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We always here of outsiders as being heros in our continent.
Kudos to our muslim brothers in this continent. With light, there will be day.
www.bahath.co
The Untold Story: Muslim Heroes Of The Rwandan Genocide
September 26, 2020
Muinat Adeyemo takes a look at the role Muslims played in saving countless lives during the Rwandan genocide…
Pre-Genocide
Following the horrors of the 1994 genocide, stories began to emerge illustrating courageous acts of people risking their lives to protect the persecuted Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Perhaps the most famous was that of Paul Rusesabagina, whose accounts were fictionalised in the award-winning film, Hotel Rwanda. However, one group who emerged as unlikely heroes, were the Rwandan Muslims.
Islam came to Rwanda through multiple means. Arab traders, Askaris or “African Soldiers” who accompanied the Germans as cooks, interpreters and traders in the 1900s, and later South Asian merchants who married Rwandans, all contributed to the advent of Islam in the country. However despite this, the country’s colonial history meant that Christianity, particularly Catholicism, was deeply entrenched and Islam didn’t spread the way it had in many of the other East African nations.
The Belgians (who had Colonised Rwanda) were afraid of the influence of Islam due to the “political potential” of the Qur’an. They feared it could teach Black Rwandans to be subversive and instil a form of “Black pride” that would cause them to question colonial rule. This led to the political, social and economic marginalization of Muslim communities. The Askaris, for example, were called Swahili to differentiate between them and the Arab Muslims, confined to what was called the “Swahili Quarter”. They had little to no political representation, despite the presence of a party called the Democratic Islamic Party, which allowed non-Muslims to join, but had no seats in parliament). This meant they were largely inoculated from the long-standing animosity between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes and any hateful propaganda that was being spread along ethnic lines.
Imams and Islamic leaders were able to objectively gauge the political situation occurring with the increased violence against Tutsis. The Rwandan Muslim Community (RMC) led by the then Mufti of Rwanda, Sheikh Ahmad Mugwiza, signed a resolution denouncing the violence against Tutsis in 1992. They also disseminated pastoral packages around the Mosques in the country, preaching messages of tolerance and peace to their congregations. Imams reminded communities that they were Muslims first, and so their identities should primarily be based on their religion and not their ethnicity.
During The Genocide
Although the genocide began in April 1994 when the plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down, it was foreshadowed by bouts of anti Tutsi violence flaring up many years prior. Due to the isolation of the community, as well as the foresight of Muslim leaders, Muslims were able to adopt a position of passive resistance when the conflict began by refusing to participate in the killings, and offering protection to refugees arriving to the Muslim quarter.
There are many stories of Muslims risking their lives to save those being persecuted. One such story was that of Jean Pierre Sagahutu, who was hidden in a septic tank behind his friend, Idrissa’s house for a month. Idrissa would bring him food each night and was the only barrier between life and death for Jean Pierre. His conduct was typical of most Muslims in Rwanda during the genocide and this experience later inspired Jean Pierre to convert from Roman Catholicism to Islam, saying “I know people in America think Muslims are terrorists, but for Rwandans they were our freedom fighters during the genocide.”
There were also accounts of the Muslim community as a whole, protecting those being persecuted in spite of it meaning certain death. One such story was in Mabare, a lakeside village with a small Muslim population, noted especially for their heroism. Although the village was untouched by the violence during the first days of the genocide, bodies soon started floating in Lake Mugesera. Some were dead; others were alive but badly injured and riddled with machete wounds. The Imam of the village’s only mosque, Rashid Bagabo, began coordinating efforts to remove the bodies, and administer aid to save those that were still alive. Meanwhile, the villagers were fleeing their homes and seeking refuge in the mosque as stories of church members aiding the Interahamwe (Hutu Militiamen) began to spread. Refugees also began arriving from neighbouring villages, as they learned that the mosque was providing sanctuary.
Imam Bagabo directed the men of his congregation to setup roadblocks on the two main roads leading to the village, in order to impede the Interahamwe’s access, armed only with rocks, stones and a few spears against the Interahamwe’s guns and grenades. Unfortunately, they were soon overpowered and the Interahamwe were able to gain access of the village and soon attacked the mosque with grenades, killing 282 of the 300 that had sought refuge. This death toll included the deputy Imam, who Imam Bagabo had left in charge whilst he took some elderly residents to safety. Although it was a tragic ending, the heroism displayed by the Muslim community typified the Muslims’ stance during the genocide.
