Muslim unity here to stay

By Haji Nsereko Mutumba

After years of calling for Muslim unity under Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), His Eminence the Mufti of Uganda Shk. Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje’s call was finally answered on Tuesday January 20, 2015 when the Amiir Ummah Shk. Muhammad Yunus Kamoga and Amiir Daula Shk. Sulaiman Kakeeto met the Mufti and embraced the Muslim unity and development drive.

After the meeting, the three leaders announced that they had decided to bury their past differences and embarked on a unity drive as commanded by Allah in the Holy Quran where He says;

 “And hold firmly to the rope of God, all of you, and do not be divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers….” Holy Quran 3:103

Seeing three brothers embracing each other after years of hostility was a very emotional and special moment for many of us who have seen Muslims abuse, assault and even kill each other simply because of material differences.

I was, therefore, not surprised when I saw Muslims after Muslims celebrating the just achieved unity which had eluded us for decades.

To demonstrate their happiness following the Muslim unity, tens of thousands turned out and took part in the three Unity Juma Prayers that have been held so far.

The special things about the current Muslim unity drive are;

• It is based on a Quran verse or Allah’s Command, not on material gains
• It was not imposed on Muslims. Muslim leaders agreed that enough is enough. Differences were only hampering the propagation of Islam and the prosperity of Muslims.
• It is overwhelmingly supported by Muslims country wide.
• Muslim youths who are the majority are fully on board and they have vowed never to return to the dark days of being exploited by self-seekers.
• It comes as a big relief to the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who had to go to the extent of setting up a committee to investigate the root causes of the Muslim differences. Now that we are united, next on the agenda is wealth creation.
• Those opposed to Muslim unity are the ‘clerics’ who have lost touch with reality and no longer enjoy respect from Muslims. 

The decision by the Amiir Ummah, Amiir Daula and the SPIDQA Amiir Shk. Mubarak Mugerwa to return to UMSC is not a new phenomenon. Therefore, those who are questioning their return to the official Muslim Headquarters at Old Kampala are totally mistaken because mending ties among Muslims is neither a new nor a bad thing.

If we managed to have warm relations with our non-Muslim counterparts, why should it be a problem for Muslims to bury past differences and unite?

If the likes of Gen. David Sejusa and Lt. Col. Kyakabale who had declared war on the current government decided to abandon their rebellions and return peacefully into their home land, who are we to close UMSC gates to our Muslim brothers and sisters who have opted for a united Ummah.

To our brothers who have not yet embraced Muslim unity, I say, arrogance, egoism and chauvinism will take you nowhere. Join the revolution so that together, we can find ways of recovering some of the stolen Muslim properties and also collectively work and acquire new properties.

But if you rather not unite, you are free to live in isolation as long as you do not stand in the way of the ‘unity bus’ because at the current speed, you will not stop it.

The writer is the Public Relations Officer of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council