Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi
22 November 2008
Kampala — Last week Buganda Road Court acquitted Mufti Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje and two other Muslim leaders over the fraudulent sale of Muslim property.
The anti-Mubajje faction has vowed to appoint its own Mufti, a move that could weaken Islam in Uganda.
A section of Muslims led by Sheikh Nuuhu Muzaata Batte, dragged Mubajje along with the former Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) Secretary General, Dr. Edrisa Serugo Kaseenene, and vice-chairperson Hajji Hassan Basajjabalaba to court over allegations that they had sold Muslim property.
The acquittal of the three has angered their accusers, threatening to reignite old rivalries among Ugandan Muslims.
As Mubajje's supporters are jubilating, Muzaata's group is seeking to oust him. They have already started the search for his replacement. In a reaction, the Muslim council spokesman Hajji Nsereko Mutumba said the organisation was not bothered by their plan, provided they did not appoint a Mufti from mosques registered under the council.
If the anti-Mubajje faction succeeds in appointing their leader, it will not be the first time for Uganda to have two Muftis.
Between 1980 and 1986, the late Sheikh Kassim Mulumba and Sheikh Abdul Obeid Kamulegeya carried the same title and jostled for leadership, splitting Muslims into two camps. The dissension recurred in 1987 to the late 1990s when the late Sheikh Saad Ibrahim Luwemba and Sheikh Hussein Rajab Kakooza and later Sheikh Ahmad Mukasa were considered as Muftis.
Their rivalry reached a climax during Uganda's 31st Independence anniversary celebrations at Kololo Airstrip when Luwemba and Mukasa struggled for a microphone to lead prayers on behalf of the Muslim community. This became a public statement for the struggle to claim legitimacy in a divided faith.
The following year, Luwemba's supporters ambushed Mukasa and beat him up. They also confiscated his official flag, hoping to remove any authority he was holding as a Mufti. He was admitted in Kibuli Muslim Hospital just next to the mosque where the anti-Mubajje group is drawing plans to get their Mufti.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
