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Columbus Mabika Herald Reporter
The Islamic community has called for the unconditional removal of economic sanctions imposed by Western countries on Zimbabwe which have affected ordinary citizens daily and hampered national development in the last two decades.
The West and its allies Imposed the embargoes following the successful implementation of the land reform programme, which was meant to address the unequal distribution of land between the black majority and the white minority which the black majority went to war for in the First and Second Chimurenga wars.
The call by the Islamic community comes as October 25 marks the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day, a day when the world joins Zimbabwe in calling for the removal of the unilateral sanctions.
Zimbabwe is this year marking the day under the theme “Friend to All, Enemy to None: Forging ahead and Enhancing Innovation and Productivity in Adversity of Sanctions”.
The Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Zimbabwe (SCIAZ) president, Sheikh Ishmail Duwa said the fiction that the sanctions are targeted has lost its apparel.
“The Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Zimbabwe strongly opposes the sanctions imposed on the Government of Zimbabwe by Western countries. By imposing sanctions on among nation, these western powers have directly caused the death of poor communities especially women and children, lack of access to food and health care is directly traceable to these sanctions,” he said.
“The fiction that these sanction are targeted has lost its apparel. It is clear that economies cannot perform well under sanctions and as a result, the poor people suffer.”
The sanctions are a tool in the political game, however, their devastating effects are felt most by the poor.”
Quoting the Quran, the holy book of the Islam religion, Sheikh Duwa said the sanctions were killing and called on the West to find are ways on solving disputes than using sanctions.
“The Holy Quran specifically states that one should not kill. Beyond that, the Holy Quran in no way justifies murder it unequivocally states, “Whosoever killed a person … it shall be as if he had killed all mankind” (5:32). Such acts as sanctions are condemned in the Quran and by the Prophet Muhammad time and time again,” he said.
“There are far better ways of solving political disputed without resort to sanctions. Sanctions are just like war. They reveal on incapacity to deal with issues rationally, and have very devastating effects on society.”
He said the imposers of sanctions usually live very comfortable lives in their nations hence sanctions are therefore a tool to drive regime change by making communities suffer and eventually overthrow democratically effected Government.
Sheik Duwa noted that the Islamic Community was fully complementing Government efforts in areas of education, health and infrastructural development.
“It is unfortunate that we are the only religion in Zimbabwe that has no public university or hospital. Other religions have those facilities and I think its high time local Muslims start to consider complementing Government efforts in those areas,” said Sheik Duwa.
Commenting on the Islamic Religion, Sheik Duwa said Zimbabweans are now starting to understand Islam hence tolerating their practices.
“Unlike in other nations where Islam is viewed as a bad religion, I am glad that locals perceive us differently, this has been caused by a number of initiatives that we have embarked on chief among them the interfaith dialogue that we do from time to time,” he said.
The stance by Islamic Religion comes after Christian church leaders have called for the unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions.
Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference secretary-general Father Frederick Chiromba last week said it is the general public that is bearing the full brunt of the illegal sanctions.
“As church leaders, we have been calling for the removal of sanctions over the years,” he said. “Sanctions are a cruel way to correct the situation. In our case they have adversely affected the most vulnerable groups and destroyed our moral and social fabric,” he said.
Father Chiromba said the issue of sanctions was now in the public domain; hence all Zimbabweans, regardless of political affiliation, creed or religion should unite in the call for their removal.
The region, Africa and many other countries have joined Zimbabwe in the call for the removal of the sanctions which have choked the country for more than two decades now, basically by making it more difficult for Western companies and investors to deal with Zimbabwe and making it almost impossible for Zimbabwe to access most of the normal global financial institutions set up to facilitate trade and mobilise capital for development.
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