The

Friday Bulletin
The Weekly Muslim News Update

Issue No. 386

Shawwal 15 1431/September 24 2010

'RETURN RENDITIONED
KENYANS...' Leaders demand
Muslims voted overwhelmingly for this new constitution expecting that it will protect
them now they are turning it into a big monster
Bring back the renditioned Kenyans
or face the wrath of citizens who
want to see that the new constitutional order is respected to the letter. We stand here to demand that
those Kenyans, who are Muslims
and were captured by National Security Intelligence Service, Anti-Terrorism Police Unit and Kenyan Police and taken to Uganda be brought
back and charged in Kenya courts.
The Muslim leadership shall not play
cat and mouse games this time with
the government over their denials.
We are the citizens and they must
act within the law.
This was the message from Muslim leaders to the government with
regards to the State policy of indiscriminate arrests and unlawful extra judicial renditions of Kenyans to
Uganda.
The Statement released by leaders
from various organisations spoke on SUPKEM Secretary General Adan Wachu address the press at Jamia Mosque. He is anked by
the Jamia Mosque vice chairman Farouk Adam (Left) ,SUPKEM chairman Abdulghafur
the anxiety brought about by the
El-Busaidy (second right) and NAMLEF vice chair Yusuf Murigu.
arbitrary detentions and urged the
government to see to it that the
laws of the country are upheld as its illegal actions risk turning the country into a state of lawlessness. We live in fear that there is no
law in Kenya to secure the safety and security of Muslims, not from thugs or thieves. But from the impunity and hooliganism of Kenyan
security forces, Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) chairman Prof. Abdulghafur El-Busaidy said while addressing a press
conference at Jamia Mosque on Wednesday.
We rmly caution that, if the state organs charged with the responsibility of upholding
and enforcing the law continue to be the ones disregarding the law, then they risk turning Kenya into a lawless country, he added.
The state spy agency, National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS), the Anti-Terrorism
Police Unit (ATPU) and the police were accused of victimizing innocent Muslims in order
Editorial
to create a sense of fear in the community. These security organs, established by our
Violating the sanctity of the constitution
P2
laws and paid for by our taxes have run rogue. They have been trailing Muslims in our
Da'wa
country, pounce on them, beat them up, place hoods over their heads and rush them to
Uganda. They have been doing this knowing that it is against Kenyas constitution, he
make the spirit of Ramadhan last a whole P3
further stated.
Women Issues
The actions of the agencies which has so far seen scores of Muslims renditioned to
Maymuna Bint Al-Harith
P4
what the leaders termed as the new African Guantanamo in Uganda were in clear contravention of the law and were done against the spirit of the new constitutions which
Youth and Children
Kenyans had high expectations that it will end the culture of impunity.
Adjusting to university life
P6
Prof.El-Busaidy maintained that all the Kenyans currently detained in Uganda were innocent and if the government had a case against them, they should have tried them
under the Kenyan law as it is provided for in the constitution. If these brothers were
Opinion
to be held in Kenya, our constitution would demand justice and freedom for them. Not
Arbitrary arrests, a return to the Nyayo era P7
continued on page 2

This Week

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Shawwal 15 1431/September 24 2010

The Friday Bulletin

EDITORIAL

Violating the sanctity of the new constitution

Kenyans were treated to shocking television pictures aired on KTN
Prime News on Wednesday which showed leg-shackled Kenyan
rights activists in a Ugandan court. The Executive director of Muslim Human Rights Forum (MHRF) Al Amin Kimathi and businessman Omar Awadh Omar could barely be able to walk with the heavy
metallic chains strapped on their legs and their hands.
The absence of the orange jumpsuits were the only missing factor which could have led to notions that this pictures emanated
from the notorious US-run concentration camp in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba.
The conditions which these innocent Kenyans are enduring, sadly
have been brought about by the actions of the Kenyan government
which deliberately outed the laws of the land and handed over
its citizens to a government whose human rights record has been
questioned by global rights body.
The world is yet to forget the shocking episode where the army
moved in a civilian court and arrested a presidential candidate Kiza
Besigye before a judge moments after he had been vindicated of
a terrorism charge which had been slapped on him for challenging
the candidature of the incumbent President Yoweri Museveni.
Al Amins efforts to ght for justice for the victims of the US supported
so-called terror campaign earned him global recognition especially
for his successful role to bring back home the scores of Kenyans
who had been illegally renditioned to Somali and Ethiopia-again by
our own government which had chosen to subscribe to the wishes
of the United States and trashed the laws of the land.
He did not rest at these but traveled around the great lakes region
to document the ill treatment of scores of people who had fallen
victims to these rendition campaign.
The activists ignored pleas from the human rights fraternity not to
travel to Uganda as it was clear that the regime would consider
him a big threat to its attempts to deny justice to the incarcerated
Kenyans.
It was not therefore a surprise that his arrest together with that of
human rights lawyer Mbugua Mureithi attracted global condemnation as this was seen as a campaign of intimidation and denial of
justice for the accused.

