First Muslim to Preach on a bus in Zambia LOCATION: KITWE, ZAMBIA Friday 22-Nov-2013came with lots of scenarios but I will only talk about the one that amused me most and also that left many Zambians aboard discovering that there was still yet a lot to see and hear in life. It all started when I purchased my ticket and entered the bus, no sooner had I sat for barely three minutes than an elderly female evangelist entered and started “preaching” at full volume about how Jesus died for us and we have to accept him….. the usual preaching. This is the way of life in Zambia, every bus receives a preacher before takeoff and if one was unlucky, one might be inconvenienced for the whole long journey by these inexperienced preachers who cannot entertain a single question or inquiry from their audience. So as the old lady was now preaching, I asked my self where the Muslims were. If Non Muslims whose book cant be compared to the Holy Quran were trying this much, where on earth was any Islamic effort to deliver these poor souls from all these lies and darkness? That was when I decided to engage the old lady whom the bus was considering a hero yet to me she was just a lost sheep. I made sure my voice was high enough for the whole bus to hear and so I started, “ Maama thank you for the preaching but please help me understand Two verses in the bible which are: (i) 1Timothy 2:9-15, which she unsuspectingly read out loud in the local Nyanja (Nyanja is their local language) Bible and the verse states: 2:9 “In all like manner also that woman adorns themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, gold, or pearls, or costly array; 2:12 “but I do not permit a woman to teach or preach, nor have authority over a man but be in silence. 2:13 “For Adam was created first, then Eve 2:14 “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and was in transgression. (ii) 1 Corinthians 14:34 which states: “Let your women keep silence in churches/public: for its is not permitted for them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, also as the law says 14:35- And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church/public. On reading the verses, the old woman was shocked like many in the bus who started murmuring loudly in Nyanja language with some thanking me to go ahead and others with fury. I had to remind them I was a foreigner who did not understand the Nyanja language, so whoever wanted me to understand what he/she was saying should do so in English, which cut off many of the displeased among them. On recovering from her shock, the old lady fought back saying: “You Muslim, who allowed you to read our bible?” to which I responded: “ Maama, The bible states that its for “ALL PEOPLE ,ALL HUMANS and I think am one. That was when one gentleman got up and said he was a pastor and offered to help the old Maama. The old lady disappeared in thin air off the bus and as we continued with the journey I went ahead with the preaching for some ten minutes until the majority of the passengers turned against me and started to shout, “STOP! STOP PREACHING TO US! YOU MUSLIM STOP.” Then I told them that that proved that there was no Justice and Equality in Zambia because Christians were freely loudly preaching in all buses to all people including Muslims every day and there we were, a Muslim too preaching in a bus for the very first time in Zambia he was forced to shut his mouth. Those with fairness and shame heard me and humbled down but there was this very big old man in his early seventies who from the back of the bus got up and despite his age and overweight, sluggishly charged with anger towards me thus I sat down before he could reach the middle of the aisle. On seating, the passengers next to me up to the first Quarter of the bus including the pastor stated asking me all sorts of Questions including: POLYGAMY, JIHAD, FACING KAABA, JESUS, HIJAAB. ETC. which Questions were well answered and after an estimated 40 minutes preaching, there was harmony and Alhamdu lillah every one became friendly as we continued to chat and learn new things.. The pastor harmonized with me publicly on many things including Women not to preach, Wrong dress code in churches. We talked more about polygamy and Jihad. The majority of Zambians view Islam as an Alien faith which is for Indians, Somalis, Malawian, Ugandans and West Africans. His Eminence the Mufti of Zambia Sheikh Siddique Kaputula who was our Host told us how his Masjid in Bulangililo was once attacked by the whole village with intent of destruction, Reason was: SENEGAL HAD DEFEATED ZAMIBA IN A SOCCER MATCH which was just even watched on TV. I personally could not see the relation between a soccer match and the masjid. That showed the combination of ignorance and hatred about Islam in Zambia. in another incident the very Masjid was attacked and all the Qurans plus the imam’s house property were set on fire. Such is Zambia, with a Muslim population of less that 1% of the estimated 13.5 million people, the Muslims cannot raise a strong voice against the oppression of Islam because they fear lest they get deported or citizenship cancelled. We have devised means of boosting daawa here and the future holds a lot inshaa Allah. PLEASE PRAY FOR ISLAM IN ZAMBIA, ANGOLA AND THE WORLD AT LARGE Yours truly, Kyeswa Ali Director ICRDA islam4africa.org
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 07:16:50 +0000
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