Go to other mosques, police advise those affected by Mombasa closures

Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa (left) receives Abdulkarim Mzee (centre) and Swaleh Ramadhan (right) at his Uhuru na Kazi building offices soon after they voluntarily surrendered themselves to the police Thursday. The two radical Muslim youths surrendered themselves after their names leaked out from a security meeting last week. At least four radical Muslim youths have surrendered themselves to the police after the Masjid Musa raid on Monday. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD].

Mombasa, Kenya: Police yesterday told Muslims affected by the closing of four mosques at the Coast to look for alternative places of worship.

"Let them go and worship in other mosques," said Mombasa County Police Commander Robert Kitur yesterday evening.

Police insisted no one would be allowed into Musa, Sakina, Swafaa and Mina mosques until investigations were completed and worshippers selected new committees and imams to manage the mosques.

Hundreds of GSU and regular police officers have sealed off the mosques.

Meanwhile, rights groups and political leaders have petitioned the Government to reopen the mosques. In a statement signed by Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar, leaders demanded an end "to the illegal operations" they said had been launched on mosques.

On Wednesday, Kisauni OCPD Richard Ngatia warned that Swafaa Mosque, which was seized by radical Islamists on October 24 and its moderate imam Sheikh Hassan Rashid forced out, and Minaa would remain closed because "they are crime scenes" and would remain so until police operations were completed.

On Tuesday, Mombasa OCPD Geoffrey Mayek also declared Sakina and Musa would remain closed until police operations were over.

Yesterday, Mr Kitur disclosed the mosques would not be reopened until new imams and committees were put in place to manage them.

"Let them give us new imams and committees and we shall open the mosques immediately," said Kitur, who called on local leaders to form the new committees.

On Monday, police displayed guns, grenades and other arms, and assorted materials they said they had recovered from the mosques. During the operation, they rounded up more than 200 men from the two mosques.

TERRORISM TRAINING

Among those arrested, police said, were 24 men suspected of recently returning from terrorism training from Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.

However, Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said the security team would consult over whether to allow prayers to be held in the mosques.

Speaking as he received two terror suspects handed to him by their relatives, Mr Marwa said, "We are consulting and something is being worked on concerning the mosques."

Hussein Khalid, the director of human rights lobby Haki Africa, expressed concern that hundreds of worshippers in Majengo and Kisauni would be forced to skip prayers following the closing. He said the police action was a constitutional violation.