National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has stepped up his attacks on the Chief Kadhi over the confusion on when the Idd-Ul-Adha festival was supposed to be marked.
Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Muhdhar had asked the Muslim faithful to celebrate Idd-Ul-Adha on Wednesday, August 22 but his advice was opposed and defied by a section of muslims across the country.
In an unprecedented show of aggression at Sheikh Muhdhar, Duale, who maintains Idd-Ul-Adha was supposed to be on Tuesday, August 21 dismissed the Chief Kadhi saying he has no business in guiding Muslims on when holy festivals should be marked.
Duale asked the Chief Kadhi to stick to matters marriage, divorce and inheritance, which are the scope of the Kadhis’ Courts.
“He (Chief Kadhi) has no business guiding the Muslim on the day they should perform their Idd ul-Adha or Idd-Ul-Fitr,” the Garissa township legislator said.
He was speaking at General Mohamud Idd grounds in Garissa town when he joined thousands on Muslim faithful to mark Idd-Ul-Adha.
Duale further called on all Muslims and Islamic leaders to rise to the occasion and tell the Chief Khadhi “he is out of order.”
“We don’t hear or see him in the development of Islam in Kenya, Islamic functions. We only see him when he wants to divide the Muslim community in Kenya,” he said.
The Majority Leader vowed that he would petition the Judicial Service Commission to take action against the Chief Kadhi.
“We are going to write to the Judicial Service Commission where we have a Muslim member. He should take me very seriously because this time round we will deal with him. We will not allow the chief Khadhi to divide the Muslim community and Umma along ethnic and regional basis,” he said.
“That office of the Chief Kahdi belongs to the Muslim community and you will not use that office to divide us.”
“Idd ul-Adha is anchored in the Hajj pilgrimage. The 5 days of Hajj one of the most important days is when the pilgrims are in the mount Arafat. And the second day after mount Arafat is when Idd ul-Adha is. The chief Khadhi should tell us where his mount Arafat other than the one outside the holy city of Mecca is,” he added.
Dr. Matiang’i on Friday, through a gazette notice, declared Tuesday, August 21 a public holiday to allow for celebration of the annual Idd-Ul-Adha.
On Saturday, however, the Chief Kadhi said Matiang’i went against his advice that the celebrations be marked on Wednesday, August 22 in line with the Muslim calendar.
“I wrote to him before the announcement indicating that Muslims would celebrate Idd on Wednesday but he went ahead to declare Tuesday as the public holiday,” Muhdhar told a local daily.