Thursday, March 31, 2005

Stumbling on a Kenyan Political Gem at an Islamic Site

Have you ever visited the digital home of the Khilafah?

I zoom around the information superhighway a great deal. Not infrequently I do a double take when I find information and analysis on Kenya in the unlikeliest of nooks.

Take for instance this obscure nest that I was rummaging through a few minutes ago- around 1:08 am EST on this last Thursday, which happens to be end of March as well.

There I was, snooping around the internet data mining for background for this very essay that is unfolding before your eyes. Earlier in the evening, I had been intrigued by
a story in the East African Standard reporting that the Kenya government was about to sign a pact with the United States with the east African country granting blanket immunity to potential American war criminals
. Of course I was apoplectic, and started gnashing my teeth and sharpening my cyber panga, vowing to reprise some of the sub-themes of a June 23, 2003 essay where I had angrily called for Kenyans to haul Uncle Sam’s arrogant ass to the World Court.

All was set for this digital salvo from Quebec I promised myself, between silent clenched teeth.

Or so I thought.

Because that was before I collided head first into one of the most brilliant and searing critical dissection of contemporary Kenyan political wrangles within the context of global geo-political contests. And no, this was no navel gazing admiration at Adongo Ogony’s brilliant skewering of the latest exploits of the doomed NAK gang at the KDP blog.

Nor was it a sneak preview from the latest edition of Africa Confidential or Africa Analysis.

What astounded me was the SOURCE and LOCATION of the analytical piece.

I mean, who would have THUNK it, as some deliberately semi-literate Americans are wont to ask quizzically with a glint and twinkle in their mischevious eyes.

I pride myself in reading widely, but even I was not quite prepared to find this piece ensconced in a site dedicated to the promotion of an Islamic theocracy.

The site is called khilafah.com.

And here is an excerpt that explains what the concept of khilafah is all about:


The Khilafah is the global leadership for all the Muslims in the world. Its role is to establish the laws of the Islamic Shari‘ah and to carry the da‘wah of Islam to the world.

The Khilafah is also known as the Imamah, both terms have the same meaning. Several sound ahadith mention them with the same meaning, neither of the two terms has ever differed in meaning in any Shari‘ah text i.e. the Qur’an or the Sunnah of the Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wasalaam), these being the only Shari‘ah sources. It is not compulsory to hold to the term of Khilafah or Imamah, but rather it is compulsory to hold to the meaning of the term.

The establishment of a Khaleefah is an obligation upon all Muslims in the world. Performing this duty, like any of the duties prescribed by Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’Ala) upon the Muslims, is an urgent obligation in which there can be no choice or complacency. Negligence in performing this duty is one of the greatest sins, for which Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’Ala) punishes severely.

The evidence that the appointment of a Khaleefah is obligatory upon all Muslims is in the Sunnah and the Ijma‘a (consensus) of the Sahabah.


Click here for more information.

I could say a lot more about the article in question.

But it is better to simply let the piece speak for itself.

Here it is.


So,

What do you think?

Quite something huh?

Tubonge baadaye.

Nakitoa kwa sasa.

Nimeambaa.

Nimekinyanyua...


Onyango Oloo
Montreal

1 comment:

john said...

wow !!excellent analysis.it seems my old friend uhuru(we played rugby as kids in high school)is being groomed as the next presi...i like the guy personally but he is a political neophyte.i see moi behind him.we had great political discussions when he was at Amherst college and he seemed to enjoy that it was now gideon in the line of fire of newly liberated kenyans abroad.interesting.