Chaos after youth clash in mosque

Saturday, November 30, 2013

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Radical Muslim youths Friday raided a mosque in Mombasa, disrupted Friday prayers and attacked a cleric preaching inside.

The Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya secretary general Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa was delivery a sermon when the youths, baying for his blood, arrived at the Sakina Mosque in Majengo.

However, a handful of youths from the mosque quickly rescued Sheikh Khalifa. A brief scuffle ensued between the two groups in which three people were injured.

Regular and administration police separated the two groups by lobbing teargas canisters. The radical ones fled.

A man armed with a knife was arrested during the chaos though he defended himself by claiming that he was using it for self-protection.

“I was among the youths helping our Sheikh Khalifa that is why I was holding the knife. I am innocent. Moreover, the other group was armed and so was I,” he was heard saying when he was questioned by the police.

Eyewitness Mohammed Juma said the 70-100 youths who stormed the mosque accused the other faithful of betrayal.

“My friends have gone to Somalia and come back after a year with millions of shillings. They are easily recruited due to money because we have no jobs,” he said.

Council of Imams and Preachers national chairman Sheikh Mohammed Idris said the trouble started on Thursday when the youths from Masjid Musa preached at the mosque.

“They also told us that they will address the Fridays prayers. We decided to block them by putting our youths and police but they overpowered us because we were few,” said the Sheikh.

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