Sheikh Ramadhan Mulindwa closing one of the mosques
Two mosques; Masjid Kabir and Masjid Khamis Shafie in Luwero district have been closed indefinitely due to alleged security concerns.
The Khadhi of Luwero district under the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) Sheikh Ramadhan Mulindwa Nsanja confirmed the closure.
“Elected leaders of Masjid Kabir (Masjid Noor Bombo) and Masjid Khamis Shafie have been sworn in and the two Mosques are temporarily closed for security reasons,” Mulindwa’s statement reads in part.
The development according to Mulindwa, arose from protests staged by a group opposed to the results of the recent national Muslim elections. He claims that members of a clique opposed to those elections have been leading the followers by force, appointing members from their families to all Mosque positions as they vowed to contest the swearing in ceremonies organized by those who organized those polls.
According to Mulindwa, this caused misunderstandings between the two factions. The elected ones have been inviting him as the district Kadhi to witness their swearing in ceremonies. On the contrary, the opposing faction wrote letters stopping and intimidating the Kadhi’s office.
However, the office of the Kadhi has stood firm and went ahead to swear in the elected leaders. On Friday, at both Mosques in Bombo, Mulindwa travelled to do the same. However, this time round, the occasion triggered ugly scenes characterized by chaos from the opposing side. This prompted Mulindwa to swiftly engage the district security to stop the deterioration of the situation.
He added that: “We continue to thank the brave Muslims and congregations of the two Mosques who stood up for the truth, May the Almighty reward you abundantly and enable the new elected leaders fulfill their duties in their respective positions.”
Early November last year, at a media briefing at Old Kampala Mosque in Kampala the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) electoral commission chairperson, Omar Muhammad Wesswa revealed that at least 14 million Muslims were expected to participate in the Muslim national elections.
He said the actual elections of leaders at various levels that would take place at 15,000 registered Mosques were to be conducted on November 18, 2022, 500 counties on November 22, 2022, and 78 Muslim districts on November 24, 2022.
Source: The Observer
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