Sheikh Kitti Made A Mistake And I Hope It Never Happens Again
Recently, on Eid day Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine was seen praying with Muslims at Kitezi mosque. Bobi was at the front row of the Eid prayers with other Muslims, and I think this is where Sheik Kitti got it wrong.
It's okay for him to support the NUP and Kyagulanyi but Muslim leaders should always think before they act or speak about politics. There are many blatant examples of church and mosque pulpits and communications apparatus being used to promote specific candidates, and that would seem not right at all.
Pastors, Rabbis, Imams, sheikhs and the like are, like every other Ugandan, individuals with the complete protection of the constitutional laws. They can believe what they want and express their views publicly with impunity. The only limitation is that they should not use the lectern of their church, mosque, temple or synagogue to do it. They have a duty of care to make sure that what they say as a representative of their faith is kept separate from what they say as individuals with guaranteed constitutional liberty.
They shouldn’t endorse any candidate or proposal while in religious settings. They should recognize that people can disagree about policy without compromising their faith. They should encourage their members to vote but shouldn’t tell them how to vote. The church or mosque is for all, and a religious leader should have no interest in unnecessarily alienating supporters of the party he or she doesn’t support.
However, I think religious leaders should speak up if something fundamental is happening in the country. It is an issue of responsibility, and here it gets very knotty. When Hitler started killing the Jews, churches had a responsibility of speaking about it. The tricky part is that who determines when a party crosses that line and becomes a threat to society? And who sorts out lies from truth?
So, the issue here isn’t about Kyagulanyi entering the mosque to campaign, but he shouldn’t have been allowed to pray at the front row with Muslims. His delegation should have been given a row at the back, and get their cameras used over there to record him as he usually wants.
Non-Muslims are generally allowed to enter mosques during non-prayer times as long as they don’t violate Muslim ethics. However, during prayer, a non-Muslim should leave the exact praying area though they can remain in the mosque. So, during prayer our non-Muslim friends must make sure they are not inside that row and column area while Muslims pray. It's respectful to inquire about specific rules at each mosque, as practices may vary.
If the mosque is very full, it would be appropriate to wait for the crowd to disperse, so as not to disturb the awe of the worshipers and the tranquillity of the mosque. Clothing should be clean, not revealing, and should be appropriate for the hijab, like Muslims' mosque attire. Visitors should take care to maintain peace and not speak loudly to avoid disturbing the surroundings. He/she can ask anything about the mosque, Islam and worship from the mosque official. There are no conditions beyond this.
For example, 60 Christians from Najran came to Medina and visited Prophet Muhammad in his mosque. When their worship time came, they stood up to perform their worship in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina. The Prophet said: "Let them worship" and they prayed towards the east.
Also, a group of Christian Abyssinians played with spears in the mosque of the Prophet in front of him. His wife Aisha said: ‘’By Allah, I remember the Messenger of Allah (SAW) standing on the door of my apartment screening me with his mantle enabling me to see the sport of the Abyssinians as they played with their daggers in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).
While in the UAE last year, I saw non-Muslims allowed to tour the Blue Mosque in Dubai and the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi with us. Several other middle eastern countries mosques are open to non-Muslims when there is no prayer. After the 9/11thterrorist attacks in New York, a lot of mosques in America and Europe were open to non-Muslims, and this helped to reduce the tension between Muslims and Non-Muslims.
The point is that Muslims have never looked at non-Muslims as enemies, as often portrayed in some circles. St John’s Episcopal Church and the Crown Street Mosque in Aberdeen, share a link corridor. They have a lot of interaction and hold a simultaneous Christmas Eve service followed by a joint meal. At my home here in England, I share Eid Meals with Non-Muslims, and they also invite me for Christmas meals- we respect each other’s faith while interacting.
I like Sheikh Kitti and he has contributed a lot to the spread of Islam in Uganda, but he made a mistake. I hope other Muslim leaders learn from it and don’t turn what he did as a ritual in a mosque especially during this campaign period. We are Muslims -Islam always comes first.