Christian and Muslim clerics say terror has nothing to do with religion

Members of Coast Inter-faith Council of Clerics address a press conference at a Mombasa hotel Monday. They condemned the killing of Christian faithful by terror suspects. [PHOTO: OMONDI ONYANGO/STANDARD]

By PATRICK BEJA 

NAIROBI, KENYA: Christian and Muslim leaders at the Coast have warned that extremists on both sides are sowing a “poisonous religious and political ideology” to separate the two faiths and plunge Kenya into sectarian chaos.

The group said the Coast is now beset by violent religious extremism and intolerance between the two faiths following recent attacks and killings in mosques and churches.

But the group also acknowledged that individual Muslim extremists have demonised other religions and justified murder “in the name of Islam” and suggested that they should be treated as individual criminals.

“We stand united in stating categorically that Islam is essentially a religion of peace and individual extremist Muslims have no authority to speak on behalf of Muslims. What such extremists say and do to demonise other faiths even to kill in the name of religion still remains their personal mindset and they must be held personally accountable for their actions,” said the group in a statement.

Meeting under the umbrella of Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics (CICC), the group said the terror groups should not be associated with Islam as it stands for peace and urged Muslims and Christians to be tolerant and united in the war against extremism.

EMERGING EXTREMISM

CICC chairman Wilybard Lagho and Coast chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Sheikh Muhdhar Khitamy led the clerics in condemning the emerging religious extremism in the country.

 “We implore upon the Government to take swift measures to end all forms of violent manifestations being associated with religious extremism before our country slides deeper into an open sectarian war as already being witnessed in some parts of Africa,” they warned.

 Father Lagho said they did not support the closure of any mosque or church in the war against terror but advocated for improved intelligence gathering.

Sheikh Khitamy said no religion should use force adding that terror trends are alien to Kenya and should be rejected.

“We urge security agencies to build confidence in the people to intensify the war against terror. We should fight terror to prevent religious divisions. Terror has no place in religion,” said Khitamy.

He urged the Government to install closed circuit television cameras in mosques, churches and other places of worship as well as markets to boost security.

The clerics urged Muslims and Christians not to succumb to terror or be divided along sectarian lines as this could mean victory for the transnational terrorist groups and their operations in Kenya.

The council urged the Government to work closely with residents to boost intelligence gathering in the war against terror.

The clerics blamed the entry of foreign clerics who propagate extreme religious ideologies on weak intelligence gathering.

“We believe the use of violence to fight a religious mindset that feeds on anger can only legitimise rather than delegitimise violent extremism. Instead, we advocate for arresting and prosecution of architects, financiers and propagators of this poisonous religious and political ideology,” they said.

Foreign clerics from neighbouring countries including Tanzania are believed to sneak into Kenya to preach intolerance and breed terror.

Reacting to continued terror threats at the Coast, the clerics urged the Government to build confidence among residents to ensure timely intelligence information to security agencies to prevent terrorist attacks.

They urged Kenyans to reject the narrative that Muslims and Christians cannot co-exist.

“Such a narrative is being propagated by some Muslim and Christian groups to justify recruitment and training of religious warriors in Africa and elsewhere,” the council said in a statement.

The statement was signed by CICC vice chairman Sheikh Ahmed Seif, secretary general Bishop Julius Kalu, Treasurer Sheikh Munir Mazrui and members Bishop Lawrence Dena, Supkem Coast chairman Muhdhar Khitamy, Hindu Council chairman Kishore Shah, Bishop Benson Muthama and Sheikh Mwinyi Ali.

IMPROVE WELFARE

Others are former Hindu Council chairman Narottam Khataw, Bishop Jeremiah Kesekwa, Rev Shadrack Ndhuli, Bishop Jonathan Gereza Dena and Father Harrison Yaa.

The religious leaders were drawn from Supkem, Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK), National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, Organisation of African Instituted Churches, Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa, Hindu Council and Kaya elders.

CICC urged the State to boost the morale of security agents by improving their welfare and ensuring better co-ordination of various security sectors involved in fighting terror agents who they said were well financed and co-ordinated.

The leaders expressed concern that there was growing fear among Kenyans towards security personnel and yet the war against terrorism could only be won by expanding civilian engagements and collaboration.

Instead they said residents should be motivated to provide crucial information that may lead to the arrest of suspects and criminals as the lawful and civilian way of harnessing community policing.