While we strongly condemn the inhuman and barbaric actions of

the Ugandan government, the onus, as Adan Wachu the secretary
general of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims right said, falls
back on our own government which chose to disregard the laws
and mercilessly handed over its citizens to be face torture and be
denied justice.
Kenyans paid dearly with their lives and made numerous sacrices
to ensure that they had a law which will put to rest decades of unfair
treatment and agrant abuse of the rights of citizens but barely a
month in the new constitutional dispensation, concern is growing
that a far bigger monster could be in the making.
The actions taken by the state security agencies are akin to telling Kenyans not to have faith in the countrys judiciary and to the
outside world, we are sending a message that this is a failed state
without any judicial order and it is other countries who can help us
to dispense (in)justice.
By and large, handing over Kenyan citizens to Uganda is essentially rewarding a country which has violated the sanctity of the
Kenyan territory through the illegal occupation of Migingo island
and the continuous humiliation of its Kenyan citizens who are subjected to hostile treatment in their own country.
Turning Kenyans into sacricial lambs is a big slap in the face of
the new constitution whose ideals are being thrown to the dogs and
if the present situation is allowed to continue, it will send a signal
that the dreams of freedom and the end of the culture of impunity
cherished by Kenyans will remain a sham.
Kenyans should not look at this matter through a narrow lens as a
Muslim issue but as a national shame which need to be urgently
rectied. Tolerating it, will perpetuate these injustices and will be a
matter of time that gears of impunity will shift from Muslims to other
communities.
It therefore becomes an individual responsibility for all Kenyans to
rally against these wanton abuse of human rights and dignity and
ensure that the ideals espoused by the constitution are enforced
and adhered to. Ignoring this fact will leave citizens at the mercy
of those who wish to thrive on impunity. By that time, it will be too
late to shade a tear.

Leaders demand justice for renditioned Kenyans

continued from page 1
satised with this, they now have entered into an alliance with their
counterparts in Uganda so that no Kenyan advocate or human
rights defender can go to Uganda to assist the deportees of the
Kenyan government, he said.
Their job is to secure the safety and security of Kenyans and Kenya
in accordance with the law and not in vendetta seeking and prole
targeting of Muslims, he further added.
The SUPKEM chairman said the state security machinery was provoking Muslims into a state of desperateness, anguish and anger
and their actions were testing the patience of Muslims to the extreme. When state security apparatus disregard the law in broad
daylight, what are the victims and the affected supposed to do? he
wondered.
The Council's secretary general Adan Wachu condemned the campaign of victimization calling it an act of great impunity. Ni dhulma
ya hali ya juu, hawakutendewa na serikali ya Marekani wala ya
Uganda lakini na serikali yetu. (This is a great act of oppression.
Their rights were not violated by the American or Ugandan governments but by our own government) he said. The current situation,
he said, went against the expectations of Muslims who hoped that
the new constitutional dispensation will put to an end the years of
victimization of the community. Muslims voted overwhelmingly for
this new constitution expecting that it will protect them now it is turning out to be a big monster, said Adan Wachu the SUPKEM Secretary General.

He told the government to be prepared for a long struggle with

the community as the efforts to seek justice for those detained in
Uganda will continue unabated. He however, said the struggle will
be within the constitutional guidelines.
Jamia Mosque Assistant secretary general Ibrahim Ahmed Yusuf
accused the United States of complicity in the unlawful arrests of
Muslims saying it was actively funding and supporting the oppression of Kenyan Muslims. The detainees are being interrogated by
agents from the Kenyan and United States intelligence and they
have not even been asked about the bombings in Uganda but on
the activities of Muslim organisations in the country including
SUPKEM and Jamia Mosque he said.
The leaders strongly condemned the arrest of Muslim Human
Rights Forum chairman Al Amin Kimathi and lawyer Mbugua Mureithi in Uganda and said it was an attempt to intimidate and silence
the voices of those who are campaigning against the violations.

THE KIDNAPPED KENYANS

1.Idriss Magondu
2.Hussein Hassan Agade
3.Mohamed Abdow
4.Muhammad Hamid
5.Habib Suleiman Njoroge
6.Yahya Mbuthia Suleiman
7.Omar Awadh Omar

8.Ismail Abubakar
9.Al-Amin Kimathi
10.Hassan Abdu Issack
11.AbdulAziz Ali
12.Abdullahi Mohamud Abdu
13.Hussein Aliow Abdi

Shawwal 15 1431/September 24 2010

The Friday Bulletin

DA'WA

Make the spirit of Ramadhan Last the whole year

Sarah Joseph
statement of appreciation. When the servant says alhamdulillah, Allah says, My servant has praised Me. (Ibn Abi Hatim)
8. Ask for help from Him even with the smallest with difculties. The
Prophet Musa was told to pray even for the salt on his food.
9. Reect on Allah by learning His names with their meaning.
10. Make a regular time to contemplate the natural world, for it is
revelation from God, And among His Signs is the creation of the
heavens and the earth. (Quran 30:22)
Connecting to your family and close friends
11. Iftar is a time to eat with your family continue to have a regular,
collective family meal together.
12. Following the adage, The family that prays together, stays together make prayer in jama regularly, spending time afterwards to
reect and talk to one another, sharing stories from Islamic history
or the companions perhaps.
13. Invite others to dine with you, and accept the invitations of others for that is one of the ve rights a Muslim has over another Muslim; the other four being, to return the greetings of salam, to visit the
sick, to accompany funeral processions, and to respond to the one
that sneezes. (Bukhari & Muslim)
14. Be the one to forgive and move on, and remember the Three
Day Rule, for the Prophet said, It is not allowed for a Muslim to
desert his brother for over three days. (Muslim and Tirmidhi)
15. Tell the ones you love that you love them. The Prophet said,
If one of you loves his brother for Allahs sake, then let him know,
since it causes familiarity to endure and rmly establishes love.
(Bukhari)
16. Put those you love rst and empathise with their emotions, as
the Prophet said, Love for your brother what you love for yourself.
(Muslim)
Connecting to yourself
17. Try to nd a quiet time every day to reect on yourself that day.
What did you learn from that day? What could you have done better? What were the strengths of that day? What were the weaknesses? Remember if you have had a bad day every new dawn,
brings with it new opportunities.
18 List the things that you like about yourself. We may think that
would be immodest and vain, but it is worth remembering that you
are a creation of the Most High, and of the best of creations. The
Prophet said, God is merciful towards the one who knows his
worth so start listing your worth.
19. List the things that you think need changing about yourself.
Think of this positively. The Prophet said that A Muslim is a mirror
to another Muslim (Abu Dawud), but we need to be a mirror unto
our own selves rst.
20. Create a space which you always keep tidy, scented and beautiful. The Prophet said, God is beautiful and He likes beauty (Muslim), so such a space will give you a place to re-charge your batteries, and to reect upon your inner self.
To be continued Next Week

