Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) has distanced itself from the remarks made by Director of Muslim Society for Human Rights and Justice (MSHRJ) Sheikh Aman Matiya in reaction to the US anti-Islam Film.
The 14-minute film which is distributed online, depicts the Prophet Muhammad (saw) as a womaniser and a warmonger.
Sheikh Matiya was quoted by an online media as speaking on behalf of MAM. He condemned the video and described it as provocative, disturbing and hateful.
He went on calling the US government to bring to justice the person who made the film.
“As Muslims we condemn the video, it is provocative, disturbing and hateful; I call upon the USA government to bring to justice whosoever made the film.
“This is not the first time our Prophet (peace be upon him) has been ridiculed by our friends in the west. I recall there was the cartoon incident in Denmark and followed by publicly burning of Koran in USA, all the incidents have been aimed at instigating religious intolerance, that is why, as a peace loving religion, we are condemning this video in its strongest terms. I call on the USA to ban it otherwise Muslims across the world are ready to defend and die for their religion.” Matiya wa quoted in the media.
Matiya also said Malawian Muslims are waiting for an official apology from the US government to all Muslim faithful worldwide failing which his organization would mobilize demonstrations outside the US embassy in capital Lilongwe.
However, speaking to Malawi Muslims Official Website MAM National Chairman Sheikh Idrissa Muhammad expressed ignorance on the matter saying MAM has never issued any press release nor asked anyone to speak on their behalf in respect of the inflammatory film.
“The views expressed in the article are (Matiya’s) his own and his organisation but not MAM because (as an organisation) we have never sat down to discuss anything on the issue. Further, the Muslim Society for Human Rights and Justice is not an affiliate of MAM otherwise it could have consulted us first before going to the media. We therefore distance ourselves from the remarks made (by Matiya) and that we are not responsible for any inconveniences this may cause,” said Sheikh Idrissa Muhammad.
The national chairman also took advantage to warn other Islamic organisations which claim to be affiliated to MAM but yet they do things out of its knowledge. He has therefore urged Islamic organisations that claim to be under his association to avoid making such sensitive statement.
“Some organisations claim to be working under MAM but they never consult us in issues of national interest like this…. They only rush to us to be bailed out when they face problems with the authorities – treating MAM as a mere sign post, which is not good,” he lamented.
Matiya has since admitted that he was not speaking on behalf of MAM saying the reporter quoted him out of context.
“What MAM is saying that I was not speaking on their behalf is true. I was speaking on behalf of my organisation Muslim Society for Human Rights and Justice. It is just that the reporter misquoted me. Even the issue of demonstrations, I swear I didn’t mention it and when I spoke to the reporter this morning he confessed that he just included that statement in order to spice up his story which I told him is unfair,” he said.
When asked why he didn’t consult MAM first before granting an interview on such sensitive issue, Matiya said:
“MAM is the umbrella body for all Islamic organisations in Malawi and nobody can dispute that. However, it is just unfortunate that we indeed did not consult it before commenting on this matter of national interest – it is really a mistake.”
Meanwhile, Malawi Muslims Official Website can reveal that after the story, MAM chairman as well Sheikh Matiya have been under fire from the government authorities as well as US Embassy asking them to explain what they meant when they said “Muslims are ready to defend and die for their religion.”
The amateur film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ sparked outrage across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia last week. Many Muslims were infuriated by a clip of the film posted to YouTube that mocked Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. YouTube has since refused to take out the clip.
The independent film was allegedly produced and directed by Sam Bacile, a 56 year-old Israeli-American real estate developer. According to Ynet, Bacile said he raised $5 million from about 100 Jewish donors, whom he declined to identify. On the eleventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, controversial pastor Terry Jones released a video promoting the film, which portrays the Prophet in what he described as a “satirical” manner.
Mass demonstrations directed against the US government are being held across the Middle East. The demonstrations have left scores of people injured and others dead, the most prominent casuality being the US Ambassodor to Libya John Christopher Stevens who was killed in his vehicle in Benghazi Libya last Wednesday morning.
As a Muslim, I think Sheikh Matiya was right to issue that statement and also to ask the US Government to look into the issue with a sober mind. We are the defenders of Islam though Allah said that HE will protect the Deed HIMSELF. This is the reason as to why we have been calling for an overhaul in the system at MAM. Let us use the people who have knowledge of both religious and secular so that whenever we are confronted with issues of this nature we should be able to digest them quickly and respond with the much needed care so that we should avoid conflicting statements coming from the same grouping. Let us be organised and try to act as civilised people. I am still insisting that next time we should put in place leaders who are very well conversant with what is happening both within and without the Muslim World.
