Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020 Issue No.

918

The
The

Friday
Friday Bulletin
Bulletin
The Weekly Muslim News Update

Allow Kadhis to handle Children

matters-CIPK
The Council of Imams and Preachers of
Kenya (CIPK) has proposed an amend-
ment to the Kadhis Court Act to allow the
Kadhis’ Court to adjudicate on matters
pertaining to welfare of children in the
Muslim community.
The proposal comes after a judge at the
High Court ruled that the Kadhis’ Court
has limited jurisdiction that does not in-
clude children's matters. “A dispute relat-
ing to children and their rights is not one of
the disputes Kadhis’ Courts can hear and
determine,” the judge ruled.
Speaking to The Friday Bulletin, the coun-
cil's national chairman Sheikh Abdalla
Ateka pointed out that the problem of un-
certainty of the jurisdiction of the Kadhis
court over the children related cases is
causing confusion and stressed that the
Kadhi’s Courts Act should be amended
and specifically the phrase “personal sta-
tus” be defined clearly in the interpretation
clause.
“Personal law which is among the areas
of the Kadhi jurisdiction covers issues to
do with children. This uncertainty has cre-
ated doubt among the clients and other
stakeholders on the jurisdiction of the
court,” he said.
Sheikh Ateka further said that there is no
express provision in the Children’s Act
which affect the jurisdiction of the Kadhis
court hence it is prudent for the Chief Jus-
tice to exercise his power under the chil-
dren’s Act to appoint the Kadhis to handle
children cases.
The CIPK Chair emphasized that Kadhis
courts derive their mandate from the con-
stitution and attempts to deny them to ex-
ercise their jurisdiction is unconstitutional.
He further stressed on the need to have a
Muslim representation on the Kenya Law
Reform Commission to take care of Mus-
lim interests in law reform process.
The Sheikh called for creation of aware-
ness among the Kadhis, judges, lawyers
legal academicians and other stakehold-
ers on the role and mandate of Kadhis
courts in children cases and why it is im-
portant to have the Kadhis courts to han-
Continued To Page 2

Masjid Issa Bin Maryam in Kisumu opens

A newly constructed Mosque in Kaloleni
within Kisumu County has officially been
opened in a grand opening ceremony held
this week on Tuesday.
Masjid Issa Bin Maryam constructed on
the land located at Star area that had been
taken over by the Seventh Day Adventist
Church (SDA), was funded by Kisumu
Muslim Association (KMA), with support
from well-wishers to cater for the spiritual
needs of the Muslim residents.
The ruling by the Environment and Land
court at Kisumu law courts on October this
year ruled that ownership of the land right-
fully belongs to Muslims and community
leadership resolved to set up temporary
mosque project. Masjid Issa Bin Maryam in Kaloleni, Kisumu County.
Among amenities at the newly constructed had been made way back in 1985 for the lar allocation of the land.
mosque include men and female prayer plot to be allotted to the mosque but in a Speaking at the opening ceremony, the
halls, ablution facilities among other facili- strange turn of events, the National Land chairman Kisumu Muslim Association
ties. The temporary mosque can accom- Commission instead allocated the prop- (KMA) Sheikh Musa Ismail Haji said the
modate 150 worshippers. erty to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Mosque will be a center of Islamic activi-
The land registered under Kisumu Munici- The Kisumu Muslim Association and Kalo- ties in Star area in Kaloleni serving the
pality Block 5/40 had been earmarked for leni Muslim Mosque Committee had sued Muslim population and the society in gen-
expansion of the adjacent Kaloleni Mus- the Church and the National Lands Com- eral.
lim Primary School and an application mission for what they say was the irregu- Continued To Page 2

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The Friday Bulletin NATIONAL Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020

Isiolo HIV prevalence rate drops

Isiolo HIV prevalence has dropped to 1.6 “There is little funding to finance the ac- groups in the villages that collect ARV
per cent according to the National Aids tivities, especially educating the mass- drugs on behalf of the members and de-
Control (NACC) Council, with Marsa- es,” the NACC coordinator said. liver to their respective homes.
bit second at 0.9 per cent and Wajir and Isiolo County HIV and Aids Coordinator County Health Executive Wario Galma
Mandera tying at 0.2 per cent. Garissa’s Diba Galma observed that the NACC said the county was dedicated to reach-
prevalence has risen by 0.3 per cent to 0.4 office had 3,000 people living with ing out to residents with HIV and Aids ser-
per cent. the disease in the county. They had vices and messages in efforts to prevent
However, Isiolo leads the frontier counties reached out to 2,000 of them through more transmissions.
in HIV prevalence, according to the 2018 decentralisation of their clinics. The reduced prevalence rate in other
Kenya Population Based HIV Impact As- He lamented that many shun visiting counties has been attributed to more sick
sessment (KENPHIA) report. hospitals to collect life-saving drugs people being placed on lifesaving anti-
NACC coordinator Dennis Mureithi at- in the coronavirus period but they had retroviral drugs.
tributed the prevalence in Isiolo to an reached a big number through the mo- The country’s prevalence stands at 4.9
increase in inter-county movement and bile outreach clinics. per cent with 1.3 million Kenyans living
increased interactions brought about by “We are working with various partners with HIV. The prevalence rate and dis-
urbanisation. towards reaching out to the remaining ease burden is high in women (6.6 per
He asked the national and county govern- people,” said Diba, adding that they will cent) compared to men (3.1 per cent).
ments to allocate more resources to the continue sensitising residents on the
department to allow it to undertake out- need to be tested for the disease.
reach programmes at the grassroots The department, he said, had also started
level.
CJ Maraga gazettes 14 new Kadhi Courts
The Chief Justice David Maraga has an- ment of 15 more Kadhis to speed
nounced the gazettement of 14 new Kadhi up the dispensation of justice and
Court stations. enhance on service delivery.
In a gazette notice published on Friday, The appointments of the new Ka-
December 4, 2020, CJ Maraga announced dhis will bring the total number of
that he had established the new stations Kadhis to 71 up from current 56
to facilitate the dispensation of justice. the largest number in the history
“Take notice that the Chief Justice and the of the country.
President of the Supreme Court of Kenya
has established Kadhis Courts which are
within the supervisory jurisdiction of the
High Courts,” read the gazette notice.
The newly gazetted Kadhi courts which
are within the supervisory jurisdiction of
the High Court include Balambala, Bura/
Masjid Issa Bin Maryam in Kisumu opens
Fafi, Bute, Eldas, Elwak, Garbatula and Continued From Page 1
Ijara.
Others are Habaswein, Merti, Modogashe,
Mombasa, Takaba, Upper Hill and Witu re-
spectively. This brings the total number of
the Kadhi courts across the country to 48.
Kadhis’ Courts are established under Arti-
cle 170 of the Constitution. Their jurisdic-
tion is limited to the determination of ques-
tions of Muslim Law relating to personal
status, marriage, divorce and inheritance
in proceedings in which all the parties pro-
fess the Islam as their religion and submit
to the jurisdiction of the Kadhis’ courts.
Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has
approved the recruitment and appoint-

Call for law review

Continued From Page 1
dle cases of the children in the Muslim
community.
He further suggested codification of Is-
lamic family law saying this will help Ka-
dhis to save their time in researching in
the wider Islamic law and the codification
will also provide an opportunity to judges
handling appeal cases, lawyers, academi-
cians and other stakeholders to have first
hand information on application of Islamic
family law.
Sheikh Yahya delivering a sermon to worshippers inside the mosque during the
official opening on Tuesday.
He urged Muslims of the area to maximal- Sheikh Musa paid tribute to all those who
ly utilize the Mosque through performing supported the construction of the Mosque
the daily prayers, engagement in Da'wah saying their contribution will go to great
and other educational programme for both lengths in fulfilling the aspirations of Mus-
spiritual and social economic development lims in the area through provision of spir-
and also take good care of the Mosque itual guidance and education.
as well. “I call upon Muslims to utilize the
mosque properly through performing the
daily prayers to enhance on your spiritual-
ity and knowledge,’’ Sheikh Musa said..