Post-Genocide
The genocide ended when the RPF (Rwanda Patriotic Front) were able to take control of the capital (Kigali) from the Hutu led Interahamwe, with the death toll estimates ranging from 500,000- 1,000,000 during the 100 days of the genocide.
The role that religious people played during the genocide came into focus and Muslims, a marginalised community that only comprised less than 2% of the population (1990 Census), emerged as heroes. There were increased conversions from Christianity to Islam, with people converting for a myriad of reasons. Some Tutsis converted due to the positive experiences they had of Muslims saving their lives, others because they knew they would be safe in the Muslim community. There were also some who participated in the genocide and converted in hopes of atonement from their past. Estimates for the Muslim population in Rwanda range from 4-14%, with 500 mosques being built to accommodate the increasing number of Muslims.
Muslims in Rwanda are now afforded the same rights as Christians for the first time in their history. Eid-al Fitr has been recognised as one of Rwanda’s four religious holidays, while Muslims have been at the forefront of efforts to heal ethnic tensions.
mvslim.com
The Significant Role of Islam in the Civil War Between Tutsis and Hutus
FacebookTwitter
Before starting this article, we have to keep in mind that Rwanda is a Christian country and Christianity was introduced to the Rwandans during the colonial period in the late 19th century. Islam is a “new and modern” religion and it is the largest minority religion in Rwanda. Muslim traders from the East Coast of Africa were the first people who introduced Islam in Rwanda, and that was in the 18th century.
The Civil War in Rwanda: Historical context
Christian missionaries tried a lot of times to hamper the spread of Islam in the country. It was forbidden for Muslims to go to school or to have important jobs and that’s why they had no other choice than just to choose jobs like drivers or retailers. One of the things that aggravated the situation between the Muslims and the Christians was the fact that in 1960 , the former prime minister Sebazungu ordered the burning of the Muslim neighbourhood and the mosque in Rwamagana. Muslims were terrified and many of them left Rwanda.
During the colonial period, the differences between the Tutsis and the Hutus were increasing. The Tutsis had all the political and economic power in their hands. The Hutus rebelled against the Tutsis. This led in 1962 to the overthrow of the Tutsi monarchy and the establishing of a republic led by the Hutus. In the late 80s, the expelled Tutsis wanted to regain control over their homeland. In 1990, Tutsi fighters attacked the Hutus and a civil war broke out.
In 1993 both sides signed a peace accord under the coordination of Tanzania, the Arusha Accords. The Tutsis regained some political power in Rwanda and the power of the president Juvénal Habyarimana was restricted. Everyone accepted this peace treaty except the Hutu extremists who were members of the CDR party, the party of President Habyarimana. They began to prepare for a coup.
April 1994 will be the first black day in Rwanda for the 100 coming days in that same year. On this day, an airplane carrying Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down on its descent into Kigali. In the following day, soldiers, police and militia executed some important Tutsi chiefs and moderate Hutu leaders. They put checkpoints and barricades to kill every Tutsi. These forces forced all Hutu civilians to arm themselves with knifes, sticks and other weapons to rape, wound and kill their Tutsi neighbors and to steal their property. Thousands of Tutsi women were taken away and kept as sex slaves. Every Hutu who refused to follow the orders was also killed. Military forces from Uganda arrived in Rwanda and brought an end to the genocide. Between April and July 1994, an estimated 800.000 Rwandans were killed during 100 days.
Islam as a reconciliation for the two parties
During the Rwandan genocide between the Hutus and the Tutsis in 1994 , Islam was not the principle target. A Hutu could kill a Tutsi or a Tutsi could kill a Hutu without knowing his religion. Military forces stopped the bloodshed but thanks to Islam, Tutsis and Hutus made peace and fraternized.
