Kampala Mosque War Escalates There was a scuffle at Masjid Noor Mosque along William Street in Kampala on Wednesday as Muslims tried to open the Holy place and conduct daily prayers after a group of ‘intruders’ had forcefully opened and locked themselves in the place of worship. According to Sheikh Yahya Mwanje, one of the mosque leaders, a group of 14 people backed by the sect led by Hassan Kirya and Najib Ssonko with the help of police stormed the place of worship at night, arresting the worshippers they found at the place before forcefully entering the mosque. They locked themselves inside the Mosque in a bid to take over the premises. They also blocked other worshippers from holding prayers from the Holy place,” Sheikh Mwanje explained in an interview with ChimpReports. However, this angered the Muslims who tried to forcefully open the place of worship only for Police to intervene as the former threatened to cause havoc to the occupants of the mosque whom they described as attackers. Efforts to contain the situation by the Kampala Metropolitan Police boss Haruna Isabirye proved futile as the believers had charged like angry lions. Isabirye told the Muslims they could not hold prayers from the mosque until the situation returned to normal. Several Muslims turned rowdy, threatening to thump “anybody who blocks us from communicating with Allah.” They charged: “Allahu Akbar,Allahu Akbar (Allah is great)” before ordering Haruna to leave the matters of the Mosque to those who were much informed than himself whom they accused of being naïve . It is widely thought that the wrangles at the mosque have fuelled divisions in the Muslim fraternity leading to widespread murders of clerics. However, peace was restored when police agreed to forcefully open the mosque to evict the invaders before letting believers access the place of worship for the day’s prayers. It needed the deployment of more than 30 anti riot police officers to contain the angry believers who were ready to charge at the attackers whom they considered anti-Muslim. Eventually, a total of 14 intruders with faces covered in veils and turbans were evacuated before being instructed to board a police truck that drove off amidst tight security. MP Ibrahim Ssemuju Nganda said in an article published by The Observer that he was at Kibuli during the final prayers for Sheikh Bahiga and I think a third institution was mentioned – the Tabliq section headed by ousted Amir Sheikh Kamoga. Sheikh Kamoga was the Amir of Tabliqs before the 1998 invasion by dissenting Tabliqs and taking over of Old Kampala. Kamoga, I think, fled to Nairobi when his other colleagues, including Jamir Mukulu were rounded up and taken to Luzira. He continued pulling the strings from exile but Sheikh Sulaiman Kakeeto, who exploited the vacuum, eventually consolidated power,” said Ssemujju. I think through amnesty and other negotiations, Kamoga returned and joined the late Sheikh Abdul-Hakim Ssekimpi to form a rival Tabliq sect called Salafiyya, headquartered at William street. It is this William street Salafiyya group that eventually threw out Kakeeto,” added the lawmaker. This group has also now disagreed, leading to the removal of Kamoga. But like Kakeeto, Kamoga has also refused to surrender power. He runs Nakasero mosque and has thrown out his rivals from the William street mosque as well. The late Mustafa Bahiga was the chief coordinator of the group that removed Kamoga and set off a rivalry that is blamed for his murder.” chimpreports/photos-kampala-mosque-war-escalades/
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 10:58:42 +0000
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