Ndugu yangu Uthman;
Namshukuru Nguruvi kakujulisha kikamilifu yaliyojitokeza kwenye swali uliloniuliza. Binafsi sikupata muda mzuri wa kulishughulikia. Sijui haya nilibahatika kupata kama yatakuridhisha wewe na pengine hata wanajamvi. Ukizungumzia kufa kwa taasisi za Kiislamu huenda inayogusa hisia za wengi katika kuanguka kwake huwa ni the East African Muslim Welfare Society (EAMWS). Kwa hiyo nadhani bora nijibu niliyofanikiwa kupata juu ya hili. Nimebahatika kupata paper moja kaandika Dr. Issa Ziddy. Paper hii utaikuta kwa jina la SHAYKH ˘ASAN B. AMAYR AL-SHIRAZ (1880-1979), ISSA ZIDDY,;Journal; Sudanic Africa, 16, 2005, 1-26. Kwa Google Scholar utaipata kuiwepesi. Madhila ya EAMWS yako pamoja na madhila Sheikh huyu maarufu. Nashauri ipate paper yote. Hapa chini nimechukua vipande vichache ili angalau watu wajue baadhi ya yaliyojiri. Nimevipa vipande hivi namba ili tuweze kuvirejea kwenye maoni yangu kama Wickama ambayo utayakuta mwisho;
1. he was the mufti of Tanganyika (from 1961 to 1968). Among these Muslim associations, the EAMWS was the most important. However, Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr was not only active with respect to the development of Muslim organizations in Tanganyika, but also worked for the establishment of an Islamic university in Tanganyika. In 1964, he was, thus, among the Muslim scholars of the EAMWS who visited Islamic countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, in order to ask for support in educational matters. On 20 May 1964, they returned home with the good news that the Egyptian government would donate 55 million Egyptian pounds to build an Islamic university in Dar es-Salaam. But the political situation had changed, and because of that, Shaykh ˘asan was convinced by his friend and closest student, Shaykh Mzee b. fiAlı, a Comorian living in Kariakoo in Dar es-Salaam, to change the content and method of delivering his khubas [sermons] and darsas by not touching political issues any more
2. ..Now, many sources, even Muslim texts, magazines, newspapers, audio and videocassettes as well as books written by missionaries claim that Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr was a politician. Also his name and pictures appeared more than once in the documents of the Tanganyika archives on the activities and struggles lead by the first political party of Tanganyika, the Tanganyika African Association (TAA) as well as the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) as Mohamed Said was able to show.
3. ..They rather claim that he was not a politician and that his aim was the struggle for Muslim education, Muslim rights and unity. He is said to have always refused to become a minister or even a local sheha (chief): Shaykh ˘asan did not involve himself in politics, but some of his students were politicians. They invited him sometimes to say the Fatiah at the end of their political meetings.
4. ..Thus, a well known student of Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr, Shaykh fiAbdallah Chaurembo, who used to teach Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayrs students during his visits to his other centres, started a conflict with Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr on account of political questions. Due to these internal conflicts among Tanganyikas Muslims,the plans to start an Islamic university came to nothing and the EAMWS came to an end as well, although Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr tried to support this umbrella organization of Tanzanias Muslims.
5. ..he was also an active member of al-Jamifia al- Islamiyya and al-Dafiwa al-Islamiyya as well as the East African Muslims Welfare Society (EAMWS).
6. However, after the Arusha Declaration in 1967, the EAMWS started to split. Some Muslims such as Shaykh Adam Nasibu of the Bukoba district office of the EAMWS even said that socialism as proclaimed in the Arusha Declaration was equivalent to the teachings of the Quran. The nationalist newspaper, Uhuru, as well as the government controlled Radio Tanzania/Dar es Salam praised this group of Muslims for their progressive minds.
7. In 1968, the Muslims in Dar es-Salaam became even more divided. Thus, instead of having one centre for mawlid celebrations (for the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad), as in the colonial times, they now held mawlid celebrations in two different places, namely Mnazi Mmoja and Ilala. This dispute gave their enemies the chance to exploit their divisions. In the course of 1968, the EAMWS disintegrated even further, when the leaders of the Bukoba district of the EAMWS left the organization to be followed by the Tanga and Iringa regions. The EAMWS headquarters tried to fight this escalation, but the promises the government made to the opponents of the EAMWS made these efforts with respect to the unity of the EAMWS futile.
