Sheikh Kamoga to Museveni: Fund Hajj not Namugongo
Amir-ul-Ummah, Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga has advised President Yoweri Museveni to facilitate needy Muslims to perform the annual Hajj instead of allocating funds to commemorate the Uganda Muslim martyrs day.
On Monday, June 10, the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) climaxed activities for the commemoration of the Muslim martyrs amid criticism from sections of the Muslim community who viewed the development as against the teachings of Islam.
Through a supplementary budget, the government allocated at least Shs 3 billion towards commemorating this year’s Uganda martyrs day. Of this budget, the Catholic Church was given Shs 1.3 billion, the Anglicans took Shs 1.5 billion and the Muslims Shs 200 million.
“It is time we woke up as Muslims. What is there for us to get excited about in Shs 200 million? It is too little that you can build with it a sizeable mosque,” Sheikh Kamoga told journalists at his Nakasero Mosque office.
At the launch of the activities to celebrate the Muslim martyrs on June 7, UMSC announced plans to build a bigger mosque at Namugongo where about 70 Muslims were burned to death in 1877. The Muslim apex body also plans to construct a shopping complex and a school at the same site.
As it climaxed the Muslim martyrs day activities at the UMSC headquarters at Old Kampala, calls were made for an equal share of the budget allocation towards the Uganda martyrs day celebrations. Sheikh Kamoga however argues that Museveni is right to give Muslims peanuts for the day.
“We are allowed to visit graveyards and pray for our dead, but there isn’t a single grave at Namugongo for the martyred Muslims. What is there that requires us to dedicate a day every year? The Prophet [PBUH] prohibited us from copying practices of other groups,” Kamoga said.
“My advisory to the President is that this money should be given to the Uganda Bureau of Hajj Affairs to facilitate needy Muslims to perform the Hajj. There are Imams who have been at the service of Islam for several years but can’t afford the cost of Hajj; the government should facilitate such to go for the Holy pilgrimage to Makkah rather than putting money on something that is unacceptable in Islam,” he added.
