Abderrahmane Gaye is the second son of nine children from a strong Moslem
family. The name Abderrahmane (pronounced in its short form as Abdou) means
the servant of the Merciful.
Abdou joined the Unification church in 1980 in Mauritania his home country,
witnessed to by his class mate, Abdoulaye Wone, now a seminary alumnus (Class
of 89), when they were still in high school. His parents were not
only negative but also scared because their beloved son was treading on
dangerous grounds to abandon Islamic faith.
Mauritania is a small African Moslem state in which the tough sharia law
is highly effective. And according to sharia law, anyone found abandoning
the original (Moslem) faith for any other faith will be indicted for treasonable
felony, the punishment of which is death. Therefore his parents, devoted
and respected Moslems, had cause to worry about their beloved servant of
the Merciful who seemed to be heading into the hangmans noose.
A year later, Abdou and his spiritual father went to college on government
scholarship. Undaunted and inspired by the logic of the Divine Principle,
these two young men defied the dreaded law and began spreading the good
news of the long-expected salvation to their friends. As college students,
they lived at the center with the Japanese missionary to Mauritania who
was there not as a missionary but as a Journalist.
To compare the Bible with the Koran is regarded as sacrilegious,
Abdou said. And this they were doing to the consternation of some of their
friends who, in dread of their law, regarded their action as an abomination.
And others were also angry about these two heretics. In time, word got to
the police that there were two heretics on campus working to pollute peoples
faith in Islam. The chief of police, overwhelmed with anger, came to the
center with his assistant and several of his men, to apprehend those trying
to disturb the stability and peace of Islam in Mauritania.
Two of our friends had come to visit us that day and we were sharing
with them the D.P., using the Islamic perspective, Abdou said. Meanwhile,
policemen had surrounded their house. Abdou, his spiritual father and their
two friends were the only ones in the house. The Japanese missionary had
gone to inspect another house which they also planned to buy later. The
police Chief asked sternly, What are you people doing here?.
Trying to avoid the issue of religion, Abdou replied, We are students
living with this man (the missionary) to avoid excessive socialization with
our friends so that we can concentrate in our studies. Unsatisfied
with Abdous answer, the Chief went straight to pick out the D.P. level
4 among the many books on the shelf. This had Abdou and his friends surprised,
as they were unaware that the police had come there on information.
Holding the D.P. book like an exhibit, the Chief pointed threateningly at
them, You are here learning about Christianity? and referring
to the D.P., he thundered, This is the unification of Christianity.
It means you are no more Moslems!
They were later taken to the police station where a junior officer interrogated
them. When asked by the junior officer who is Rev. Moon, Abdou answered
that he is a great religious man. Reprimanded in custody, reports from the
police made his parents terribly upset. This was a scandal not only to the
young mens parents but to the nation. Abdou and his spiritual father
were drowned in disrepute; their scholarships were withdrawn, friends disappeared
and the Japanese fake Journalist was kicked out of the country.
After one grueling week in custody, they were brought before the police
chief who instigated fear in them to renounce their new faith or face death
according to the law. A statement of renunciation was made out and they
were forced to sign it. But let it be clear that Abdou and his spiritual
father only signed a denial on a mere piece of paper; they never renounced
their new faith.
They came out of custody with a renewed spirit, counting themselves more
worthy to continue their mission. It was like going to the bottom of hell,
being hit first by Satan, thereby creating a condition for God to claim
indemnity. The exertion of human will is powerless without the knowledge
to apply that will. Abdou and his spiritual father already had this knowledge
from the D.P. and so, to exert the will became easy.
In 1983, Abdou and his spiritual father, now united strongly in their mission,
went to Senegal to celebrate Gods Day. Senegal, a non-sectarian nation,
has a stable mission. There they met Rev. David Hose who introduce them
to Rev. Kwak. They were appointed later as missionaries to Mauritania by
Rev. Kwak who saw their determination when he visited that country. With
the financial support from the headquarters, they were able to focus well
on their mission and continue their education.
Abdou and his spiritual father began an underground movement by first witnessing
to their relatives. Abdous elder brother and two cousins, married
and well versed in Islamic studies, joined the movement with great enthusiasm.
The seriousness of his relatives helped the mission to grow later. Graduating
the same year with his spiritual father, who immediately proceeded to the
seminary, Abdou earned a Bachelors degree in French Literature and
later a Masters in African Literature at Dakar university in Senegal.
His elder brother became the national leader until now when Abdou and his
spiritual father left.
In 1989, a providential fortune spilled down when the Mauritanian government
expelled blacks to Senegal and Mali due to racial problems. Many of the
Mauritanian refugees received the D.P. and among them, 800 were blessed
in 1995. And another 4,000 of them in Mali are being prepared for next blessing.
Abdou believes that leaving his country is like, going for a period
of preparation to come back with better spiritual ability to do the mission
back home. He came to the seminary in 1994 to prepare himself for
the great task ahead. I can feel True Parents spirit here always
and walking on True Fathers trails, I feel inspired as I step on His
footprints, he said. He also concurs that the seminary is an international
place that helps us go beyond our national and racial boundaries. Abdou
will graduate this June. If I have my way, he said, I
would like to go back to my country one day because there is a lot to do
there. Blessed in 1992 to Mara from Cameroon, Abdou has twin boys.
Jones Iziomo