8. The EAMWS dissidents who left the organization with government support, thus said that if the EAMWS was to be re-structured it should be done under their own conditions. These conditions were not only difficult to meet but also quite controversial as they violated against basic principles of Islam as well as against Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayrs ideas. Some of these conditions were:
1. The EAMWS was to be reserved for Tanzanians only and should exclude other East Africans.
2. The Aga Khan was to be regarded as a foreigner, and thus not acceptable as a patron of the EAMWS.
3. The Secretary General of EAMWS should be a black African and not an Indian (as this position was held, at that time, by an Ismailfiılı Indian, fiAbd al-fiAzız Khaki).
4. The sources of funds and expenditure of the EAMWS should be clearly shown.
5. The leaders of the EAMWS should be supporters of TANUs political objectives and ideologies.
9. ..These conditions were sent to the EAMWS headquarters by Shaykh Adam Nasibu, Muhammad Zharia and Khamıs Kayamba and an emergency meeting of the EAMWS was held on 14 November 1968 to discuss the situation, whilst at that time three Tanganyika regions had already left the organization.
11. the efforts of two prominent Muslims, namely Bibi Titi and Tewa Said Tewa, who were members of the TANU, to save the society, came to naught.
12. .in early December 1968, a special committee under the chairmanship of a well known student of Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr, Shaykh fiAbdallah Chaurembo, was formed, with Shaykh Adam Nasibu as the secretary general, in order to obstruct the work of the EAMWS. By 3 December 1968, it was obvious that the union of the Muslims in East Africa was defunct. The group that had separated from EAMWS was ready to take over the high Islamic leadership of Tanganyika by any means. The only thing that prevented them from doing so was the presence of Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr in Dar es-Salaam as the Muslims in the whole of East Africa respected Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr as their spiritual leader. Thus, the time had come for the Tanzanian government to use its power to complete the task of destroying the EAMWS, by forcefully deporting Shaykh ˘asan b. fiAmayr to Zanzibar.
MAONI YANGU KAMA WICKAMA
Ni dhahiri EAMWS iliachiwa kufa kijinga kwa sababu baadhi ya waislamu wa wakati huo waliigeuza kuwa kama chama pinzani dhidi ya TANU. Zingatia kuwa wakati Sheikh anaambiwa ajihadhari na khutba kalikali kuwa zinaukwaza utawala ilikuwa hata Azimio la Arusha, bado. Kwa hiyo surely sio Ujamaa (excerpt 1) lazima ni jambo tofauti. Lipi hilo?????? Dr Ziddy hajalitaja. Na wala sio mapinduzi ya Zanzibar kwa vile kunako kurejeshwa huko (hiyo December 1968) unaweza kuhisi kingempata nini. The fact kuwa hawakumgusa ina maana activities zake hazikuwa hatarishi kwao.
Jambo hili yaelekea lilikuwa linawagombanisha sana waislamu wakati huo na kila mtu alichukua upande wake kiasi hata mwanafunzi wa Sheikh sasa wanagombana openly (excerpt 4). Mwandishi ametoboa kuwa ni siasa ilimfanya mwanafunzi huyu kum-confront Sheikh wake (yaani kam-boa kishenzi). Lakini angalia excerpt hiyo hiyo, Dr. Ziddy hajaficha kuwa hii migogoro ndio iliua ndoto ya kupata University ya Waislamu. Kwa maana kuwa ilienea sana. Inaelekea kulikuwapo wanaoipinga TANU na walikuwapo wanaoiunga mkono (kama picha ya CCM vs Chadema leo). Mind you, uhuru tayari, ujamaa bado, vijiji vya ujamaa bado, Kuhutba kali kali ni za nini? Binafsi nahisi political sentiments zikiilenga KEKI YA TAIFA hapa. Watu wamekuwa wakali (excerpt 1). Sisi ndio tumemuondoa Mwingereza bwanaaaa. Hatumwogopi mtu. Waislamu twataka chetu. Same sentiments as AMNUT, perhaps from same guys actually but camouflaged in a different institution.
