Mubajje urges Muslims to participate in general elections

By Andante Okanya

The Mufti of Uganda Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje, has urged Muslims to actively participate in the national general elections slated for next year.

Mubajje made the call yesterday during Eid-el-Fitr prayers at Gadaffi Mosque to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadhan.

Thousands of Muslim faithful filled the mosque that sits atop Old Kampala hill.

true
Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje talks to Maj. Juma Seiko(right) and Haji Eng. Badru Kiggundu (Left), the chairperson Electoral Commission after the prayers


He asked Muslims to vie for all elective positions, saying it is incumbent upon them to demonstrate that they are crucial players in Uganda's affairs.

"Muslims should position themselves to compete for positions in the general elections. They should look at the future of Uganda and the future they desire," Mubajje said.

The Mufti asked Muslims to shun and blacklist politicians using hate speech, saying such elements are at variance with the tenets of Islam, which promotes peace.

Mubajje, who congratulated Muslims for fasting during Ramadhan, reiterated his earlier call for unity, saying there should be peaceful co-existence among the various Muslim sects.


Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje leading the prayers


He asked Muslims to embrace and support all initiatives geared towards building a united Muslim community, saying such a venture returns favour from  Allah.

The Mufti implored Muslims to pray for the Muslims embroiled in religious conflict in  Syria and Iraq, saying Muslims should use peace and not war to resolve misunderstanding.

He also reiterated his earlier call for security agencies to solve puzzle that has characterised the numerous murders of Muslim clerics, and other Ugandan.

The coordinator of the World Islamic Call Society ,Sheikh Jamil Byandala, said fasting is aimed at instilling discipline, integrity, honesty, and obedience as Muslims start a new chapter in their lives.

true

Byandala said Ramadhan is a time of reflection, as it avails Muslims opportunity to do a self-evaluation and purify their lives.

The second deputy Imam of the mosque, Sheikh Ali Juma Shiwuyo, asked Muslims to fast for another six  days(Sitat)  after Ramadhan, saying it the symbol of its worth is equivalent to fasting for a year.

Prominent personalities in attendance included the Electoral Commission chairman, Eng. Badru Kiggundu, the head of Sharia also respected Islamic scholar Imam, Sheikh Rajab Kakooza, Maj. Juma Seiko, Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) chairperson, Dr. Idi Balonde, Sheikh Anas Ssesimbwa, and UMSC secretary general, Dr. Idris Kasenene, among others.

Related to the story

In pictures: Muslims mark Eid-el-Fitr