IDI AMIN BURIED IN MECCA

Dhuwa prayers held at Old Kampala Mosque

By Alfred Wasike

FORMER President Idi Amin who died on Saturday in Jeddah, was buried the same day in the Islamic holy city of Mecca in a high profile funeral attended by Saudi Arabian kingdom officials.

In Kampala, hundreds of mourners led by Attorney General Francis Ayume (Koboko MP, Amin’s home) attended memorial prayers at Old Kampala Mosque yesterday.

The prayers were symbolic because it was Amin who created the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) headquarters at Old Kampala in 1974. He invited Saudi Arabian King Faisal to lay the foundation stone for the national Mosque, whose construction stalled till the incumbent Mufti Shaban Mubajje recently reignited the drive to complete the multi-million dollar project.

Representing the Mufti, Sheik Hussein Rajab Kakooza, the UMSC director for Sharia announced to chants of Allah Akbar (God is Great), “We should be proud that our beloved brother received a very decent and high profile burial in the holy city of Mecca. Very important members of the Saudi kingdom attended his funeral. What more can we wish for than improve our lives by being good to the people around us?”

Some sections of the Islamic community in Uganda wanted Amin returned for burial in Uganda.

Ayume also provoked the Allah Akbar chants when he hailed Amin.

“Apart from the litany of the good things that many people here have hailed Amin for, I would like to point out something good that Amin did while out of power. He lived to his word that he was not going to fight to return to power, thereby leaving Koboko, Arua and West Nile free of insurgence. Amin lived to his word and we lived in peace.”

Amin’s first education minister Abubaker Mayanja said, “I proudly served as minister under President Idi Amin Dada. I am here to celebrate the life of this great Ugandan. Those who denigrate him because he was not educated should take a leaf from the book of his illustrious life. He established mosques and churches for worship all over Uganda. I was the only Muslim in the first Cabinet while Lt. Col. Obitre Gama was the only West Niler. Amin’s was a truly broad-based Government. It was truly representative. Amin established Uganda Airlines, Uganda Railways. Isn’t this man worth remembering?” he asked as other mourners chanted Allah Akbar.

Kawempe North MP Latif Sebaggala, also Imam for Parliamentary Mosque said, “On behalf of the Muslim parliamentary caucus, we regret that since Parliament has not sat in its entity, we could not move a motion in respect of Amin. It is a pity that he has been betrayed as a despot but we value his contribution to Islam.”

Arua Municipality Member of Parliament Nasur Okuti said, “This is a sad moment not only for Muslims worldwide but for Uganda. We have lost a loving brother. How the world is looking at Amin fulfils the saying that leadership is a dustbin. When you are gone, everything bad is heaped on you.”

The UMSC secretary for religious affairs, Sheik Mahdi Kakooza, said, “God must have noticed that Amin was a great man that he let him die and be buried in the holy land of Saudi Arabia. He worked hard for Islam and Uganda. Allah should forgive Amin for some of his mistakes but we should praise him for building Islam in Africa,”

He credited Amin for initiating Uganda into the Organisation for Islamic Countries (OIC).

JEEMA spokesperson Hussein Kyanjo said, “We apologise to all on whose toes Amin stepped. But our people were killed in Mbarara, Kampala, West Nile. I request this congregation to condemn Uganda’s ambassador to the USA (Edith Ssempala) for referring to Amin as a criminal. Please Ssempala be sensitive and give us a break.”