Wagalla massacre victims protest Kiplagat ... - WardheerNews

Vol. 07 Issue N0: 9 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. (Rabi Ul Thani 7, 1433 A.H) www.thenewdawn.info 

The busy landing bay at Lamu. 

By Hassan Ole Naado 

Where Muslim thugs 

are not accorded 

Islamic burial rites 

-P5 

Ahmed Yusuf talks of ways 

Muslims can enhance 

standards of education 

-P12 

Lamu Port 

controversy 

needs dialogue 

Administrative and legal aspects 

for the construction of the 

Lamu Port, Southern Sudan, 

Ethiopia Transport Corridor 

(LAPSSET) are finally in top gear and it 

looks like nothing can stop it. 

There is, however, one important aspect 

that has not been sorted out—the social 

aspect. 

The social aspect has everything to 

do with the wellbeing of the people and 

communities that are likely to be displaced 

by the logistical effects of an infrastructural 

development project such as Lamu Port- 

South Sudan-Ethiopia (LAPSSET). 

A project of this magnitude will 

certainly need plenty of geographical 

space—meaning that some people and 

communities will have to cede their land 

and thereby have their socio-economic lives 

disrupted. This is the vexing issue that the 

government of Kenya seems to have paid 

lip service to, and unless critical attention is 

given to it, the LAPSSET project could run 

into very unpleasant headwinds. 

Continued on Pg 2 

Wagalla 

massacre victims 

protest Kiplagat 

reinstatement 

By Mohamed Kahiye 

Victims of Wagalla Massacre have 

protested against the return of TJRC 

chairman ambassador Bethwell 

Kiplagat to the commission. 

Speaking to the New Dawn during the 

demonstration at the TJRC offices in Nairobi the 

Wagalla Massacre Foundation chairman Bishar 

Ismail termed the return of ambassador Kiplagat 

“a damage and heart-breaking to the victims.’’ 

“Iam urging the two principals to come clean 

on this issue of Wagalla Massacre by sacking 

ambassador Kiplagat,’’ Bishar said. 

Mama Salatha Jimale whose father and 

husband were killed in Wagalla Massacre 

stressed the need for international community 

intervention through the international criminal 

court. “Our government has failed to deliver us 

justice even after we passed the new constitution 

that is why I want The Hague,’’ said Mama 

Salathe. 

This comes at a time when ambassador 

Kiplagat was cleared against allegations of 

involvement in the 1984 atrocities. However, 

TJRC vice chair Tecla Namachanja said the 

return of Kiplagat to the commission will halt its 

operations hence urged the body’s lawyers to file 

an appeal against Justice Mohamed Warsame’s 

ruling.

2 / National News 

Continued from Pg 1 

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

KMYA holds accountability forum in Lamu 

By Hussein Miji 

LAMU: Residents of Lamu Island have been 

urged to be vigilant as necessary legislations 

are being implemented to support the 

Constitution. 

In the forum held on 16th February in 

Lamu, the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance 

(KMYA) Coast Region chairman Khamis 

Mwaguzo told the residents that the 

Constitution would not have its desired effects 

if they were not vigilant in ensuring that the 

changes it proposes are enacted by parliament. 

“Let us not leave it just to members of 

Parliament,” he said. 

Mohamed Chamzuzu, change agent in 

Mombasa County, said that there was a chance 

that history would repeat itself if people did 

not do enough. 

“After independence our country was 

moved from parliamentary system to one party 

state in six months because people were not 

involved,” Chamzuzu reminded people. 

Dabbed as accountability forum 

participants were told that it was not only the 

government that was accountable to the running 

of the country but also individual citizens. 

It was about time that all people took 

initiative to understand the constitution and 

how it affects them and play their role in the 

development of their communities and country, 

said Mwaguzo. 

The Lamu Administration Police chaplain, 

Justus Kioko said that peace was necessary for 

the county to prosper and that the police were 

willing to work with residents in ensuring that 

peace is maintained. 

Lamu KMYA official Walid Ahmed urged 

women to participate in politics and take active 

positions in political parties of their choice to 

benefit from the opportunities the constitution 

proposed. 

Lamu Port controversy needs dialogue 

Lamu’s economy is dependent on income generated from tourism and fishing. 

The first to raise the red flag over the 

LAPSSET project have been the people 

of Lamu—the starting point of the entire 

project. These people are raising very 

genuine concerns, saying that they stand 

to lose their land to create space for the 

construction of the Lamu Port as well as 

the fishing industry as a source of livelihood 

because of the environmental degradation 

that the project would have on the Lamu 

archipelago. 

But the question is; is someone listening 

to these people and their concerns? If the 

government is listening as it claims, is it 

serious or genuine in the promises it has 

made so far? 

From events of the past few months, 

the government’s behavior has left no doubt 

that they are not serious about the concerns 

of the people of Lamu. A statement by 

Lands minister James Orengo to the effect 

that the land earmarked for the Lamu Port 

has been government land all along has 

raised tensions in the region as the people 

feel that this is the first step towards being 

short-changed. 

This, therefore, leads to another 

question; is this tension necessary? Is there 

a way to reach a mutually beneficial formula 

on how to go about this project? 

To answer these questions, it 

is important to first and foremost 

acknowledge that there is conflict over the 

entire Lamu Port project. Unfortunately, 

the government seems not to acknowledge 

that there is a conflict over this project and 

that is why a number of top government 

officials have taken a selfish approach by 

taking hardline positions over the concerns 

raised by the locals of Lamu. 

But what is aggravating the hardline 

positions in Lamu? There may be other 

underlying issues but the most obvious 

issues emerging out of Lamu include; 

disagreements over sharing of scarce 

resources, lack of proper communication 

Lamu Administration Police chaplain, Justus Kioko holds a copy of the 

new Constitution to make a point during the forum. 

and understanding between the local 

community and the government, unpleasant 

stereotypes about local people, unresolved 

historical grievances, ethnicity, nepotism 

and favoritism in public affairs and cultural 

rivalry. 

To address the simmering conflict 

in Lamu, all stakeholders need to pursue 

several elements of conflict resolution that 

can deliver a mutually beneficial formula for 

sharing the spoils of the LAPSSET project. 

In this regard, reconciliatory efforts 

should be channeled towards ensuring that 

the feuding parties speak to each other and 

not at each other. Each side also needs to 

know about the other side’s difficulty in 

moving towards reconciliation. 

There should also be efforts towards 

confidence-building since lack of trust is a 

major factor contributing to conflict. This 

can be well achieved by striving to correct 

misconceptions about each other given that 

there is a lot of misrepresentation of facts 

and intentions about the Lamu project. One 

of the most important information that 

must be put across is that the LAPSSET 

project was conceived by the government 

as early as 1971. Hence, it is important for 

people of Lamu to know that this project 

has not been sprung on them as a surprise, 

and the government should also explain why 

it has decided to implement the project now. 

There is also need to give a human 

face to this conflict by getting to know the 

key players on both sides by giving them 

names and faces so that we avoid sweeping 

statements of condemnation. Good conflict 

resolution endeavours to put real people 

in the issue and accurately describe how 

the issue has evolved and affects all people 

concerned. 

In the Lamu conflict, it is also 

important for both sides to understand the 

bottom-line interests of each other, and this 

may require looking beyond the interests of 

the leaders involved and seeking the larger 

groups’ interest. 

Above all, there is need to provide a 

platform for emotional outlet for the people 

who feel oppressed by the Lamu project. In 

conflict resolution, there must be outlets for 

each side to express their grievances or anger, 

otherwise they will explode in frustration 

and make things worse. This aspect is 

particularly important because Lamu is 

today a high security area, especially in view 

of Kenya’s ongoing military operation in 

Somalia. If not well managed, the conflict 

around the Lamu Port could easily push 

frustrated young people in this region to 

join extremist groups in Somalia. 

It is, therefore, very important for the 

government and the local community of 

Lamu to seek a platform upon which the 

conflict over the LAPSSET project can be 

resolved amicably. In doing so, both sides 

must eventually present specific proposals to 

respond to grievances and avoid arrogance, 

rhetoric and stone-walling, lest the conflict 

snowballs into a bigger crisis and turns 

violent.

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Isiolo residents 

call for change in 

security strategy 

By Adhedida Adhe 

ISIOLO: Isiolo residents have raised 

concerns over the continued increase in 

cases of insecurity since the beginning 

of the year. Residents are also calling for 

change of strategy by the government on 

matters pertaining to security in the area. 

“Not a single day goes by without 

residents burying their dead,” said Shiekh 

Abdullahi Issack, Imam of Al–Aswad 

mosque. “Frequent dialogue meetings 

have not had any impact as far as 

containing the violence,” he added. 

According to the Imam, the recent 

attacks that happened at Alamach and 

Gambela area left two people dead, five 

injured and 200 sheep and goats and 38 

cattle stolen but no action was taken by 

government. 

The Imam also challenged Isiolo 

residents to engage in dialogue and 

avoid ‘clan politics’ as it was a major 

contributor to insecurity in many areas 

of the region. 

