Mufti Menk asks Ugandans to stop praising bad leaders
Renown Zimbabwean scholar Mufti Ismail Ibn Musa Menk has urged Ugandans to stop praising leaders who are doing wrong things but rather speak loudly against them. PHOTO BY DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Mufti Mubajje added that the only way to guarantee unity is to accept our differences in society.
- Mufti Menk, a motivational speaker, was on a three-day visit to Uganda and concluded his tour with a public speech at Namboole Stadium named Building Bridges and rallying Muslims to working together with other faiths.
Kampala. Renown Zimbabwean scholar Mufti Ismail Ibn Musa Menk has urged Ugandans to stop praising leaders who are doing wrong things but rather speak loudly against them.
“Praising someone too much is dangerous. As a leader I disagree with it because one of the problems of Ummah (Islamic community) is to praise one person. If you raise someone too high you may think even his mistakes are correct,” he said.
Mufti Menk was speaking at a VIP dinner at Pearl of Africa Hotel in Kampala last Saturday night during his tour code-named Building Bridges in Uganda. He said praising someone when they are in the wrong blinds you to the point that you do not see their ills.
“If we want to bring people together we need to correct them even if they are leaders because they are human beings and can also make mistakes,” he said.
Mufti Menk added that no matter who you are, you will never excel if you do not love those who correct you.
“A good leader must be genuine. You should not allow people to praise you too much because you are all human beings and you believe in one God. The only thing you need is to have a genuine heart to resolve problems,” he said.
The Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Ramadhan Mubajje, said since he was appointed mufti in 2000, one of his missions was to strengthen unity among Muslims.
“Despite our few challenges, insults and abuses we insisted on promoting unity and we are not looking back. It’s not that we all believe in the same faith but we can agree or disagree to have a better country,” he said.
Mufti Mubajje added that the only way to guarantee unity is to accept our differences in society. He said that is how they agreed to have the Inter-Religious Council which comprises leaders from diverse religions or faiths.
“Amidst challenges and accusation that I was associating with non-Muslims, it has yielded fruits and we have reached the extent of engaging government into a National Dialogue for the purpose of peace and tolerance,” he said.
About Menk
Mufti Menk, a motivational speaker, was on a three-day visit to Uganda and concluded his tour with a public speech at Namboole Stadium named Building Bridges and rallying Muslims to working together with other faiths.