Page 2
The Friday Bulletin
Jesus as mentioned in the Quran
By Idris Tawfiq
Christian artists down through the centu-
ries have shown Jesus surrounded by fluffy
clouds or angels. Around his head a golden
halo of light shines, while little children and
lambs are always at his feet. On the cross,
this artistic Jesus is shown suffering ter-
rible agonies on behalf of others, asking
always that his enemies be forgiven. The
“gentle Jesus, meek and mild” of the Chris-
tian hymn books, the blue-eyed Jesus with
curly flowing hair, is the Jesus that sits in
the popular imagination.
Maybe it is because Islam has always dis-
couraged depictions of human beings in
art that Christianity has managed to win
the publicity prize for its portrayal of Jesus
(peace be upon him).
In addition to art, the Christian Church
chose four of the many Gospels that were
written to describe the life of Jesus. Saint
Luke’s is perhaps the most beautiful, be-
ing a Gospel of prayer, of the poor, and of
women. The way in which Luke crafts his
words makes Jesus so appealing.
Islam, on the other hand, has no artists to
elevate Muhammad (peace be upon him) to
the rank of a deity. It has no Gospel writers
and no Paul to use their words to make Mu-
hammad anything more than human. The
Quran was revealed to a man who could
neither read nor write. He simply recounted
what was said as it was told to him.
The Jesus which God tells about in the
Quran is quite different from the Gospel
Jesus, although there are some similari-
ties. Especially at Christmas time, when
the depictions of Prophet Jesus are at their
most florid, we need to remind people who
Jesus really was. In the Quran we read
what means:
{He [Jesus] said: “I am indeed a servant of
God. He has given me revelation and made
me a prophet; He has made me blessed
wheresoever I be; and He has enjoined on
me prayer and charity as long as I live. He
has made me kind to my mother, and not
overbearing or miserable. So peace is on
me the day I was born, the day that I die,
and the day that I shall be raised up to life
(again)!”
Such was Jesus the son of Mary. It is a
statement of truth, about which they (vain-
ly) dispute. It is not befitting to (the majesty
of) God that He should beget a son. Glory
be to Him! When He determines a matter,
He only says to it, “Be,” and it is.} (19:30-
35)
In other words, according to Islam, Je-
sus was a prophet of God. He belonged
to a long line of prophets, calling people
throughout history to the worship of One
God. These include such names as Abra-
ham, Moses, David, and Solomon (peace
be upon them all) and, like them, he is re-
vered and honored by all Muslims. When-
ever they mention the name of Jesus, Mus-
lims will always say, “Peace be upon him.”
Like the accounts in the Gospels of Mat-
thew and Luke, the Quran shows that Je-
sus’ birth was miraculous:
{Behold! the angels said, “Oh Mary! God
gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him.
Page 3
DA'WAH Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020
His name will be Christ Jesus, the son of
Mary, held in honor in this world and the
Hereafter, and in (the company of) thonear-
est to God. He shall speak to the people in
childhood and in maturity. He shall be (in
the company) of the righteous… And God
will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the
Law and the Gospel.”} (3:45-48)
Not only did Jesus have a miraculous birth,
but the Quran also tells us that he was born
of a virgin mother and that he spoke in the
cradle, that he performed miracles, and
that he did not die on the cross, nor was he
raised back to life after three days.
Different messengers were sent with dif-
ferent gifts, as they needed to speak to
their own people in a way that would at-
tract them and help them to understand. It
was the special gift of Prophet Jesus that
he could perform miracles. Being able to
perform miracles didn’t make Jesus equal
to God. Everything he did was by God’s
leave, to teach the people of Israel about
God Himself. Even these miracles, though,
were not enough to convince them.
It is the belief of Islam regarding Jesus that
we should never confuse the message with
the messenger. His message was to speak
about God and to show the power of God
in this world and the next, but the message
didn’t make him equal to God. His miracles
were his way of conveying the message.
In fact, the Quran is quite clear about this:
{Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than
a messenger; many were the messengers
that passed away before him. His mother
was a woman of truth. They had both to eat
their (daily) food. See how God makes His
signs clear to them; yet see in what ways
they are deluded away from the truth!}
(5:75)
Jesus and his mother both had to eat food.
They were human beings, like you and I.
Jesus was given the loftiest of tasks in be-
ing called to speak God’s message to the
world, but he remained just that: a man
who ate food.
Out of an exaggerated love for Jesus,
many of his earliest followers, encouraged
by the writings of Saint Paul, began to see
Prophet Jesus as something more than hu-
man, a god.
They confused the beautiful message he
brought with the One who sent it. They saw
his gift of being able to calm the winds and
the seas, or his gift of curing the sick, as in-
dicating that he was more than just a man.
The Quran is quite clear about that, Jesus
was a great prophet, but he was no more
than that. He did not die on the cross, nor
was he raised to life after three days, but
he was a man.
One of the greatest men, yes. A man with
very special gifts, yes. A man whom they
revere as a great prophet, yes, but not a
god. There is no God but Allah.
In summary of all this, the Quran tells us
what God will say to Jesus n the Last Day,
when He Almighty calls all people to Him-
self: {And behold! God will say [on the Day
of Judgment]: “Oh Jesus, the son of Mary!
Did you say unto men, worship me and my