By Mbarak Abucheri 

COUNTY BRIEFS 

National News / 3 

Kakamega Muslims plea for 

a Kadhi court 

KAKAMEGA: Muslim leaders in Kakamega 

County have called on the government 

through the Judicial Service Commission 

(JSC) to establish a Kadhi`s court and 

constitute a Waqf (endowment) offices in the 

region. 

Led by CIPK Western provincial secretary 

Khamis Wakhusama, Mumias Muslim women 

leader Mariam Masanga and human rights 

activist Abdulrahman Khatete, the leaders 

noted that the opening up of new stations 

for Kadhi courts will ease the dispensation 

of justice, while the establishment of Waqf 

offices will lead to accommodation of 

diversity of Kenyan Muslim communities. 

At the same time Muslims in the region 

were advised to resolve family related disputes 

through the Kadhi courts instead of going to 

conventional courts which could not handle 

matters under the jurisdiction of the Kadhi 

courts. 

Speaking during a village Baraza at 

Mumias Muslim Primary school ground, the 

leaders pointed out that now that the JSC has 

advertised twenty four Kadhi posts for grabs, 

Kakamega county also deserved the important 

institution like other counties. Presently there 

A sign post to the Kadhi office in Nairobi. Other kadhi courts are in 

Mombasa, Kisumu and Garissa. 

are 17 Kadhi courts spread across the country. 

Mariam Masanga praised Chief Justice 

Willy Mutunga for initiating the reforms in 

the judiciary and suggested that Bungoma 

Kadhi court should serve the residents in 

Bungoma and Busia counties respectively 

while the proposed Kakamega Kadhi court 

would serve Kakamega and Vihiga residents 

respectively. 

“A resident of Lugari and Vihiga districts 

for example as per the present situation is 

forced to travel to Bungoma Kadhi Court 

more than 150km away to obtain services 

while from Vihiga to Kakamega is only 

40-50km. In most cases Muslims in Vihiga 

consider it cheap traveling to Kisumu which 

is about 20km instead of Bungoma,” said 

Mariam. 

Over 50 participants comprising of village 

elders, youth leaders, women leaders and civil 

society leaders attended the Baraza organized 

by Kenyan Muslim youth Alliance(KMYA).

4 / Advertiser’s Feature 

Residents of Riruta Muslim in Kawangware, Nairobi at a previous village baraza. 

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Riruta Muslim village Baraza addresses 

challenges facing marginalized community 

By Ayub Suleiman 

Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance 

in partnership with Amkeni 

WaKenya held a village baraza 

in Riruta Muslim in Kilimani 

constituency, Nairobi last week of February. 

The forum was convened to address various 

challenges facing the marginalized community. 

Two weeks prior to the activity date, the 

organizing committee had invited a number 

of duty bearers to come and discuss issues on 

human rights awareness, roles and duties of 

the duty bearers and local leaders, registration 

of persons and other challenges facing 

marginalized and minority communities. 

Participants discussed main factors which 

have hindered access to human rights in all 

quotas. It was observed that Muslims being 

a marginalized group have been experiencing 

discrimination when it comes to the issuance 

of the national ID card. It was revealed that 

some Muslim applicants have waited for long 

as a year despite registering for it and issued 

with a waiting slip. Riruta Muslim youths 

also complained of unnecessary arrest and 

harassment by police. 

Leaders cautioned against minor conflicts 

among villagers over petty issues as these 

undermined cohesion and harmonious 

coexistence of the community. 

A member of the elders committee 

challenged Riruta Muslim residents 

to mention any project funded by the 

government other than Constitutency 

Development Fund (CDF). It emerged that 

residents were not aware of Local Authority 

Service Delivery Action Plan (LASDAP), 

Youth Entreprise Fund (YEF), Women 

Enterprise Fund (WEF) and Local Authority 

This message is sponsored by the Amkeni WaKenya and UNDP in partnership with the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance. 

The views expressed herein emerged purely from activities of the project itself and do not in any way represent the 

position of the Amkeni WaKenya or UNDP. 

Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance, P.O Box 27592-00100, Nairobi-Kenya. Tel:254-(0)20-3861530/1 

Email:info@kenyamuslims.org Website:www.kenyamuslims.org 

Transfer Fund (LATF). 

“We are supposed to seek information 

and be equipped with knowledge on how 

the government makes and implements its 

policies,” the elder said. “We should wake up 

and learn to advocate for ourselves by vying 

for leadership opportunities,” he added. 

Among the list of participants were 

administrative chiefs, police officers, registrar 

of persons, village elders, youth leaders, 

religious leaders and office bearers on social 

and gender, youth and sport dockets and the 

villagers of Riruta Muslim community.

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

FeAtuRe / 5 

Where Muslim thugs are not 

accorded Islamic burial rites 

From Left: Bawaki members led by Chairman Suleiman Mohamed-Imam of Makina mosque, Yusuf Nasur-Imam of Kambi Ulum Mosque, Haidar 

Abeyo-Imam of Lomle Mosque and Abdulaziz Suleiman-Imam Al-Aqsa Mosque. All these mosques are in Kibera, Nairobi. 

By Iddi Musyemi 

Muslim youth engaging in 

criminal activities in Kibera 

be warned! You will not be 

accorded Islamic burial rites 

in the event of your death occasioned by your 

unlawful activities. 

This unanimous decision was arrived at 

August last year by Imams and Sheikhs under 

the umbrella of Bawaki (Baraza La Waalimu 

Kibra), is a radical move meant to curb insecurity 

that is rampant in the area. What’s more is that 

the community and local administration fully 

supports this courageous initiative. 

In an interview with a delegation of Bawaki 

members led by Imam of Makina mosque, 

Kibera and chairman of Bawaki, Suleiman 

Mohamed, noted that Muslim youth had made 

it a habit of routinely engaging in ‘revenge’ 

attacks soon after the burial of a dead colleague 

at the Kibera Muslim cemetery. In the process, 

innocent Kibra residents are terrorised as 

business people at Toi Market get robbed amid 

chants of Takbir! (God is Great). These chants 

of Takbir have made some Kibera residents 

believe that it was ‘Islamic’ to harass people after 

Muslims bury their dead. 

According to Abdulaziz Suleiman, the 

Imam of Al-Aqsa mosque and Bawaki Assistant 

Secretary-General , it had reached a point where 

Kibera Muslim cemetery was deemed to be the 

main cause of the routine ‘revenge’ attacks and 

acts of lawlessness. “Thus, we declared that 

these young men who die while committing acts 

of thuggery should not be buried here.” 

Pained by the fact that the youth were 

their relatives, sons and brothers, the Imams are 

categorical that Islam does not condone acts 

of robbery and lawlessness. “The youth were 

becoming a thorn in the flesh and after thorough 

consultations among members and what the 

Holy Quran and Hadiths say on such an issue. 

Thus, a unanimous decision was arrived at by 

Imams of all the 13 mosques located in Kibera,” 

says Suleiman Mohamed. 

Quran 66:6 says that : “O! Ye who believe! 

Save yourselves and your families from a Fire 

whose fuel is Men and stones.” 

To set the ball rolling, a meeting was 

convened with the Officer Commanding Police 

Station (OCS) and Officer Commanding Police 

Division (OCPD) – Kilimani Police Station, 

the DC, Chief and Administration Police 

commandant in Kibera to inform them of the 

decision and seek their upport. 

A photocopy of the ‘declaration’ signed 

by Imams was pasted in all the 13 mosques in 

Kibera and immediately put to test when the 

body of young man who had succumbed to 

gunshot wounds inflicted from police bullets 

during a botched robbery; failed to be granted 

Islamic burial rites by one Imam. 

According to Yusuf Nasur, Imam of Kambi 

Ulum Mosque and Bawaki Secretary General, 

this has heralded a new beginning in curbing acts 

of lawlessness among Muslim youth. “After 

Imams in the area declined to perform Islamic 

burial rites on two other bodies of boys who 

had perished as a result of thuggery, these youth 

realized we were serious. They have began to 

mend their wayward behaviour.” 

“One was ferried to Kisumu for burial 

after the parents owned up for failing in their 

responsibilities as another family sought to 

‘salvage’ its ‘good name’ and opted to have the 

body buried at Langata’s Muslim cemetery,” adds 

Yusuf. 

So far according to Bawaki, there has been 

a reduction in criminal cases occasioned by 

Muslim youth. 

Another positive note is that, the move by 

the Imams has generated alot of debate in the 

community and parents are taking the initiative 

to talk with their children. “An interesting 

scenerio is a case where a parent had to relocate 

his youthful son from Kibera so that he could 

not end up being a thug,” notes Yusuf. 

Falling short of declaring it a Fatwa (Islamic 

decree) the Imams termed it as a collective 

decision arrived at through consensus. “Earlier 

we had sought a solution through Khutbahs 

(sermons) at Friday prayers and other avenues 

but all these attempts failed,” says Haidar Abeyo 

who is Imam of Lomle mosque and Bawaki 

assistant treasurer. 

Asked if they have been threatened by 

remnants of the youth due to this initiative, 

Abdulaziz Suleiman, the Imam of Al-Aqsa 

mosque says most threats have been verbal. 

