Mufti Shaban Mubajje denied US visa

 

KAMPALA - The Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje has revealed that he was this week denied a visa to the United States of America (USA) as a result of his stand against homosexuality.

 

Speaking at a bi-annual consultative meeting organised by the Inter Religious Council Uganda, the Mufti said the passing of the anti-homosexual bill into law would definitely come with ‘costs’, and that he had been a victim of those ‘costs’.

 

He explained that as a member of the Religions for Peace International, which has its headquarters in New York, he was recently invited for a one-week conference, where he was meant to chair a committee on environmental conservation.

 

“The Mufti has been to the US numerous times and easily acquired a visa. However, this time around, he was tossed around for two weeks,” said Nsereko Mutumba, the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council spokesperson.

 

“And when they realised that the conference was done, they invited him for a visa interview,” Mutumba added.

 

He said it is the Mufti who read the statement on behalf of all religious leaders in Uganda, appealed to the Speaker of Parliament to fast track the consideration of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that seeks to outlaw the practice and has often spoken about his stand.

 

“However, this does not change our stand against homosexuality because it’s a law in the Quran,” says Mutumba.