A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Involve us in terror fight, Muslims urge the State |
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| Halima |
| 07/23/03 at 06:12:42 |
News Sunday, July 20, 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Involve us in terror fight, Muslims urge the State By WAHOME THUKU Muslim leaders yesterday appealed to the Government to involve them in the fight against terrorism. Only then would the war be fruitful, said the Chief Kadhi, Sheikh Hammad Kassim, who was accompanied by other leaders, including lawyers and human right activists. They reiterated their opposition to the controversial Suppression of Terrorism Bill drafted by the Attorney-General. During a one-day workshop organised by the Muslim Lawyers League, the leaders described the Bill as retrogressive and an abuse of justice. They said the Bill was deliberately drafted to protect the interests of Western nations, while it suppressed the freedom and rights of Kenyans. Sheikh Kassim said that although Muslims had been affected by terror attacks, like all other Kenyans, their leaders had been sidelined in the war against the menace. "This law might make Muslims more involved in such acts as the only way to protect themselves," he told participants at the Jamia mosque, Nairobi. International terrorism had demonised Islam, he added. The Chief Kadhi criticised immigration officials for discrimination in screening those entering the country. He said some foreigners were being allowed in without interrogating their reasons for visiting. He warned Kenyans against hosting foreigners with questionable backgrounds, saying some of them had caused problems in the country. Lawyers Evans Monari, Amina Bashir and Arshad Alibhai said the Bill was unethical and incompatible with the international law. Mr Monari criticised the US courts for refusing to grant compensation to victims of the 1998 bombing in Nairobi. "If Kenya had a favourable law providing for compensation, these victims would have sued the US government here, even attached its property and sold it to get funds for the same," he said. The Law Society of Kenya has proposed major changes to the Bill. It was redrafted by a seven-man committee appointed two weeks ago and the new document will be presented to the Constitutional Affairs Minister Kiraitu Murungi tomorrow. Mr Monari, one of the committee members, said part of the proposals were that the Act should not be used to prosecute those accused of having committed offences before it was enacted. Other amendments include allowing suspects to have full access to legal representation and compensation if wrongly branded as terrorists. |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |