(Courtesy of Daily Nation Newspaper EDITORIAL SECTION)
The calls for peace, security, reconciliation and unity during Thursday’s celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadhan reflect rising concern about threat of violence in the country. One worrying trend is the danger posed by external radical groups and their Kenyan allies. The Somalia-based al-Shabaab have been radicalising and recruiting Kenyan youth into their terrorist network and taking them across the border for training.
Of course, the terrorists misinterpret the scriptures to suit their devious missions. At the core of Islam and other religions is the philosophy of peace and love for fellow human beings. Religion is thus a true force for good and an avenue through which to triumph over evil.
Unfortunately, this is being subverted by people driven by a warped ideology of hate and destruction. The majority of religious leaders and imams have been preaching the correct message to youth, who, sadly, are vulnerable to manipulation. But there is a need for the Muslim clerics to help isolate the crooks hiding behind the religion to sow seeds of discord among peace-loving Kenyans.
With Muslims and others coming together for the celebrations, the public holiday, Eid al-Fitr, provided a welcome opportunity to emphasise the need for unity among all Kenyans, irrespective of their religious, ethnic and other differences.
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