Islamic Lecture
Nini baada ya Ramadhani?
Sheikh Juma Amir
Sat. 25th September 2010 2.00 pm-4.00 pm
Makina Mosque,Kibera

Saturday Lecture

SI
ST

ER

SO

NL
Y

NLY

Upbringing by Example
Ustadha Hafswa Diko
Sat. 25th September 2010 2.00 pm-4.00 pm
Jamia Multi Purpose Hall

SO
TER
SIS

The end of Ramadhan need not signal an end to the feeling of increased spiritual connectedness. Sarah Joseph explores 40 ways
to keep the Ramadhan spirit strong.
Ramadhan is a time of increased worship in our lives. In addition
to the fasting, there is often an increase in other areas of worship,
for instance the reading of Quran, and giving in charity. Keep these
things up, even if it is only a small amount. The Prophet said, The
deeds most loved by God are those done regularly, even if they are
small. (Bukhari and Muslim).
1. Read a little of the Quran every day - you would just need to
read 18 verses of the Quran per day to nish the whole Quran
within the year.
2. Upload the Quran onto your iPod or MP3 player with a recitation
by a Qari whom you nd inspirational and listen to some everyday.
The iQuran Pro for iPods has various Qaris, translations, as well as
the ability to read in Arabic script.
3. In addition to your annual zakat and the zakat al-tr given on
Eid, perhaps sponsor a child, give a micro-nance loan to someone through an ongoing charity scheme, or nd a project such as
a school where you can have a regular engagement. Such charity
gives you an emotional connection to the recipient and will help you
in being contented with the blessings that Allah has provided you.
4. Remember, fasting is not just for Ramadhan; the Prophet said,
He who fasts Ramadhan, and six days of Shawaal, it is as if they
fasted a whole year. (Muslim, Tirmidi, Abu Dawood, Ahmad, Ibn
Maajah)
Fasting is also recommended on the day of Arafah (the 9th day of
Dhul-Hijjah) and the 10th of Muharram. The Prophet said, Fasting
on the day of Arafah expiates two years of sins, last years and next
years, and fasting on the tenth of Muharram expiates the previous
years (of sins). (Muslim)
Mondays and Thursdays are also recommended days to fast, for
the Prophet said, The deeds of the worshippers are presented
before Allah on Monday and Thursday, I like my deeds to be presented while I am fasting. (Nasai)
Actions are judged by intentions (Bukhari and Muslim) said the
Prophet, and Ramadhan helps to bring this saying fully into focus
by requiring us to make the intention to fast.
5. Make an intention to act before every action. This will mean that
there will be a conscious decision; and the making of conscious
decisions means the brain is switched on. Conscious decision making allows us to override our routines and patterns of behaviour we
have grown accustomed to, particularly our bad habits. By making
sure our mind is present in our decision making process and before
every action more effective control will be taken of our own lives.
6. Ramadhan has the potential to reset your spiritual compass and
give your life renewed direction. Create a list of the ways you wish
to improve your life spiritually and in other ways. Intentions function
somewhat like targets and goals in todays modern management
speak. Various studies have shown the link between having a goal,
writing that goal down, telling others of the goal and success in
actual attainment of the goal. Setting purpose to un-dened aspiration, having a plan with tangible targets, gives practical force to
a mere hope. Remember to include InshaAllah, God-willing, for
what you intend.
Ramadhan is a time of increased connections an increased connection to God through remembrance of Him and the search to
please Him, an increased connection to the Ummah through the
collective act of fasting, an increased connection to the family and
close friends through the shared intimacy of fasting and breaking
the fast together, and an increased connection to ones inner self
by the act of fasting; stripping away externalities. Maintaining these
connections after Ramadhan ends requires effort.
Connecting to God
7. Incorporate alhamdulillah into your life. Thanking and praising
Him for the small bounties in your life, even in adversity, leads to
gratitude and contentment. The Prophet said Alhamdulillah is the

The Friday Bulletin

Shawwal 15 1431/September 24 2010

WOMEN ISSUES

Maymuna bint al-Harith

Maymuna bint al-Harith, (may Allah be pleased with her), married
the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
in 7 AH, when the Prophet was sixty years old and she was thirty
six years old. Maymuna's sister, Umm al-Fadhl Lubaba, was the
mother of Abdullah ibn Abbas, the son of one of the uncles
of the Prophet and the one of the wisest of his Companions.
Umm al-Fadhl was one of the earliest Companions of the Prophet. Once Abu Lahab, the
enemy of Allah and the Messenger of Allah,
entered the house of his brother, Al-Abbas,
and proceeded to attack Abbass client, Abu
Ra, because he had embraced Islam. Abu
Lahab knocked him to the ground and knelt
on him, continuing to beat him. Umm al Fadhl
grabbed a post that was there and cracked
it across Abu Lahab's head, saying, "Will you
victimize him because his master is absent?" He
retreated in shame and died a week later.

