Muslim leaders wrangle over mosque

By ROBERT ATUHAIRWE

The Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubajje, together with a group of Bunyoro district Muslim Council members, have been dragged to the Police for allegedly breaking into the house of the Imam Bwikya mosque in Hoima district.

Iddi Magezi, the chairman of Bwikya Mosque executive committee fi led the complaint on Tuesday. A case of malicious damage and criminal trespass has been fi led under reference number SD 36/16/04/13.

Trouble started in 2011 after some Muslims discovered that the land on which Bwikya mosque sits is in the name of UMSC.

The group demanded that the title be transferred into the name of Bwikya Muslim community, but in vain. During an executive meeting at Bwikya Muslim Primary School last year, a group from Bwikya allegedly invaded the meeting.

Men reportedly armed with pangas and sticks stormed the meeting venue and tore up the papers on which the meeting’s agenda had been printed. They allegedly drunk and broke bottles of soda. This triggered a scuffle that called for the intervention of the Police.

Bwikya mosque Imam Yahaya Birakurataki was wounded and some people were arrested. Two months later, the Bwikya group confi scated the keys of the imam’s house, then being used by the district Khadi, and locked up the office of the district Kadhi demanding that he pays rent for occupying the office.

The misunderstandings attracted Mubajje’s intervention. He allegedly ordered for the breaking of the padlock and handed the house to the district Khadi, Sheikh Musa Babanja. The Mufti’s decision annoyed the Bwikya faction, prompting them to fi le a case with the Police.

Patrick Mwebaze, the Hoima district deputy criminal investigations officer, said the case filed does not mention Mubajje in particular, but rather people behind the breaking-in. He said investigations have started.