Senator Billow Kerrow faults CID boss Ndegwa Muhoro over mosque closure threats
: Senator Billow Kerrow has criticised the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department Ndegwa Muhoro over his statement Sunday that the government will close down mosques that allegedly urge youths to join the Al Shabaab rebel group.
Kerrow, who often speaks out about issues touching on the Muslim community in Kenya, said that shutting down mosques for fear of radicalisation of youth is not a solution.
“It’s like shutting down Mombasa port because it is frequented by drug traffickers or blowing up a house because it had a terrorist tenant. The government needs to target individuals involved in the suspected crime, not the mosque,” he said.
He added: “Targeting mosques confirms suspicions by Muslims that government often targets the faith. If there is a muslim leader suspected of recruiting for Al Shabaab, go for him and not the facility. Because if you shut it down, they will go to another one.”
The Mandera Senator said it was disrespectful for Mr Muhoro to issue blanket statements against muslim places of worship and making negative insinuations against them by linking them to the outlawed Al Shabaab militants based in Somalia.
“Issuing threats of shutting mosques are counterproductive and unnecessary. Besides such actions are likely to radicalise the Muslim youth more than what anyone preaches inside it. Furthermore, anyone targeting today’s youth often use the social media more effectively. The statement only proves that our security forces are not up to the task intelligently,” he said.
Muhoro claimed that some mosques were being used to recruit youths to join the group in disguise that they were places of worship without mentioning specific ones or the people behind such illegal activities and why they are yet to be brought to book.