for a while, the Prophet rose in the middle of the night to pray the
tahajjud prayer, and Ibn Abbas joined him.
They both did wudhu, and he prayed eleven rakats with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Then they both went
back to sleep again until dawn. Bilal called the adhan, and the
Prophet did another two short rakats, before going into the
mosque to lead the (fajr) dawn Prayer.
Ibn Abbas said that one of the dua'ahs that the Prophet made during this night was : "O Allah, place light
in my heart, light in my tongue, light in my hearing,
light on my sight, light behind me, light in front of
me, light on my right, light on my left, light above
me and light below me; place light in my sinew, in
my esh, in my blood, in my hair and in my skin;
place light in my soul and make light abundant for
me; make me light and grant me light."

Zaynab bint Khuzayma, Umm al Muminin, was also her

half-sister. Her other sisters included Asma bint Umays, the wife
of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, who later married Abu Bakr, and Salma bint
Umays, the wife of Hamza, the "Lion of Allah". Her full sisters were
Lubaba, Asma and Izza. Maymuna was thus one of the 'Ahlul- Bayt'
, 'the people of the House', not only by virtue of being a wife of the
Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) but also because she was related to him. Zayd bin Arqam related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "I
implore you by Allah! The People of my House!" three times. Zayd
was asked who were the People of the House, and he said, "The
family of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the family of Jafar ibn Abi Talib, the family
Aqil ibn Abi Talib, and the family of Al Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib."
Maymuna or Barra as she was then called, yearned to marry the
Prophet. She went to her sister, Umm al Fadhl to talk to her about
that and she, in turn, spoke to her husband, al-Abbas. Al-Abbas
immediately went to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) with Maymuna's offer of marriage to him and her proposal was accepted.
When the good news reached her, she was on a camel, and she
immediately got off the camel and said, "The camel and what is on it
is for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him)." They were married in the month of Shawwal in 7 AH just after
the Muslims of Madina were permitted to visit Makkah under the
terms of the treaty of Hudaybiyya to perform umra.
The Prophet gave her the name, Maymuna, meaning "blessed",
and Maymuna lived with the Prophet for just over three years, until
his death. She was obviously very good natured and got on well
with everyone, and no quarrel or disagreement with any of the
Prophet's other wives has been related about her. 'A'isha said about
her, "Among us, she had the most fear of Allah and did the most to
maintain ties of kinship." It was in her room that the Prophet rst
began to feel the effects of what became his nal illness and asked
the permission of his wives to stay in A'isha's room while it lasted.
After the Prophet's death, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) Maymuna continued to live in Madina for another forty years,
dying at the age of eighty, in 51 AH, (may Allah be pleased with her),
being the last of the Prophet's wives to die. She asked to be buried
where she had married the Prophet at Saraf and her request was
carried out. It is related that at the funeral of Maymuna, Ibn Abbas
said, "This is the wife of Allah's Messenger, (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) so when you lift her bier, do not shake her or
disturb her, but be gentle."
It is also related by Ibn Abbas that he once stayed the night as a
guest of Maymuna, who was his aunt, and the Prophet, (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) They slept on their blanket lengthways and he slept at the end, crossways. After they had all slept

The Prophet gave her the name, Maymuna, meaning "blessed", and Maymuna lived
with the Prophet for just over three years, until
his death. She was obviously very good natured
and got on well with everyone, and no quarrel
or disagreement with any of the Prophet's other
wives has been related about her.

The Friday Bulletin Kitchen

Fresh Berry Coffeecake
Ingredients
2 cups fresh raspberries
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups toasted, chopped pecans
2 teaspoons milk
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 10 inch
cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Stir together raspberries and brown sugar; set aside. In a
separate bowl, mix together flour sugar, baking powder, baking soda
and salt; set aside.
In a third bowl, cream together sour cream, butter and 2 teaspoons
vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in flour mixture just until moist
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of berries and 1 cup pecans in pan, pour in half of the
batter. Pour on the remaining berries and remaining cup of pecans.
Spread the remaining batter over the berries.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick
inserted into center of the cake comes out clean. While cake bakes,
mix the frosting. In a small bowl, stir together 2 teaspoons milk,
1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Remove
cake from pan and let cool 20 minutes before frosting.
Share your favourite recipes with our readers. Send them to P. O. Box 10078600100 or email:fridaybulletin@islamkenya.com or fridaybulletin@gmail.com

