Mandera attacks violate Islamic ideals

The barbaric attack in Mandera where Al-Shabaab militants killed 28 innocent Kenyans is among the worst acts of carnage witnessed in the country.

While claiming responsibility, the militia said it was in response to crimes committed against Muslims in the country by the government, but these savage acts can never be justified.

While there are grievances held by Muslims against the State, there are better ways to address them.

Al-Shabaab has no moral authority to stand up for the rights of Muslims in Kenya as their campaign of violence in Somalia has also involved murdering innocent Muslims through suicide bombings which have targeted schools and hospitals.

A common feature in the Westgate massacre, the Mpeketoni carnage and the killings in Mandera involves separating Muslims and non-Muslims, a move calculated to cause rifts between Christians and Muslims.

The killing of innocent people by groups such as Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram of Nigeria and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have only served to harm the image of Islam as a faith which advocates peaceful co-existence and mutual understanding between people of different cultures and faiths.

These groups often ignore compassionate principles of the Islamic faith which are contained in the sacred text of the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad's traditions and through ignorance, amplify distorted teachings which aim at bringing about discord.

The late South African scholar Sheikh Ahmed Deedat had this to say; "The biggest enemy of Islam is the ignorant Muslim whose ignorance leads him to intolerance, whose actions destroy the true image of Islam and when people look at him they think Islam is what he is."

Nowhere do Islamic teachings condone killing. Islam considers all forms of life sacred.

According to the Qur'an, the foremost fundamental right of a human being is the right to live and it goes ahead to expressly forbid the killing of innocent people.

"If any one kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people." [Qur'an 5:32]

Islamic teachings in times of war are categorical against the killing of non-combatants.

Prophet Muhammad once saw the corpse of a woman lying on the ground and observed: "She was not fighting. How then she came to be killed?"

The first Caliph Abubakar Siddiq gave these instructions to his armies: "Do not kill women, children, the old, or the infirm; do not cut down fruit-bearing trees; do not destroy any town."

 

Through ignorance, groups such as Al-Shabaab pay no heed to God's call in the Qur'an where he commands Muslims to exercise justice even toward those whom they have reason to be angry with: "And do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness."[Qur'an 5:8]

In addition, the Prophet stressed on doing good even to those who harmed him. He said in a tradition recorded by Tirmidh;"Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well, and that if they do wrong you will do wrong to them.

"Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong (even) if they do evil." It is therefore depressing that in light of these teachings, some groups, in the name of Islam, have the audacity to ignore them and foment sectarian discord between the believers of the two faiths.

It is imperative that Muslim leaders and scholars come out forcefully to use the pulpits and other avenues to correct these misconceptions of faith and repudiate groups whose actions are inconsistent with Islamic ideals.