Lesson from Sheikh Jamaludin Osman
Friday sermon at Jamia Mosque Nairobi
on 4th DEC. 2020.
Topic: Epukana Na Mambo Saba Yenye
Kuangamiza
The following lessons were drawn from
the sermon:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) advised
us to keep away from seven things that will
destroy us namely:
1. Shirk. One should not associate any-
thing with Allah in worship (i.e., committing
an act of Shirk)
2. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) pro-
hibited us to practice sorcery (Sihr).
3. Killing the innocent. Killing one whom
Allah has declared inviolable without a just
cause is like killing the whole mankind.
4. The one who takes usury (Riba) has de-
clared war with Allah and Prophet Muham-
mad (Peace be upon him)
5. Using orphans wealth unjustly.
6. Fleeing from the battlefield will make
one go to hell.
7. Accusing chaste believing women, who
never even think of anything touching their
chastity.
NOTE:
• If one practices shirk and dies without
repenting:
-Jannah is haram for him,
-Allah will never forgive that person on the
day of Judgement and
-Allah will not accept their deeds.
• If one kills someone without a just cause:
They will go to hell and stay there for long,
Allah will be angry with them and more
punishment is prepared for them while in
hell.
-Killing one whom Allah has declared in-
violable without a just cause is like killing
the whole mankind.
• The one who gives, takes and witnesses
riba transactions have been cursed by the
Prophet (Peace be upon him).
• One who takes orphans wealth is like
eating fire.
mother as gods in derogation of God?” He
will say: “Glory to Thee! Never could I say
what I had no right (to say). Had I said such
a thing, You would indeed have known it.
You know what is in my heart, though I
know not what is in Yours. For You know
in full all that is hidden. Never did I say
to them anything except what You com-
manded me to say: ‘Worship God, my Lord
and your Lord.’ And I was a witness over
them while I lived among them. When You
took me up, You were the Watcher over
them, and You are a witness to all things.”}
(5:116-17)
The Friday Bulletin
Child Sexual Abuse: Knowledge equals protection
By Rasha Dewedar
With sexual abuse rates so high, it’s likely
that you know several people who have
been abused. And the abuse may have oc-
curred when they were among the easiest
prey – children. Although physical abuse
is more tangible with its bruises and scars,
sexual abuse has it’s own tell-tale signs.
Educating yourself and educating your chil-
dren is the only way to try to prevent heinous
sexual abuse of children.
Contrary to the conviction that avoiding talk-
ing with the children about sexual abuse for
the sake of preserving their innocence; ex-
perts believe that awareness is much better
than innocence in this particular case.
Overcoming the Consequences of Child-
hood Sexual Abuse
“Lack of sufficient knowledge will unfortu-
nately lead the children to be more vulner-
able to be attacked,” explains social counse-
lor Samar Abdo.
Knowledge Better Than Innocence
Educating children about sexual abuse
won’t necessarily include using inappropri-
ate terms or explaining details of sexual re-
lations.
It shouldn’t be frightening for the kids. Try
chit chatting with them about their social ac-
tivities and talk briefly with them about risks
they might face when they are alone deal-
ing with people. Keep in mind, 93% of child
sexual abusers are known to the child. They
are friends, family members and other ac-
quaintances.
Factual discussion is always the best way
to make them fully comprehend what sexual
abuse is, who is likely to do it, and what to
do in such cases.
Here are some facts that might help you
spot sexual abuse already occurring with
your child:
1- First of all, sexual abuse includes a wide
range of behaviors that range from sexual
exploitation to full intercourse, in which a
very simple behavior might cause a serious
psychological impact.
Sexual abuse also includes involving chil-
dren involved in any sexual activities to pro-
duce child pornography.
2- Psychological influence might appear on
children who suffer from sexual abuse in dif-
ferent forms like:
•General fear or fear associated with certain
people or places
•Feeling of shame or guilt
•Sleeping and eating disturbance
•Attention problems
•Social withdrawal
•Aggression, anger, hostility, hyperactivity
•Depression
•Poor school performance
•Drug addiction
•Imitating mature sexual behaviors
•Suicidal attempts
Abuse might also reflect in the pictures they
draw and the stories they tell, that abnormal-
ly contain sexual content.
Fear, insecurity, anxiety, inferiority, and
Page 4
WOMEN Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020
embarrassment are also very common
among abused children.
Physical signs that parents should be
aware of include:
•Blood or semen in their underwear
•Trouble walking or sitting
•Oral and anal bruises
•Presence of objects in the vagina or the
anus
In the long term, abuse can lead to low
self-esteem and difficulties in intimate
relationship. Surprisingly, there can also
be a unity with the predator and abused
child.
3 – The person who practices this be-
havior, is not necessarily a stranger, he/
she might be a relative, parent’s friend,
neighbor, teacher, trainer- anyone, just
anyone.
4 – The predator is not a notably ‘weird’
person; they might be very nice.
“Incidents of children abuse are not nec-
essarily violent, it might be exactly the
opposite,” Abdo asserted. She explained
that it is not uncommon that those people
show extra care for the kids, while brain-
washing them to keep the practice going.
Parents should always question money
and belongings found with their kids that
are not logical. This is a strong sign of
someone manipulating them.
5 – Persons who practice child abuse are
not necessarily victims of abuse them-
selves.
Keyworld Academy is a new integrated private
school situated at the heart of Fedha.
We seek to nurture your child into a reflective
and dependent person right from the basics
to excellence.
Find us behind Aga Khan University Hospital in
Fedha Embakasi, 200m from Fedha Mosque.
The school offers both CBC, 8.4.4 system and
Islamic education programs such as Quran,
Hadith, Arabic, Seerah among others.
6 – No one is immune to being sexually
abused. It is not associated with disturbed
families, certain socioeconomic levels, gen-
der, age or race.
Timid children are more vulnerable, as well
as those who don’t receive adequate love or
care from their families.
7 – Proactive measures are mandatory to
protect the children both at home and out.
Believe Your Children
To prevent sexual abuse or to help your
child recover from it, you must hear them.
They need to know they can talk to you
about anything.
1 – Express your unconditional love and
support to your child by different ways, this
will be sufficient to create mutual trust and
will help him/her tell you if anything goes
wrong.
2 – Teach your child that certain areas on
their bodies are private (not dirty or shame-
ful) that shouldn’t be seen or touched by
anyone.
3 – Teach them to say no when necessary,
and that they shouldn’t accept whatever
they feel a scary or weird situation, and how
to seek immediate help from a grown up.
4 – Always keep an eye on your children
at home or wherever they present, and be
sure you know their caregivers well.
5 – Set your online rules, like parents’ con-
trol techniques and banning any secret ac-
tivities online.
Continued To Page 6
The Friday Bulletin
Why young people don’t care about Coronavirus
Adil Oumennou
At this point, a year into the Covid-19 pan-
demic, we can say it has been both bad
and good for the world and individuals.
Truly, with a pause, you can easily see the
negatives, but you will see the positives
too.
Some people take the virus seriously, tak-
ing all of the necessary precautions for
themselves and others. On the other hand,
everyday and everywhere we find a sur-
prising number of people, even within our
own families, disregarding the pandemic’s
seriousness. They take negligence in fol-
lowing preventive precautions: many of
us don’t wear a mask, do not respect the
safety distance, we even continue to shake
hands and embrace.
There are even large gatherings of people,
including weddings! Of course life goes on,
but to be so heedless on such a beautiful
day is shocking.
The Corona Crisis Brought Me to Islam
I can’t doubt that with all the government,
influencer and grassroots efforts to edu-
cate people, most must understand the
seriousness of the matter for themselves,
their family, friends and all of the people
around them. The question here is:
Why are young people careless about the
situation?
This is not an easy issue to analyze, but
let’s look at it from some general perspec-
tives. Firstly, do young people have respect
for the law? Well, many people, young and
old, do not respect the stop sign on the
road unless we see a traffic enforcer. Some
laws are just seemingly inconvenient and
so easy to break. But perhaps this is a dif-
ferent issue.
What you taught us
In our world, we young people have ex-
pressions that are often repeated to us,
such as “Everyone is equal before the law”
and “No one is above the law.” We know
perfectly well that they are just empty slo-
gans, far from the truth and reality.
In reality, what we see is that the laws are
applied to the poor. The laws are frequently
impotent when it comes to officials and the
owners of money and power. A reality like
this settles deeply in the minds and aware-
ness of young people.
We develop a conviction that adhering to
the laws and following the instructions of
the state is like a kind of weakness and
subservience. Escaping from the law is a
kind of intelligence, and it may even be a
small act of revenge. Therefore, we find
many young people do not wear the mask
and do not respect the safety distance.
Youth loyalty (or lack of) to the country
seems like a plausibility. And their excuse
is that the country obviously doesn’t care
about them. It is not working hard enough
to improve youths’ conditions and create
job opportunities. On the contrary, you find
widespread unemployment, drugs and oth-
er addictions, mental health problems and
even increasing rates of suicide. There’s
another possibility to why youth don’t care
more about the pandemic.
Page 5
YOUTH Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020
Other ethics?
It can be an ethical problem, resulting from
poor parenting. Our parents either don’t
have the time, resources or concern to in-
form and pester us about the seriousness
of taking precaution. No time because they
are so busy working? Lacking resources
because their own education was so poor?
No concern because they are already over-
whelmed in their own problems they don’t
see the government helping with? Inter-
generational poverty and trauma are real
and a pandemic in themselves.
Finally, with regard to the Corona virus