Shawwal 15 1431/September 24 2010

The Friday Bulletin

Statement from Muslim Leaders on the arbitrary arrest

and rendition of Muslims to Uganda
All Praises are to Allah, the Almighty, the Merciful and the Powerful. And May Peace and Blessings be upon Muhammad, who
indeed brought the truth and the Message to Guide mankind from
darkness to light.
The National Muslim Leadership in Kenya address you today
in an environment of great anxiety for the Muslim Community in
Kenya. We stand here today when our brothers and sons are
living in fear in their own country. Fear of what, you may ask?
We live in fear that there is no law in Kenya to secure the safety
and security of Muslims, not from thugs or thieves. But from the
impunity and hooliganism of Kenyan security forces.
We live in fear because we cannot predict what will happen to
Muslims in the hands of the NSIS, ATPU and Kenyan Police.
These security organs, established by our laws and paid for by
our taxes have run rogue. They have been trailing Muslims in
our country, pounce on them, beat them up, place hoods over
their heads and rush them to Uganda. They have been doing this
knowing that it is against Kenyas constitution. Our Constitution
stipulates as follows:
Section 29. Every person has the right to freedom and security
of the person which includes the right NOT TO BE:
a. deprived of freedom arbitrarily or without just cause
b. detained without trial
c. subjected to any form of violence
d. subjected to torture in any manner whether physical or psychological
e. subjected to corporal punishment
f. treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading manner
Section 49. (1) An arrested person has the righta. to be informed promptly, in language that the person understands, of:
i. the reason for the arrest,
ii. the right to remain silent, and
iii. the consequences of not remaining silent
b. to remain silent
c. to communicate with an advocate and other persons whose
assistance is necessary
f. to be brought before a court not later than twenty four hours
g. at the rst court appearance to be charged or informed of reason for detention continuing or be released.
The only option open for a police ofcer in Kenya when he believes a crime has been or is about be commited by a person, is

to arrest the person in accordance with the above constitutional provision. To date the NSIS, ATPU and Kenyan Police acting together,
have captured 9 Kenyan Muslims and renditioned them to Uganda
without any due process. Why would NSIS, ATPU and Kenyan Police do this? The answer is simple: It is because there is no offence
that these brothers have committed under the Kenyan law. Secondly, if these brothers were to be held in Kenya, our Constitution would
demand justice and freedom for them. Not satised with this, they
now have entered into an alliance with their counterparts in Uganda
so that no Kenyan advocate or human rights defender can go to
Uganda to assist the deportees of the Kenyan government.
And in Uganda, it is the same Kenyan security forces with the American FBI that are interrogating our brothers.
This is done despite clear constitutional and legal prohibitions for
them to do so. So, when state security apparatus disregard the law
in broad daylight, what are the victims and the affected supposed
to do?
We stand here stating that these security organs are testing the
patience of Muslims to the extreme. Nay, they are deliberately provoking Kenyans and Muslims into a state of desperateness, anguish
and anger. We stand here with rmness of convictions that the Muslims will not allow rogue security forces in Kenya to operate outside
the law. Their job is to secure the safety and security of Kenyans and
Kenya in accordance with the law and not in vendetta seeking and
prole targeting of Muslims.
We stand here to demand that those Kenyans, who are Muslims
that were captured by NSIS, ATPU and Kenyan Police and taken to
Uganda be brought back and charged in Kenya courts. The Muslim
leadership shall not play cat and mouse games this time with the
government over their denials. We are the citizens and they must
act within the law.
Muslims do not fear and will not be intimidated by rogue security
forces. We rmly caution that, if the state organs charged with the
responsibility of upholding and enforcing the law continue to be the
ones disregarding the law, then they risk turning Kenya into a lawless country. We passed the new Constitution and enshrined a new
Bill of Rights to exactly deal and do away with this kind of rogue
and reckless behavior of yester years. We know the security forces
were not and are not happy with the Bill of Rights. But they have no
choice. You must follow the law.
Therefore, bring back our brothers now or you shall face the wrath
of Kenyans for your illegal acts.
We urge Muslims to be calm and wait further update on the matter,
We urge all Mosques to commence special qunut prayers during this
time of great adversity and test.

Obama administration implicated in illegal detention of Al Amin

Clara Gutteridge

Two prominent human rights workers, one of them a lawyer, were

arrested last week in Uganda as part of a US-sponsored local 'security response' to bombings in Kampala over the summer.
As an investigator for Reprieve, I work closely with one of them: AlAmin Kimathi, director of the Kenyan organisation Muslim Human
Rights Forum, who has assisted hundreds of rendition victims and
now represents those charged with the Kampala bombings. He is
one of the most tireless human rights activists in Africa, and is now
at grave risk of torture himself.
Al-Amin's disgraceful arrest is symptomatic of the Obama administration's continued support for abusive counter-terror practices
which were pioneered by the Bush administration and then deployed across the world, including in East Africa.
For example, the US continues to fund specialised "counter-terror"
police units in Kenya and Uganda, despite their systematic and
well-known involvement in torture, arbitrary detention and rendition
of terror suspects. Investigations by these units, such as that into

the 2002 Kikambala Bombings, stretch on for years, swiftly become

completely diffused from any specic offence and are characterized
by a failure to catch any offenders and a string of botched prosecutions.
The security response to the July 2010 Kampala bombings has
continued in this tradition: in the wake of the bombings, tens of US
personnel were rushed to Uganda and Kenya to assist in the investigation. Sad to say, the operations that followed have featured
tell-tale Bush-era elements - suspects have been abused, detained
without charge, interrogated by Americans saying they work for the
FBI, subjected to illegal rendition, denied access to counsel, and
nally paraded in front of television cameras in a farcical attempt to
show the world that justice is being done. And now, in a new twist to
this grim narrative, human rights activists and lawyers who work to
protect the victims of these abuses are being directly targeted.
On 15 September, Ugandan police arrested Al-Amin and his colContinues To Page 6

