Mubaje seeks Museveni’s support to rein in rogue Hajj/Umrah firms
By Sarah Nalule & Abdul-Wahid Kabuye
In a speech at the inauguration of the National Muslim Women Council (NMWC), the Mufti, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, seized the opportunity to appeal for President Yoweri Museveni’s support for efforts to place the various Hajj and Umrah firms under the control of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC).
Museveni was chief guest at the NMWC launch on Tuesday October 7, at Old Kampala, and once the Mufti got to the microphone, he made a passionate appeal to the head-of-state.
“Your excellency, undertaking pilgrimage to Makkah is the fifth pillar of Islam but of late, it has become a big challenge for Ugandan Muslims now that everyone takes people to the holy city, which has caused a lot of confusion,” Sheikh Mubaje said.
“Regrettably, some unscrupulous individuals have marred the sanctity of the pilgrimage by smuggling non-Muslims to Makkah, there are cases of some who defraud the pilgrims while others illegally transport non-Ugandan nationals to the Hajj as reported this year,” he added.
Mubaje further drew Museveni’s attention to the recent case of two Ugandan women who were arrested on arrival at Madinah airport with suspected narcotics.
The women who are currently in detention in Saudi Arabia, Mubaje hinted, form part of drug cartels that want to exploit weaknesses in streamlining the Hajj and Umrah services sector, to pose as pilgrims.
“Uganda is now second to Nigeria on the list of nations red-flagged for involvement in illicit activities because of some few rogue individuals,” Mubaje said. He, however, noted that the UMSC has taken steps to liaise with Hajj firms, security agencies, and Uganda’s foreign missions to address emerging challenges.
“We request your office to give us support to resolve these challenges,” he prayed.
Last year, the Uganda Bureau of Hajj Affairs (UBHA) embarked on the registration and certification of Hajj and Umrah firms in line with the guidelines issued by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Affairs.
UBHA’s executive director, Sheikh Zakariya Kyewalyanga said at the time that the certification was intended to weed out unscrupulous players who take pilgrims and abandon them in Makkah.
Abusive Sheikhs
Mubaje also informed Museveni that the UMSC hoped to develop a mechanism for dealing with preachers who misuse social media to insult leaders.
“Your Excellency, some young people are using social media wrongly and want to cause havoc as they abuse you, me, and the Kabaka. They do all this while masquerading as Sheikhs,” he said.
In his address, Museveni lauded former Libyan leader, the late Col Muammar Gaddafi for funding the construction of the National Mosque at Old Kampala. This, Museveni said, came years after the former UMSC leaders misused funds the late President Idi Amin secured from Saudi Arabia for the purpose.
Shs 2bn donation
Museveni commended the UMSC leadership for bringing the women on board saying women are not only more talented than men, but they also make up 51 percent of the country’s population and leaving them behind is lack of foresightedness.
Museveni announced a Shs 2 billion donation to the UMSC women’s savings and credit cooperative society (SACCO) as he encouraged Muslims to embrace the parish development model (PDM) to improve their standard of living.
Museveni argued that the 6 percent interest imposed on PDM money is not Ribah that is prohibited under the Islamic financial principles.
“If we give you Shs 1 million and you payback Shs 1,060,000 after two years, the additional Shs 60,000 we put is because of inflation and not interest,” Museveni observed.
The chairperson of the NMWC, Safina Sofia Kenyangi said her leadership will provide an empowering platform for supporting female Muslims in their respective programs.
“This council will empower us to drive the social economic growth by ensuring that our sisters in Uganda are in the journey of transformation,” Kenyangi said.