specifically, a large group believes that it
is just a lie. They believe that it isn’t as se-
vere and dangerous as it is described, and
that what is being promoted is exaggerat-
ed. They refuse to be suckered into further
misinformation and propaganda.
My feelings
As a young person myself, I can see that
at first we took it seriously, panicking about
the virus. We followed the reports of large
6 reasons why we are still single
Mohamad Bailouni
Why are we still single? Are we going
through a marriage crisis? Is love an es-
sential ingredient before marriage? Grow-
ing up in the West has major influence on
single Muslims: how we live our lives, view
and seek marriage.
Many of us have grown a thick skin toward
the traditional arranged marriage that once
used to be the main ideal and successful
way for the many past generations be-
fore us. Now, marriage game rules have
changed due to the strong desires for love
and romance, creating a beautiful love sto-
ry, and marrying the love of our lives.
This has driven many of us to take different
approaches in searching for and trying to
find the one.
As a result of our lifestyle, western culture
influences, and taking a different approach
to marriage, these changes have brought
new challenges along with them to the
community that many of us don’t under-
stand and underestimate while being un-
sure of how to react to them. Even some of
our community leaders are having a hard
time grasping at the situation.
How to Make Your Crucial Marriage De-
cision
Why are we still single? We often ask our-
selves this due to pressure placed on us
by others. Others being our own families,
friends, and the community we live in.
There are many reasons to why we’re still
single – here are some:
Lack of Connection with the Muslim
Community:
If I were to ask you, how many Muslim fam-
ilies do you know in your community? The
answer for this question usually ranges
between 3-12 families, depending on your
location. Out of all the Muslim families we
numbers of patients dying every day and
fearfully watched the number of deaths in-
creasing. We lived under a comprehensive
quarantine. No doubt everyone was afraid.
And we took all precautions.
Is Coronavirus Fake?
But after the quarantine was eased, and
the enforcers left, the danger began to
shrink in our minds. We began to be more
daring, as is the nature and even a benefit
of youth. I regularly put the mask on and
then removed it after a short time, claim-
ing that it suffocated me. Saying “I never
got used to wearing it,” is another popular
excuse for myself and others.
I resisted shaking hands at first, briefly be-
ing content with just giving the salam. But
I missed it. My friends and loved ones are
those who truy nurture and care about me.
We started shaking hands and embrac-
ing again. Recently, we, young people, no
longer care about the virus. Our lives feel
close to normal, global pandemic or not.
know, how many potential options for mar-
riage do we have? The answer is usually
none to one, while not considering compat-
ibility, attractiveness, and the chances of it
actually working out.
Now, how can we find our future signifi-
cant other if we’re not well-connected in
our Muslim communities? Many people
give up trying and consider marrying from
overseas, though, is this a true and real so-
lution? This solution works, but mainly for
men.
Women are being left out with barely any
men to consider for marriage. As a result
of this, we’re seeing the rise of single Mus-
lim women in their late 20s, 30s and 40s.
They are very professional, great marriage
material, and very mature and capable of
handling marriage responsibilities.
Paradox of Choice Among Unrealistic
Expectations:
The limited options some single Muslims
face when searching for their future part-
ner due to the lack of connection within the
Muslim community is real. But the opposite
side to this equation is also real. The west-
ern industrial societies have introduced to
us the idea of the more choices we have
the more freedom and liberation we’ll have.
We are bombarded with dozens of choices
on a daily basis from which salad dressing
to choose from in the supermarket to which
partner to choose to spend our future with.
When we are exposed to a high number
of choices of prospective future partners
along with their qualities, values, and char-
acteristics, especially via online dating and
via cities with a bigger Muslim population,
our expectations and standards automati-
cally rise up high to the roof.
The Friday Bulletin
Coronavirus : Death of doctor who helped children smile
The death from Covid-19 of Dr Ashraf Ema-
rah, a senior plastic and reconstructive
surgeon in Kenya, last month highlighted
the plight of medics who are demanding
more protection for those on the frontline
of the battle against the pandemic.
An Egyptian by birth, Dr Emarah one of
the top specialists in western Kenya who
arrived in the country about 30 years ago,
contracted the Covid-19 virus.
His condition worsened and there were
no intensive care (ICU) beds available at
his hospital - the Moi Teaching and Refer-
ral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret. A vital drug
that he needed when his situation became
critical was also hard to afford.
“Doctors had to contribute to buy the drug”
to stabilise him, Dr Chibanzi Mwachonda,
the acting secretary-general of the Kenya
Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and
Dentists Union, told a parliamentary com-
mittee.
“It was a sad situation,” Dr Mwachonda
said, pointing to the fact that doctors did
not have comprehensive medical cover
from the national insurer.
The doctor’s family and colleagues then
tried to get him transferred to the capital,
Nairobi, hundreds of miles away. But the
cost of getting an air ambulance evacua-
tion, was “too expensive”, a doctors’ union
official said.
The ailing doctor was taken to a private
hospital in Nakuru, a town roughly halfway
between Eldoret and Nairobi, where he
waited for an ICU bed to become available
in the capital. But just a day later, on Friday
November 13, he died.
Emarah was the fourth specialist doctor to
die that week, a grim statistic in a country
where there are about 7,000 doctors for a
population of 48 million. Dr Emarah had
taught medical students at the MTRH, the
country’s second biggest referral hospital,
for decades.
The doctor was well known for the surgical
Child Sexual Abuse: Knowledge equals protection
Continued From Page 4
6 – Make a network with other parents in
the school, club, or neighborhood; this will
help you all cooperate in the kids’ protec-
tion.
7 – Any child’s query regarding inappropri-
ate language or touch should be taken seri-
ously and gently discussed.
“Children tend to imagine things, but this is
very unlikely to happen in the case of sexu-
al abuse,” says Abdo.
This is because they didn’t experience simi-
lar incidents before to build on, that’s why
parents should basically believe their chil-
dren unless there is a strong reason to re-
ject their statement.
Muslim Author Releases Child Sexual
Abuse Safety Book
In many cases, children will be afraid,
anxious, and confused while talking about
FEATURE Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020
repair of thousands of chil-
dren born with cleft lip pal-
ate, helping them to smile,
and passing on his experi-
ence to surgeons in neigh-
bouring countries including
Somalia, Uganda and the
Democratic Republic of the
Congo.
A week before his death,
he had been conducting
surgery and supervising
students, before develop-
ing symptoms days later,
his friend Dr Anthony Akoto
said.
“He died on the frontline, in the line of
duty,” said Dr Akoto, who is also a union
official, noting that the death had taken
away the only plastic surgeon of his ex-
perience in western Kenya.
“The country has few plastic surgeons.
At his level, we only had him, though we
have some other upcoming surgeons,
but we still have gaps.”
Kenya’s medical practitioners’ board
listed only four specialist plastic and re-
constructive surgeons in the country by
2018.
Since coronavirus arrived in the country
in March, at least 14 doctors have died in
the wake of the pandemic.
On Monday, the KMPDU announced that
Dr Stephen Mogusu died after contract-
ing Covid-19.
On top of this, at least 20 nurses and 10
clinical officers have passed away from
the virus.
Overall, at least 2,000 health workers
have been infected with the virus, includ-
ing Dr Mwachonda, the medical union’s
top official, who recently described the
heavy burden it had on his mental state.
“It’s the toughest period I have had this
year… At some point I had given up - I
abuse incidents; for this parents should
listen attentively, and believe the child
even if some details are not very accurate.
8 – Reassure them and assert that they
are not at all responsible for this behavior.
If abuse is present?
Taking an action towards the harassers
especially in major cases is mandatory,
not only to ensure it won’t happen again,
but also to help the child get over the situ-
ation and report further possible attacks.
The child will have a better chance to re-
cover if the parents’ intervention is quick
and appropriate. Knowing how sexual
abuse affects the physical and psycho-
logical well-being of children is imperative
to their healing. Prevention is always the
best medicine.
was like: ‘I don’t think I’m going to make
it,’” he told local television station NTV.
The coronavirus infection numbers in Ken-
ya have been increasing again in recent
weeks, with November recording the high-
est number of daily infections as well as
deaths since the pandemic began in the
country.
The union urged doctors to abstain from
duties “where the environment is unsafe”.
With the death of more specialist doctors,
and the government seemingly unable to
immediately address the situation, the doc-
tors called for a strike starting 7 December
before suspending it for two weeks, to give
room for further talks.
“How do you fight a war when all your sol-
diers are falling in numbers? We need to
be protected,” Dr Mwachonda told the par-
liamentary committee.
As he spoke about the dire environment
under which Kenyan health workers work,
some of the MPs broke down.
The health ministry has acknowledged
some of the issues raised by the unions,
but has denied that it had neglected the
workers, saying their needs would be met
and noted ongoing consultations.
“Neglecting our soldiers would be tan-
tamount to facing an enemy without any
defence,” Health Cabinet Administrative
Secretary Mercy Mwangangi said.
AYAH OF THE WEEK
But if one of them op-
presses the other, then
fight against the one that
oppresses until it returns
to the ordinance of Allah.
And if it returns, then make
settlement between them
in justice and act justly.
Indeed, Allah loves those
who act justly.
(Quran 49:9)
Page 6
The Friday Bulletin Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020