“Threats are there but we have been steadfast. 

The boys never come out publicly because we 

One was ferried to Kisumu for burial after the parents 

owned up for failing in their responsibilities as another 

family sought to ‘salvage’ its ‘good name’ and opted to 

have the body buried at Langata’s Muslim cemetery... 

know them since they were once our students in 

our madrassas. Otherwise, the only time police 

have come to offer security is during burials.” 

Bawaki also confided to the New Dawn that 

it was unfortunate that many of the boys it had 

declined to have buried at the Kibera cemetery 

were reverts to Islam. “Our observation was that 

a good number of these boys were reverts to 

Islam and do not have a deeper understanding 

of Islam,” says Haidar Abeyo. 

On whether areas with large Muslim 

numbers like Kawangware, Majengo-Pumwani, 

Eastleigh, Huruma or Korogocho among 

others have sought to adopt such an initiative, 

the Bawaki delegation says: “It’s only Majengo- 

Pumwani that had shown interest but they are 

yet to follow it up,” says Suleiman Mohammad. 

Yusuf Nasur also adds that despite the fact that 

each of the above areas has unique challenges, 

Bawaki is open to exchanging notes with them. 

As a preventive measure to dissuade youth 

from joining criminal activities, Yusuf Nasur 

says that Bawaki is in the process of including 

a life skills subject in the Madrassa curriculum. 

“We have noted that Kibera youth lack life skills 

to cope with the challenges of life. The younger 

ones need to be taught at an earlier age on how 

to live with the rest of the community and 

engage in a better way to earn a livelihood.” For 

his part Abdulaziz Suleiman decries the lack of 

employment among Muslim youth in Kibera but 

at the same time critises them for being ‘choosy’ 

about some jobs. 

Finally, the delegation reassured security 

agencies that mosques in Kibera do not habour 

criminals. “In fact we are grateful for the 

cooperation we are receiving from Kilimani 

Police Station-Nairobi, DC-Omar Mbeja, area 

Chief and AP commandant (Kibera) and wish 

to tell our youth engaging in crime that ‘We shall 

let the law takes its course and in accordance 

with the laws of the land’.”

6 / editorial 

The New Dawn is published twice a month. 

Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance, 

Ngong Road, Nairobi. 

P.O Box 27592-00100, Nairobi-Kenya. 

Tel:254-(0)20-3861530/20-3861531/ 0732 550 440 

Email: editor@thenewdawn.info 

Website:www.thenewdawn.info 

Rabi Ul Thani 7, 1433 A.H 

Student selection, discipline and 

determination propel Muslim 

schools to national limelight 

The 2011 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) 

results released on Wednesday 29, February indicate unprecedented 

hope for Muslim schools. 

Acknowledging that education environment in the Muslim 

community has not been favourable due to socio- historical 

injustices, the fact that few Muslim schools can defy all odds to 

make their presence very visible in the examinations performance 

radar is something to be proud of. Compared to most schools of 

national distinction, Muslim schools are new comers established 

several decades after independence, hence, their efforts should be 

exceptionally appreciated. 

In the overall top 100 private and public schools combined, 

three Muslim owned schools managed to claim enviable 

position among the national academic champions. Top in the 

list was WAMY High School in Nairobi which was ranked 

12th nationally with mean grade A- and performance index 

of 10.6318. WAMY was followed by Abu Hureira Academy 

of Mombasa with mean grade B+ and index performance of 

9.7399 which came 46th. The famous Sheikh Khalif Bin Zayed 

Al-Nahyan Secondary also located in Mombasa took position 

61 nationally with mean grade of B+ and index performance of 

9.5580. 

Muslim schools demonstrated even more impressive 

performance in the overall top 100 private school ranking category 

where the three above mentioned schools were joined by two 

others. WAMY High School was ranked number 3 nationally 

beating several elitist top league academies. High on the heels 

of WAMY were Abu Hureira Academy and Sheikh Khalifa 

Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan which clinched 12th and 15th positions 

respectively in the same category. Nairobi Muslim Academy in 

South ‘C’ came 38 with a mean grade of B and index performance 

of 8.6098. The newly established Alim High School in Machakos 

County made a surprise debut appearance by clinching position 71 

with a mean grade of B- and index performance of 7.7218. 

It was only in the top 100 students’ honour roll that Muslim 

students failed to appear satisfactorily. However, Abdirahman 

Mohamed Hassan 18 of Abu Hureira Academy who emerged 

the top pupil in Mombasa County scoring mean grade A and 

a performance index of 12.3716 points was 67th nationally. 

Abdirahman was followed closely by Naima Nurrein Mwatsifu 

19 of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed AL Nahyan Secondary who also 

scored A of 12.3418 points but narrowly missed to have her name 

listed in the top 100 male and female positions nationally. 

This is not to say that this year’s performance of Muslim 

students in KCSE was hundred percent satisfactory. Some 

schools in predominantly Muslim inhabited regions of Coast, 

North Eastern and northern regions of Kenya registered dismal 

performance, some disastrous and cancelled due to allegations 

of cheating. The most affected region was in the North Eastern 

counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera; a situation which forced 

area leaders cry foul and call for proper investigation into the 

matter. 

While we congratulate all Muslim schools for their 

performance in the 2011 KCSE, more credit goes to WAMY, Abu 

Hureira, Sheikh Khalifa, Nairobi Muslim and Alim High schools 

for setting examples worth emulating by all Muslim schools. To 

close, we also wish to congratulate all Muslim students, teachers, 

parents, guardians, sponsors and school management for concerted 

efforts and the apparent revival of interest in education matters. 

Though the Muslim community is comparatively a late comer 

in the national formal education arena, the way things stand now 

shows there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

(Read interview with renowned educationist Ahmed Yusuf on 

Page 12) 

Letters of the week 

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Commentary|Mohammed Kahiye 

Au must learn from eu 

financial crisis 

For decades, most of third world 

countries including Africa have 

continuously enjoyed financial aid 

in form of grants from western nations. 

This was accompanied by terms and 

conditions set up by the donor countries 

in order to achieve their own intended 

goals. These conditions negatively 

targeted the economic growth of the 

recipient countries leaving no option 

except making them heavily reliant on 

western aid to support the large masses 

of poor populations in these nations. 

Now that the financial crisis in 

Europe has exposed fundamental 

economic problems and unsustainable 

trends in many European countries, 

it has also made clear to developing 

countries how interdependent the EU 

economies are. Greater economic policy 

coordination across the EU has helped 

to address these problems and boosted 

growth and job creation in future. 

There are several lessons to learn 

from European financial crisis which 

will be of great impact to developing 

nations if implemented well. First, 

saddling financially strong nations like 

France and Germany with the debt of 

weaker nations undermine the fiscal 

Quran burning 

only serves to irk 

Muslims 

I am really concerned about the latest 

burning of the copies of the Holy 

Quran which led to eruption of 

violent protests in Afghanistan. 

It is very unfortunate since this 

is not the first time that the Islamic 

religious scripture is abused. This 

will fuel mistrust between Muslim 

and non-Muslim communities 

who have been leaving side by side 

peacefully for a long period of time. 

It will further worsen relationship 

between US and Muslim world. 

All I can say is that those 

involved in this barbarous act should 

be brought to face justice to at least 

calm a angered Muslim society. 

Shukri Abdallah, 

Kitale. 

muscle of the strong. 

Additionally, it weakens the rest of 

the euro zone of which the strong are 

part of the market. 

Secondly, listening to European 

leaders has proven to be a fruitless 

exercise. The same is true of listening 

to analysts who take high level of 

misinformation and convert it to rosy 

financial projections. 

Despite the illustrious birth of a 

massive bailout fund, the long term 

solution to Europe’s deep financial 

problems has been elusive. Also, getting 

the Euro Zone members who speak 

different languages, espouse different 

philosophies and maintain divergent 

opinions about money to agree upon 

these concerns has been equally difficult. 

To avoid over dependency, the 

African continent urgently needs to 

streamline border protocols, invest 

in transitional infrastructure and 

synchronize legal financial rules. 

According to a World Bank report 

sub Saharan Africa is projected to grow 

at 5.5 percent this year. While according 

to International Monetary Fund’s 

(IMF) world economic outlook released 

last month, several regional trade bodies 

are striving to improve the flow of 

goods between countries. This is a clear 

sign of better economic improvement 

that resulted from lessons learnt from 

the EU financial crisis. 

However, trade within Africa is 

constrained in part by the colonial 

past of the continent where European 

powers set up roads and railways solely 

to exploit African minerals, tropical 

crops, as well as other economic 

resources and ship them to industries in 

Europe. 

As the colonial era came to an end 

after in the 1950’s, roads and railway 

lines connecting other African countries 

and territories were neglected. 

AU must move quickly to 

compensate for the historical deficit 

by developing interstate transport and 

relevant industries to manufacture 

African products. Above all, the African 

continent must take a lesson from the 

financial crisis and Europe and guard 

against becoming victims of European 

economic policies. 