The Rwandans lost faith, even in their religion. While some clergy made an effort to protect the churchgoers, other Catholic and Protestant leaders participated in the killings. The Tutsis were killed by Hutu priests and militias. Hutu Muslims did not cooperate with the Hutu killers and protected every Tutsi , Muslim or not, who sought refuge in mosques and in Muslim neighborhood. Many Rwandan Muslims opened their homes for thousands of Tutsis and succeeded in hiding them from the Hutu troops. Hutu Muslims and Tutsi Muslims put their lives at risk to save the lives of thousands of Tutsis (and Hutus who refused to kill the Tutsis). The mosque served as a place where converted Tutsis and Hutus reconciliated and fraternized with each other.
While the Tutsis mostly embraced Islam to protect themselves from liquidations and to follow the people who saved them, Hutus also came to leave behind them their violent past. The more the new converted Tutsis and Hutus knew about Islam the more they became closer to each other. Islam teached them how to forgive and to love each other for the sake of Allah and how to start a new beginning. Imams from both sides played a very important role in bringing both ethnicities together under the name of Islam.
Islam became a very popular religion in Rwanda. The authorities in the country started to allow Muslims to teach Rwandans about Islam and Muslim organizations are allowed to spread their activities across the country. In 1994, there were only 6% of Muslims, today about 14 % of Rwandans consider themselves Muslim.
www.newtimes.co.rw
How Rwanda became an oasis of liberal Islam
By
Qanta Ahmed
Published : June 01, 2019 | Updated : June 01, 2019
Kigali,Rwanda – To most outsiders, Rwanda is still synonymous with genocide.
The country’s attempts to rebuild have been much commented on, but something else is overlooked: Rwanda has become an astonishing oasis of tolerant Islam and, in many ways, an example to the West.
In Rwanda, there is an Islam which stands firm against the petrochemical ‘Gulf Stream’ of Wahhabi finance, despite lacking the huge wealth that Muslims in the Arab world enjoy.
It also refuses to yield control to the neo-fundamentalists of the Muslim Brotherhood now backed by Qatar and Turkey.
This independence and liberalism are embodied by the spiritual leader of Rwandan Muslims, Sheikh Salim Hitimana. He is the Mufti of Rwanda, and as such he issues fatwas (religious edicts) on Islamic issues and is defender of the faith.
We meet in his offices at the Al Quds Mosque in Kigali, which is busier than at any time in the country’s history. ‘Before the genocide, there were perhaps 200,000 Muslims in the country, and no Rwandans wanted to enter Islam,’ he says.
During the genocide, Muslims stood out for refusing to take sides and for risking their lives to shelter those under attack.
“People started to think: who are those people? Why don’t those people commit genocide like us? People became attracted to join us.”
The country’s Islamic population has grown fivefold, he says, to more than a million.
What kind of religion have Rwandan converts joined? “I think Pakistan and many other Muslim majority countries have been hijacked by thinking which is not, basically, Islamic,” he says.
“In Rwanda we take Islam from our prophet, from our Quran. Which says: if you want to, you can convert to Islam; if you don’t, that is your freedom. Nobody can touch that freedom.”
The Mufti wants to preserve an Islam that adheres to scripture, without the new politicised elements of sartorial — and therefore social — control. “I introduced a religious fatwa against the niqab in 2016,” he says proudly.
“We saw that niqab abroad, but in Rwanda we have stopped it. Everything you have to practice here must be mentioned in the Quran.”
There’s nothing Islamic, he says, about the niqab — and Rwandan Muslims, he believes, do not have to look radically different from the rest of the population.
Rwandan Islam has followed the Shafi’i school of Islamic thought, which differs greatly from the harsher Hanafi, found in Pakistan, and Hanbali, found in Saudi Arabia. To understand Islam, it’s crucial to understand these distinctions.
Rwanda’s Islam has preserved much of the moderate and pluralist spirit. That is not to say that the fundamentalists who prey on failed states haven’t tried to turn this Islam in their direction. After the genocide, Saudi Wahhabi forces began to circle.
They opened schools, as they did in post-war Yugoslavia: the usual means of Wahhabist exportation.
The Mufti himself was trained in Libya by scholars in the Shafi’i tradition, and realised that this more liberal model of Islam needs muscular protection. ‘In Rwanda, we learned that the result of division is genocide.
That’s why we have set up these systems. We don’t allow any kind of thinking which can enter our society and divide us.
That is why we don’t allow anyone to come to our country and teach about Islam without consulting the Rwandan Muslim community.’