Shawwal 15 1431/September 24 2010

The Friday Bulletin

OPINION
Farouk Machanje

Arbitrary arrests, a sad reminder of the Nyayo era

The promulgation of the new constitution on August 27 was greeted

with enthusiasm and high expectations from Kenyans who viewed
the historic event as a rebirth of the nation with a new set of law
which will protect the rights of citizens.
The enhanced Bill of Rights was hailed as a measure of protection
against impunity putting Kenya at par with democracies which have earned accolades for protecting the rights of its citizens.
Muslims who have endured decades of marginalization, discrimination and harassment were ecstatic about this new state of affairs and came out
in droves to vote for the new constitution which
they expected will reverse the historical injustices
the community has suffered since independence.
Prior to August 27, arbitrary arrests and extra judicial extradition of individuals said to be involved
in the barbaric attack against world cup fans in
Kampala had been carried out but Muslims expected that after the coming into effect of the constitution which protects individual liberties, such
violations will ground to stop.The arbitrary arrest
of Yahya Mbuthia and his swift rendition to Uganda only hours after President Mwai Kibaki appended his signature
on the new constitution,sent a chilling reminder to Muslims that they
will not be beneciaries of the new laws and it will still be business
as usual for the arbitrary detentions, harassments and extra judicial
renditions.
Mbuthias arrest was to be followed by a continuation of other unlawful arrests and renditions and even after the intervention of the courts
was sought, nothing seems to stand in the way for the illegal and
draconian operations of the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU).
Last weeks arrest of human rights lawyer Mbugua Mureithi together
with Muslim Human rights Forum chairman Al-Amin Kimathi was the
pinnacle of this gross violation of the rights of individuals. Even the
Nazi criminals who were responsible for deaths of Jews were provided legal access, the joint conspiracy between Ugandan and Kenyan
authorities were not ready to allow for justice for the detainees.
Mbugua was a seasoned lawyer who was outspoken in condemning
the government for violation of the rights of Muslims suspected to
be involved in so-called terrorism activities.His criticism and court
appearance to demand for the rights of those arrested were increasingly harming the image of the country especially in the era of the
new constitution.
On the other, hand it appears that the government was itching to
revenge for the big embarrassment it received after Al Amin single
handedly mobilized local and international human rights campaigners to successfully ght for the return of several Kenyan citizens
who had been illegally renditioned to Ethiopia and Somalia.
Fear was rife, that if left untamed, the same scenario will repeat itself earning Kenya another negative image in global human rights
circles.
There is no doubt that arresting him in the country would have ignited fury among Muslims and civil society organisations and his
journey to Uganda was therefore, seen as a golden opportunity to
settle scores. Uganda with its poor human rights record was also at
hand to reciprocate to the needs of the Kenyan authorities by keeping him under hooks.
The detention of Kimathi is being justied on the grounds that at
the time of his arrest, he was in company of an Al-Shabbab operative. Strangely, the alleged Al-Shabab gure being touted is Omar
Awadh a Kenyan businessman who was arrested two days after
Mbugua and Kimathiss arrest. The businessman was arrested by
plain clothes police ofcers attached to the unit near Nation Centre
as he was heading to Jamia Mosque for Friday prayers and driven
the same day to Kampala. Kenya duly played its part to ll the missing link to what would have been an embarrassment by Ugandan
authorities.
In an attempt to win public support for its activities of violations of the
law, the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit has now taken on a propaganda

campaign and enlisted the media for its public relations exercise to
spread deceit and misinformation on the arrests.
In one of the glaring deceits being fed to the public, a report from
the intelligence cited in one of the dailies indicated that Edris Magondu who is among those on trial in Uganda, personally placed
the bomb in one of the bars which were hit on
the fateful night of July 11.
First, Edris, had never visited Uganda and did
not a posses a Kenyan passport. Secondly on
the material day as it was reported in the section of the dailies, his wife attested that she
was with him for a shopping trip in Eastleigh.
His employee has already mentioned that he
is willing to testify that Edris reported for duty
at his workstation where he works as a driver
on the same day where he is alleged to have
been in Uganda.
On the morning of July 11, Edris appeared live
on Iqra FM where he presented a programme
on comparative religion.
If he had traveled to Uganda, the only available option would have been by air and this
can easily be conrmed at the respective airports in Uganda and
Kenya and also by the airline. No such evidence has come forth.
The detention of Al Amin Kimathi and Mbugua Murethi and intimidations which are being levelled against ofcials of the Muslim
Human Rights Forum are meant to silence those who are speaking
against these constitutional violations to neutralize opposition to
the arbitrary arrests.
The Muslim Human Rights Forum openly condemned the ghastly
attacks in Uganda and reafrms that those responsible should
face the full face of the law. At no point have we stood up to defend
those who are responsible for committing heinous criminal acts but
our position has been as it is clearly stated in the laws of the country, it is the courts which can ultimately rule whether a person is
guilty and the current situation where the ATPU is left to violate the
law with impunity sends a wrong precedent which can have grave
repercussions in the future with regard to the rights of citizens.
Our call remains that if the government has a case against any person it should follow the due process of the law instead of resorting
to actions which remind Kenyans that the sadist Nyayo era is still
with us inspite of the new constitution.
The writer is a Co-Convener of the Muslim Human Rights Forum

US implicated in Al-Amin arrest

Story From page 5

league, lawyer Mbugua Mureithi, at Entebbe airport. The two were

in Uganda to work on the cases of three Kenyans rendered from
Nairobi to Kampala and charged with involvement in the Kampala
bombings. Three days later, Mbugua Mureithi has been released,
and Al-Amin remains in detention.
His lawyer has been unable to see him, and is now preparing to
le a habeas corpus petition to force the authorities to produce AlAmin in court, or release him.
Al-Amin has long known that the authorities are after him. Many
of Al-Amin's volunteers have been picked up in this latest wave of
detentions, and last month, Al-Amin was warned that he should not
go to Uganda, because he was at risk of being detained himself.
But he ignored the warnings, and shrugged off reports by released
prisoners that they had been interrogated by the FBI and Kenyan
and Ugandan police about him and his organisation.
Al-Amin Kimathi ignored the warnings, and went to Uganda because he cares far more about the people he is trying to help than
his own safety. So now, the man who has dedicated his work to
campaigning for the rights of East Africa's "disappeared" has been
disappeared himself.

