Malawi Muslims Lobby for Co-existence
“There has been a rise in levels of intolerance towards Muslims in some areas of the country from some faith groups. Because they don’t understand some aspects of Islam, they tend to speculate and hate us for things which are not real,” Alhaj Jafallie Kawinga, President of Muslim Forum for Democracy and Development (MUSFORD), told OnIslam.net.
“It is against this background that our organization has taken a deliberate move to educate people on some Islamic beliefs which are often misunderstood so that in this way, we can reduce tensions and misconceptions. Through this way, we can be tolerant to each other and co-exist peacefully.”
The initiative suggested by Kawinga was a direct response to recent clashes in southern Malawi region of Blantyre when villagers clashed with Muslims over a land plot, believed to belong to the Islamic mission at Chadzunda area.
Following the clashes, police arrested dozens of Muslims, calling them “Boko Haram” and sparking anti-Muslim sentiments in the tranquil country.
Condemning police forces move, Muslims found that educating the other about the true nature of their faith was the best guarantee of mutual understanding.
“We are conducting civic education during which we are reaching to Christian and Muslim leaders through Churches and Mosques. We are sensitizing them on the need to tolerate each other’s beliefs and in the end co-exist peacefully,” Kawinga said.
“We are also reaching out to traditional leaders as custodians of culture and traditions. These traditional leaders live with people of diverse religious beliefs; therefore they should embrace the culture of tolerance. We are asking them to take the lead in fostering unity and peaceful co-existence in diversity. We are lobbying various religious groups on the need to co-exist regardless of our beliefs,” said Alhaj Kawinga.
Avoiding Strife
Concurring with Kawinga, Secretary General of Islamic Commission for Peace and Freedom, Hassan Chimwala asserted that unless there was an effort from religious groups to tolerate each other’s’ beliefs, the country would one day descend into a religious strife.
“Rising levels of intolerance and prejudice towards Islam in the country have been very disturbing. To a certain extent, Muslims are being looked at with suspicions and hate by Malawians of other faith beliefs,” Chimwala told OnIslam.net.
“This attitude towards Muslims has bred tensions and anger. This is a serious challenge which needs to be addressed before things get out of hand,” he added.
The Muslim leader has also appealed to Malawians to stand together for their country.
“Malawi is a secular nation, there is need therefore for all religions to worship God in the way their beliefs dictate them to do,” he said.
“As a commission, our appeal to all Malawians regardless of their beliefs is that we should co-exist peacefully for this nation to register progress in various endeavors. No single religion can develop this country. We all have a responsibility to further the growth of Malawi.”
Recalling decades of coexistence between the country’s Muslims and Christians, Chimwala observed there have been rising levels of tensions in recent years between the two religious groups, resulting from tolerance.
“We are being labeled terrorists and agents for Boko Haram. This is a deliberate provocation and an attack on Islam. We get hurt when these insults are hurled on us. We are the second largest religion in the country,” said Chimwala.
“We have been instrumental in fostering the country’s socio-economic development. But our contributions and sacrifices are not being recognized by some quarters of the Malawi society. What we get in return is demonization.”
Applauded
The Initiative has so far won itself plaudits across the country.
Public Affairs Committee (PAC), a quasi–religious organization, which is an umbrella body for all religious groups in the country, lauded the move as a “workable measure” towards fostering peaceful co-existence among religions.
“As an umbrella body for religious organizations in the country, we highly applaud this initiative. This move is very workable measure to enhance unity of religions. The situation in the country is so fragile, there is need therefore to educate each other on the need to respect the beliefs of others. We should not demonize other religions, because we don’t agree with them,” Fr. Peter Mulomole, Publicity Secretary of the grouping told OnIslam.net.
“We have to worship God with clean hearts. Each religion should have a favorable environment for worship. God loves peace, we should therefore as religious people advocate for it at all cost. We are children of one family. Differences in beliefs should not be an issue to draw us apart. Let us live in peace,” said Fr. Mulomole.
The country’s supreme Muslim body, ULAMA Council of Malawi, also warned that the country was sitting on a “time bomb which is likely to explode anytime”.
“These simmering tensions could be building up and one day something big could happen. We are sitting a bomb which could detonate anytime. There is need for all sectors of the society to join hands to sensitize all Malawians on the need for all faith groups to co-exist peacefully and respect each others’ beliefs,” Sheikh Cassim Chongolo, Secretary General of the organization, told OnIslam.net.
“As Muslims, we are following teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who preached about tolerance and co-existence. We are a religion of peace. We value tolerance and peaceful co-existence with other religions. We are therefore in support of any effort in this regard. We are appealing to all faith groups to respect our beliefs. They should allow us to pray according to the teachings of the Holy Quran without any form of hindrance even in areas where we are in a minority” said Chongolo.
Islam and Christianity are the country’s major religions. Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity. Muslims account for 36% of Malawi’s 16 million population.
In 1999, soon after the country’s second General Elections since it reverted to pluralistic politics in 1994, the country experienced its worst religious conflict since independence in 1964.
This followed the victory of the country’s first Muslim president Bakili Muluzi who just secured a second term of office.
Muslims from the predominantly south were chased away from the Northern region of the country. Mosques were destroyed and their property was burn down.
“We should at all cost avoid a repeat of this incident,” Kawinga noted.
“Unless we respect each other’s’ beliefs and learn to co-exist peacefully, levels of intolerance will continue to rise and at the end of the day, this will one day plunge this country into serious religious conflicts.”