The writer can be reached through: 

kahiyemohamed@yahoo.com 

Wagalla victims do not back 

Kiplagat’s return at the helm of TJRC 

As a former chief of Wagalla, I am 

disappointed by the return of Ambassador 

Bethwell Kiplagat to the Truth, Justice and 

Reconciliation Commission (TJRC). 

As a victim of the Wagalla massacre 

of 1984 and an elder, what we passed 

through is traumatising women were raped, 

men brutally killed, livestock lost and those 

who dared speak about the atrocity were 

tortured. 

28 years down the line, the government 

is making no efforts to respond to cry for 

justice. But we will continue to agitate for 

our right to be heard. 

The reinstatement of Ambassador 

Kiplagat to the commission evokes strong 

memory that he was among some of the 

government officials who held a security 

meeting at Wajir district officers office 

few days before the massacre. All we are 

asking is that he should step aside until an 

independent investigation is conducted. 

We have no confidence on the ruling 

that cleared Ambassador Kiplagat against 

the allegations and we want the two 

principles to come clean on the Wagalla 

massacre issue and if the government fails 

we seek the intervention of the international 

community through the international 

criminal court to bring those behind the 

atrocity to book. 

Bishar Ismail, 

Chairman of Wagalla Massacre Foundation, 

Nairobi. 

Bishar Ismail. 

DISCLAIMER: Views and opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of The Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance. 

The Editor welcomes brief letters on topical issues. 

Tel:+254-(0)20-386153/1 or 0732 550 440 

Email: editor@thenewdawn.info 

Or SMS: 0710 30 08 48 

The Editor reserves the right to edit all letters for length and clarity.

Marhaba Fashion|P9 

Bridal Hijab crowing 

glory 

Marhaba 

Thursday 

Kid’s Corner|P10 

Young and ambitious 

Muslim women 

plunge into politics 

Nasib Abdi. 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. (Rabi Ul Thani 7, 1433 A.H) 

Malasen 

Hamida. 

By Fatuma Juma 

Women in Kenya are living 

in exciting times. Their 

protracted struggles 

to be included in the 

constitution of the society bore fruits when 

the country promulgated new laws of the 

land unto itself about two years ago. 

Sofia Jarsu. 

Living under one of the most progressive 

constitutions in the world the general 

consensus among women is nowhere close to 

going back home and rest. To the contrary, 

more women are coming out and raising their 

voices to be heard. 

The recent meeting at Bomas of Kenya 

upped the ante when women from all walks 

of life met to launch a Kenya Women’s 

National Charter, an 18 article document 

aimed at keeping vigilance during this time 

when legislations which will support the 

Constitution are being implemented. 

Acknowledging that after 20 years of 

struggle for new constitution, reads part 

of the preamble in the charter, Kenyans 

obtained in August 2010 a new Constitution 

with a progressive Bill of Rights that 

comprehensively provide for the full range of 

rights for both genders. 

Concerned that the progress is being 

watered down at legislation level women’s 

organisations and individuals agreed to engage 

in a campaign to ensure that measures need to 

bring about transformation and empowering 

of women are not stifled. 

“Gains will be meaningless if you 

are not active,” Commissioner Fatuma 

Ibrahim of Kenya National Human Rights 

Commission (KNHRC)told the delegates 

in the meeting. 

Continued on Pg 8 

To comment on this story go to: 

www.thenewdawn.info

8 Marhaba|Cover Story 

Continued from Pg 7 

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Young and ambitious Muslim women 

plunge into politics 

Muslim women have not been left out 

of the “Mwamko Mpya: Uongozi Bora” 

excitement. But they will have to put up a fierce 

fight for them to overcome a number of barriers 

on their ways. 

Coming from a community which is 

characterised with religious conservatism, 

Muslim women are slowly convincing their male 

counterparts to their way up in to leadership 

positions. 

Malasen Hamida, 33, lives in Kibera, 

and, if things go to plan, she will be running 

for parliamentary seat in Nairobi’s Kibera 

constituency which is proposed by the 

Independent Electoral and Boundaries 

Commission (IEBC). 

Through her daily interaction with people 

as an activist in Kibera she has come to win 

the admiration of both men and women and 

they have promised her their support for the 

parliamentary seat. 

“I would not even have considered running 

for parliament if I did not have people’s 

support, including men,” says Malasen. She 

is confident that religious issues would not 

be a hindrance in Kibera which has become a 

cosmopolitan village 

But for Saada Mohamed, 32, her gender 

may be the greatest obstacle to becoming a 

women representative in Lamu. 

“I have already been asked to drop my 

ambitions for the post by some people,” she 

says. During the interview she was behind the 

niqab, face covering cloth which is common on 

the Muslim dominated island. 

As the secretary of Lamu Women Stream 

Saada has come to understand the problems in 

her community and wants to do something to 

help. She believes the solution to the social ills 

that are afflicting Lamu residents lie in people 

working together including women and youth. 

“As long as I know the boundaries that 

my religion has set for me, I should be able to 

exploit my leadership skills as much as possible 

to better the community,” she says. 

Saada says that women MPs have set 

the precedent and shown good example that 

Muslim women can also be productive in 

As long as I know the 

boundaries that my 

religion has set for me, I 

should be able to exploit 

my leadership skills as 

much as possible to better 

the community... 

Maendeleo ya Wanawake Chairperson, Rukia Subow flanked by women leaders during the launch of The Kenya 

Women’s National Charter at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi recently. 

the society by championing the issues of the 

community from the front. 

Kuresha Khadija Mohamed, 24, from 

Tana River believes that it is time that women 

went fully for it. According to her, the political 

environment has changed from the crude and 

fierce one that culminated to the 2007 election 

violence. She expects things will be calmer this 

time if all players are to dutifully follow the law. 

She has been involved in advocacy issues on 

human rights in the mostly pastoral community 

in Tana River. Her efforts fronted her to be 

proposed for running for the Garsen South 

ward. 

“I don’t anticipate any outbreak of violence 

for any reason, let alone that I am a girl 

running,” says Kuresha. 

In what has been touted in media is poised 

to be one of the most expensive elections in 

Kenya, topping the estimates of tens of billions, 

funding will definitely be a hindrance to many 

youth let alone women aspirants. 

Sofia Jarsu, 20, has confronted elders in 

Kiamaiko-Huruma in Nairobi on youth and 

joblessness issues. Her persistence on seeking 

solutions from Mosques and the community 

has earned her the recognition as champion of 

youth matters. 

With poverty coming right from inside the 

homes in Kiamaiko, she says it will be difficult 

to fund any meaningful campaign to take her 

message to as many people as possible. 

“I am trying to make something out of 

nothing” says Sofia. 

Nasib Abdi, 19, is also facing a similar 

challenge. She has no financial backing for her 

bid in Nairobi’s Huruma area wardship. 

“Many aspiring women like me are already 

disadvantaged from the word go.” 

Malasen agrees that lack of political 

funding for women from poor backgrounds 

will make politics a reserve of the rich few at the 

detriment of the many poor. 

However several solutions for the obstacles 

facing women were suggested during the 

National Women Leadership Platform for 

Action 2012 at Bomas. 

“It was good to know how to win support 

How women will benefit 

from other laws 

Kenya’s constitution has 

taken bold steps in support of 

affirmative action. 

The Bill of Rights entrenches 

the principle of affirmative 

action for women and other 

marginalized populations 

and the principle of 1/3 

representation of either gender 

in elective positions. 

This will help remedy past 

discrimination by increasing the 

chances of women in what they 

were previously denied. 

47 seats in Parliament will 

be reserved for women starting 

from the coming general election. 

16 positions will all be 

reserved for women in the 

senate. 

of others especially men through the experiences 

of women already in parliament,” says Kuresha. 

“This has made me resolute and confident in 

my political endeavours.” 

Malasen will be happy to attend meetings 

of this kind and learn more from them. 

“It was not those ordinary meetings you 

attend and wonder what the point was,” she 

illuminates. “This meeting was very encouraging 

and it roused me into action.” 

“Every political party shall 

respect and promote human 

rights and fundamental 

freedoms, and gender equality 

and equity,” states part three 

of Chapter Seven of the 

Constitution. 

All political parties will be 

required to nominate women, 

youth and people with disability 

and forward their names to 

Independent Electoral and 

Boundaries Commission before 

elections. 

This is a gain for women as 

the provision ensures gender 

parity and equity. 

Women may seek either to 

be elected or nominated for 

political positions they aspire to.

The New Dawn 

9 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. Marhaba|Fashion 

Bridal Hijab 

CROWNING GLORY 

Courtesy Sitara 

For any bride, the perfect accompaniment for her 

wedding gown on her wedding day is her headwear. 

Indeed this is her crowning glory. 

Allah (SWT) tells us in Surah Nur:31:“And 

say to the believing women… that they should draw their 

veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except 

to their husbands, their fathers, their husband’s fathers, their 

sons, their husband’s sons, their brothers or their brothers 

sons, or their sisters sons, or their women, or the slaves 

whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of 

physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the 

shame of sex”. It is clear from this verse that a Muslim 

woman’s beauty should only be seen by her husband, 

immediate family, other women and very few others. 

Muslim weddings generally separate men and women. 