Shawwal 15 1431/September 24 2010

The Friday Bulletin

NATIONAL NEWS

Constitutional violations: Call to

prosecute security chiefs
Top security ofcials should be investigated and where necessary
prosecuted for their role in violating the rights of Muslims.
Hassan Omar, a commissioner with the state human rights watchdog, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR)
deplored the wave of arrests and renditions of Muslims suspected
of involvement in the July bombings in Kampala, Uganda.
The commissioner pointed an accusing nger on the security ofcials whom he accused of failing to uphold the rule of law as enshrined in the new constitution.
There have been numerous allegations of kidnappings and renditioning of Kenyan citizens to Uganda by our security forces. In all
these circumstances, these were illegal and unconstitutional, he
said in his Agenda Five column in the Standard on Wednesday.
He specically singled out the Police Commissioner Mathew Itere,
the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit Commandant Nicholas Kamwende
and the Director General of the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) Brig. Michael Gichangi as the ofcials who should be
taken to task for violating the constitutional rights of citizens.
The indiscriminate violations of the rights of Kenyans also led
Uganda to reciprocate by unlawfully detaining human rights lawyer
Mbugua Mureithi and Muslim human rights Forum activist Al-Amin
Kimathi, he added.
The commissioner stated that the principle of justice provides for
redress to the victims and this is afrmed in the constitution which
upholds the idea of presumption of innocence for those who are
suspected of committing crimes.
The conduct of the security agencies, he said, were in stark reality
to the expectations of Kenyans who opted for a new constitutional
order with the hopes that will lift them from dungeons of oppression and bad governance.
Hassan also said the silence from President Mwai Kibaki and
Prime Minister Raila Odinga was being seen as condoning the illegal actions which are targeting the Muslim community.
Mr President and Prime Minister, when Muslims speak out, national anger is engineered on account of sympathizing with terrorists. All Muslims ask for you is to uphold the constitution as per
your oath of ofce not as favours, he said.

Protests over Al-Amin Kimathi's

detention
Local and international human rights and civil society organisations
have joined hands in condemning the unlawful detention of human
rights activists Al Amin Kimathi by the Ugandan government.
The groups put foreyard a demand for the immediate release of the
executive director of the Muslim Human Rights Forum (MHRF) who
they reiterated was innocent and said his detention was aimed at
intimidating him from defending those who were illegally renditioned
from the country to Uganda.
The activists on Wednesday spoke against the decision by Ugandan authorities to charge Kimathi with terrorism demanding that the
charges be immediately dropped.
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights commissioner Hassan Omar described the arrest as act of illegality and demanded his
unconditional release.
His sentiments were echoed by the executive director of the Kenya
Human Rights Commission Muthoni Wanyeki who termed the arrest
as preposterous and a mockery of justice.
The secretary of Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Apollo Mboya strongly
condemned the arrest of the detentions and said his organisation will
send a team of lawyers to Uganda to represent Al-Amin Kimathi and
other detained Kenyans.
He added that LSK, if necessary will also petition the East African
Court of Justice to ensure that the rights and welfare of the Kenyans
are safeguard.
Speaking after his return from Uganda, human rights lawyer Mbugua
Mureithi said Al Amin was being unfairly treated due to his persistent
criticism of the violations of rights of Kenyan Muslims. Arresting AlAmin has nothing to do with the 7/11 bombings but because he has
been the face of Muslim human rights activism in Kenya, he said.
London based rights organisation Amnesty International spoke out
against the detentions and called on the Ugandan authorities to ensure that any measures taken to investigate, prosecute and bring to
justice alleged perpetrators of the July 2010 bombings fully complied
Continues To Page 8

TBT Network questions TJRC on injustices

An advocacy group for the survivors of the Wagalla massacre has
cast doubt on the ability of the Truth Justice and Reconciliation
Commission (TJRC) to address historical injustices.
The Truth to Be Told Network questioned the credibility of the Commission saying that it was not up to the task to provide an avenue
for redress for the families and survivors of the 184 massacre.
The TJRC as constituted has neither the motivation, the credibility or the capacity to undertake the task required to unearth the
truth, provide justice and reparations and create memorization for
Wagalla Massacre and other crimes committed by government of
Kenya against its own people, said Salah Abdi Sheikh the coordinator for the TBT Network.
In a press statement, Salah said the presence of the individuals
in the Commission who are linked to the massacre taints its credibility and such measures will help to absolve perpetrators from
crimes they committed.
The commission chairman Bethwell Kiplagats name has featured
prominently among the those who are said to play an active role
in the violations of rights of Kenyans during the Moi era. According to TBT Network, ofcial records indicate that Kiplagat was
among senior civil servants who participated in the meeting which
was a prelude to the massacre where more than 3 300 innocent
men and boys were shepherded into a disused airstrip, tortured,
starved and shot by the Kenya Security Forces.
The statement further said that the Commission seeks to target
the low cadres and leave out the big sh who are responsible for
the heinous crimes. The TJRC will focus mainly on foot soldiers
not planners and political leaders of many of the crimes. For the

case of the Wajir massacre, while the soldiers committed unimaginable crimes, the responsibility for genocide is political and it is those
higher in the echelons of the military and the executive who should
be prosecuted, he added.
The coordinator stressed that group will continue its quest to seek
justice for the victims through High Court of Kenya and the Banjul
based African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACPHR)
in Banjul.

