Muslim Leaders Reject Claims That Islam Permits Kidnapping, Killing of Captives for Ransom

What the report says

National Muslim leaders in Uganda have rejected assertions that Islam allows the kidnapping of civilians for ransom or the killing of captives, calling such conduct criminal and inconsistent with Islamic teaching. The comments came from Deputy Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa and Uganda Muslim Supreme Council national chairperson Prof. Dr. Muhammadi Lubega Kisambira, according to Watchdog Uganda, amid concern over video clips in which two convicted murderers allegedly tied the killing of businesswoman Susan Magara to a religious obligation.

The article says the remarks were made in Iganga during the burial of Hajjat Rukia Ndibaise, mother of Dr Sheikh Hassan Muhammad Mwaita, and that the burial took place at Nakalama Trading Centre in Iganga Muslim District. Waiswa said the Mufti’s Office planned to file a protest with authorities and wanted an inquiry into where the videos came from and how they spread. He warned that linking the Magara case to Islam could damage the faith’s reputation and stir tension.

Watchdog Uganda reported that Kisambira also rejected any attempt to present the Magara murder as Islamic practice, while acknowledging that Muslims, like members of other faiths, can commit crimes. The leaders said Quranic guidance on captives in wartime cannot be used to justify criminal kidnapping for profit or unlawful killing. The gathering also included other Muslim officials who urged believers to reject wrongdoing and avoid treating statements from convicted offenders as religious authority.