SHAME! How can MAM embarrass the Muslim ummah like that! I thought as an Islamic mother body they were supposed to issue a statement well before Matiya, and now that Matiya did it, the little they could do was to support him. Does their distancing themselves mean that they support the film? I am really angry at you MAM especially the chairman. This Idrissa has always been controversial and I wonder why we as Muslims still keep him with a position that does not fit him. This guy is a politician and would rather do everything to please the government and America than Deen. He is at MAM for political mileage, he is a sheep in a wolf's skin. We all know how he got this position, through Sidik Mia via Bingu's money to manipulate and divide and rule the Muslim ummah. We know you guys and don't think we are blind or forgotten. We know who you are Idrissa. You will never do anything for Islam but yourself.
And yes, Muslims, and I mean real Muslims like myself, are prepared to defend and die for our religion, come what may.
Whether you take sides with America, what you should know is that Allah (SWT) is greater than America and all those authorities you are trying to please at the expense of Islam.
MAM is a real SHAME! By the way could this reporter find out what are MAM's objectives in the next story.
@ ajetu. I dont understand you .Do you want MAM to lie that they were consulted by matiya when they were not? And you call yourself a real muslim? Hahahahaha. Brother, am asking you to find out by yourself the objectives of MAM instead of the reporter.
Nsanje ndiyo yakula apa, samakudziwani ndani kuti Matiya mumamuona ndi diso la nkhwizi?
The broblem is, muslims do not meet when issues happen affecting Islam negatively like other sects or denomination do.we only meet or comment attacting each other.Who is wrong or right.Its not good for our community and Deen.Too much "miseche' lets change our mind set.Start organizing forums for posive growth of our deen in this country.The Kufar will never be happy with Islam
musford thumbs up . Anthu enawa ndi nsanje. why is it that they only want to comment on this website and attack their fellow muslims instead of following the right procedure.Brothers it is high time we realized that finding faults ,slandering,or blaming others and criticising others for the sake of criticising whether criticism is done in good faith by word or mouth is not good in islam as demonstrated in the Holy Quran in Surat Al hujarat. It is also surprising that we want to use this beautiful and only islamic website to scoff , ridicule or to claim that we have information of other people whom we dont like for some reasons best known to ourselves is wrong and this is done to only attract attention to others. Here the underlined idea behind this act is to express one's superiority by undermining the prestige of others , wa' Allah brothers this is regarded as character assasination in ISLAM . That is why the prophet ( SAW ) took up this topic in a number of his lectures and warned the muslims about the evil consequences of such activities.One of his lectures goes like this :
You who has accepted islam with your tongues but whose hearts have not been reached with faith ,do not misbehave with muslims nor revile them, nor seek out their faults, for he who seeks out the faults of his muslim brothers will have his fault sought out by Allah, and he who has his faults sought out by Allah will be exposed by him even though he is in interior of his house:
It is a shame for the so called mother body of the muslims in Malawi to distance themselves on this issue. What kind of a mother who betray her own son/daughter. I demand the Mam should issue an apology to muslim communities for missrepresentation for fear to be repremanded by the government and so called America embassy in the country. I support fully to brther Sheikh Aman Matiya for the courage to stand and speak on behalf of muslim communities than the cowardise shown by so called mother body which can not stand with its feet to condemn the act and mobilise muslim communities to show anger to the world. Why Mam is so sleeping???.
Shame, shame, shame and shame of Muslim Association in Malawi.
my understanding on this issue is that sheikh Aman matiya apologised and i dont understand why we have to start fighting on the issue that is a bygone.Mwiniwake matiya ali phee and we are busy writing broken english pa net.Brother ahmad.c. Assalaamu alaikum
@Wawo and Al Muslim
Matiya must have apologised out of fear, but what he did is what is right Islamically. Are u suggesting that we should stand and just watch when our beloved Prophet (PBUH) is being insulted? All MAM needed to do was support him and distance themselves from the part of his statement they thought was violent basi. If you people have eyes, then its high time you should know that Muslims are now tired of your selfish ways of doing things and are now going to react for every senseless act you are going to take, using either means, be it this very same website, Nyasa, etc we will do it until you change.
MAM is such a useless body that consulting them is a sheer waste of time. A normal Muslim knows that MAM is no longer an Islamic body but a political party and if you have to consult them, then you have to be aligned to their political party, otherwise they will treat you as trash and not even listen to you. You must be one of those benefiting from MAM's ill dealings that is why you are supporting them brother Wawo.
If MAM has objectives then they must be the worst of them all in the world. Because it seems that if wind goes to the west they flow with it and if it goes to the east, north or south they also do the same. They don't know exactly what they should be doing.
And please bear in mind that English is nothing other than just any other language whether you break it or not is not important. What is important is the message. You see the whites themselves never laugh or bother themselves whether we speak what you are calling broken English or not as long as they understand us they are happy.