Supkem Coast region chairman Muhdhar Khatarmy Sharrif (left) and other religious leaders during a past media briefing in Mombasa. [Photo/ nation.co.ke]
Muslim clerics are calling for peace and religious tolerance to help build stability and progress in the country.Speaking in Mombasa while commemorating Ashura, which marks the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein, the clerics called on Muslims in the country to be in unity and condemn all divisive efforts.Led by visiting cleric Sheikh Nuru Mohamed, a British citizen of Nigerian origin, the religious leaders called for harmonious coexistence among Kenyans of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.Sheikh Mohamed said peace was a necessary requirement for the development of any nation, and asked Kenyans to embrace peace and unity in the interest of nationhood and development.The cleric who is on a tour of mosques in Mombasa said religious leaders should preach peace and hope and advise Kenyans to tolerate one another regardless of their religious, ethnic and political affiliations.Sheikh Mohamed urged Muslims to emulate Imam Hussein’s good leadership qualities by resisting injustices, oppressions and inequalities nonviolently.His sentiments were echoed by Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Coast regional chairman Sheikh Muhdhar Khitamy who said religious leaders should warn people against acts that are capable of causing disunity and violence.He said Kenyans should at all costs avoid ‘bitter religious and ethnic differences’ that have the potential to negatively affecting lives and the social-economic progress of the nation.Yussuf Nzibo, a former commissioner with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) called on Kenyans to engage and dialogue in the journey of rebuilding hope in the country after the divisive August 8 general election.“Justice, peace and stability are what we require today as a country if we are to make strides in development,” said Nzibo.