The Palestinian case at the ICC is legal, not political

By Raji Sourani
It took International Criminal Court Chief
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda five years
to conclude her preliminary examination
of the situation in Palestine, which found
“a reasonable basis” to believe that “war
crimes have been or are being commit-
ted in the West Bank, including East Je-
rusalem and the Gaza Strip,” and thus to
initiate an investigation. Her statement on
December 20, 2019 announcing the end
of the inquiry was met with widespread
enthusiasm by victims and human rights
organisations alike. But the celebrations
came too soon.
The prosecutor found that the standard
of proof for the commission of war crimes
was met, and that opening the investiga-
tion was appropriate and in the interest of
justice. Nevertheless, instead of proceed-
ing, she sought confirmation on the scope
of the ICC’s territorial jurisdiction from the
Pre-Trial Chamber. She asked the cham-
ber to take a decision within 120 days. Most submissions did not limit themselves territory, suspend visas to ICC personnel
Nearly a year later, victims are still waiting to the technical question of territorial ju- and their families, and condemn the Pal-
for that decision. risdiction, as requested, but interpreted estine investigation and “any other action
this moment as an opportunity to make that seeks to target Israel unfairly”. Secre-
As a Palestinian lawyer in Gaza, I have
claims about the statehood of Palestine, tary of State Mike Pompeo has repeatedly
spent 30 years representing victims of
the legitimacy of the proceedings and their referred to the court as an embarrassing,
war crimes and crimes against humanity
political appropriateness. The chamber, political, renegade, unlawful, “so-called”
across the occupied Palestinian territory.
however, did not follow up with a timely court and a “vehicle for political vendet-
Since 2009, I have represented the Pal-
delivery of its judgement. tas”, “masquerading as a legal body”.
estinian victims of Israeli crimes in Gaza
before the ICC, our last resort to ensure The politicisation of this case engulfed Continued To Page 8
the most serious crimes of concern to the the ICC proceedings from the very begin-
international community do not go unpun-
ished. ning, echo-
ing the fate
Today, I am increasingly frustrated by the of previous
court’s painfully slow progress. It is true attempts
that international criminal proceedings are to seek re-
typically longer than domestic cases, but it dress for
is hard to understand why the substantive violations of
investigations into the crimes committed international
in Palestine have not commenced, despite law in Pales-
the evidence uncovered in the prosecu- tine through
tor’s preliminary examination. legal mech-
The prosecutor’s decision to ask the Pre- anisms and
Trial Chamber to confirm territorial juris- forums. A
diction in Palestine and consequent de- delegitimi-
lays risk jeopardising the effectiveness sation cam-
of the investigation. This wasted time has paign was
played into the hands of certain political launched
actors who have attempted to detract from against the
the seriousness of the court’s preliminary court, with
findings of war crimes. accusations
ranging from
Most notably, the Israeli Ministry of For- taking a po-
eign Affairs has published a position paper litical stand
which attempts to divert attention away to espousing
from the gravity of the crimes, and direct anti-Semitic
it towards the old question: is Palestine positions.
even a state? This argument champions a
legal and moral absurdity: there can be no Reaffirming
victims of war crimes in Palestine if Pales- its unwaver-
tine is not a state. ing support
to Israel,
In January, the Pre-Trial Chamber is- the United
sued a call for the submission of obser- States took
vations on the question of jurisdiction. In radical steps
response, 43 amici curiae legal opinions to reject
were submitted from third states, interna- ICC author-
tional organisations, legal scholars and ity over its
civil society by the March 16 deadline. citizens and
Page 7
The Friday Bulletin
HRW: China using surveillance tech to arbitrarily detain Uighurs
A leaked list of more than 2,000 ethnic Ui-
ghur detainees in China's Xinjiang Uighur
Autonomous Region suggests the govern-
ment has used an expansive data collec-
tion project to arbitrarily detain Uighurs in
the region, according to US rights group
Human Rights Watch (HRW).
HRW said the leaked police data from
the Aksu prefecture was further evidence
of "how China's brutal repression of Xin-
jiang's Turkic Muslims is being turbo-
charged by technology."
Surveillance spending in the region has
ballooned in recent years, with facial rec-
ognition, iris scanners, DNA collection,
and artificial intelligence deployed across
the province in the name of preventing ter-
rorism.
HRW said it had obtained the list – which
detailed detentions from mid-2016 to late
2018 – from an anonymous source that
had previously provided audiovisual con-
tent taken from inside a facility in Aksu.
The group gave an example of a "Mrs T"
– detained for "links with sensitive coun-
tries" who was listed as having received
a number of calls from a foreign number
which belonged to her sister.
Researchers at the NGO spoke to the
woman and learned that police had inter-
rogated her sister in the region, but she
has had no direct contact with her family
in the province since.
How system flags people
Beijing has come under intense interna-
tional criticism over its policies in the re-
source-rich territory, where rights groups
say as many as one million Uighurs and
other mostly Muslim minorities have been
held in internment camps.
China defends the camps as vocational
training centres aimed at stamping out
terrorism and improving employment op-
portunities.
HRW said the people were flagged using
a programme called the Integrated Joint
Operations Platform, which collected data
from surveillance systems in the region
before officials decided whether to send
them to camps.
HRW said its information suggests the
"vast majority" of people were flagged to
authorities for legal behaviour, including
phone calls to relatives abroad or having
no fixed address.
Other reasons for detention listed include
activities like repeatedly switching off a
smartphone, having "unstable thoughts"
or "being generally untrustworthy"
'IJOP in action'
Only around 10 percent of the people on
the list were detained for the reasons of
terrorism or extremism.
The list from 2018 includes the names
of Xinjiang Uighurs, phone numbers and
reasons for detention in China's camp
system, including studying the Quran,
Page 8
Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020
wearing religious clothing or travelling in- Huawei's role flagged
ternationally. Separately, US-based surveillance re-
"The Aksu list is the first time we have search firm IPVM said in a report on Tues-
seen the IJOP in action in detaining peo- day that Chinese telecoms giant Huawei
ple," said HRW's Maya Wang. had been involved in testing facial recog-
nition software that could send alerts to
The list, parts of which were shown to AFP
news agency, described the reason for de- police when it recognised Uighur minori-
tention of many of the people as simply ties' faces.
being "flagged" by the integrated platform. An internal Huawei report cited by IPVM
– which has been removed from the com-
The rights group has not published the full
contents of the list, citing safety concerns pany's website but is still visible in Google
searches – showed the software as pass-
for the person who had leaked it
ing tests for "Uighur alerts" and "recogni-
The local Aksu government, as well as tion based on age, sex, ethnicity, angle of
Uighur region's authorities, did not im- facial images."
mediately respond to AFP's requests for
comment.
The Palestinian case not political
Continued From Page 7
In order to shield US and Israeli nationals In this sense, in concluding her prelimi-
who committed war crimes, US President nary examination satisfactorily, the prose-
Donald Trump even issued an executive cutor could have opened the investigation
order, imposing sanctions on the ICC directly. There was no legal requirement
prosecutor and investigators. Some com- to submit a request to clarify the territorial