Some weddings are strict on this separation with no men 

whatsoever including prohibition on taking photos or videos 

other than by the official female photographer appointed by 

the family who controls circulation of the photos. In this 

case, it is not necessary for the bride to cover her hair with 

hijab. 

In many weddings however you find some men in the 

female section like the photographers, or the waiters or 

other service providers. Indeed, even when there are no men 

physically present at the wedding, prevalence of cameras 

including on mobile phones means the possibility of the 

bride’s photographs being seen by other non-mahram, that 

is, non-related men (including globally on social media) is 

high. 

For the sisters who want to avoid this risk, by wearing 

hijab on their wedding day, the variety to choose from 

is wide. There are hijabs called ‘Ameeras’ which is a type 

Unique Male and Female Islamic Attire and Accessories provided courtesy of: 

Sitara: Modesty and Style. 

For more variety and enquiries, visit Sitara: Cameo Blg-Banda Street; 

Sitara: Capital Center-1st Flr, Mombasa Rd Or 

Call: 020-3746255 / 0732 492 373 

that one simply slips over the head which leaves the face 

uncovered but covers the head and neck; there are those 

which are rectangular and worn by wrapping around the 

head and neck. 

To create the desired effect, bridal hijabs are normally 

piled high on the head like a turban, layered with different 

fabrics to match the colours of the gown and then the veil 

is pinned at the top of the do falling around the sides of 

the face and behind the head. As white bridal gowns have no 

particular significance in Muslim weddings, the gowns can 

be almost any colour. 

Different colours from the gown can be highlighted by 

adding a scarf of a matching colour and tying it in a striking 

way. To add even more glamour to it, brooches, sequins, 

tiaras and decorative stones among others are added to the 

elaborate arrangement. The hijab frames and highlights the 

face thus highlighting the best of the bride’s features with 

modesty and style.

10 

Marhaba|Kids Corner 

do you like making 

Musa’s bag doesn’t have his madrassa 

books. Help him through the 

maze to find them. 

A trip to 

knowledge 

AtteNtIoN CHILdReN: If you wish to appear on this page, send us your digital photo, name, 

age school/madrassa/hobbies, hadiths, poems among others to: info@thenewdawn.info 

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Answer, 

SMS & Win 

fun of others? Quiz Time: 

Scholars in ethics have considered making 

fun of people as one of the factors that 

corrupt the tongue. 

Allah (SWT) said in the following 

verse of Noble Quran: “O’ ye who 

believe! Let not some men among 

you laugh at others: It may be 

that the (latter) are 

better than the 

(former): Nor let 

some women laugh 

at others: It may 

be that the (latter) 

are better than the (former): Nor 

defame nor be sarcastic to each other, 

nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: 

Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, 

(to be used of one) after he has believed: And 

those who do not desist are (indeed) doing 

wrong.” (Sura Al-Hujraat 49:11) 

The first principle referred to in this verse 

is respecting the Muslims. Muslims should 

respect each other in social encounters. 

Materialists have a different 

world outlook than Muslims. 

Materialists respect one for 

his physical beauty and 

financial stability, but 

Muslims respect man’s 

moral values. 

In the above verse, 

making fun of others 

is forbidden. Men are 

unaware of each other’s 

inner thoughts and feelings. 

It may be that an ugly man has 

a very beautiful character. He might be made 

fun of for his looks, but if others knew him 

well they would never make fun of him. 

That is why it is not allowed to make fun of 

anyone and it is forbidden to make fun of the 

physically challenged. 

One day a rich father took his son to a trip. He 

wanted to show him how the poor one can be. 

They spent time on a farm of poor family. 

On the way home, the father asked his son 

what he learnt. The son said we have pool, they 

have rivers, we have lanterns at night, they have 

stars at night, we buy food, they grow theirs, we 

have walls to protect us, they spend in thatched 

houses, we have encyclopedia, and they have the 

Holy Quran. 

He then said, “Thanks dad for showing me 

how poor we are.” 

The moral of the story: It is not money 

that makes us rich but it is about simplicity and 

obeying ALLAH in our lives. 

19 

Join dots and colour the Kabbah 

18 

16 

17 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

20 

10 

Answer, SMS and 

Win 2 story books! 

In the last issue of the New Dawn we 

asked the following questions: 

a) Who was appointed to kill 

Hamzah? 

b) Who was Hinda? 

c) Hamzah was given two titles 

which are? 

The answers are: (a) Wahshi the 

Ethiopian warrior (b) She was the 

wife of Abu Suffyan and the Mother 

of Muawiya. (c) The lion of God and 

the chief of Martyrs. 

The winner of 2 story books mobile 

numbers ends with the digits: 

0731***714 

Marhaba wishes to thank 

participants and Abantu Publications 

for the book prizes. 

For a catalogue of other interesting 

titles and Islamic books for children, 

get your copies from selected 

bookshops or email: 

abantupublications.nairobi@gmail.com 

9 

8 

7 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1

The New Dawn, 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Advertiser’s Feature / 11 

Peace and Security for 

development (PSd) Programme 

Lamu Community joint forum sheds light 

on peace and security issues in the county 

The PSD programme banner being carried through the streets of Lamu during the annual Maulid celebrations. 

By Mishi Mohamed Ali 

Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KMYA) Coast 

Region held a joint forum in Lamu to address 

peace and security issues affecting the County. 

The two day forum brought together area 

chiefs and district peace committee members, 

religious and village leaders, youths, women 

groups and people with disabilities. 

Residents raised their concerns on issues 

affecting security in the area including drug 

peddling and abuse, sexual harassment and 

kidnapping of young children. 

The upcoming Lamu port has been 

blamed for the uncertainty in the county with 

people saying that the project will have major 

environmental implications which will not 

only disrupt their economic activities but also 

tamper with their culture. 

They blamed the government for failure 

of involving them in the preparation of the 

port and asked that those who stood to lose 

their land must be compensated. 

Those who attended the forum demanded 

that the job opportunities created by the 

proposed port benefit the residents who are 

facing high rate of unemployment. 

Participants were enlightened on the new 

political dispensation and the opportunities 

available in the Constitution. The changes 

effected by the Constitution were aimed at 

addressing historical injustices by bringing 

the governance close to people through 

devolution. 

This message is sponsored by the Peace, Security for Development (PSD) programme which is undertaken by 

the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance in partnership with the Royal Danish Embassy. The views expressed herein 

emerged purely from activities of the PSD programme itself and do not in any way represent 

the position of the Danish Embassy. 

Meanwhile, Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance thanks the Royal Danish Embassy for supporting 

this column over the years. 

Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance, P.O Box 27592-00100, Nairobi-Kenya. Tel:254-(0)20-3861530/1 

Email:info@kenyamuslims.org Website:www.kenyamuslims.org 

Several youths and women declared their 

interest at the forum to run for political 

positions in the county level in the coming 

general elections. 

KMYA Coast Region Chairman 

Khamis Mwaguzo urged them to seek 

more civic education about the new system 

of governance for them to appreciate the 

changes. 

He also asked them to come out in large 

numbers and participate in the national 

elections both as voters and contenders.

12 / INteRVIeW 

Ahmed Yusuf at a glance 

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Ahmed Yusuf talks of ways Muslims 

can enhance standards of education 

Muslims were the only community in Kenya with an established education system prior to the arrival of colonialists in the 19th century. However, 

the state of education in the community has since been experiencing a downward trend. Poor performance of Muslim children in national exams 

is now a perennial problem. This has impacted negatively on the participation of Muslims in national leadership and development. In an exclusive 

interview with The New Dawn, veteran educationist Ahmed Yusuf gives an analytical view of the situation and what needs to be done. Excerpts. 

New Dawn: How would you compare 

the state of education in the Muslim 

community before and after independence? 

I have written a paper on this question which 

simply says we are disadvantaged because we took 

to secular education late. 

My simple example is in Machakos where 

I was born. Parents were afraid to send their 

children to school lest they are converted. This 

was not just suppositions, actually some kids 

were converted since most schools were Christian 

based. My father took the risk of taking me to 

primary school here in Machakos before I joined 

a predominantly Muslim school in Mombasa. 

Other parents opted for their children to stay at 

home. Unlike Muslim community in Mombasa 

which had Arab primary and secondary schools, 

Muslims in Nairobi, Machakos, Nakuru and 

other places like Kisumu were disadvantaged 

because they did not have. 

It was the third generations after 

independence or even long after when government 

had built more schools that Muslims came in. But 

even in government schools Christian influence 

was strong and Muslim parents were still afraid. 

Not many people before my generation and even 

soon after have secular education apart from 

Madrassa education. 

After independence, due to shortage 

of secondary schools, government allowed 

communities to build their own schools popularly 

known as ‘Harambee’ schools. Muslims did not 

take advantage of the Harambee schools. Other 

communities took advantage of this and built 

schools for their children within their residences. 

There is not even one Muslim Harambee school 

till today. Muslims failed to take the initiative 

at the right time and missed out on Harambee 

schools. 

