Concerned Muslims on Thursday afternoon closed Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM)’s Blantyre offices after the National Chairman Sheikh Idrissa Muhammad allegedly refused to meet them to discuss the issue of Muslim women dancing in political rallies, this website can reveal.
One of the concerned Muslims Yusuf Sambo confirmed the development in an interview with Malawi Muslims Official Website.
“It is true that we have really closed the offices at MAM headquarters. What happened is that we sought an audience with the National Chairman who agreed to see us today (Thursday) after Dhuhr Salaah (afternoon prayers). However the chairman opted to be represented by the SG. This development saddened us because he made the confirmation of his availability and to make matters worse his representative was there only to hear the concerns and present them to the national chairman.
Sambo said that the irate concerned Muslims forced the SG to call the chairman and tell him that the grouping wanted to meet him directly.
“Unfortunately, the chairman said had no time to see us saying he has no business to do with us,” added Sambo.
Efforts to talk to the MAM’s national chairman proved futile as his phone went unanswered despite several attempts.
The development comes a day after MAM’s Secretary General Dr Salmin Omar refuted a Press Release which was sent to the media outlets in the country claiming that it was signed by him.
Dr Salmin Omar told Malawi Muslims Official Website that the Press statement which has been published in newspapers and aired in almost all radio stations including Radio Islam it was not endorsed or signed by him.
The Press statement which condemns the parading of Muslim women in all political rallies had a Per procurationem (P.P) signature with the name of Dr Salmin Omar who is Secretary General for the Muslims’ mother body.
Dr Salmin Omar has since distanced his organisation from authoring the statement and said he didn’t even know who signed it on his behalf.
“I have not been in the office for the past two weeks for me to write that statement and of that content for that matter. I don’t even know who has authored and signed it. Whoever signed never told me. I have just heard it from the media. It was not endorsed by me. So, I disown it, “said the Secretary General.
The issue of Muslim women dancing in political rallies especially in People’s Party rallies has sparked controversy in the Muslim community for the past weeks.
Last week Concerned Muslims told Muslim Association of Malawi to issue a press statement stopping the women from dancing in political rallies or else the Association’s National Chairman should step down.
However, the move of calling the chairman to resign did not go well with other sympathisers of MAM’s Chair who also issued a press statement saying there are no enough reasons for the chairman to resign because the issue of Sharia is handled by Majilis Ulama (Muslim Council of Theologians and not MAM).
“So, if it is bout resigning then it should be the Masjilis Ulama Chair not MAM,” Hussein Mwarab Chairman for the Forum for Muslim Defense told reporters in Blantyre.
