Sheikhs should explain “ribba” .

By Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi

Masaka-Uganda/Newsday: President Yoweri Museveni, in his new year message, cautioned  Muslims against shying from government poverty  alleviation programs, on excuses of having “ribaa” (usury) and said that most of them are grants which are not paid back and where it is paid back, it is a revolving fund with a very little or no interest.

The President cited programs like Operation Wealth Creation where coffee and  other seedlings are distributed free of charge.

Even under Emyoga, there was a clash in the RDCs workshop at Hotel Brovad in Masaka last year when Secretary to Treasury Ramadhan Gobbi was saying that they were interest free, and Presidential Senior/Special Advisor/ Assistant on Greater Masaka, Justine Nameere said that there was some interest around 10 percent paid back in SACCOs.

Eventually, this was harmonised as money for administration. Even in Islamic Banking,  lender and borrower share profits and losses .

Other than Emyoga, where government injects in 30 million shillings in every constituency every year, and this time, it has injected in additional 20 million shillings, and in Greater Masaka alone, according to State Minister for Micro Finance, Haruna Kasolo, 12 billion have been injected in, where Masaka City has benefited with 1.2 billion shillings, the rest like OWC, Youth Livelihood, Women Development  Fund, that were based at districts, will now be based at muluka under Parish Development Model. 120 million shillings have already been injected in this financial year, and it will be the same if not more every financial year, following the five year  National Development Plan 3, and 2021-2026 NRM Manifesto.

On Monday January 03rd 2022, wee have been in a half  day i anti radicalisation and violent  axtremism workshop  at Court Lane Hotel Masaka.

It was organised by Redeemer Community Development Initiative .

Theme: Using women as agents of DE radicalisation and preventing Violent Extremism.

Participants included  Political, security, traditional and religious leaders, men and women. Unfortunately, the organisers did not invite media.

As participants, we have resolved to continue sensitising our communities against  any extremism be political, religious, social or cultural.

This is because we have discovered that some of us grew up with political, religious and crural prejudices like Karamajong who believed that all cows belong to them and hence had a right to invade their neighbors and reclaim them.

We have cautioned young people against being recruited in terrorism activities like ADF.The main targets bring Muslims especially Al Salafiyya, and of late, Balokole in Born Again churches . Parents should guard their children and should be careful with free education provided by some NGOs as their children will end up as child soldiers, prostitutes or homosexuals

We have resolved to go to the comminities and mobize them to join legitimate programs including govt ones like Emyoga and Parish Development Model.

Muslim clerics should explain what is ribaa (usury) as some say that any profit not more than 15 percent is not usury.

Government programs are less than 15 percent and hence eligible to Muslims.

Over the weekend, l organised an annual dues (prayer) fir my late paternal grand father Zuliarabi Idi Dungu Mukasa Kimera at Nnambiriizi in Mawogola, Ssembabule District on Friday December 1st . I also attended that for my paternal uncle in law Mustafa Kasusse at Kankalange on Sunday 2nd January.

On both ocasions, l challenged Ullamae (Islamic clerics) to explain to Umma (Muslim Community) whether interest not more than 15 is not ribaa so that Muslim men and women, d and young, like other citizens, participate and benefit on government programs.

I recalled the claim that when Muslims were called upon to acquire private Mailo estates during 1900 land bonanza, many shows away saying that “Edduniya ya Mungu tegabanwa” (Land belongs to God and should not be shared by individuals) and hence lagged behind as far as land ownership is concerned until much later when they were given 10 square miles; Six Sq.Mls for Uganda Muslim Community Juma and Zukuri Sect Kyaddondo, and four Sq. Mls.for Africa Muslim Community Juma Sect Bukoto Nateete. On such land are good schools like Nabisunsa, Kabukunge, Kaddugala, Mbuulire, Bukyolo, Bwala etc…

A similar duwa was also at the home of a late “Mujungute” (Those who participated in religious wars in 1890s), my paternal great grand father, Asumani Mawanda Gunsiriiza Tabula Banaanyizza  at Bukesa, Ng’ando in Butambala, fir my late paternal uncle, Sheikh Muhammad Bulenzi Kateregga. I missed that one, but while Asumani Mawanda was a Muslim fighter, his brother Nyansi Bulenzi Kasajja was a Catholic fighter. Before the wars, they were living harmony at Kisawo near Bukulula in Kalungu and after the war, Mawanda settled in Butambala and Kasajja settled in Mawogola but they reintegrated and that is why, my grand father shifted to Mawogola.

In our Kateregga Luguma lineage at Bukakkata in Buddu, we are predominantly Roman Catholic but with strong Anglican and Muslim minorities, and of late, we have Balokole.

Hence one can not recruit me in a religious war against my relatives, or in – laws. With such inter Religious and inter ethnic marriages, none can win a sectarian war.

Back to fighting radicalisation and violent extremism, no community,be gender, age group  should  be left out of government programs. Sheikhs, priests , pastors, traditional leaders like Saza, Gombolola, Muluka and Batongole chiefs should mobilize their following to embrace those programs  and benefit from them.

There is a wrong conception that Islamic banking is for Muslims. It is not. It is interest free for all the people regardless of religion and is popular in Europe. Parliament of Uganda  operationalized it and it is upon Bank of Uganda to set up a College of experts to implement it.

Even traditionalists should mobilize Lubaale worshippers to benefit economically and socially, in all these programs  because they are all citizens and they  end extremist acts like human sacrifice. Not all of them but some who practice it.

Since we are in a post electoral season, politucal  leaders should stop being partisan as poverty and backwardness knows no colour, race, religion, ethnicity or party affiliation. We should all pool together (Harambee) to borrow from the late President of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

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