The Harambee schools were later absorbed by 

government and helped to mature into institutions 

of success and children in these schools perform 

well and proceed to universities. Muslim children 

have been left to scramble for limited spaces in 

public schools which are limited. It was the same 

with Harambee technical schools, most of them 

are have now been turned to public universities. 

During Moi’s era while other communities 

struggled to send their children abroad especially 

to India and USA for education. Muslim leaders 

did not have the foresight of embarking on this 

initiative. We had to compete for few spaces in 

Nairobi and Kenyatta universities. 

Later on every Christian community started 

their university. Muslims don’t even have one. If 

you have a university of your own community it 

can subsidise its children’s education for those who 

have not made it to public universities because 

they did not attain the minimum pass mark to 

be accepted in regular programmes which are 

subsidised by the government. Higher education is 

very expensive and one cannot make it without all 

the help they can get. 

New Dawn: Poor performance of Muslim 

children in national examinations is 

becoming a perennial problem. What is 

the trouble and what should be done? 

It is not a single problem. It is a multifaceted 

social problem. The vicious cycle of poverty is a 

major problem. Children will go to school but at 

home they lack lights or proper tables for study. 

There is no encouragement to read which is very 

important. When girls are asked to do unending 

house chores and boys are left to run around, 

this will definitely affect how they perform in 

education. Parents need to take strong control 

when it comes to their children’s education so that 

the children can embrace good performance. 

New Dawn: How do you evaluate the 

teaching of IRE/Islamic Studies and 

Arabic Language in public institutions of 

learning? 

Even in predominantly Muslim schools 

there is very little Arabic and IRE taught. 

Getting an Arabic or IRE teacher is very difficult. 

Even though these subjects are in the national 

curriculum you can forget them in government 

schools because there are no teachers. Muslim 

schools source these teachers from people who 

studied in Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Thika Islamic 

College. The government agency TSC will tell you 

if you want your child to be taught IRE bring 

teachers but they don’t want Madrassa teachers if 

they have not been trained in teachers colleges. 

New Dawn: What about the issue of 

Muslim youths not being interested in 

teaching career? 

I don’t agree with you. If a student got an 

A- mark in KSCE and wants to be an engineer 

or journalist he/she will proceed to university 

where he/she will get government help through 

HELB loans. The other one who wants to be a 

teacher but cannot get into university will have to 

pay high fees for colleges they go to. How many 

of average Muslim families can pay say Sh10,000 

a month? So you’ll find that even Mikindani 

Teachers Training College which is a Muslim 

institution is filled with non-Muslims because 

Muslims cannot afford. 

New Dawn: So, how do we come round 

this problem? 

We have to start from the secondary schools 

because that is the catchment area for most of 

the education. We acknowledge that we have 

problems at primary schools like lack of IRE 

teachers and kids are forced to do CRE but they 

still do well and fail to get places in secondary 

schools. We have to establish quality secondary 

schools which take kids and propel them to 

success – not just schools. When these kids 

perform very well they are able to qualify for the 

regular programmes in the public universities 

which are funded by the government and can 

qualify for High Education Loans Board (HELB) 

money. Even the poor kid can at least go to the 

schools. 

If you look at the top ten best performing 

schools in the national order of merit you’ll find 

that almost 60% are Christian based and the 

rest are national schools. Whereas our kids are 

competing to join national schools our brothers 

are getting good schools established by themselves. 

New Dawn: You have been involved in 

Education for many years, why do you 

think Muslims have problems establishing 

a) Ahmed Yusuf ( M.Sc) began his career as a P1 primary teacher. 

b) Is a former tutor Kenya Science Teachers College. 

c) Chief Inspector of Schools in the Ministry of Education. 

d) Secretary/Executive Officer Kenya National Examination Council(KNEC). 

e) Founder/Director of Alim Academy, Machakos. 

f) Chairman Ummah Foundation Education Committee. 

g) The Muslim Think Tank-Kenya. 

h) Is a member of several other Muslim education consultative committees. 

i) Chairman TAQWA Sacco. 

their institutions? 

To start a school is not easy. If you start by 

yourself you are going to fail unless you have deep 

pockets. You’ll not get enough kids to pay your 

bills and teachers. 

To start a school, you also need to involve 

experts who understand these institutions and not 

just do things forcefully because you can. I have 

seen some schools start that way and fail to take 

off. 

When I was at the ministry of education 

I remember there was a time when different 

communities’ churches were establishing their own 

teachers training colleges because government 

ones were only 18 at that time and there was a big 

demand for primary school teachers. 

Islamic Teachers College in Mikindani was the 

first Muslim institution to be registered and it was 

turned down at first attempt. The founders did not 

know how to go about it and did not consult those 

in Ministry of Education who knew. I only came 

to know about it when it had already been rejected. 

New Dawn: You have been advocating for 

the establishment of an education fund. Is 

it a viable option. 

If you depend on rich people you are not 

going to get anywhere. Recently in Kibera Muslim 

teachers started an organisation intended to 

safeguard the interests of Muslims. BAWAKI 

is a group of Muslims in the grassroots finding 

solutions for themselves without waiting for rich 

people. Such an organisation can look for bright 

kids in their neighbourhood and sponsor their 

education in good schools which will guarantee 

their joining universities. That is the first way 

of breaking the cycle of failure. It’s easier to get 

funded as an organisation than as an individual 

because when people see a cause worth funding 

they’ll get interested in helping. 

New Dawn: The latest task force report 

on education proposed that Kenya scrap 

the 8-4-4 system and adopt a 2-6-6-3 

format. As an educationist, what is your 

observation? 

I don’t support it. It is true that some of 

the objectives which started the system were 

not fulfilled like starting of technical schools 

to absorb those students who were poor in 

academics. Communities failed to initiate these 

schools. But the system is democratic and not 

elitist. Compared to the previous A level system, 

children were eliminated in primary after seven 

years and only few proceeded to secondary who 

later got eliminated. About 10% went to A levels 

but then were eliminated so that only about 3 

percent went to university. In that elimination 

there were no opportunities for drop-outs of 

primary, secondary and A levels, wasting lots of 

them. Hence, very few made it to university. 

But with 8-4-4 everybody can go to 

university. Even if you get D+ any kid can go to 

university and do bridging courses and succeed. 

8-4-4 is very democratic, but the new system 

is reminiscent of the previous undemocratic 

pyramid type of education. In fact they have 

introduced more elimination. I am apprehensive 

about the proposed system I don’t think it is 

going to provide as many opportunities.

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. Global Forum / 13 

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14 / Muslim World Round-up 

No apologies for 

Qur’an burning 

says Santorum 

By Agencies 

US Republican presidential hopeful Rick 

Santorum has criticised President Barack 

Obama for apologizing for the burning of the 

Noble Qur’an at a US base in Afghanistan. 

Afghan laborers found charred copies of 

the Noble Qur’an while collecting rubbish at 

Bagram airbase in Kabul last week. 

Hearing the news, thousands of angry 

Afghans took to the streets to protest the 

desecration of the Muslim holy book. At least 

30 people were killed in the violent protests. 

Seeking to calm the Afghan anger, Obama 

apologized for the Qur’an burning, describing 

the incident as a “mistake”. 

But Obama’s apology drew fire from 

Santorum, who is seeking to win the 

Republican Party nomination to run in the 

November election. 

“Say it’s unfortunate…but to apologize 

for something that was not an intentional act 

is something that the president of the United 

States in my opinion should not have done.” 

“I think it shows weakness,” Santorum 

said of the apology. 

Republican hopeful Newt Gingrich earlier 

criticized Obama’s apology, saying it was “an 

outrage” for the US president to apologize. 

By Agencies 

By Agencies 

Syrian rebels inspect a captured tank. 

By Agencies By Agencies 

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Gulf states in favour of arming Syrian rebels 

Saudi Arabia and Qatar press for arming Syrian 

rebels; Final declaration sees Arab calls for cease 

fire and opening of humanitarian corridors 

between opposition strongholds, Syria’s 

neighbours 

Western and Arab nations mounted the 

biggest diplomatic push in weeks to end Syria’s 

crackdown on the opposition on Friday, but 

the talk in a marble-lined Tunisian hotel risked 

being overtaken by the increasingly vicious 

armed conflict on the ground. 

Foreign ministers from more than 50 

countries in Tunis for the inaugural “Friends 

of Syria” meeting marshalled international 

condemnation of Syrian President Bashar Al- 

Assad and ratcheted up the pressure on him to 

step down. 

They met against the backdrop of a surge 

in government attacks on the city of Homs, an 

opposition stronghold, and mounting world 

outrage over violence that has killed thousands 

of people during the uprising. 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 

warned Al-Assad – and his backers inside Syria 

and abroad – that they will be held to account 

for the crackdown on opponents and what 

she described as a humanitarian catastrophe in 

Syria. 

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince 

Saud Al-Faisal led the hawkish camp, saying 

that arming the Syrian rebels would be “an 

Help line launched in UK to 

assist Islamophobia victims 

Graffiti stained wall with messages against Muslims are rife in Europe as well. 

Monitoring a rising Islamophobia rate in 

British society, a new line was launched to 

offer help for victims of hate crimes, in a trial 

to record the continuous abuse and vandalism 

targeting the country’s Muslim minority. 

