Coastal imams living in fear of rebellious youths

Imams and preachers in more than 600 mosques in the Coast region are living in fear following a spate of attacks by radical Muslim youths believed to be followers of the slain Sheikh Aboud Rogo.

In the past two weeks, irate youths have attacked Sakina Mosque thrice, the latest being on Wednesday, when they occupied it for one-and-a-half hours while security officials watched.

Sheikh Mohamed Idris said about 200 young men invaded the mosque during the magharib (evening) prayers and took over the prayer session.

“To avert a potentially chaotic situation, I prevailed upon the security agents outside the mosque to leave them alone,” he told the Sunday Nation by phone.

The incident comes in the wake of last week’s attack that saw Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa and the Sakina imam Sheikh Idriss escape death by a whisker after they were attacked by more than 100 youths who were later repulsed by the police.

On Tuesday, about 20 to 30 youths invaded Masjid Umar Ibn Khatwab at Soko Mjinga village in Kisauni area, ejected the imam and installed their own preacher to conduct the magharib prayers.

“When the youth stormed the mosque, I knew something was wrong. How can you come to a house of prayer with bakoras, knives and pangas?” an imam who declined to be named asked.

Sensing danger, the man snuck out of the mosque unnoticed after prayers and disappeared into the nearby alleyways of the sprawling village before police arrived at 7 pm following a tip-off from the public.

Interviews with different imams indicate that the youths are on a revenge mission after being barred from conducting prayers at the Masjid Musa Mosque in Majengo area, which has been at the centre of violence following the death of two clerics — Sheikh Ibrahim Omar on October 3 and Sheikh Rogo in August 2012.

Other sources say the attacks on Sheikhs Khalifa and Idriss, senior Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya officials points to a youth rebellion against an Islamic leadership that has failed them.

The chairman of the Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) board of directors Khelf Khalifa claimed that the extra-judicial killings of Muslim clerics and the manhandling of protesters had radicalised youths.

“You cannot kill people for throwing stones...security agents are wrong in using excessive force to deal with youths mourning their dead preachers,” he said.

Mr Khalifa said the hostility towards Imams council leaders should spur the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims to initiate talks with the youths to put an end to the dangerous trend.

But a senior Council of Imams official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, denied that members were being targeted for attack.

“These youths are targeting five mosques; namely Ibrahim (Ganjoni), Qubaa (Majengo), Hudaa (Sparki), Azhar (Mwembe Tanganyika) and Khatwab (Soko Mjinga) to propagate jihadist doctrines.”

According to the official, there are financiers who have a hidden hand in the uprising to promote radicalism in the region with the aim of destabilising the Coastal Muslims.

He challenged police to investigate the youths’ activities, arguing that the boys — aged between 11 and 15 years — did not have the money to carry out such attacks.

“They are being funded; after last week’s attack at Sakina Mosque, money changed hands and a fight almost broke out between the attackers,” he claimed.

“Their style of operation speaks of a well-oiled cell that can avoid detection; they attack, retreat and resurface elsewhere.”

He also took a swipe at some Muslim leaders and human rights organisations, who are backing the youths’ without establishing their real intention.

Speaking from Ukunda in Kwale County, the South Coast Council of Imams chairman Sheikh Amir Banda expressed concern that unless checked the mosque attacks could degenerate into battles between Muslims.

“To me, it seems there is a group of radical youths who want to portray Islam as a violent religion, but if you read the Koran well, even Prophet Mohammed condemns any form of violence,” he said by phone.

Former Chief Kadhi Hamad Kassim and human rights activist Alamin Kimathi expressed concern that “discord” was setting in among Muslims, terming it dangerous to their unity and tranquillity.

Speaking in separate interviews, the two leaders said it was time the religious leadership rose above petty politics and addressed the emerging issue of radicalism in their midst or suffer its consequences.

“There is an urgent need for the Muslim fraternity to meet and deal with this emerging issue,” Mr Kimathi said.

But through a press release, Haki Africa executive director Hussein Khalid claimed the hostility between the youths and Muslim leaders is part of a clamour for generational change that requires rational consideration and a peaceful approach.

In his view, young men and women are coming out more strongly to demand to be included in leadership positions and to participate in development agendas.

“Whether it is the Arab Spring in North Africa or ANC wrangles in South Africa, youths are asking the old to pass the baton and allow them to lead,” he said.

A Catholic priest who has been following the Islamic radicalism in the region says there is a need to “unmask” the true faces of the Al-Shabaab operatives in the country to monitor their activities.