On Tuesday, November 4, the spectre of religious intolerance reared its ugly head in Yumbe District. Muslim youth, incited by reckless and inflammatory utterances made by an imam, went on the rampage in Yumbe Town.
Shortly after Sheikh Kassim Abdallah, the imam of Munir Mosque, in a video widely circulated on social media, told Muslims to destroy Christian-owned pork joints in the town, Muslim youth ran amok.
Armed with clubs, stones, and machetes, the Muslim youth attacked Christians, their businesses, and other establishments associated with Christians. Several people sustained injuries, but thankfully, no lives were lost. However, properties worth millions of shillings were destroyed.
According to some of the victims, they were also robbed of their belongings. This unfortunate incident violated Article 29 (c) of the Constitution which states: ‘Every person shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and manifest such practice, which shall include the right to belong to and participate in the practices of any religious body or organisation in a manner consistent with this Constitution.’
Islam prohibits the consumption of pork, but that does not mean Muslims are entitled to prevent Christians and other non-Muslims from partaking of it. Yumbe is predominantly Muslim, with those who subscribe to the Islamic faith comprising 76 percent of the population and Christians making up 24 percent. However, this too does not give Muslims in Yumbe the right to run roughshod over Christians and other minority groups.
We, therefore, call upon the public, irrespective of their faith, ethnic group, political affiliation, and race, to always be tolerant. Instead of spreading hate, let us embrace love. In cases where individuals or a group feel disgruntled, they should not take the law into their own hands, but instead use legally established channels to seek redress. Religious, cultural, and political leaders are considered role models by many people, and they should, therefore, be exemplary.
They should weigh their words to avoid inciting hatred, intolerance, and violence. A few words uttered by an influential religious, cultural, or political leader can spark, like in the case of Yumbe, needless violence and destruction.
Leaders should instead use the influence that they hold over people to promote peace and unity. They should work towards improving the lot of members of their communities, even if they do not belong to the same religion, tribe, or political party. Sectarianism should be shunned because all it does is impede the development of the country.