MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN CLERICS TO WORK TOGETHER TO PROMOTE PEACE iIN MOMBASA

By EMMANUEL BOAZ The Muslims and Christians clerics in Mombasa have been urged to come work together and preach peace. The chairman of the Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council (Kemnac) Sheikh Juma Ngao said that those who bomb churches break and destroy business premises in the name if Islam must be arrested and taken to court because they are criminals.

“As the chairman of (Kemnac) we strongly condemn the violence and burning of churches. In order for peace to prevail where as it shall be easy for Christians and Muslims to go to houses of prayer the perpetrators of the criminal activities should be arrested and taken to court.” He said. He further urged the government to form a committee to investigate all people who participated in one way or another in the killing of Sheikh Aboud Rogo, to bomb churches in Nairobi northeastern, the bombing of the crusade in Mtwapa, the killing of Orma and Pokomo in Tana River. Saying that the ones involved should be arrested and face the law. Sheikh Ngao who is pursuing a degree in theology and has read both the Bible and the Quran spoke against the Muslim preachers who parade themselves by the road side and criticize the Christians and the bible saying that Christians are pagans should stop doing that since it raises inter religious conflict. “I have read the holy Bible for 4 years and the holy Quran for 7 years. I have also preached the both for 7 years. The Muslim preachers who come together to criticize the bible and calling the Christians pagans should stop politics of criticism in religion because there is no one has the right to judge the other,” he said While quoting verses from the Bible and Quran he congratulated the Christians for not taking the law into their own hands even after many churches were looted and burnt. The act of turning into a religious war is not good because it has brought consequences for Nigeria by the Boko Haram, Somalia, Burundi and Rwanda. “We should come together Muslims and Christians as brothers and sisters in order to know the ones who killed Sheikh Aboud Rogo and the ones who burnt down Churches.” he added. The Chairman of Kenya National Inter Religion Network (KENIN) Rev Alfred Obaya said that they are bring together religious leaders to promote inter religious interaction and provide civil education in order to bring amicable resolutions of promoting peace in Kenya. “As Christians feel like we are being looked down on because our churches are being burnt, we are bombed while conducting crusades and we do not know the reason why. The government should provide maximum security,” Rev Obaya said. We seem to blame the Muslims but as we see the perpetrators are the youth who are criminals. The criminals and their criminal act can be ended by providing security and bringing to book these criminals,” he added Sheikh Ngao concluded by saying that the ones who are participating in the criminal activities are not Muslims but just pagans who have no sense of belonging and they are out to tarnish the Muslim religion because the holy Quran preaches against burning and looting of places of worship. They should be arrested and taken to court. He also urged all Mosques to call off the demonstration by Muslims meant for tomorrow after the afternoon prayers.