Friday, 10 April 2015
SHEIKH UMAL REACTION TO GARISSA UNIVERSITY KILLINGS
TRANSLATION
SHEIKH UMAL FRIDAY SERMON
Muslims are in need of peace and stability than any one else . If the security situation worsens and clashes break Muslims will be vulnerable, our women, businesses and everything will be affected
We are therefore the most yearning for security in this country
We hear in the news that they separated Muslims from Christians in the Garissa Attack
(Questions alshabab pretext that they targeted only non Muslims)
What about those university graduates in Mogadishu (referred to Shamo University Alshabab killings) Somalis in hotels and mosques who were killed in the same way ?
Were they not Muslims (this is a rhetoric question addressed to Alshabab leadership)
Why did they not get the right of separation of Christians and Muslims of Kenya?
The Attackers motives will not succeed
It is nor the time for our leaders to finger point and blame our madrasas and mosques, Its high time they (government and leaders) stand with us
We have never been with them (Alshabab) our madrasa and mosque are not a production house for terrorists
Those who do (attack and killings) have no knowledge of Islam
Why don't you blame institutions like Nairobi and Kenyatta University? Muslims have rights to Religion Education like anyone else
Translation by Salah Mohamed
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Garissa university attack is not about religion
ReplyDeleteI had already written an article about this week’s accusation of some important political personalities, and how society was frying them with bitter herbs akin to a Passover sacrificial lamb. However, yesterday’s massacre at Garissa calls for a new piece.
We need to reflect on what has happened; go deeper into it and seek solutions together.
I had not made up my mind to change the article I had already written, until late into the night, when I got an email from Anne Thompson, a journalist working with NBC News.
READ: 147 killed, 79 hurt in campus attack - VIDEO
READ: We must all unite to keep our country safe
READ: Why varsity was easy terrorist target
Ms Thompson’s questions reflect what most of the Western world may have been wondering yesterday. She said: “We are working on a story about today’s attack at Garissa University and are trying to understand what appears to be the religious roots of this incident. Is this truly a question of religion or is it being used as a cover for economic or political issues? Are Christians safe in Kenya?”
Several books would have to be written to give a comprehensive answer to each of these questions. The roots of extremism, the causes of youth radicalisation and terrorism are intertwined with organised crime, transnational crime and corruption.
Africa has increasingly become a soft, constant target of terror strikes. These attacks, which have had devastating effects including loss of lives, destruction of property and social trauma, have increased exponentially in Kenya since the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) captured Kismayo in September 2012.
Police reports say that 320 people have been killed and 785 injured in terror attacks since then.
It is even more traumatising to notice that ever since KDF captured Kismayo, the targets of terror have shifted from foreign to local, from the US Embassy or Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel to a Nairobi upmarket shopping mall, a market, matatus and now a public university deep inside eastern Kenya.
Terrorism has spread rapidly and widely, thanks to the aid of corrupt structures that allowed the penetration of organised crime. There seems to be a disturbing union between terrorism and organised crimes such as corruption, money-laundering and environmental and wildlife crimes, which are all rampant in the region. This conglomeration of ills makes it difficult for government agencies to respond swiftly and efficiently.
RENEWAL OF TENSIONS
Financial structures are also especially vulnerable to the threat of terrorism. On one hand, the economy could be paralysed by insecurity, and on the other, terrorists could make use of loopholes in the financial system to fund their extremist behaviour.
This tension is progressively damaging the social fabric, where we see a sort of renewal of religious, racial and ethnic tensions stemming mainly from religious fundamentalism.Equally, there are genuine concerns that terrorism may overhaul the fundamentals of order and stability in Africa.