Youth unrest blamed on generational war

By STANDARD TEAM

Followers of slain Islamist Sheikh Aboud Rogo are being blamed for Tuesday’s violence when youths tried to take over the Umar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque in Kisauni.

Various sources confirmed that radical Imams are supporting the youths in an attempt to force a change of leadership in the Council of Imams and Islamic Preachers of Kenya (CIPK).

It was the second mosque targeted by Islamist youths in less than a week after similar incidents at Sakina and Liwatoni mosques.

Security authorities and moderate Muslim leaders also revealed that Islamists linked to the late Rogo have been preaching his radical messages to the youths.

However, independent voices believe the violence is a rebellion against traditional clerics with ties to the Government who have held positions for decades without challenge and have become alienated from the impatient youth.

Returnees from Somalia with ties to Al-Shabaab and inspired by hardline Wahhabi doctrines have also been linked to the incidents at the mosques.

Hussein Khalid, Executive Director of Hake Africa, claimed the rebellion is revealing that the radicalised youths are trying to force a change of guard in Muslim leadership.

Khalid alleged that the committees sitting in the mosques had abandoned the youth and so an overhaul was necessary to reform the religious sector.

 “The youths may be rebelling against the leaders because there is no holistic or participatory reach on the part of the leadership,” Khalid claimed.

“The current crop of leadership have failed in solving the needs of the youth,” said Khalid who at the launch of a youth radicalisation and crime prevention programme in Mombasa yesterday.

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar said what is happening was a clash of different ideas involving youths with extreme ideas adding that many Muslim leaders lack legitimacy adding that police is not the solution to the matter.

“This is not a police issue. It is a societal-based issue in which we need to involve every one in society. If you don’t have legitimacy of your congregation how are you going to de-radicalise them?” Hassan asked.

Senator Hassan said most of the disgruntled youths are educated, but feel the current generation of Muslim leaders does not represent them and their aspirations.

Other Muslim commentators blame the violence on unresolved murders of prominent Islamic leaders like the late Sheikh Rogo and a desire for change in key institutions.

Mr Khalef Khalifa, a leading human rights activist and director at the Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) said some local Muslim youth felt that they had been pushed to the limit by government after the unresolved murders and other issues. “There is also a perception that a group of Muslim leaders are allied to Government,” Khalef said.

Mr Khalef said there is urgent need for a neutral Muslim body, like the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) to reconcile the Muslim groups. “Supkem should come in the middle and arbitrate between the groups. This is a Muslim problem which requires a Muslim solution, not the police,” Khalef said.

Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council (Kemnac) chairman Sheikh Juma Ngao said the conflict was about clamour for change in the leadership of mosques under CIPK Imams.

Sheikh Ngao claimed CIPK leaders have for a long time allied themselves with political parties but the youth did not benefit from the political association.

“CIPK leaders signed a memorandum of understanding with ODM and the youth did not benefit from the political deal. They were never nominated as councillors or given jobs,” Ngao argued.

Ngao noted that the frustrated youths had targeted mosques headed by CIPK leaders, and urged the mosque committee to take a lead in resolving the dispute.

He however warned the youth against use of weapons saying the best approach was seeking peaceful change through dialogue.

“The war is not between moderate and radical Muslims. It is leadership wrangles between youth and CIPK leaders. The police have no role in this,” Ngao said.

Contacted for comment yesterday, CIPK secretary general Mohamed Dor said he was in a meeting.

Several dozen male youths, including many believed to have  come from Musa Mosque in Majengo, raided the Kisauni mosque chanting slogans and tried to seize it prompting a police response.

Reports show police fired warning shots to break up the group of youths. Independent accounts indicate chaos broke out when unknown people tried to disrupt an incendiary lecture prompting a stampede when lights were switched off.

A separate account shows that youths tried to apprehend a man listening to or recording the lecture through a window, but he resisted and fired in the air with youths in hot pursuit, and was rescued by police.

But the police in Kisauni denied that any shots were fired in the brief episode.

On Friday last week, youths attacked the Imam of Sakina Mosque, Mohamed Idris and Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa of the CIPK, forcing the congregation out, but police did not intervene, saying it was a religious dispute.

But on Tuesday, the security authorities said they were compelled to act to avert the spread of violence.

The 7pm incident at the Omar bin Al Khattab mosque in Kisauni involved about 40 youths according to local officials.

 Botched takeover

Yesterday, Kisauni OCPD Julius Wanjohi said the youths stormed the mosque at around 7pm on Tuesday, but were unable to take it over after the police arrived minutes later.

“We were informed that the mosque was under attack and our officers went there and found about 30 to 40 youths who had stormed the mosque, but they noticed our arrival and dispersed. So they were not able to take over,” said Wanjohi who added that no arrest was made.

Fiery radical cleric Sheikh Abubakari Sharif, alias Makaburi, insisted that Al Shabaab had no role in the matter, adding that the youths were ejecting clerics allied to the Government and CIPK. The latter have declined to comment on the matter. Makaburi claimed the youth felt abandoned by mainstream preachers.

The caretaker of Umar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque, Sadie Ali claimed he received information that the mosque was under attack by police who came to disrupt a lecture after evening prayers.

— Reporting by Ben Sanga, Stanley Mwahanga and Ishaq Jumbe