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Kenya: Muslims in the country Thursday celebrated Eid Al Adh-ha with calls to enhance unity and peaceful coexistence among Kenyans and to resolve the education crisis in the country.
Celebrations officially kicked off with communal prayers being conducted in various open fields and mosques across the country to mark the second of the two annual Muslim holidays.
At Sir Ali Muslim Club in Nairobi, faithful gathered for prayers, with the main sermon by Deputy Chief Kadhi Rashid Ali calling on the government and striking teachers to resolve their standoff as quickly as possible to restore education in the country to normalcy.
“Currently, it is the school children who are suffering most because they are being denied their right to education. Let reason prevail in order to end this unbearable stalemate,” he said.
Sheikh Ali also called on the government to uphold the rule of law in the fight against terrorism saying cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of youths have increased in the recent days.
“We call for official investigations to know who are behind the mysterious killings of youths. People suspected of terrorism should not be killed but prosecuted and jailed if found guilty,” he said.
Sheikh Abdulmalik Kipsang of Tawhid Mosque in Bungoma town called on the government to include Muslims in the efforts to combat terrorism in the country, rather than sidelining them.
“Combating terrorism effectively needs collective efforts of all Kenyans including Muslims for it to succeed. Muslims have a lot to contribute because we would like to see an end to this menace which has soiled the good name of our religion,” he said.
He also called on the government to make minor budget cuts in non-essential operations of the government to have enough to pay the Sh17 billion pay rise for teachers that was awarded by court.
“If there is political will, the money for teachers can be found within the existing budget. It is just a matter of making small sacrifices in the budgets of all government departments,” he said.
Addressing worshipers at Eastleigh High School, Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan called on Muslims in the country to scale up their efforts to protect the country from terrorism and insecurity.
He said that Muslims should work closely with security agencies to tackle the few criminals who may be behind terrorist attacks.
“We also call on the government to see local communities as partners and not enemies in combating the threat of terrorism in the country. Let us work together to secure and develop our country,” he said.
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