mentators have expressed doubt that US jurisdiction of the court.
President-elect Joe Biden will be willing Her request, therefore, has brought a
and able to reverse this course of action heated political debate into the courtroom;
and hostility towards international justice.
resolving it once and for all, at the prelimi-
Confronted by a deluge of politically-moti- nary stage of the proceedings, will avoid
vated accusations, the ICC need not sink incertitude and more unbearable delays in
to the level of its detractors. Its founding the decision.
treaty, the Rome Statute, requires the This strictly judicial approach is not di-
court to stand for justice, “determined to vorced from the reality on the ground. In-
put an end to impunity for the perpetra- stead, it acknowledges the critical situa-
tors” of international crimes. tion of the victims of the Israeli occupation,
The only valid approach is for the court to for whom this court represents the only
tackle the question as a strictly legal one. and last resort.
VACANCY
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MOMBASA.
The Friday Bulletin
By Dr Salman Butt
10 things you can do for Uyghurs right now
“But what can I do to help them?”
When we see suffering it is easy to forget
some important truths and duties.
Crises like the ones our Uyghur brothers
and sisters are going through are a test for
three types of people at once: those com-
mitting the injustice, those on the imme-
diate receiving end of it, and the onlook-
ers—which is the majority of us. One of
the most successful traps of shaytān is to
lull us into a blissful ignorance, wishfully
thinking that we will not be held responsi-
ble for oppression simply because we are
not committing it directly ourselves. Injus-
tice relies on spectators doing and saying
nothing. Another trap is for us to comfort
ourselves with the fallacy of not doing
what we can, simply because we are un-
able to fix an injustice fully.
The scholars of Islamic legal theory and
ethics have clarified these fallacies in a
succinct maxim: al-maysūr lā yasqut bil-
ma’sūr – the duty to do that which is do-
able is not lifted due to the presence of
that which is not doable. This is similar
to the principle: mā lā yudraku kuluhu lā
yutraku julluhu – that which cannot be
achieved completely must not be forsaken
fully. These principles essentially warn us
against the perfectionist fallacy; just be-
cause there are 1,000 things that are re-
quired to be done in order to “fix” a particu-
lar problem (be it the Uyghurs, Kashmir,
Indian Muslim oppression, Syria, and so
on) and we are able to only address 2 or
3 of those, we are not permitted to leave
them, rather we are obligated to do what is
in our ability and sphere of influence.
It is also important to remember our pri-
mary objective: “And when a community
among them said, “Why do you advise [or
warn] a people whom Allāh is [about] to
destroy or to punish with a severe punish-
ment?” they [the advisors] said, “To be ab-
solved before your Lord and perhaps they
may fear Him.”( Al-Qur’ān 7:164)
We are not in charge of the outcome, but
our main concern should be doing what-
ever is in our ability and our sphere of in-
fluence, so that we may have an excuse
before Allāh when He asks us what we did
to help those being oppressed. It is not
enough to say we did not do that which
was out of our ability, but Allāh judges ac-
cording to what percentage of our poten-
tial for activism we utilised.
So bearing that in mind, here are some
things that we can and must definitely try
and do in order to help our brothers and
sisters suffering in other parts of the world.
I. Sincere Du’ā
This is something that every one of us can
do, and it is the weapon of the believer. It
is undoubtably confirmed as a means to an
end, and anyone who belittles this impor-
tant means indeed has traces of hypocrisy
in their heart. Since Allāh is the Owner of
everything, He is able to bring about any
change He wills, but He is testing us which
of us is going to put effort into the means
Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020
for positive change—of which du’ā is an
undeniable one.
This includes seeking out the times and
situations where du’ā is most beloved to
Allāh, and most likely to be accepted. For
example, if you are an Imam you can carry
out Qunūt al-Nāzila with your congrega-
tion, as per the sunnah of the Prophet (sall
Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). If you are not an
Imam, then ask your local masjid to do so.
II. Encourage public figures to issue a
statement
It may come as a surprise to some, but
statements of condemnation of perpetra-
tors and support for victims, from politi-
cians, governments and even celebrities
do make an impact. Look at the example
of Arsenal Football Club midfielder Mesut
Ozil’s condemnation of the silence over
the treatment of Uyghurs in East Turke-
stan by the Chinese state.[
This simple act has led to a furious reac-
tion by the Chinese state, including report-
edly cancelling the broadcasting of Arse-
nal matches costing millions, removing
him from their version of the Pro Evolution
Soccer game, accusing him of being mis-
led by ‘fake news’, and removing his fan
club from Chinese search engines.
This was just one man – don’t tell me our
voices cannot make an impact.
This also includes identifying celebrities
to raise awareness and issue messages
of support. Apartheid was dismantled in
South Africa because the country was
treated like a pariah.
III. Raise general awareness yourself
Each one of us has the blessing/curse of
a mobile phone and an online persona on
social media platforms whether we know
it or not. The democratisation of the news
agenda by social media has made it such
that ordinary people such as you and I,
can be involved in making something be-
come too loud for the traditional brokers of
knowledge and power to ignore it. There
have been many examples of this.
How do we exercise this power? Share
this and any other news or calls to ac-
tion about an important issue to your
networks, and encourage them to spread
awareness. When you come across an
important narrative, piece of news, or
call to action on a social media platform,
chances are that its algorithms are test-
ing its ‘engagement’ potential, to increase
‘time spent on site’—the single metric all
advertising-run apps or sites are geared
to maximise. This means that if you just
scroll past it, the algorithm will not show
that thing to more people. But if you stop
on it, click the link, engage with it (like,
comment, share), then the algorithm will
show that same post on the timelines of a
larger and larger number of people. This
is one way we can ALL help something go
viral.
Feeling too negative?
And do not think “What is the point of
sharing negativity and bad news?!” Mak-
ing inkār (condemnation) of a munkar is in
and of itself an act of worship, and some-
times we have to get out of our comfort
zones in order to speak out even if it brings
us moral anxiety or temporary sadness. It
is of course counterproductive to focus on
that and ignore everything else that we
can practically do, but it is just as counter-
productive to ignore this act as well.
Part of this is also following and signal-
boosting key activists and NGOs on the
ground that are doing the hard work of
reporting what is happening, sometimes
at risk to their own lives. Look for advo-
cacy groups for particular causes, such as
Stand With Kashmir, Talk to East Turke-
stan, and CAGE in the UK for example.
IV. Send messages of support to those
affected by injustices
Never underestimate the power of mor-
al support. Even Allāh (subhānahu wa
tal’ālā) gave moral support to His beloved
Messenger (sall Allāhu ‘walayhi wa sal-
lam) when he was being attacked: “Nūn.
By the pen and what they inscribe,
You are not, [O Muhammad], by the favour
of your Lord, a madman.
And indeed, for you is a reward uninter-
rupted.
And indeed, you are of a great moral char-
acter.” (Al-Qur’ān 68:1-4)
Find people on social media platforms and
also physically through friends and rela-
tives, and send messages of support to
them letting them know that their brothers
and sisters are thinking of them, making
du’ā for them, and doing all that they can
to help them. One of the most poisonous
feelings fostered by Muslims suffering far
away is the feeling that the Ummah has
forsaken them—let them know this is not
