Kenya in grip of simmering religious hate, warn experts

Saturday, November 02, 2013

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Repeated attacks on churches and the unsolved killings of both Muslim and Christian clerics in recent days have brought to the fore simmering religious tensions in various parts of the country.

Both Christian and Muslim clerics in Mombasa say tension has been building up since 2006 when suspected Islamic extremists attacked a Christian FM station for airing testimonies of Muslim apostates.

But according to Father Wilybard Lagho, vicar general of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa, recent attacks were fuelled by religious intolerance and the tension has partly increased due to competition for resources.

Some Christian groups in Mombasa have in the past raised concern over the exclusion of Christians in the management of Mombasa county affairs, despite being the biggest voting bloc.

They say it has become difficult for Christians to get business permits or permission to put up churches from Mombasa county government and those operating entertainment joints — most of them are Christians — are being attacked and even harassed by the county government officials.

“Some of the things fuelling religious tensions are not in themself religious and include terrorism and anti-terrorism strategies and related backlash, mistrust of security agents by the public, killings of religious leaders, disappearing of clerics in mysterious circumstances, singling out of individuals and places of worship for attack, use of public preaching and radio programmes to abuse other religious groups,” said Fatherr Lagho, who is in charge of interreligious dialogue at Archdiocese of Mombasa.

He said religious leaders should now rise above partisan interests and protect Kenyans against religious extremism.

“The real solution to religious extremism will be achieved when religious leaders overcome the culture of denial or simply blaming other religions for crimes and social ills,” said Father Lagho in an interview.

Kenya National Muslim Advisory Council Chairman Juma Ngao, however, accuses the former regime of laxity in dealing with radicalisation of Muslim youth despite the fact that they provided information when it started.

“In 2005 we told the government that some Muslim clerics were radicalising youths in Mombasa and sending them to fight in Somalia but they did nothing about it.

Enemies of Islam

“These are the same youths coming back with a notion that Christians are enemies of Islam and they should be attacked, but I remind them that when Muslims were being persecuted in Mecca, the prophet (Mohamed) sent his close friend to Ethiopia, then Abyssinia, which was dominated by Christians to seek sanctuary,” said Sheikh Ngao.

He said the number Muslim clerics with radical doctrines entering the country has been on the rise and that CDs with their sermons are being sold in most streets in Mombasa but the government is not doing anything about it.

According to unofficial statistics, the number of attacks on Christians and churches have reached 22 since May 2006 when the Pentecostal Church-run Hope FM was attacked in Nairobi by suspected Islamic fundamentalists for airing testimonies of Muslim apostates.

In September 14, 2008, Muslim youths stormed a church in Garissa and started to pelt stones at the congregation injuring ten worshipers.

And two years later, in January 15, 2010, a gunman fired into a crowd of Christians in Nairobi, killing one and injuring five. Eight months later six Christian missionaries were abducted by in Nairobi and held for three days by people who proclaimed to be true Muslims.

According to Sheikh Muhdhar Khitami, the killing of Sheikh Aboud Rogo on August 28, 2012, saw an almost complete breakdown of relationship between Muslims and Christians in the region as some clerics started to incite local youths against churches and Christians.

“After the killing of Rogo things have never been the same. The government may try to bury its head in the sand but the fact is if it doesn’t act fast this smouldering hate will explode.

It should not only institute healing mechanism, but it should investigate and tell Kenyans who killed these clerics to contain speculation,” said Sheikh Khitami, adding that like in political rallies, clerics inciting Kenyans during sermons should be arrested and charged.

Sheik Aboud Rogo, a fiery cleric of Masjid Musa mosque in Majengo, Mombasa, was killed last year when his car was sprayed with bullets by unknown assailants as he drove along the Mombasa-Malindi highway.

His successor, Sheikh Ibrahim Ismail, was also shot dead with three others last month on the same route.

The two incidents sparked riots by his militant followers at Masjid Musa mosque that set ablaze Salvation Army church in Majengo and tried to burn down a Pentecostal church in Kisauni area.

Other than the two slain clerics, another preacher who also shared the same philosophy and was accused by security agencies of radicalising local youth in the same mosque, Samir Khan, was also killed and his body dumped near Voi on Mombasa-Nairobi highway on April 12, 2012.

According to Sheikh Khitami compact discs (CDs) containing their ideologies are still being sold on the streets of Mombasa.

Fiery sermons

Some of the CDs that were easily obtained by The Standard on Saturday were those of a fiery Tanzanian Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ilunga Hassan, calling for the revenge of Sheikh Rogo’s death by killing Christian bishops and pastors.

“You don’t revenge by burning car tyres on the road. If they kill a sheikh you revenge by killing bishops and if you’re not ready now wait, even for three years, then revenge. Once we do that they will fear killing our sheikhs,” said Sheikh Ilunga.

Other than Ilunga, other Muslim clerics with radical doctrines that have in the past entered the country and issued sermons aimed at inciting Muslim youths against Christians include Canadian born Sheikh Bilal Philips who was repatriated last year hours after he jetted in over what immigration official termed as the government’s fears that he would “poison” the youth.

Two-years ago, the government was also forced to hire a private jet to fly Jamaica-born Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal out of the country after major airlines refused to carry him days after he sneaked into the country through the Lunga Lunga border.

According to Bishop Lambert Mbela of Redeemed Gospel Church, northern Coast region, efforts to stop attacks against churches have not borne fruit as the trend in Mombasa, Nairobi and North Eastern towns continues.

De-radicalisation exercise

“This has become too much for the Christians to bear. Evil will not be allowed to reign forever, neither will the patience of those provoked last indefinitely. We have seen people in public places openly despising and making fun of the Christian faith in mihadharas called “Wacha Biblia Iseme”. This is a form of radical indoctrination against the Christian faith,” said Bishop Mbela, in a statement .

In July last year the biggest number of Christians were killed in Garissa when a suspected Islamic extremist threw grenades into two churches killing 16 worshippers including three children and injuring 66. The assailants also shot worshipers who tried to flee.

This year, according to local religious leaders, there have been over seven attacks on Christians and churches in Wajir, Mombasa and Garissa. The recent attacks are the last month’s burning of the Salvation Army Church in Majengo and mysterious killing of a pastor in Kisauni.

The Mombasa Catholic Church is now calling for a de-radicalisation exercise that would reverse the notion among local Muslims youths that killing Christians is a jihad sanctioned by God.

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