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Mufti of Uganda Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje has taken a swipe at sheikhs fighting him.

The mufti says the majority of them lack academic credentials to take up leadership roles for positions provided for under the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) structure.

Mubaje made the remarks while closing the retreat for the members of the governing council of the Islamic Call University that was held at Prof. Wasswa Balunywa’s residence at Garuga in Wakiso district on Sunday.

“All those sheikhs you hear attacking me lack academic credentials to take up leadership roles under the UMSC structures. There was even one sheikh who was close to me but when he realised that he lacks the academic credentials for the position of the mufti, he started fighting me thinking that he can use other means to take up the top leadership at UMSC. I would, therefore, advise them to enrol for further studies to get the required academic credentials instead of fighting me,” Mubaje said.

According to him, following the inauguration of the new UMSC constitution that stipulates academic credentials for positions from mosque level to the highest office of the mufti, many sheikhs started fighting him after realising that they do not possess the requisite academic credentials instead of enrolling in school to attain them.

Under the new UMSC constitutions for a person to qualify to be an Imam of a mosque, they must possess a certificate in Thanawi (Advanced level) while for the mufti one must possess a master’s degree in sharia law.

Mubaje thanked Balunywa for not only hosting members of the governing council of the Islamic Call University but also mentoring them on how to build the university into a top-class institution.

“I believe this training has been crucial for them because we want to redefine this university. We want it to offer relevant courses at affordable prices for the benefit of our people,” Mubaje said.

After the Libyan government stopped funding the university as a result of the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi from power, Mubaje said they have since partnered with the Ihsan Foundation based in Kuwait, which has promised to inject the required funds to transform the university into a first-class institution.

Balunywa, also the technical advisor of the university, said the name of the institution should be changed and new academic programmes introduced for it to get more students.

“We need to introduce programmes that focus on Islamic studies and Arabic language, business in addition to science and technology courses,” Balunywa said.

Balunywa said the university is meant to complement what the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) is doing but not compete with it.

“We want to use this institution to move Islam forward. I, therefore, thank you the mufti for appointing me as the technical advisor of the institution,” Balunywa said.

Prof. Badru Kiggundu, the chairperson of the governing council of the university, said the purpose of the retreat was to devise means of retooling the university so that it gets back on the right track.

Sheikh Juma Bakhit, the secretary for education at UMSC, said if one million Muslims contributed shillings 2,000 per year, the Muslim body would be far.

“We call upon Muslims to support UMSC initiatives so that we achieve the set objectives because all of them are meant for the development of the Muslim community,” Bakhit said.

Bakhit appealed to Muslim students looking for scholarships to approach his office at UMSC saying they have plenty of them.

The Islamic Call University started as a branch of the Islamic Call University College based in Tripoli Libya.