UMSC Neutral - Mufti

THE MUFTI of Uganda, Sheik Shaban Mubajje, has said the Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) will remain impartial during the presidential campaigns, reports Jude Etyang. He said the council will not impose on Muslims any particular presidential candidate to vote or campaign for, saying he has only advised Muslims to vote wisely in light of "past experiences." District Khadis and other council members, according to the Mufti, are free to campaign and vote candidates of their choice but on individual basis and not on behalf of the UMSC. Mubajje's statement follows an article that appeared in The New Vision yesterday that the deputy Khadi of Rukungiri district, Hassan Bataringaya, had defected from presidential candidate Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye's camp to that of President Yoweri Museveni. The private personal assistant to the Mufti, Hajji Sajjabi Mutwalibi, said the council urges all Muslims to participate in the elections, but the council would remain neutral. The Muslim leadership is the second religious body to declare a neutral stand after Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala's statement on Monday concerning the March 6 elections. Meanwhile, the Mufti yesterday swore in five newly appointed council officials after the lunch-time prayers. The officials who took oath were the secretary for religious affairs, Mahad Kakooza, secretary for administration Mayanja Luyombya, secretary for finance Adnan Koile and Ismail Echum for education. The Mufti told the faithful who attended the ceremony presided over by UMSC Electoral Commission chairman Haji Is'Haq Magezi that he had trust in the new officials whom he expected to lead the council and the Muslim community in Islamic principles. Ends