The Saudis aren’t used to being outsmarted in this way: most countries have a blind spot for infiltration of Wahhabism, especially if it comes wrapped in money. ‘We control every minbar [pulpit],’ says Hitimana.
Today, no preacher can enter Rwanda and start preaching in any of the country’s 675 mosques. Instead, they go through an intense three-month period of academic and religious testing before being certified as a qualified cleric.
Every sermon by every preacher is pre-approved by the Mufti and central powers at the Rwandan Muslim Council.
In Britain, there has been much talk about ‘preachers of hate’ whom the government has struggled to deport. In Rwanda, any deviation from Shafi’i principles and clerics are immediately barred, and their minbars shut down until they fall into line.
Anti-Semitism is banned, the Mufti tells me, because ‘our basic Islam does not allow anyone to discriminate against other people.’ It’s often said that Islam’s problem is the lack of a hierarchy — no bishops, no excommunication — leaving it open to extremist infiltration. In Rwanda, there is a strict hierarchy, and it works.
Israel’s right to exist, he says, is defended in the Quran. ‘We have our land: Rwanda. God created Arabs, they have their land. He has created Pakistan, [he] has created Israel, and Jews must have their land. When you interpret the Quran — “ya bani Isra’il” — what does it mean?’ The children of Israel, I say. ‘Yes! He has named them for their nation, a name related to their land.’
I came here as part of a delegation from the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation and Visual History Archive. The idea was to hear from genocide survivors, and to document and learn from their testimony.
I ended up learning about my own religion, and how liberal Islam — or, as millions of Muslims would put it, normal Islam — can flourish if the right protections are put in place by the right leaders. Protections enforced by Muslims themselves.
At a time when many European countries are struggling to protect both liberalism and religious tolerance, Rwanda’s achievement offers hope.
The Spectator
Kudos to our muslim brothers in this continent. With light, there will be day.
The Untold Story: Muslim Heroes of The Rwandan Genocide — Bahath | Redefining Muslim Media
Muinat Adeyemo takes a look at the role Muslims played in saving countless lives during the Rwandan genocide…
www.bahath.co
The Untold Story: Muslim Heroes Of The Rwandan Genocide
September 26, 2020
Muinat Adeyemo takes a look at the role Muslims played in saving countless lives during the Rwandan genocide…
Pre-Genocide
Following the horrors of the 1994 genocide, stories began to emerge illustrating courageous acts of people risking their lives to protect the persecuted Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Perhaps the most famous was that of Paul Rusesabagina, whose accounts were fictionalised in the award-winning film, Hotel Rwanda. However, one group who emerged as unlikely heroes, were the Rwandan Muslims.
Islam came to Rwanda through multiple means. Arab traders, Askaris or “African Soldiers” who accompanied the Germans as cooks, interpreters and traders in the 1900s, and later South Asian merchants who married Rwandans, all contributed to the advent of Islam in the country. However despite this, the country’s colonial history meant that Christianity, particularly Catholicism, was deeply entrenched and Islam didn’t spread the way it had in many of the other East African nations.
The Belgians (who had Colonised Rwanda) were afraid of the influence of Islam due to the “political potential” of the Qur’an. They feared it could teach Black Rwandans to be subversive and instil a form of “Black pride” that would cause them to question colonial rule. This led to the political, social and economic marginalization of Muslim communities. The Askaris, for example, were called Swahili to differentiate between them and the Arab Muslims, confined to what was called the “Swahili Quarter”. They had little to no political representation, despite the presence of a party called the Democratic Islamic Party, which allowed non-Muslims to join, but had no seats in parliament). This meant they were largely inoculated from the long-standing animosity between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes and any hateful propaganda that was being spread along ethnic lines.
Imams and Islamic leaders were able to objectively gauge the political situation occurring with the increased violence against Tutsis. The Rwandan Muslim Community (RMC) led by the then Mufti of Rwanda, Sheikh Ahmad Mugwiza, signed a resolution denouncing the violence against Tutsis in 1992. They also disseminated pastoral packages around the Mosques in the country, preaching messages of tolerance and peace to their congregations. Imams reminded communities that they were Muslims first, and so their identities should primarily be based on their religion and not their ethnicity.
