Closure of Madrasas in Kenya: State Discrimination Against Islam and Muslims

On Monday, 28 September 2020 President Uhuru Kenyatta declared bars and restaurants opened and are allowed to sell alcohol (The Standard, 28/09/2020)! Currently, the parents across the nation are running against time to meet all the necessary requirements to ensure that their children are back to school in response to the government directive for phased reopening of schools commencing on Monday, 12 October 2020 (The Star, 06/10/2020). Furthermore, political leaders are in jostling for political campaigns that are threatening the security of the nation to an extent on Saturday, 10 October 2020; President Uhuru led National Prayers in the name of praying for the nation to withstand the political and socio-economic challenges facing the nation!

It is perturbing to see that that madrasas are suffering with no one highlighting their plights since they were closed on March 2020 under the pretext of fighting Covid-19 pandemic. Muslim students, teachers and parents are languishing because learning has stopped completely and are at crossroad not knowing what to do to solve the crisis. The so-called Muslim religious and political leaders are silent and are just following and adhering to government directives as if they are flags directed by the wind!

This situation is not by fluke, instead it is the true reality of how secular capitalist regimes operate. Certainly, Kenya is a secular state and its priorities are secular driven. So, madrasas are Muslim religious institutions that are perceived to be centers of ‘indoctrination of extremism’ by the secular regimes including Kenya. Consequently, Covid-19 has provided the regimes with an opportunity to curtail their existence and that is why the Kenya government is silent about reopening of madrasas while is running fast in ensuring bars, restaurants and schools are reopened!

It is hypocritical for the same government to host religious leaders including the alleged Muslim leaders in the so-called ‘National Prayers’ and the president seeks forgiveness without being specific to who that he wronged. Islam and Muslims are being discriminated and oppressed on the pretext of the war on terrorism and extremism. And this deliberate quietness by government in not reopening the madrasas is part of the ongoing discrimination by the secular Kenyan state against Islam and Muslims. In addition, the alleged human rights defenders are in bed with the state apparatus on this!

Islam and Muslims find themselves in this situation because they are orphans with no guardian and shield to protect themselves from the enemies of Islam and Muslims. The absence of the Islamic State of Khilafah (Caliphate) is the root cause of this despicable state of Islam and Muslims not only in Kenya but across the world.  The destruction of our Khilafah on 28 Rajab 1342 H same as 3 March 1924 CE by the treacherous hands of the cursed Mustafa Kamal directed by the then Western colonialist superpowers, British and France was the beginning of our miseries. Hence, we are led by the guidance of Kufr (creed of secularism/ilmaniyya) and by the Kafir (then Britain and now America and her allies). As for the way out of this madrasa issue; is two embark on the following two crucial steps:

First, a temporary process – Muslims across Kenya must unite and demand for the reopening of their madrasas unconditionally. In the process of realizing this they must be steadfast and avoid long-term petty differences that were deliberately nurtured by the enemies of Islam and Muslims to divide and colonize them in perpetual. Throughout the process they must be united by ‘La Ilaha Ila Allah’ only and avoid any kind of violence or force. Ultimately embark on the next step.

Second, a radical and comprehensive process – Muslims across Kenya must join the efforts spearheaded by the Islamic party of Hizb ut Tahrir ‘party of liberation.’ An Islamic party that stands on the truth, does not lie to the Muslim Ummah and humanity in general and does NOT use violence or force in its cause for resuming the Islamic way of life via the reestablishment of the Islamic State of Khilafah based on the method of Prophethood. It is ONLY through this process that humanity will be comprehensively liberated from the shackles of the invalid secular capitalist ideology and its venomous systems that wreak havoc across the world. Muslims and non-Muslims will rejoice and find genuine prosperity, peace and tranquility that they lacked instead they are sinking in permanent fires of secularism! Allah (swt) says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ “O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet” (Muhammad 47: 7).

Ali Nassoro Ali

Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir