Muslims petition Mufti over disputed Koboko mosque

Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Muslims in Kiboko municipality allied to the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council-UMSC, have appealed to the Mufti of Uganda, His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje to intervene in the protracted dispute over Kawthar mosque.

The Muslims made the plea during a regional meeting for district Khadis, County Sheiks, Imams, and local leaders held in Arua city on Monday. Over the past three years, the Muslims under the UMSC and those allied to the Kibuli faction have been feuding over the management of Kawthar, the largest mosque in Koboko.

Mustafa Aliga, the Arua Muslim District Secretary, said that although the clashes over ownership of the Mosque have reduced over the past few months, the dispute is still fresh. He says currently, the Koboko muslims district is operating in a kiosk due to the unresolved conflict over the ownership of the mosque.

Naima Avako Gule, the Yumbe woman MP has blamed the fights over the mosque on the lack of proper demarcation of the Muslim administrative units and awareness among the Muslims. She further notes the conflicts between the Muslim factions have not only affected Koboko Muslim district but the entire West Nile region.

The Obongi district woman MP, Maneno Zumura explained that the dispute over the ownership of Kawthar mosque in Koboko is now beyond the local Muslim leadership.

In his response, Sheikh Mubaje assured the Muslim leaders that his office will do all that is possible to reclaim the ownership of Kawthar mosque.

The Turkish government financed the construction of Idd Amin mosque in Lira, Masjid Noor Mosque in Bombo, and Kawthar Mosque in 2019.

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