Jamia Library feted at Maktaba awards

The Abdallah Shah Memorial Library was among libraries which were
recognised for their exemplary performance at the inaugural Maktaba
of the year 2010 awards.
The library at Jamia mosque was among the best in the category of
community libraries at the event which featured 40 libraries across
the country.
The awards held last week at the United States International University saw the Abdallah Shah Memorial Library recognised for its role in
enhancing a reading culture in the Muslim community and also supporting similar initiatives in various parts of the country.
The library will receive book a donation of books from the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation for being among the best in the special community
category.
Located on the rst oor of at the Jamia complex, the Abdallah Library provides a wide range of Islamic literature in English, Arabic,
Swahili and Urdu among other languages.
It is one of the few institutions which have a collections of copies of
the Holy Quran in Braille for the visually impaired.

Protests over Al-Amin Kimathi's detention

Story From page 7

with international human rights law and the Ugandan Constitution.

The Africa director at the New York based Human Rights Watch Rona Peligal said the
arrests were pure harassments of human rights defenders and cautioned Ugandan authorities that they will be responsible.The New York based Human Rights Watch warned
against any mistreatment of the detainees and reiterated they would be held responsible
for any mistreatment they suffered while in detention.
Al Amin was arrested on September 16 together with Mureithi after they travelled to
Uganda to attend a scheduled hearing of the 34 terrorism suspects of the July 11
Kampala bombing. While Mbugua was later released, the Muslim activists remains in
detention, his laptop conscated and has been denied access to a lawyer or freedom to
make phone calls.
After their arrests, the Ugandan lawyer representing some of the suspects, Ladislaus
Rwakafuuzi expressed concerns for his safety if he continues to represent the terrorism
suspects as their case proceeds.
Al-Amin Kimathi appeared along with a Kenyan businessman Omar Awadh during a
court hearing at Nakawa Chief Magistrate's Court in Kampala on Monday. They were
both charged with 79 counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and three
counts of terrorism. They did not enter a plea and were remanded in custody until 8
October, when they will appear before the High Court of Uganda.
During the hearing, Al-Amin Kimathi complained that he had been denied access to his
lawyer and that he was unrepresented during the hearing, and he sought the return of
his belongings which had been conscated by the police. Chief Magistrate Sswjjemba
reportedly agreed that Al-Amin Aimathi was entitled both to legal representation and to
the return of his belongings. Al-Amin Kimathi also lodged a complaint about the rendering to Uganda of Kenyan suspects connected to the bombings, arguing that they could
have been tried in Kenya.
Al Amin and Mureithi have been outspoken critics of the way in which Kenyans have
been sent to Uganda to face prosecution for the July 2010 bombings without following
the due process of the law which they said mounted to kidnappings.
The Muslim Human Rights Forum was the rst Kenyan human rights organization to
publicly condemn the July 11 bombings in Kampala.

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THE EDUCATION BURSARY

Ummah Foundation established the Education
Bursary Fund in 2007 in recognition of the fact
that education is the most important factor for
achieving development. This is also in tandem
with our objective of reducing illiteracy among
our society, as well as to empower them to be
economically and socially self-sustaining.
The Education Bursary Fund has helped several of our youth to get good education in respected and reliable institutions of learning.
So far, the fund has been able to produce 3
doctors, more than 5 journalists, 10 technicians, over 20 teachers, and over 10 nurses.
There are other students who are still in the
process of benetting from the fund. In fact,
over 300 students are beneciaries of the fund
since it was established.
The Education Bursary Fund is under the management of the Ummah Foundation Education
Committee headed by the long time educationist and former Chief Executive Ofcer of
the Kenya Examinations Council, Mr. Ahmed
Yusuf. On board are other renowned national
educationists like Sheikh Abdallah Kheir, a
lecturer at the Kenyatta University, Mrs. Faiza
Umar, Ibrahim Bakari, among others.
For the last year, Ummah Foundation has
received over 500 applications for bursaries.
This gure is overwhelming, considering the
scarcity of funds these days. However, there
are various values that the committee has set
as criteria to determine the most deserving
cases for bursary approval. These include:
merit, students performance in school, orphans, students from nancially challenged
backgrounds, and so on, subject to availability
of funds. All in all, the committee makes sure
that each of the provinces is represented.
Education is costly. For instance, a university
student needs over Ksh 100,000 per year. On
top of this, only about 2% of the university students are Muslims. All the bursary funding is
from charity. At the present, the bursary fund
cannot be able to satisfy all the applications
received. We therefore call upon Muslims to
assist the Ummah Foundation Bursary Fund
so we can help the Ummah grow.
Please contact us on the following address:
Ummah Foundation
Village plaza,Ngara Road
Block A,Suite A3,
P.O. Box 58717-00200, Nairobi
Tel: 0717 613 3333/ 0732 613333
Email: info@ummahfoundation.net
Web: www.ummahfoundation.net

CONTACT NUMBER: 0732727196

0723775730

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: fridaybulletin@gmail.com.
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