the case.
V. Charity
Find reputable registered charities that are
carrying out work to help alleviate the suf-
fering of those facing injustices. We all talk
the talk but let us put our money where our
mouths are.
We need to increase our financial muscle.
Make the intention that a portion of your
wealth (other than zakāt) will be used to
aid the Muslims in East Turkestan, for
example. Research ways to do so; chari-
ties which launch legal challenges for in-
stance, and carry out important systemic
and institutional work.
VI. Find out about and organise BDS
action
Hit them where it hurts – economics. Boy-
cott, Divestment & Sanction is a tried and
tested method of putting pressure on per-
petrators of injustice.
VII. Write to media outlets to cover
these stories
Ask the major newspapers and sites to
cover what is happening to Uyghurs right
now.
Page 9
The Friday Bulletin
Mandera leaders agree to make the region a drug-free community
Residents of Mandera were sensitised
earlier this week by the National Author-
ity for the Campaign Against Alcohol and
Drug Abuse (NACADA) as part of its cam-
paigns to end drug and substance abuse
in the country.
On Monday, Mandera county department
of anti-narcotics led by its director Ahmed
Sheikh together with NACADA regional
head for North Eeastern Wangai Gachoka
led the destruction of other drugs confis-
cated by the county anti-narcotics unit in
Mandera town.
Mandera is among counties where drug
and alcohol abuse remains rampant and
NACADA has identified bhang and co-
deine, a substance contained in cough
syrup, among the most abused drugs in
Lamu residents decry
rising defilement and GBV
cases
Residents of Hindi in Lamu West have
protested against a rise in defilement and
gender-based violence (GBV) in the re-
gion.
A group comprising residents, community
and religious organisations marched on
the streets on Sunday carrying placards
decrying the rampant sexual abuse in the
area.
Among the demands they made is the im-
mediate arrest of a Kenya Defence Forc-
es officer who is alleged to have married
a KCPE candidate from the town.
According to one of the residents in Hindi,
Bwanamkuu Ali, the rise in irresponsible
sexual behaviour among school children
in the area is alarming.
“It’s discouraging and heartbreaking for a
KDF soldier to marry a schoolchild. For
a KWS officer to elope with a schoolgirl.
For a GSU officer to rape a child and get
away with it. Who will fight for the victims
here?” he posed.
A report by a Non-Governmental Organi-
sation present in the area showed that
more than 24 cases of child defilement
and gender-based violence have been re-
ported in Lamu in the last two weeks.
One of the Hindi community activist Nancy
Owira blamed the authorities of doing lit-
tle or nothing to stop child defilement and
GBV in the region. She urged the Mem-
bers of Parliament (MPs) to enact tougher
laws that will help tame sex crimes.
“There are at least two cases of defile-
ment reported in Hindi weekly. We are
just annoyed that the police and other
concerned offices are not treating this
matter with the seriousness it deserves,”
she observed.
The activist said the problem has been
worsened by allegations that security of-
ficers in the area are also culprits in the
crime.
According to a report by the Office of the
Director of Public Prosecutions in Lamu,
Hindi remains the leading area for child
defilement cases since 2015.
Page 10
NATIONAL Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020
the region. Youth have also been blamed
of excessive chewing of miraa.
The NACADA regional head pledged to
empower the anti-narcotics unit with re-
inforcement from the National Police Ser-
vice to curb the vice in the region.
“We are ready to work with the local lead-
ership and government agencies to en-
sure Mandera achieves its desire to be a
drug-free community. We are also asking
those who have been selling drugs that
the time has come to change and look for
alternative businesses,” he said.
Mandera Public Service executive Ahmed
Sheikh advised locals not to aid drug bar-
ons and peddlers but instead join the fight
to end the drug menace.
“It is our desire that we give hope to our
young people. We want to ensure they
Muslims in Kiminini get Mosque after land donation
In a rare gesture aimed at strengthen-
ing communal harmony and peaceful
co-existence, a non-Muslim has donated
one acre piece of land for the building of
a mosque in Babaton village in Kiminini
Sub-county within Trans Nzoia County.
The cost of one acre of free piece of land
donated by the well wisher in the month of
October 2020 is estimated at S 1.5 million
and he has also pledged another one acre
land for setting up a Muslim owned and
run hospital to cater for the health needs
of the local communities.
The construction of the project that
comprise of a Mosque, a madrassa and
an Imam’s house is being undertaken
by a donor in partnership with Masjid Al
-Ameen Juja Road in Nairobi and the
mosque project is almost complete.
According to the donor of the land, Em-
manuel Baraza Milimo, Muslim residents
of Babaton have been traveling for five
kilometres to access the nearest mosque
hence the driving force that pushed him
Rift Valley scholar Prof. Abdul K. Faraj passes away
Renowned Rift valley Prof. Abdul K. Faraj
passed away earlier this week after suffer-
ing from short illness.
He was a scholar of high reputation and
integrity and once served as the dean of
faculty of Agriculture at Egerton Universi-
ty. He was also the Chairman of Dairy and
Food Science and Technology (DAFT-
ECH) Department at Egerton University.
He is a specialist in Cereal Technology,
Wheat grading and Grain Storage with
a PhD in Food Science and Technology
from University of Alberta, Canada , a Msc
in Food Science and Technology and a
Bsc Agriculture from University of Mani-
toba, Canada.
He was also the patron of Egerton Muslim
Students and was involved in many Mus-
lim activities in Rift Valley.
Prof. Faraj was one of our Board of Trus-
tees in Kenya Institute of Food Science
and Technology (KIFST) and widely pub-
grow in a community that is able to nature
their skills and talents in a drug-free envi-
ronment,” he stated.
Mandera East MP Omar Salah urged se-
curity officers to conduct a massive crack-
down and arrest and prosecute drug ped-
dlers.
“The rate at which our youth are consum-
ing drugs is alarming. The situation can-
not continue like this. Those behind the
illegal business must be brought to book,"
he said.
Mandera county commissioner Onesmus
Kyatha assured the leaders and the public
that the government will not relent in the
fight against drug abuse.
"Within the period agreed on, we want to
work on a strategy and have bhang and
other drugs out of here,” he pledged.
to provide land for the construction of a
mosque.
“Muslim residents including my late moth-
er were being forced to travel for five kilo-
metres to access the nearest Mosque. Be-
ing impressed with commitments towards
their faith is the reason that has pushed
me to donate a portion of my land for
free to Muslims to set up a mosque and
Madrassa,’’he said.
He expressed his happiness with the
speed with which the Muslim leadership
undertook the construction of the mosque
adding that the mosque will enable them
undertakes their religious obligations with
ease and that he is anxiously waiting for
the call for prayers (Adhan).
“A big thank you to the donor and well-
wishers who donated and offered support
towards the initiative to set up the Mosque
for the local Muslim community. May Al-
lah reward them abundantly,” local Muslim
community leader Abdulkarim Muhammad
said.
lished in academic journals, he has 37 pa-
pers in Research Gate (online academic
journal.) He was passionate in food sci-
ence and previously worked at Kenya Ag-
ricultural Research Institute.
The late Professor was also the Secretary
General of Njoro Mosque Nakuru.
The death of Prof. Faraj is not only a loss
to Faraj's family but also to the nation and
the entire Muslim Ummah.
The Friday Bulletin
Muslim NGOs distribute wheelchairs, food to PLWD in Turkana
Muslim Non-Governmental Organizations
recently distributed wheelchairs to Per-
sons Living With Disability (PLWD) in Tur-
kana county to boost their mobility.
The mobility equipment which included
wheelchairs and crutches together with
food items were donated by Al- Momin
