Uganda Muslim martyrs’ day fixed for June 10
For the first time in about 150 years since the martyrdom of some of the first Muslim converts in Buganda kingdom, Ugandan Muslims are to formally commemorate the Muslim martyrs’ day, at least seven days after the Christian martyrs day celebrated on June 3.
According to Prof Badru Kateregga, the chairperson of the Uganda Martyrs Development Committee, the Muslim martyrs’ day will be commemorated annually on June 10, a date which was agreed upon with the leadership of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC).
Initially, the commemoration had been planned for June 1 – two days before the Christian martyrs’ day which is marked as a public holiday in Uganda.
“Muslims were the first Ugandans to be martyred way back in 1875. However, they are little known. It has taken us 15 years to raise awareness about the Muslim martyrs because Muslims didn’t write their history,” Prof Kateregga told journalists at a press conference held at his residence in Buziga near Kampala.
At least 45 young men were martyred in 1875 on the orders of former Buganda king, Muteesa I after they denounced the worship of traditional Buganda deities and embraced Islam.
Activities for the commemoration will start with prayers at the Shuhadah mosque in Namugongo on June 8 and climax on June 10 at the UMSC headquarters at Old Kampala.
“We shall follow the trail of the Muslim Martyrs before concluding with a massive event at the national mosque on June 10 which will also coincide with the 50 years of UMSC. This event is meant to create awareness about the many Muslims who were martyred in this country,” he said.
“It is also advocacy for religious tolerance because some of our families have people of different religious persuasion,” he added.
He called on Muslim clerics not to preach against the commemoration of Muslim martyrs since martyrdom is one of the desired forms of death in Islam.
“By and large Islam upholds Martyrdom and holds Martyrs in high esteem. Our goal is to preserve our heritage and promote our religious tourism to suit both local and international standards,” he said.
The planned activities come weeks after the government successfully pushed through a more than Shs 1.1 trillion supplementary budget in Parliament – allocating more than Shs 200 million to UMSC for the commemoration of the Muslim martyrs day.
The UMSC director for Sharia, Dr Ziyad Swaleh Lubanga, noted that Muslim martyrdom started during the lifetime of the prophet Muhammad when 14 Muslims were killed during the battle of Badr.
“And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision.” Dr Lubanga read from the Qur’an 3:169.
“Even the prophet Muhammad taught us about Martyrs. There are many categories but in our context, we are talking about those killed in the way of their Lord no matter where they are found because people can’t live in the same area. Whoever died in Uganda for his faith is a martyr and there is no way you can differentiate them from the other Martyrs,” he said.