“Many people think that Islamophobic 

crime does not exist. They say: ‘Where is the 

data?’” Fiyaz Mughal, the director of Faith 

Matters, a non-profit group, told Agencies. 

Hoping to shed light on the actual 

scale of the problem, the group set up the 

“Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks” (MAMA) 

project with the help of government funding. 

“This is a chance for the Muslim 

community to say: ‘Let us present the case, 

in terms of the facts, let somebody collate 

it and present it to the authorities,’” said 

Mughal. 

“If someone has suffered abuse, 

been attacked or received a leaflet with 

inflammatory comments about Muslims in it, 

I want to hear about it.” 

Under Home Office rules, the police are 

required to record all hate crimes, including 

crime on the basis of race, sexual orientation, 

gender, disability and faith. 

Since 2006, anti-Semitic hate crimes 

have been recorded separately, in response to 

a request from the government following an 

inquiry into anti-Semitism 

Unlike anti- Semitic incidents, 

Islamophobic attacks are not separately 

recorded as police group them with faith hate 

crimes against Christians, Hindus and Sikhs. 

Hostility against British Muslims, 

estimated at nearly 2.5 million, have been on 

the rise since the 7/7 attacks. 

A Financial Times opinion poll showed 

that Britain is the most suspicious nation 

about Muslims. 

A poll of the Evening Standard found 

that a sizable section of London residents 

harbor negative opinions about Muslims. 

excellent idea.” 

Another hawk, Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad bin 

Jassim Al-Thani told the Tunis meeting an Arab 

force should be created to open and protect 

humanitarian corridors between opposition 

strongholds and Syria’s neighbours. 

Several representatives from the Syrian 

National Council (SNC), the main opposition 

group, said the conflict was increasingly entering 

a military dimension. 

“We would have hoped that we could bring 

down the regime through completely peaceful 

means but the regime practiced violence and 

Poll shows Nigerian 

Muslims reject 

Boko Haram 

A majority of Nigerian Muslims reject the 

anti-Western rhetoric of the militant group 

Boko Haram that has carried out deadly 

attacks in Africa’s most populous country, a 

Gallup poll has found. 

“About 6 in 10 Nigerians believe greater 

interaction with the West is more of a benefit 

than a threat.” the Gallup survey said on its 

website. 

“In Boko Haram’s Northeast home base, 

nearly 7 in 10 say the same,” it added. 

The survey, which included face-to-face 

interviews with 1,000 people in the north, 

found that nearly six out of 10 Nigerians 

believe that more interaction with the West is 

beneficial, rather than threatening. 

“Majorities of residents in other northern 

regions, which are home to many Muslims, 

also view such interaction positively,” the poll 

said. 

Boko Haram, a Hausa term meaning 

“Western education is sinful”, is loosely 

modeled on Afghanistan’s Taliban. 

The militant group says it is fighting 

enemies who have wronged its members 

through violence, arrests or economic neglect 

and corruption. 

It has been blamed for a campaign of 

shootings and bombings against security forces 

and authorities in the north since 2009. 

only understands the language of force,” said 

SNC official Bassam Ishaak at the Tunis 

meeting. 

“They came to power by force and they will 

only leave by force,” he said. 

Nevertheless, there was no mention in the 

Friends of Syria final communique of any plans 

for intervention, or arming the Syrian rebels. 

Many Arab states which traditionally have 

had friendly ties with the Assad administration 

feel that further militarising the crisis would tip 

Syria into a dangerous sectarian quagmire that 

could destabilise the whole region. 

Egypt presidential 

election slated for 

May 23-24 

Egypt will vote on May 23 and 24 to elect its 

first president since a popular uprising overthrew 

Hosni Mubarak a year ago, the head of the 

elections committee has said. 

Faruq Sultan told journalists expatriates will 

be allowed to vote from May 11 to May 17 and 

that any run-off will be held on June 16 and 17. 

“The result will be announced on June 21,” 

said Sultan, in keeping with a timetable set by 

the military rulers to hand power to an elected 

president before the end of June. 

The poll comes during a turbulent 

transitional period during which the military, 

lionised for not supporting Mubarak during the 

uprising, has become the target of the people who 

spearheaded that revolt that overthrew him. 

Last month, Mohamed ElBaradei, the former 

UN nuclear watchdog chief turned Egyptian 

dissident, said he would not run in the election 

conducted under military auspices. 

Former Egyptian strongman, Hosni 

Mubarak.

The New Dawn 

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Sport 

SPORT EXTRA 

Yaya and Kolo Toure 

encounter racial slur in 

Europa League clash 

Manchester City lodged an official complaint 

with UEFA after Yaya and Kolo Toure as well 

as Mario Balotelli were racially abused by Porto 

fans. 

Club officials were said to be shocked 

when they heard racist chants aimed at the pair 

during City’s 2-1 Europa League victory against 

the Portuguese champions in the Estadio do 

Dragao. 

Toure’s brother Kolo, who was sitting with 

the club’s executives in the stands, was also 

stunned by the abuse. 

City contacted UEFA match delegate 

Joti Chatzialexiou within minutes of the final 

whistle to file the complaint, and European 

football’s governing body are expected to open 

an investigation, focusing mainly on what was 

heard as Balotelli left the pitch on 77 minutes 

having been substituted. 

Yaya Toure revealed he had ‘heard 

something’, adding: ‘That’s why we all like the 

Premier League, because it never happens there. 

Maybe in foreign countries they don’t expect 

black players. 

‘I think in future it will be OK, they will 

change their minds and the game will become 

more open. ‘Football is football and the fans 

come to enjoy the game, and we don’t want 

things like this.’ 

The chants could clearly be heard when 

Toure disputed a decision from Turkish referee 

Cuneyt Cakir midway through the first half, 

and again when Balotelli chased a pass into the 

corner just before half-time. 

It was apparent again beneath the chorus of 

whistles that greeted the Italian’s departure when 

he was replaced by Sergio Aguero. 

City officials confirmed that Balotelli, who 

was often subjected to racial abuse during his 

time in Italy, was aware of the vile chants. 

Bin Hamman gets 

April court date to 

fight FIFA ban 

Mohamed bin Hammam will challenge FIFA 

in a two-day hearing in April at the Court of 

Arbitration for Sport in a bid to overturn his 

life ban for alleged election bribery. CAS has set 

April 18-19 to hear the case. 

Bin Hammam, who denies wrongdoing, is 

involved in a second appeal to stop the Asian 

Football Confederation from replacing him as 

president. He has been seeking CAS verdicts 

before the Asian body is legally obliged to hold an 

election on May 29. 

FIFA expelled bin Hammam from football 

last July after its ethics committee found him 

guilty of attempting to bribe Caribbean voters 

during his election challenge to FIFA President 

Sepp Blatter. 

The Qatari candidate withdrew his bid after 

the scandal emerged last May. 

BOXING 

obama to Ali: You shocked 

and inspired the world 

President Barack Obama lauded Muhammad Ali 

as he joined some of the world’s most famous 

people in a birthday celebration for the boxer 

known simply as “The Greatest.” 

“Happy birthday, champ,” President Barack 

Obama told Ali through a video message, saying 

he wished he could have attended a swanky 

dinner gala in Las Vegas featuring some of the 

biggest names in sports, film, television and 

music. 

“As a fighter, you were something 

spectacular,” Obama told Ali, who turned 70 

last month. “You shocked the world, and you 

inspired it, too. And even after all the titles and 

legendary bouts, you’re still doing it.” 

The gala’s 2,000 attendees were there to 

celebrate Ali’s life and generate millions of dollars 

for brain research, a mission Ali’s family says is 

important to him in part because of his nearly 

30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. 

Football great Jim Brown said Ali represents 

the greatest of America, because at one time 

people only recognized his athletic ability and 

didn’t like what he had to say. That changed over 

time, he said. 

“America started with slavery and ended 

up with a black president,” Brown said. 

“Muhammad Ali was a part of that ... a big part.” 

Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, told the star-studded 

crowd that her husband’s greatest wish has always 

been to inspire and help others. She said he feels 

that his life really began when he retired from the 

ring. 

The gala - with tickets starting at $1,500 

per plate - was held at the MGM Grand, the site 

of most of boxing’s major fights the past two 

decades. Famous faces converged on the 160 

tables adjacent to two rings and a stage - Terrence 

Howard, Anthony Hopkins, Manny Pacquiao, 

Ahmed Hassan. 

US President Barack Obama chats with former boxer, Muhammad Ali. 

and Lenny Kravitz, among others. They planned 

performances and tributes to a fighter who went 

56-5 in the ring with 37 knockouts and became 

perhaps the most famous athlete ever because of 

his personality and willingness to publicly stand 

up for his beliefs. 

Ali has lived with Parkinson’s disease for 

nearly 30 years, a degenerative brain condition 

that some doctors say can be brought on by 

punches to the head. 

The gala raised funds for the Cleveland 

Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and 

the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., a 

FOOTBALL 

Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan becomes world’s most capped player 

Egypt’s skipper Ahmed Hassan has become 

the world’s most capped player after making 

a substitute appearance in Wednesday’s 1-0 

victory over Niger in a friendly game in Qatar. 