During The Genocide
Although the genocide began in April 1994 when the plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down, it was foreshadowed by bouts of anti Tutsi violence flaring up many years prior. Due to the isolation of the community, as well as the foresight of Muslim leaders, Muslims were able to adopt a position of passive resistance when the conflict began by refusing to participate in the killings, and offering protection to refugees arriving to the Muslim quarter.
There are many stories of Muslims risking their lives to save those being persecuted. One such story was that of Jean Pierre Sagahutu, who was hidden in a septic tank behind his friend, Idrissa’s house for a month. Idrissa would bring him food each night and was the only barrier between life and death for Jean Pierre. His conduct was typical of most Muslims in Rwanda during the genocide and this experience later inspired Jean Pierre to convert from Roman Catholicism to Islam, saying “I know people in America think Muslims are terrorists, but for Rwandans they were our freedom fighters during the genocide.”
There were also accounts of the Muslim community as a whole, protecting those being persecuted in spite of it meaning certain death. One such story was in Mabare, a lakeside village with a small Muslim population, noted especially for their heroism. Although the village was untouched by the violence during the first days of the genocide, bodies soon started floating in Lake Mugesera. Some were dead; others were alive but badly injured and riddled with machete wounds. The Imam of the village’s only mosque, Rashid Bagabo, began coordinating efforts to remove the bodies, and administer aid to save those that were still alive. Meanwhile, the villagers were fleeing their homes and seeking refuge in the mosque as stories of church members aiding the Interahamwe (Hutu Militiamen) began to spread. Refugees also began arriving from neighbouring villages, as they learned that the mosque was providing sanctuary.
Imam Bagabo directed the men of his congregation to setup roadblocks on the two main roads leading to the village, in order to impede the Interahamwe’s access, armed only with rocks, stones and a few spears against the Interahamwe’s guns and grenades. Unfortunately, they were soon overpowered and the Interahamwe were able to gain access of the village and soon attacked the mosque with grenades, killing 282 of the 300 that had sought refuge. This death toll included the deputy Imam, who Imam Bagabo had left in charge whilst he took some elderly residents to safety. Although it was a tragic ending, the heroism displayed by the Muslim community typified the Muslims’ stance during the genocide.
Post-Genocide
The genocide ended when the RPF (Rwanda Patriotic Front) were able to take control of the capital (Kigali) from the Hutu led Interahamwe, with the death toll estimates ranging from 500,000- 1,000,000 during the 100 days of the genocide.
The role that religious people played during the genocide came into focus and Muslims, a marginalised community that only comprised less than 2% of the population (1990 Census), emerged as heroes. There were increased conversions from Christianity to Islam, with people converting for a myriad of reasons. Some Tutsis converted due to the positive experiences they had of Muslims saving their lives, others because they knew they would be safe in the Muslim community. There were also some who participated in the genocide and converted in hopes of atonement from their past. Estimates for the Muslim population in Rwanda range from 4-14%, with 500 mosques being built to accommodate the increasing number of Muslims.
Muslims in Rwanda are now afforded the same rights as Christians for the first time in their history. Eid-al Fitr has been recognised as one of Rwanda’s four religious holidays, while Muslims have been at the forefront of efforts to heal ethnic tensions.
The Significant Role of Islam in the Civil War Between Tutsis and Hutus - MVSLIM
Before starting this article, we have to keep in mind that Rwanda is a Christian country and Christianity was introduced to the Rwandans during the colonial period in the late 19th century. Islam is a “new and modern” religion and it is the largest minority religion in Rwanda. Muslim traders...
mvslim.com
The Significant Role of Islam in the Civil War Between Tutsis and Hutus
FacebookTwitter
Before starting this article, we have to keep in mind that Rwanda is a Christian country and Christianity was introduced to the Rwandans during the colonial period in the late 19th century. Islam is a “new and modern” religion and it is the largest minority religion in Rwanda. Muslim traders from the East Coast of Africa were the first people who introduced Islam in Rwanda, and that was in the 18th century.
The Civil War in Rwanda: Historical context
Christian missionaries tried a lot of times to hamper the spread of Islam in the country. It was forbidden for Muslims to go to school or to have important jobs and that’s why they had no other choice than just to choose jobs like drivers or retailers. One of the things that aggravated the situation between the Muslims and the Christians was the fact that in 1960 , the former prime minister Sebazungu ordered the burning of the Muslim neighbourhood and the mosque in Rwamagana. Muslims were terrified and many of them left Rwanda.
