Muslims calls for implementation of laws to deal with religious misfits
By Rawlings, June 13, 2023
Muslim groups have proposed that the State enacts laws to deal firmly with rogue preachers across religious beliefs and institutions.
This even as the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) accused the government, political leaders and Ministry of Interior officials of sleeping on their job, following the Shakahola deaths linked to controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie.
Instead, Supkem argued that crimes should target individuals who misinterpret religious doctrine for personal or selfish gain.
In addition, the Muslim clerics charged that Kenyans had reached dangerous levels of socio-economic desperation to the extent they are too gullible to religious misadventure as an escape from their desperation.
Yesterday while appearing before the Senate Ad Hoc committee investigating the deaths at Shakahola, Supkem chairman Hassan Ole Naado (pictured) said that any deviation from the doctrines, should be treated as a crime and the law should be applied. “We must create religious crimes in law to take account of those who commit crimes in the name of religion,” argued Naado.
The proposal created excitement within the committee which is investigating the deaths in Shakahola which stand at 265 so far.
Tana River lawmaker Danson Mungatana who chairs the committee said that the proposal was important and asked the Muslim leaders to propose the kind of punishment that will come with it.
“What should be the punishment and who should mete out such punishment,” Mungatana asked. But Naado charged that since Kenya is a secular state, the application should be the existing laws.
“While this can be discussed and legislated on, we must remember that Kenya is a secular state. The applicable law is what the secular law provides,” he added, pointing out that there is no state religion in Kenya.