Foundation, Ummah Foundation, Health-
care direct and Helping Hand for Relief
and Development (HHRD).
According to Al Haji Salim Naita, the head
of the Lodwar Islamic Centre, the Non-
Governmental Organizations (NGOs) do-
nated the 22 wheelchairs, 10 crutches and
food items to people living with disability
(from different villages in Lodwar to pro-
mote equal opportunities and better the
livelihoods of people living with disabili-
ties.
“People with a disability in Turkana face
huge poverty and unemployment and they
can’t afford to buy these equipment that
why Muslim Non-Governmental Organiza-
tions have decided to come together and
support our brothers and sisters to facili-
tate them with mobility,” he said.
The beneficiaries of the donation ex-
pressed gratitude to the organisations
noting that the devices will have a huge
Concerns over upsurge in gender-based violence in Garissa
Concerns have been raised over the up-
surge in sexual and gender-based vio-
lence in Garissa County.
Women activists drawn from various civil
organizations groups based in the region
on Wednesday petitioned the government
to take action over the rise in sexual and
gender-based violence.
The petition is part of 16 days activism
which commenced on November 25 and
it was drafted by officials drawn from the
Pastoral Girl Initiative (PGI), Inua girls
group, Silver Lining Kenya among other
organizations.
They appealed to the government to de-
velop and implement community sensi-
tization programmes on sexual and gen-
der-based violence to raise awareness in
the community through regular local chief
barazas.
Addressing the press after presenting
their petition to Garissa Deputy County
Commissioner (DCC) Benard Ole Kipury,
the activists led by Fatuma Kinsi Abbas,
founder and director of the Pastoralist
Girls Initiative urged the government to
constitute a special committee that will
look at the reviewing the function of the
Maslaha system.
Maslaha is an all-time traditional mecha-
nism of conflict resolutions amongst So-
mali communities. It has however been
used in arbitration of sexual offences that
activists argue many times favours the
culprits.
They said that the system has been
abused by elders who arbitrate serious
NATIONAL Rabi' ul-thany 26, 1442/December11, 2020
ract operations
undertaken and
supervised by
local health per-
sonnel and doc-
tors held at Katilu
hospital in Tur-
kana south sub
county.
The campaign
was started last
year by Al Mo-
min Foundation
in partnership
with other or-
ganizations with
the main aim to
reduce the rising
cases of blind-
ness and so far
more than 750
impact on their lives and food donation will patients have benefitted from the cam-
go a long way to supplement their food re- paign.
serves.
Cataract which is defined as opacity of
At the same time, Al Momin foundation in the crystalline lens of the eye is the lead-
collaboration with Umma Foundation and ing cause of visual impairment and blind-
Global Humanitarian Relief held an eye ness in the world.
cataract campaign in Turkana.
Over 150 people benefited from eye cata-
crimes including sexual and gender-based each of the seven sub counties in Garissa
violence cases. to house and protect survivors of sexual
“Streamline the functioning of the Ma- gender-based violence stressing the state
slaha system to be in compliance with the should identify and develop strategies
that protect and support the survivors of
Constitution of Kenya and applicable laws
governing sexual offences by developing sexual and gender-based violence.
an act to ensure that its well managed and Ole Kipury on his part acknowledged that
not abused as an alternative justice sys- Maslaha has been an impediment to suc-
tem,” read the petition in part handed over cessful prosecution of sexual violence of-
to Garissa Deputy County Commissioner fences in the county adding that they have
Bernard Ole Kipury. been in collaboration with the judiciary to
hasten cases involving minors and sexual
The activists also want the state to fully
implement the Sexual Offences Act, 2006, offences. “Guardians or parents of victims
who are mostly not privileged can be com-
the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutila-
tion Act, 2011 and the Presidential Direc- promised hence prosecuting such cases
tive on ending FGM by 2022. might be a problem. We will however do
all within our means to ensure victims get
They called for the establishment and justice,” Ole Kipury said.
equipping of seven rescue centers, one in
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Page 11
 Education in a Muslim life
Education is a powerful tool to alter unsustainable values and
mindsets. But in order for it to be used most efficiently it is crucial
to have a clear understanding of what values should be advanced,
changed, or developed. The Qur'an and hadiths of our holy Prophet
(s.a.w) indicate that knowledge and education is important for all
Muslims in order for them to fulfil their duties and obligations to Al-
lah and humanity.
The Qur’an defines knowledge as a means to reaching utmost the
level of iman (faith) for all Muslims, males and females, to becoming
true believers. This is demonstrated in the following verses: ”Allah
grants wisdom to whom He pleases and to whom wisdom is grant-
ed indeed he receives an overflowing benefit.” Surah 2/269“Those
truly fear God, among His Servants, who have knowledge: for God
is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.” Surah 35/28 ”Are those equal,
those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are
endowed with understanding that receive admonition.” Surah 39/9
The hadiths of the Prophet (s.a.w) also emphasized the value of
knowledge. As the following hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah notes:
"When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurring
charity, or knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious son,
who prays for him (the deceased)." (Sahih Muslim: Book 12, Hadith
4005). Therefore, learning the Qur’an and understanding its social
and economic implications would contribute to the achievement of
justice and social equity.
Ummah Foundation has the long term objective of building a finan-
cially inclusive community with access to economic opportunities
for all, by giving the most needy and bright students the financial
tools (paying for their schools fees) to improve their lives. This has
a lasting effect of having a society that unlocks itself through edu-
cation, from the pandemic ills of poverty and ignorance.
There is a wrong perception that Muslims in this country are illiter-
The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147
E-mail: fridaybulletin@jamiamosque.co.ke Printed by Signal Press Limited-Lords House-Tom Mboya Street signalpresslimited@gmail.com
ate, ignorant and suffer from the medieval fallacy of considering
education as the second priority in life. We need to understand
that Islam highly advocates for education. Islam, in theory as well
as in practice, has always promoted knowledge. Distinctive mark
of human beings over the an-gels is knowledge. The Prophet
(s.a.w) did not only preach about importance of knowledge, he
also gave examples of promoting knowledge. In the very first bat-
tle between the Muslims and unbelievers of Makka, known as
the war of Badr, the Muslims gained victory and caught seventy
non-believers as prisoners of war. One of the criteria of releasing
the POWs devised by the Prophet (s.a.w) was that those who
were literate among the pris¬oners could go free if they teach
ten Mus¬lim children how to read and write. Ummah Foundation
sponsors students at secondary school levels as a pedestal to
create a strong foundation and increase the meagre and sorry
percentage of Muslims at University levels from the current 3% to
a proportional percentage as per the Muslim populace.
For many students in this Country where the gap between the
affluent rich and the indigents is too big, the chance to attend
secondary school or attain a University degree means a chance
to broaden not only their academic horizons but also their future
prospects and a reprieve from the vicious circle.
Contact us:
Ummah Foundation
Village Plaza, 2nd Floor,Ngara Rd
P.O. Box 58717-00200 Nairobi
Tel: +254-20-2680610/13 Mob: 0734845277
Email: info@ummahfoundation.net
www.ummahfoundation.net
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