in the East of Freetown at Masjid Thawuba, a Mosque at Macaulay Street opposite Kissy Market, Shell.

The Jama’ah of Thawuba Mosque were forced to continue their Jumah prayer elsewhere following the brawl between the Chief Imam, Alhaji Tejan Kamara and Shek Ibrahim, his Deputy. “Go and find another mosque for today,” one of the police officers told the large crowd waiting to continue prayer in the Mosque.

The wrangle began after Kamara, the Chief Imam arrived in the Mosque and violently snatched up the microphone from his Deputy who was then preaching to the Jama’ah, Mohamed Lamin Kargbo, an eyewitness and a member of the Mosque told Concord Times.

“This is the first to see what I saw happening in this Mosque during prayer,” Abdul Karim another eyewitness reacted.

It’s the Holy Month of Ramadan and it was Friday, a significant day and period in Islam, obligatory for all Muslims to observe holy and peacefully. It’s a time when Muslim believers fast, gather, seek forgiveness and blessings and draw closer to Allah (God). “I felt too bad,” Mohamed Lamin said “This is Friday and the Imams are behaving this way. They are trying to destroy Islam in the community.”

In previous Ramadan months, he said the Imams share the days of the month in which each of them leads the Jama’ah for prayer. Each Imam usually has 10 days per turn. You pray with the people for 10 days, you step back and allow your colleague until your turn comes back.

According to Mohamed Lamin, it was the Deputy Imam’s turn, but he was disallowed by the Chief Imam, leading to the brawl.