By Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi
MASAKA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: Masaka city and Masaka, Lwengo and Kalungu leaders are in a two day workshop at Maple Leaf Hotel in Masaka City attending a Government Officials’ Training On Preventing/ Countering of Violent Extremism.
It is geared towards strengthening resilience against violent extremist project in the sub region. It is organized by Uganda Muslim Youth Development Forum (UMYDF) AND Creative Learning (CL).
The training is timely as Greater Masaka sub region has been hit in the past by insecurity in forms of machete men that were cutting innocent people to pieces, but which is now a thing of the past.
Masaka has also been a recruitment ground for Allied Democratic Forces rebels (ADF) right from the beginning, where Kyazanga sub county in Lwengo District, was almost the nucleus, with neighborhoods like Kaalububbu trading center in Mitete Sub County, Mawogola South , Ssembabule District.
According to the testimonies that have been given by the participants, it is wrong to claim that ADF is a Muslim organization when at Kaalububbu, one of its nucleus, there was a clash between Salaf Muslims and non Salaf Muslims as the Salafs had taken a radical extreme and later violent line and in the end, Muslims and other village mates of all faiths, destroyed the Salaf mosque.
According to the Sub County Chief of Mateete, Emmanuel Lubega, who is now an elder in Kinoni Town Council Lwengo District, Salafs had labeled non Salafs as kaffirs and could not play behind or with them, and could not eat meat from animals slaughtered by non Salaf Muslims. Their only butcher was in Kyazanga owned and run by fellow Salafs.
Yet at the peak of Muslims’ conflicts between Old Juma Sect Bukoto Nateete and Juma and Zukuri Sect Kyaddondo in 1920s, they never reached to that level. At reconciliation meeting at Old Kampala convener Kabaka Daudi Chwa II asked whether each was eating meat from cows slaughtered from another, and they nodded. He asked whether they could pray together, they nodded. Whether they inter marry, they all nodded.
Mzee Emmanuel was responding to a statement made by one who quoted one of the leaders as saying that all Muslims are potential terrorists. The resource person said that she did not agree with the leader and said that according to National census, Muslims are 14 percent in Uganda and if they are all radical, extremist and violent, then the entire country will be terrorized. “The radical extremist and violent group is just a small faction,” the lady said.
She and participants also talked about other terrorist groups like Lord’s Resistance Army under Joseph Kony which used God’s 10 Commandments mixing in with Acholi culture but the rebellion was never called Roman Catholic and all Roman Catholics were not seen as potential terrorists.
They also mentioned Kibwetere group and the Dooms Day Sect based in Kanungu, which was a break away from Roman Catholic Church, but were not labeled Roman Catholics.
Another clash was, when one of the participants complained that Muslims are targeted over ADF terrorist activities. One of the resource persons answered back saying that since ADF is predominantly Muslims, suspects have to be mostly Muslims, but if they are found to be innocent, they released, and if they are implicated, all along have been given amnesty but have misused it and returned to the rebellion. Even after Kanungu incident in 2000 most of the suspects arrested were Roman Catholics,” the resource person said.
Then, another wondered whether in the doctrine of Islam, non-Muslims are pagans and it is justifiable to kill them, and if one kills, then he is rewarded in Haven. This was dismissed as the Holy Qur’an talks about People of the Book i.e. Jews and Christians, who belong to Abrahamic religions, as Prophet Abaraham is the ancestor of all the believers in the living God.
Shariah, whose primary source is the Qur’an and Hadiths (Traditions) of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), are full of spiritual relationship between Muslims and Allah, and physical and moral relationship between Muslims in the community of both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, where good neighborliness is emphasized.
Another participant wondered whether USA and Israel are not the creators of Islamic State which they tended to use to crush Arab nation states like Syria, Iraq and Libya, and they are now using it in DR Congo in order to loot minerals from the Congo basin, and may not be happy with the ongoing operation by UPDF that has started bearing fruits.
He also wondered why Jamil Mukulu, the ADF top head now on remand in Luzira prison, could be on a list of international terrorists, but had a home in Scotland. But the resource persons said that we should not use excuses of external funding but should put our societies in order starting with our own homes and families where there should be tolerance gender, political, religious, culture among others.
At the end of this workshop, participants are expected to be good and peaceful mujahedeen and crusaders who are not using swords against one another but joining efforts for community development and using the opportunity of government poverty alleviation programs like Emyooga and Parish Development model, to be from government service delivery regardless of political affiliation, faith or ethnicity in a tolerant multi religious and multi-cultural society.
Baganda say: Agaly’awamu, ge galuma ennyama (united we stand).
Haji Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi is a veteran journalist and Deputy Resident City Commissioner Masaka City. Contact: 256-756/772-836537; Email:hajiahmedkateregga2016@gmail.com
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