During the colonial period, the differences between the Tutsis and the Hutus were increasing. The Tutsis had all the political and economic power in their hands. The Hutus rebelled against the Tutsis. This led in 1962 to the overthrow of the Tutsi monarchy and the establishing of a republic led by the Hutus. In the late 80s, the expelled Tutsis wanted to regain control over their homeland. In 1990, Tutsi fighters attacked the Hutus and a civil war broke out.
In 1993 both sides signed a peace accord under the coordination of Tanzania, the Arusha Accords. The Tutsis regained some political power in Rwanda and the power of the president Juvénal Habyarimana was restricted. Everyone accepted this peace treaty except the Hutu extremists who were members of the CDR party, the party of President Habyarimana. They began to prepare for a coup.
April 1994 will be the first black day in Rwanda for the 100 coming days in that same year. On this day, an airplane carrying Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down on its descent into Kigali. In the following day, soldiers, police and militia executed some important Tutsi chiefs and moderate Hutu leaders. They put checkpoints and barricades to kill every Tutsi. These forces forced all Hutu civilians to arm themselves with knifes, sticks and other weapons to rape, wound and kill their Tutsi neighbors and to steal their property. Thousands of Tutsi women were taken away and kept as sex slaves. Every Hutu who refused to follow the orders was also killed. Military forces from Uganda arrived in Rwanda and brought an end to the genocide. Between April and July 1994, an estimated 800.000 Rwandans were killed during 100 days.
Islam as a reconciliation for the two parties
During the Rwandan genocide between the Hutus and the Tutsis in 1994 , Islam was not the principle target. A Hutu could kill a Tutsi or a Tutsi could kill a Hutu without knowing his religion. Military forces stopped the bloodshed but thanks to Islam, Tutsis and Hutus made peace and fraternized.
The Rwandans lost faith, even in their religion. While some clergy made an effort to protect the churchgoers, other Catholic and Protestant leaders participated in the killings. The Tutsis were killed by Hutu priests and militias. Hutu Muslims did not cooperate with the Hutu killers and protected every Tutsi , Muslim or not, who sought refuge in mosques and in Muslim neighborhood. Many Rwandan Muslims opened their homes for thousands of Tutsis and succeeded in hiding them from the Hutu troops. Hutu Muslims and Tutsi Muslims put their lives at risk to save the lives of thousands of Tutsis (and Hutus who refused to kill the Tutsis). The mosque served as a place where converted Tutsis and Hutus reconciliated and fraternized with each other.
While the Tutsis mostly embraced Islam to protect themselves from liquidations and to follow the people who saved them, Hutus also came to leave behind them their violent past. The more the new converted Tutsis and Hutus knew about Islam the more they became closer to each other. Islam teached them how to forgive and to love each other for the sake of Allah and how to start a new beginning. Imams from both sides played a very important role in bringing both ethnicities together under the name of Islam.
Islam became a very popular religion in Rwanda. The authorities in the country started to allow Muslims to teach Rwandans about Islam and Muslim organizations are allowed to spread their activities across the country. In 1994, there were only 6% of Muslims, today about 14 % of Rwandans consider themselves Muslim.
How Rwanda became an oasis of liberal Islam
Kigali,Rwanda – To most outsiders, Rwanda is still synonymous with genocide. The country’s attempts to rebuild have been much commented on, but something else is overlooked:...
How Rwanda became an oasis of liberal Islam
Qanta Ahmed
Published : June 01, 2019 | Updated : June 01, 2019
Kigali,Rwanda – To most outsiders, Rwanda is still synonymous with genocide.
The country’s attempts to rebuild have been much commented on, but something else is overlooked: Rwanda has become an astonishing oasis of tolerant Islam and, in many ways, an example to the West.
In Rwanda, there is an Islam which stands firm against the petrochemical ‘Gulf Stream’ of Wahhabi finance, despite lacking the huge wealth that Muslims in the Arab world enjoy.
It also refuses to yield control to the neo-fundamentalists of the Muslim Brotherhood now backed by Qatar and Turkey.
