Mubajje asks Museveni to assent to Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Mufti of Uganda, His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubajje has asked President Museveni to urgently assent to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 into law.

He says the law is needed or else some Ugandans may resort to mob justice against homosexuals or LGBTQ+ persons.

Mubajje made the calls while leading Eid prayers at the Old Kampala National Mosque at Old Kampala. He observed that parliament made the right choice to implement firm law against the promotion of LGBTQ+ in Uganda. Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubajje expressed fear that Parliament may be swayed by what he described as Satan’s influence to reconsider its position on the Bill that awaits the president’s assent.

Mufti’s fear comes hardly a day after President Museveni also the National Chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) asked his party’s parliamentary caucus to allow him to return the Bill for reconsideration.

The President told the caucus meeting in Kololo that Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka indicated to him that the bill passed by Parliament in its current form criminalizes even those who voluntarily come out to have practiced homosexuality and need to be helped.

Museveni proposed a provision for amnesty for those who will have come out to be helped not to punish them to allow others not to fear to come out.

“This country has issued an amnesty for people who have carried out criminal activities of treasonous nature against this country. A similar provision would be provided in this law to ensure that a person who comes out on his own is not criminalized,” said Museveni.

The Mufti however warned that if the bill is not approved, the general public may resort to engaging in vigilantism against individuals they perceive to be promoting or engaging in immoral behavior, which is an undesirable outcome.

Meanwhile, the Mufti also urged the government to reconsider its poverty alleviation programs, which he said do not benefit Muslims.

He observed that the requirement for interest payment on some of those interventions contradicts Islamic teachings and that many Muslims have opted out of these programs.

Currently, the government has implemented various initiatives such as Emyooga and the parish development model that among other things necessitates individuals to establish savings and credit associations to access capital at a reduced interest rate.

However, Mubaje says even a minimal interest rate goes against the principles of Islam, and Muslims cannot accept it. Therefore, Muslims have been advocating for the adoption of Islamic banking systems in such programs to cater to their needs.

Sheikh Mubaje used the occasion to lash at the factions leading to the current conflict in Sudan. There have been almost seven days of fighting in Sudan after weeks of tension between the army and the powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Mubajje urged the conflicting Muslim factions to seek forgiveness from Allah and resolve their differences peacefully and that they should apologize for the suffering they have caused to the people of Sudan.

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