The evergreen midfielder replaced lively 

winger Ahmed Elmohamady with 14 minutes 

remaining to earn his 179th international cap, 

overtaking former Saudi Arabia goalkeeper 

Mohamed Al-Deayea who played 178 

international games. 

The 36-year-old has been one of Egypt’s 

most consistent performers since making 

his senior team debut in 1995. He led the 

Pharaohs to four African Cup of Nations titles 

in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010. 

He scored 33 goals, including a memorable 

one in the 2-0 win over South Africa during 

the 1998 Nations Cup final in Burkina Faso. 

Meanwhile, Oman and Saudi Arabia have 

15 

cultural attraction that celebrates Ali’s life and 

pushes educational goals on a wide range of 

topics for adults and children. 

Larry Ruvo, chairman of the clinic’s 

fundraising arm, Keep Memory Alive, said he’s 

not sure whether the fundraiser will exceed its 

record of $27 million, but he hopes so. 

The gala’s auction includes some items that 

only an A-lister or others with incredibly deep 

pockets could possibly afford. The top item was 

Ali’s gloves that he used to fight Floyd Patterson 

in 1965, a bout he won by knockout in the 12th 

round. 

kissed goodbye chances of qualifying for the 

2014 World Cup. 

Saudi lost their chance to qualify after 

they were bundled out of 2014 World Cup 

qualification in Melbourne after being scored 

three goals by Australia. 

For Oman’s 2-0 home win over Thailand, 

it took them past the lavishly-funded Saudis 

into the March 9 draw for the final round of 

Asian group qualifiers. 

Saudi Arabia will miss out on their second 

straight World Cup finals campaign after 

qualifying for four consecutive tournaments 

from 1994 to 2006. 

The Saudis rocked the home side, scoring 

twice in the opening half and controlling 

possession, but Australia emerged stronger after 

German coach Holger Osieck’s half-time team 

talk.

March 1 - March 15, 2012. 

Sport | P15 

Yaya toure 

encounters 

racial slur in 

europa League 

Private Muslim schools register KCSe success 

By Farida Mwangi 

Abdirahman Mohamed from Abuhureira Academy 

is the leading student in the Coast region after 

scoring grade A of 12.3716 points in the just 

released 2011 Kenya Certificate of Secondary 

Education (KCSE) results. He was followed closely 

by Naima Nurrein of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al 

Nahyan Secondary also from Mombasa. 

Sheikh Khalifa produced four of the best 

performers as WAMY High School, Alim High 

School and Nairobi Muslim Academy among others 

emerged as some of the best privately run schools. 

Garissa High School was the best in Northern and 

Eastern Kenya emerging number 48 nationally. 

Talking exclusively to The New Dawn, WAMY 

High School, Principal Omar Shaaban attributed 

International Rescue Committee 

VACANCY 

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Kenya serves vulnerable populations in the Turkana and Garissa regions as 

well as in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The IRC implements programs in the areas of comprehensive primary health care, nutrition, 

protection, peace building, water and sanitation and hygiene (WASH), HIV/AIDS prevention, response to gender based 

violence, disaster risk reduction (DRR), livelihoods and governance. Applications are invited for the following position: 

Gender Based Violence (GBV) Partnership Officer-Hagadera 

Job Summary: 

The IRC Gender Based Violence program implements a holistic set of services to respond to the needs of women and girls who have 

experienced gender-based violence and works with all actors to minimize their vulnerability to ongoing violence. To meet the needs 

of the incoming refugee population, the IRC GBV program is implementing an emergency GBV response program in Kambioos 

Camp. The emergency program will reflect the overall program strategy of the IRC’s GBV emergency program model, the two 

key elements of which are advocacy and provision of, and access to, comprehensive GBV response services. In the longer term, 

GBV programming will be devolved to a local partner. Initial support will be provided by a Partnership Officer to strengthen their 

organizational and programmatic capacity on GBV to support the transition of GBV programming in Kambioos over a 18-24 month 

period. 

Reporting to the GBV Program Manager the Partnership Officer will be 100% dedicated to the GBV program to initiate and 

oversee all interactions and support to the local partner identified to work with in Kambioos. He/ She will be responsible for the 

documentation and monitoring all aspects of the partnership as IRC transition services under the GBV program to the local partner. 

Requirements 

• BA/BSc in Social Work, Psychology, Development, or a related field preferred. 

• At least 3 years experience in direct service provision for survivors of gender-based violence. 

• Previous experience in project management in emergency setting. 

• Thorough understanding of gender-based violence response protocols and service provision. 

• Proven experience supervising GBV social work/case management and outreach staff. 

• Demonstrated leadership, communication, training and facilitation skills. 

• Experience in training, participatory techniques and community mobilization 

• Able to coordinate multiple tasks while maintaining attention to quality and detail. 

• Strong knowledge of computer applications, including MS Word and Excel, GBV IMS Good coordination 

and networking skills. 

• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills and flexibility 

• Ability to live in a high security environment 

• Fluency in English, including writing clear and concise reports. Knowledge of and fluency in Somali is a 

requirement 

• Excellent organizational skills, independence, maturity, respect for others, and flexibility 

Preferred Qualifications: 

the success of his school to syllabus coverage by 

the end of first term as well as admission of well 

performing students in KCPE marks of 320 

points. 

The best perfroming student in WAMY was 

Abdijabar Adan Ali with a grade of A plain of 

83 points. Overall, 6 students scored A plain, 21 

students with A-(Minus), 14 students B+(plus), 

and 10 students B plain. 

Several schools were also penalised for 

irregularities leading to a number of students 

from Mandera and Wajir county schools results 

cancelled. The biggest casualties were in Garissa and 

Mandera. 

Meanwhile, nominated MPs led by 

Mohammed Affey and Sophia Abdi have displayed 

dissatisfaction during a heated parliamentary 

session against the cancellation of the result calling 

for a thorough enquiry. 

• Experience working in a refugee setting. 

• Experience working with a local partner on GBV programming 

Full Job descriptions can be downloaded at www.rescue.org/careers 

To apply please go to http://www.rescue.org/careers and search for NAME OF THE POSITION. 

Please apply on or before 7th March, 2012. 

IRC leading the way from harm to home 

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, 

sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. 

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Secondary sign post in Mombasa. 

Muslim boys in Nakuru to be circumcised 

By Abdul Fatahou Laye 

Boys from poor families in Nakuru will 

benefit from circumcision exercise organized 

by councilor Abdul Gibeh and AFC Leopards 

Nakuru Branch members. 

The exercise planned to take place next 

month will target Muslim children from poor 

families in Kambi Somali, Bondeni, Shauri 

Yako, and Kivumbini slums. It follows another 

successful one held last December. 

Gibeh, who is the Bondeni civic leader, 

said that many other boys did not get 

circumcised due to limited resources to fund 

the exercise. 

The exercise will bring together over 300 

boys aged between 5 to 18 years whose parents 

are not able to pay for their circumcision. 

Hassan Kinyua appointed assistant 

registrar of Islamic Marriages and Divorces 

By Fauzia Wangare 

Hassan Kinyua Omari has been appointed as 

an Assistant Registrar of Islamic Marriages 

and Divorces. 

In a Kenya Gazette Notice number 459 

dated 16th January 2012, Kinyua has powers 

to officiate in Muslim marriages in Embu, 

Meru, Kianyaga and Mbeere Districts. 

“I will issue marriage certificates on 

behalf of the Chief Kadhi,” he said. 

His other roles will be counselling 

couples and issuing divorce certificates where 

necessary. 

Gibeh also plans to visit the elderly 

taking care of their grandchildren suffering 

from HIV/Aids and orphans who live 

in poor conditions. The intention will 

be to give them food and clothes and 

encouragement in doing their noble causes 

they are doing. 

Meanwhile, Nakuru mayor has urged 

the residents in Kaptebwo and its environs to 

be careful after one of the factory’s leaking 

oil found its way to the area. 

Mayor Mohamed Suraw said that the 

cooking oil which leaked due to bad disposal 

system was a health hazard. 

“This cooking oil is in the hands of 

some residents who are using it in making 

mandazi and chips in the market,” he said. 

The mayor warned that cooking oil was 

mixed with sewer. 

“I am not looking forward to ever 

issuing divorce certificates,” he said. 

Others who have been appointed 

are Ali Omar Dima for Nairobi District, 

Shamun Abdirahman Hassan for Namanga, 

Kajiado and Maili Tisa Districts, Athman 

Bwana Mbwana for Kilifi District and 

Ahmed Khamis Ndaro for Kajiado District. 

All appointments were done by 

the Attorney General in exercise of the 

powers conferred by section 4 of the 

Mohammedan Marriage and Divorce 

Registration Act. 

Their appointments take immediate 

effect. 

The New Dawn is published by Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance, P.O Box 27592-00100, Nairobi-Kenya. Tel:254-(0)20-3861530/1 or 0732 550 440 

Email:info@thenewdawn.info Website: www.thenewdawn.info

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