Kenya: Christians want no recognition of Islamic courts in Constitution

The Kadhi Islamic Courts should not be included in the new proposed Kenyan constitution, a group of religious leaders have declared.

In a press statement, read to journalists on February 1, the religious leaders, representing 23 Church and Christian organisations said, "We remain extremely opposed to the inclusion of Kadhi Courts in the constitution."”

"It is clear that the Muslim community is basically carving for itself an Islamic state within a state. This is a state with its own Sharia complaint banking system; its own Sharia complaint insurance; its own Halaal bureau of standards; and is now pressing for its own judicial system," pointed out the Kenyan church leaders.

Such a move, added the religious leaders, is tantamount to dividing the nation on the basis of religion and is a dangerous trend that will destroy the country.

Entrenchment of one religion in the constitution is a risk that we should not take. We have witnessed many countries that have broken up because of religion, pointed the religious leaders in their statement.

"We further state here that if the draft constitution presented at the referendum does not reflect these cardinal principles, we the Christian Church in Kenya shall have no option but to reject it in total and vote NO," added the Church statement, whose title was: Entrenchment of Islamic Sharia Law in the Constitution at Our Own Risk.

"We assert that a religion does not have to be in the constitution for its adherents to enjoy its system," pointed the religious leaders, stressing that, "We remind all that all Kadhi Courts are maintained by public resources raised from taxes. We do not find it fair and just that all Kenyans are required to pay to maintain what amounts to a dispute resolution mechanism for only one religious group."”

At a recent meeting of the Parliamentary Select Committee, which was assigned to look at the contentious issues on the Draft Constitution by the Committee of Experts (COE), and which-issues included the Kadhi Courts, the Committee failed to have this clause on the Kadhi Courts removed as proposed earlier by some Christians.

But the Church in the country was happy that the Committee did include a clause to the effect that life begins at conception and not at birth as earlier proposed by the COE.

Source: CISA