President Museveni has been urged by the Mufti of Uganda, His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubajje, to quickly sign the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 into law.
He claims that without the law, some Ugandans risk turning to mob justice against homosexuals or other LGBTQ+ people.
While presiding over Eid prayers at the Old Kampala National Mosque in Old Kampala, Mubajje placed the calls.
He noted that the Ugandan parliament had taken the right decision in enacting a strict ban against the promotion of LGBTQ+ in Uganda.
Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubajje expressed concern that Parliament would be persuaded to change its mind about the bill that is awaiting the president’s assent by what he called Satan’s influence.
The National Chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), President Museveni, requested permission from his party’s legislative caucus to return the bill for reconsideration, prompting the anxiety of the Mufti.
The Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, warned the President that the bill passed by Parliament in its current form criminalizes even persons who voluntarily admit to having practiced homosexuality and needing assistance, the President said during the caucus meeting in Kololo.
Museveni suggested a clause for amnesty for people who would have come out in order to be helped and not punished, allowing others to come out without fear.
“This nation has granted amnesty to those who have committed crimes against the nation that are considered traitorous. This law would include a similar clause to guarantee that a person who emerges on their own is not treated criminally. Museveni said
However, the Mufti issued a warning that, in the event that the bill is not passed, the general populace might turn to vigilantism against anybody they believe to be supporting or indulging in immoral activity, which would be a regrettable conclusion.
The mufti also encouraged the government to rethink its anti-poverty initiatives, which he claimed do not help Muslims.
He noted that many Muslims have chosen not to participate in these initiatives and that the necessity for interest payments on some of those interventions is in conflict with Islamic principles.
The government currently has a number of programs in place, including Emyooga and the parish development model, which, among other things, require people to form savings and credit associations in order to access cash at a lower interest rate.
Mubaje asserts that Muslims cannot accept even a low interest rate since it goes against Islamic beliefs. In order to meet their needs, Muslims have been pushing for the use of Islamic banking systems in such programs.
Sheikh Mubaje took advantage of the opportunity to criticize the factions responsible for the ongoing turmoil in Sudan. After weeks of tension between the army and the potent paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), there have been almost seven days of combat in Sudan.
Mubajje asked the rival Muslim factions to seek Allah’s pardon, settle their disputes amicably, and express regret for the misery they had inflicted on Sudanese citizens.
