Police targeting innocent youths, leaders claim

By ISAAC MESO

Nairobi, Kenya: Muslim leaders have condemned the current operation being carried out by security forces to weed out terror cells in Eastleigh, arguing  that it is targeting members of  their faith.

Led by the former Deputy Speaker of National Assembly, Faraah Maalim,  the leaders accused the police of extra-judicial killings of Muslim faithful in the pretext that they were  fighting terrorism.

“The crackdown being carried in Eastleigh is in bad taste. Our girls are being raped, property looted and our Sheikhs gunned down indiscriminately. We are asking the government to stop this madness,” he said

Maalim also took issue with the government over the recent killing of Sheikh Abubakar Sharif, alias Makaburi, saying that the police were not sincere in their reports that they had recovered grenades and other weapons from the deceased.

“We are also concerned with recent occurrence of events where the government has gone out of its way to plant evidence against some of our Sheikhs so as to justify their killings.

Accompanied by Mohammed Shidiye, MP for Lagdera and other Muslim leaders,  Maalim they was growing alarm by Muslims in Nairobi and Mombasa. Speaking yesterday at Jamiah Mosque in Nairobi, Shidiye warned the government against marginalising the Muslim youth. 

“If the government threatens to close down places of prayers for Muslims, arrest and shoot down Muslim youths indiscriminately then they are the ones radicalising these youths who end up fighting for what they considered their rights” he said.

He also noted that due process had to be followed when it comes to trying terror suspects and that they would not allow extra-judicial killings of the Muslim sheikhs in the name of fighting terrorism.

The MP also warned those individual who were using the Muslim faith to carry out criminal activities that their days were numbered as they would be rooted out.

“Muslim is a religion of peace. This why we are making it clear that we as the Muslim leaders we do support any radical Muslim or any individual who uses the Muslim faith to kill and harm innocent civilians”

Shidiye cautioned the President and his Deputy not to allow the security personnel to carry out extra-judicial killings because this could be divisive.