The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Luuka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Chairperson of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council-UMSC, Dr. Mohammed Lubega, has asked the government to introduce a special Parish Development Model-PDM program for the Muslim community, that is aligned with the sharia laws.
While presiding over thanksgiving prayers in Luuka District on Friday, Lubega said that the current PDM layout requires beneficiaries to pay minimal interest on the credit facilities extended to them, contrary to the sharia laws on finance, which promote non-interest returns on loans acquired.
He said that members of the Muslim community are not willing to compromise on the basic sharia laws and principles, which has since deterred their members from embracing PDM as one of the government’s efforts to alleviate poverty within grassroots communities.
Lubega challenged managers of the PDM to incorporate an Islamic finance system in their transactions, which he says will help several impoverished communities within the Muslim circles to easily embrace the move, aimed at improving their livelihoods without compromising their religious beliefs.
He further challenged the government to help the Muslim community in the quest to develop their arable land, owned by the 15,000 mosques across the different parts of the country.
Lubega argued that UMSC has redundant land worth 100,000 acres, which if converted into productivity can easily generate income for the entire Muslim community in the country and promote their self-sustainability initiatives.
He noted that they require agriculture mechanization equipment like tractors in every Muslim district, supervised by Islamic leaders, and logistical support in terms of seeds and fertilizers, which will enable them to improve productivity.
Vice President Jessica Alupo challenged members of the Muslim community to embrace smallholder self-help projects, which will enable them to improve their household incomes.
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