KAMPALA: The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has cautioned the Uganda government against criminalising Muslims and profiling suspects in the war against terror.
According to FDC, the Muslim community especially of the Tabliq sect are in great fear because of this targeted killings and profiling.
“Mosques are being declared radicalization centres by Museveni and Security, we fear they may begin invading mosques while Muslims are in prayers,” FDC spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said at a press conference on Monday, November 22, 2021.
This comes after security agencies shot dead Shiekh Muhammad Kirevu, a Muslim cleric in Katereke-Nsangi, Kyengera Township on suspicion of running a terror cell.
While police say he was running a terror cell, the sheikh’s family and friends have disputed this narrative, with civil society organisations condemning the security agencies for shooting and killing suspects.
But during his national address on Saturday, President Museveni defended the killing of Kirevu, insisting that he was radicalising youth.
Nevertheless, FDC says the President should leave the role of prosecution to courts.
“Museveni has now turned himself into an interpreter of the Islamic faith. He is a new expert on the religious concepts like Jannah (heaven),” he said.
According to Ssemujju, following the July 11, 2010 bombing at Lugogo of people watching world cup, people of Somali origin suffered from discrimination.
“Many Somalis were arrested simply because they were Somalis. In fact, an Egyptian who had come to Uganda as an exhibitor at annual UMA show ended up being arrested because he looked like a Somali and therefore a terrorist,” he said.
He added that this is reoccurring.
“Raids on mosques, arresting of people attending madrasa and profiling Tabliqs as suspects is a form of discrimination. The security agency must exercise a lot of caution dealing with this problem,” he said.
“And these are not the first criminals to use Islamic names. You remember late Brig. Chefe Alie, late Shaban Bantariza and Gen. Salim Saleh. All these have while engaged in rebellion used Islamic names. Museveni and Amama Mbabazi were using the name Kassim to access money to fund the Luwero war,” he added.