By Hassan Omar Hassan
The nature of procedural fairness is to hear all parties. I did indicate to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) my availability to appear before them on Tuesday next week. I have watched, read and listened with astonishment a flurry of frivolous allegations by individuals, bloggers, Council of Elders and MPs particularly from the Kikuyu community over my opinion piece two weeks ago. A matter was also filed in court to try and stop me from continuing to discharge my functions as the chairperson of the National Police Service Commission Selection Panel.
I hope they appreciate the fact that there is usually a response to allegations. I also wonder why only a small section of people have decided to misguide themselves about the intent and content of the article or why they will take such issue with facts. My only outstanding issue is whether I will make my response public. I will possibly discuss this with the NCIC. If this small section of people were ‘offended’ by a few statements of fact, what will detail do?
Thank God I have been in this struggle for a while. You develop a resilience that brings out the best in you. You also learn from the struggles of others. I continue to marvel at the struggle and resilience of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood poised to take power in a democratic Egypt was founded in March 1928 by then 21-year-old Hassan Al Banna.
Its ascendancy to the supremacy in politics in Egypt is a culmination of over 80 years of struggle, persecution, sacrifice and resilience. Many of its leaders and members have been sentenced to death, murdered, tortured and imprisoned by successive regimes while the movement was banned. Today, former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons are in custody awaiting trial on charges of corruption and murder while the Brotherhood prepares to rule Egypt.
Its founding leader Hassan Al Banna said, "The weak will not remain weak forever. The power of the powerful does also not always last forever." These words must have echoed in the skies, oceans, rivers and deserts of Egypt as present-day Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie outlined the movement’s vision and agenda following its victory in the first round of parliamentary elections.
In this outcome, there are useful lessons for Kenya’s Muslim community and indeed all Kenyans.
If Kenya’s Muslim community wants to overcome the enormous challenges and end the era of persecution and victimisation, then there are no quick fixes. We must usher in an era of democratic good governance and imbibe accountability. We must work with the progressive intelligentsia, the labour movement, youth and women organisations, human rights actors and other reformist elements within the broader formations of the Kenyan society. There are no easy options or shortcuts to the liberation of Kenya. The era of ‘convenient’ ad hoc solutions must end. We must now make the hard decisions.
If you aspire for respect, justice and equity then you must have a clear break from the past. Muslim cannot afford a minute more of the continuation of the status quo. Muslims must break clear of the Kibaki era and its attendant violations. The Sharawe Report on the Concerns of the Muslim Community underlines our critical challenges.
Kenya is progressively moving towards change. But like all Kenyans, we must make the hard choices. Improving the quality of our lives is a collective quest for all Kenyans.
—The writer is a commissioner with the KNCHR