This independence and liberalism are embodied by the spiritual leader of Rwandan Muslims, Sheikh Salim Hitimana. He is the Mufti of Rwanda, and as such he issues fatwas (religious edicts) on Islamic issues and is defender of the faith.
We meet in his offices at the Al Quds Mosque in Kigali, which is busier than at any time in the country’s history. ‘Before the genocide, there were perhaps 200,000 Muslims in the country, and no Rwandans wanted to enter Islam,’ he says.
During the genocide, Muslims stood out for refusing to take sides and for risking their lives to shelter those under attack.
“People started to think: who are those people? Why don’t those people commit genocide like us? People became attracted to join us.”
The country’s Islamic population has grown fivefold, he says, to more than a million.
What kind of religion have Rwandan converts joined? “I think Pakistan and many other Muslim majority countries have been hijacked by thinking which is not, basically, Islamic,” he says.
“In Rwanda we take Islam from our prophet, from our Quran. Which says: if you want to, you can convert to Islam; if you don’t, that is your freedom. Nobody can touch that freedom.”
The Mufti wants to preserve an Islam that adheres to scripture, without the new politicised elements of sartorial — and therefore social — control. “I introduced a religious fatwa against the niqab in 2016,” he says proudly.
“We saw that niqab abroad, but in Rwanda we have stopped it. Everything you have to practice here must be mentioned in the Quran.”
There’s nothing Islamic, he says, about the niqab — and Rwandan Muslims, he believes, do not have to look radically different from the rest of the population.
Rwandan Islam has followed the Shafi’i school of Islamic thought, which differs greatly from the harsher Hanafi, found in Pakistan, and Hanbali, found in Saudi Arabia. To understand Islam, it’s crucial to understand these distinctions.
Rwanda’s Islam has preserved much of the moderate and pluralist spirit. That is not to say that the fundamentalists who prey on failed states haven’t tried to turn this Islam in their direction. After the genocide, Saudi Wahhabi forces began to circle.
They opened schools, as they did in post-war Yugoslavia: the usual means of Wahhabist exportation.
The Mufti himself was trained in Libya by scholars in the Shafi’i tradition, and realised that this more liberal model of Islam needs muscular protection. ‘In Rwanda, we learned that the result of division is genocide.
That’s why we have set up these systems. We don’t allow any kind of thinking which can enter our society and divide us.
That is why we don’t allow anyone to come to our country and teach about Islam without consulting the Rwandan Muslim community.’
The Saudis aren’t used to being outsmarted in this way: most countries have a blind spot for infiltration of Wahhabism, especially if it comes wrapped in money. ‘We control every minbar [pulpit],’ says Hitimana.
Today, no preacher can enter Rwanda and start preaching in any of the country’s 675 mosques. Instead, they go through an intense three-month period of academic and religious testing before being certified as a qualified cleric.
Every sermon by every preacher is pre-approved by the Mufti and central powers at the Rwandan Muslim Council.
In Britain, there has been much talk about ‘preachers of hate’ whom the government has struggled to deport. In Rwanda, any deviation from Shafi’i principles and clerics are immediately barred, and their minbars shut down until they fall into line.
Anti-Semitism is banned, the Mufti tells me, because ‘our basic Islam does not allow anyone to discriminate against other people.’ It’s often said that Islam’s problem is the lack of a hierarchy — no bishops, no excommunication — leaving it open to extremist infiltration. In Rwanda, there is a strict hierarchy, and it works.
Israel’s right to exist, he says, is defended in the Quran. ‘We have our land: Rwanda. God created Arabs, they have their land. He has created Pakistan, [he] has created Israel, and Jews must have their land. When you interpret the Quran — “ya bani Isra’il” — what does it mean?’ The children of Israel, I say. ‘Yes! He has named them for their nation, a name related to their land.’
I came here as part of a delegation from the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation and Visual History Archive. The idea was to hear from genocide survivors, and to document and learn from their testimony.
I ended up learning about my own religion, and how liberal Islam — or, as millions of Muslims would put it, normal Islam — can flourish if the right protections are put in place by the right leaders. Protections enforced by Muslims themselves.
At a time when many European countries are struggling to protect both liberalism and religious tolerance, Rwanda’s achievement offers hope.
The Spectator
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