United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar has differed with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
Speaking on Sunday, September 21, at Uhuru Park during an event organized to show solidarity with Palestine, Omar said he does not agree with Murkomen’s decision to outlaw the group.
“My brother Murkomen, I saw yesterday that he gazetted the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. I personally do not share that view. It is not a terrorist organization,” said Omar.
The UDA Secretary General also called on the government to cut ties with Israel, saying the country stands to gain more from the Muslim world than from Israel.
“I would urge him, and we as Muslims emphasize, that as a resolution, Israel should be gazetted as a terrorist organization. We should make sure we do not do any business with Israel. Kenya has more strategic interests in the Muslim world than it does in Israel,” Omar added.
CS Murkomen, in a special Gazette notice on September 19, declared the Muslim Brotherhood and Hizb-ur-Tahrir as terror organizations.
The declaration criminalizes membership, support, fundraising, or propaganda linked to the two groups.
The order will remain in force indefinitely until revoked by either a court of law or by the Interior Cabinet Secretary.
Kenya is the latest country to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood after Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Russia.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928, and it began as a grassroots organization promoting Islamic values, education, and social welfare while opposing Western influence.
Over time, the Muslim Brotherhood has expanded to the Middle East, Europe, and across the African continent.
On the other hand, Hizb-ur-Tahrir was founded in 1953 and seeks the establishment of a global Islamic Caliphate.
