Muslim leaders in Kenya have accused the Kenyan government of harassing Muslims and particularly the Somali community at the ongoing massive crackdown by security agents meant to nab illegal immigrants in the country.
The leaders said that the police operation amounts to ethnic discrimination which is unconstitutional and oppressive.
“We believe some people in Government have an agenda to economically disenfranchise the Muslims under the guise of fighting insecurity. This must stop immediately,” said a joint statement read in Nairobi by Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, National Muslim Leaders Forum, and Muslim MP’s among others.
The police on Sunday night mounted a countrywide police crackdown leading to the arrest of over 1000 aliens mainly from the Somali community.
Many of them had forged documents. Police say they arrested 1,240 foreigners, but government spokesman Alfred Mutua placed the figure at 2,000.
Most of them are from lawless Somalia, and they include two army generals, 11 MPs and other officials of the Transitional Federal Government, embroiled in a war with the al-Shabaab militia.
At the same time, the leaders lashed out at the police for using live bullets in last Friday’s demonstrations confining worshipers in Jamia Mosque in Nairobi for 7 hours.
The demonstrations were called to protest the arrest of already deported radical Jamaican cleric, Abdullah al-Faisal.
Source African Press Agency
