Those who stole Muslim property should return it and repent if unity is to be restored, says Sheikh Ndirangwa

Kibuli mosque-based Supreme Mufti SHEIKH SILIMAN KASULE NDIRANGWA has served for a year, since he replaced the late Sheikh Zubairi Kayongo.

The institution that Sheikh Ndirangwa leads emerged following disagreements at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), led by the Mufti, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje.

In this interview with Baker Batte Lule, Ndirangwa speaks about his tenure so far and why he thinks the government is letting Uganda down when even one citizen dies of hunger under its watch.

It’s now a year since you were appointed to replace Sheikh Zubairi Kayongo (RIP) as supreme mufti; what can you report so far?

Bismillahi Rahuman Rahim [in the name of Allah, the beneficent the merciful]. First of all, I would like to thank Allah who has enabled us to complete the year 2016. Entering 2017 has not been our making or will, but Allah’s. Therefore, we thank Him for the gift of life He has given us.

True, I have spent one full year as the supreme mufti serving the people of Uganda. I thank Allah for giving me the capacity, and colleagues whom I have been able to work with to serve our people.

In the last one year that I have been in office, there have been a lot of challenges but it’s only Allah who can help us navigate through those challenges. We have tried to move in different parts of the country to know first-hand [the] issues affecting Muslims and how we can overcome them.

We have been to Rakai, Mityana, Mubende, Butambala, Masaka, Masindi, Mukono, Ruhaama and other places. We will continue with that drive in other parts of the country where we have not been in order to familiarise ourselves with the situation in which our people are. As a leader, it is impossible to plan for your people when you don’t know what their challenges are.

What do you seen as the biggest challenge facing people wherever you go?

Our people, not only Muslims, but everybody, are really in a very appalling situation. Poverty, hunger and diseases are finishing them. I call upon the government to come up with schemes through which our people can earn some money.

Government should pay more attention to agriculture. It must help people begin extensive irrigation so that we stop relying on nature.

The president recently demonstrated how to use bottle irrigation. He is working, don’t you think?

Yeah, that is also a good way but we think that using modern machines is the best way to quicken the work. We wouldn’t care even if government borrowed money to implement programmes that benefit Ugandans. These days the climate has changed. The rainfall no longer has a known season; it’s unpredictable. 

We think the time is now for government to extend piped water and irrigation schemes in all parts of the country so that we stop relying on nature, like other countries, especially in the desert. When you go to some Middle Eastern countries, you will be shocked to find very fresh fruits and plantations yet they are in deserts. These countries have prospered using irrigation yet we have more fresh waters than any of those countries.

Therefore, the time is now for government to help our people engage in meaningful agriculture to generate income and food for their own consumption. If people’s incomes improve, we think they will also be in position to pay school fees for their children and take good care of themselves. There is no worse disease than hunger; it’s unacceptable that a Ugandan can die of hunger.

The other thing is; our people are sick. Unfortunately, they don’t even have the money to go to hospital. People have resorted to only prayers. Yes, praying is fine and indeed it’s Allah who heals but this doesn’t stop people from taking medicine.

We also want our people to take their children to school. Government came up with free primary and secondary education. That is important. However, much needs to be done. For example, a hungry student cannot be taught effectively. So, we call upon government and parents to make sure that children are given lunch at school.

Is your office doing anything to alleviate some of these challenges?

Yes, we have tried to do everything that is within our capacity. For example, we have been in a campaign calling on our people to work. A Muslim must work hard in order to be able to look after his family. We have also encouraged our people to take their children to school [because] that is the best investment that one can ever make.

We also call upon our people to be peaceful because Islam is a peaceful religion. We must show an example by making sure our country is peaceful. We have been challenged that many of our leaders have been gunned down by unknown people; it’s only Allah who knows who kills them. Islam tells us to be united and when you find a Muslim who doesn’t want unity, just know that person is yet to understand Islam.

But there are fundamental problems that brought about divisions within the community. We say our properties were misappropriated and someone lied that he didn’t sell them. Islam commands us to be honest, especially when you have been entrusted with something. So, when you hear people say unite; yes, it’s true. But we must first address the issues that brought about divisions.

As leaders, if we are entrusted with people’s properties, we are duty bound to protect them. So, I call upon every leader in our community to follow the Prophet Muhammad who was honest, just and trustworthy.

What are you doing to ensure that the Muslim community is united again?

When someone wrongs another, he must first accept that he erred and then ask for forgiveness. But when someone makes a mistake and he doesn’t apologise, then how does he want us to move forward with him?

The word sorry is simple but very important in bringing about unity. So, someone who has failed to ask for forgiveness from the community he wronged is the real obstacle to Muslim unity.

When the leadership of the Supreme Mufti was established in 2009, the idea was for it to be an interim arrangement as the community solves its misunderstandings. Seven years later, is it still interim?

Our leadership was put in place to bring back the pride of Islam that had been eroded by our leaders. Thank God, wherever we go, people refer to us as honest people who have Islam at heart. Like I said, dishonesty and untrustworthiness is what brought about the disunity among the Muslim community.

We never separated because of tribes or regions where we come from. If you hear someone say that, just know that that person is the worst enemy of Islam. In our religion, there is no distinction between people based on their skin colour or where they come from. That’s why when you go to Saudi Arabia, you will find both white and black Imams. What Allah wants from us is to worship and fear him; nothing else.

So, how do we move forward to bring about unity?

What we want is for those who dubiously sold our properties to return them and also acknowledge that they erred and ask for forgiveness. I think then, there won’t be any reason as to why we don’t unite.

I also call upon Muslims in all parts of the country to desist from registering land titles of their mosques in the name of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council. History has shown that they can’t be trusted. Let people establish trustees for their mosques in whose names the titles should be registered so that we avoid what has happened before.

Without the apology and recovery of the sold properties, isn’t there another way for your leadership to renew its loyalty with UMSC?

We have tried everything possible to see that that happens, but those at UMSC seem not to be interested. But I should add that now our occupation is serving our community with whatever resources we have.

However, we thank the government because it had tried to bring us together but it seems it also gave up on the efforts. Government put in place a committee chaired by Prof Tarsis Kabwegyere, which came up with a report.

Indeed, the report captured everything we were saying, but what happened to it? Why has government failed to implement that report? For now we shall go on with our work because it seems the other parties are not interested in seeing unity.

Since 2012, about 16 Muslim clerics have been shot dead by unknown people. There is talk that actually these killings are a result of your disunity.

It’s only Allah who knows who is killing these sheiks. But I for one, I cannot begin to say that it this or that person killing these people. It’s really a pity that we continue to lose such people but we as Muslims call for peace in our country. Whoever is carrying out these killings should stop.

Police recently invaded two mosques in Kampala; it turned out it was acting on wrong intelligence. What’s your comment?

I want to call upon everybody – the police and our Muslim leaders – to join hands to fight crime. If we join hands, we will be able to avoid such incidences from happening again.

What we expect is for Muslims to be peaceful and cooperative with those in authority. We also call upon those in power to be merciful to those they lead because this country belongs to all of us.

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