Muslim leaders demand opening of mosques

Muslims leaders have demanded immediate opening of four mosques closed by the government and faulted the ongoing security operation in Mombasa County.

And as the leaders spoke in Nairobi yesterday, Majengo and Kisauni areas of Mombasa were ghost towns after local Muslims heeded police warnings not to visit the controversial mosques for Friday prayers.

As noon approached, most parts of Mombasa town were isolated as crowds avoided the areas due to fears of violent confrontations with police.

 Both Muslims and non-Muslims closed down their businesses and stayed indoors as police placed the two areas under lock-down with heavy security presence.

 At some point during the day, there was a brief confrontation between some youths and police in Majengo but the officers contained the situation.

 There has been strong protests from local Muslim leaders in Mombasa following the closure of Musa, Sakina mosques in Majengo and Swafaa and Mina Mosques in Kisauni.

 In Nairobi, legislators told the government to engage them in addressing the issue of radicalisation in the region, adding that everybody has a right to worship.

Speaking at Parliament Buildings yesterday, they warned that if the government failed to open the mosques, they will hold a meeting on Sunday to deliberate on the next course of action.

“The closure of mosques is contrary to the constitution, which provides for the freedom to worship. As leaders, we are concerned with the government’s actions targeting places of worship,” said Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow. Led by senators Omar Hassan (Mombasa) and Kerrow (Mandera) and eight legislators, the leaders singled out the country’s intelligence system, which they argued has failed to discharge its duties.

Real criminals

“Profiling of youth, leaders and now mosques appears to not yield any fruit, no solution is forthcoming, It is high time the government brought us on board. Using might is not the best way to address the security challenges,” said Kerrow.

 He took a swipe at the security intelligence agencies, which they accused of rounding up youths, instead of going for the real culprits.

 He added,” It doesn’t make sense that raids are done at night and we are shown weapons recovered in the day. No one sleeps in the mosques. Police should do things right.”

 Fatma Ibrahim (Wajir County MP) admitted that as much as threats to terrorism are real, she regretted the intelligence department has continued to slumber instead of identifying the real criminals.

 “What we are seeing is failure in intelligence, where people and mosques are profiled without proper evidence,” she said.

She called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to step in and direct his officers to carryout a thorough job instead of harassing Muslims.

Harrassing Muslims

 Senator Hassan, Ali Wario (Bura) and other MPs urged the government to deal with the matter without harassing Muslims.

 “The government should change its policies as its present action amounts to profiling the community. The constitution guarantees rights to suspects and the rest of the public. Rounding up and detaining suspects over the 24 hours is infringing on their rights,” Hassan argued.

He also faulted the judiciary, which he accused of perpetrating protracted detentions, contrary to the law and urged Chief Justice Willy Mutunga to ensure all suspected are treated as per the law.

 Wario also called on sobriety in handling the sensitive matter. “This strategy is informed by ignorance. Let the law take its cause. The government should go for the culprits and not blanket condemnation,” he said.

Muslim clerics and human rights groups have also condemned the raids, which they say will only reinforce feelings that police are targeting the entire Muslim community in Mombasa, a coastal city, which is a popular tourist destination.