Sasa rejea excerpt 8. Hapo ni kuwa Bukoba, Tanga na Iringa wameshajitoa EAMWS. Nobody dares to honestly say why. There should be a sound reason. Always majiby mkato kama kama kuna watu walikuwa wanatembea na makabrasha ya fedha kuwahonga. Lakini ajabu wahusika hawapewi the benefit of the doubt kujieleza. Hebu sasa soma madai yao. Yanaashiria vuta nikuvute ndani ya EAMWS (hiyo ni kawaida kwa taasisi yoyote). Yanashiria kuchoka ku-serve kama branch (Hqts zilikuwa Mombasa), hawa wanataka EAMWS ya KiBongo (labda conception ya Bakwata? uzalendo), wanataka washike real hatamu kwenye EAMWS (wamewachoka wahindi, japo hapa infact kuna pia usunni na ushia, halisemwi hadharani). Madai yao yanaashiria kutoridhika na matumizi ya pesa kutojulikana yanaendaje. Na maradhi haya ya fedha za taasisi za kiislamu kutoonyeshwa zimetumiwa vipi hayaishi na leo. Lakini angalia dai lao MOJA kwa karibu sana. Wanataka viongozi EAMWS lazima wawe supporters wa TANU. Hapo ndipo palikokuwa na fitna Uthman. Maana ya dai hilo ni kuwa wapo viongozi wa EAMWS waliokuwa wapinzani wa TANU huku wamejichimbia EAMWS na kutumia kivuli cha Uislamu kuipiga vita!!!!!
Tuwe fair, tumpe Sheikh benefit of the doubt, angalia excerpt 2 and 3. It is a good thing unatetea haki na elimu ya waislamu. Lakini kwa maoni yangu kama kweli Sheikh alikataa fursa ya a cabinet post (through which angesaidia waislamu kiurahisi, tena with more resources), nadiriki kusema he threw away an important opportunity. Ukiyaunga na excerpt 1, no wonder serikalini walianza kuhisi kero. Mwisho ni kama unavyoona. Bwana wee, tumekupa offa angalau uwe waziri ufanyie kazi malamiko yako hutaki. Kazi mikutano ya ......., sasa wataka nini? Mwisho kabisa ni ileeeeeee ya mgeni siku ya 10....una kwenu Sheikh. Halooooo, Abeid hebu mpokee huyu. So bad, so sad, inauma sana sana lakini thats how it ended. More sad, with his departure, the EAMWS also got a headstone with an RIP without a name.
Binafsi naamini kuwa hii taasisi ambayo ilikuwa kwa maslahi ya waislamu wa AFRIKA MASHARIKI haikutakiwa kujihusisha na dirty and local politics za individual countries. Kazi hiyo unawaachia wakina AMNUT, ndio field yao. Lakini ujihadhari wasikimbie toka waliko kukufanya maficho yao. Huwa ni muhimu kuwa hivyo kwa sababu unao wanachama wenye tofauti za kisiasa. Sanasana unatakiwa kuvaa joho la upatanishi kwa wanachama wako wanapotoana makovu kama hayo ya kisiasa. Ukiruhusu taasisi yako kuwa kichaka cha watu kulipa vendetta huku wakisingizia mengine ni kwamba unahatarisha taasisi.
Mimi navyoona, kwa ushahidi wa Paper ya huyu bwana, watu walikosa subira katika kuitaka TANU kubadilisha hali yao. Dissention ilianza mapema sana. Definetly aliyetoka TANU, AMNUT, TUP etc. akapeleka siasa zake EAMWS ambazo mwenyewe alishindwa kuzihami kwenye uwanja wa siasa in the open ndiye mwanzilishi wa kifo cha hii taasisi. Hapa waislamu lazima kuu-face ukweli. TANU ndiyo kwanza wamepewa nchi na Waingereza, isingerushiwa mawe na madongo bila wao kujibu. That is a very sad reality. Mengine ni matokeo. Mtu akiamua kufanya a serious and objective research kwenye hili, atapata jina au majina ya causative persons. It is so sad how a mistake of a few can cost a whole generation a terrible price.
Salam ndugu yangu Wickama,
Nashukuru sana kwa utafiti wako ulioufanya kuhusu kuvunjika kwa EAMWS.Ukipitia vizuri hiyo paper uliyopresent utaona kwa kiwango kikubwa ushiriki wa serikali ya MWL Nyerere katika kuhakikisha kwamba EAMWS inavunjika.Kama ulipitia kitabu cha Dr Njozi cha MWEMBE CHAI KILLINGS AND POLITICAL FUTURE OF TANZANIA utagundua kuwa paper yako inakubaliana kabisa na maelezo ya Dr Njozi akisimulia jinsi Usalama wa Taifa,Radio Tanzania chini ya David Wakati,na magezeti ya serikali chini ya mhariri mkuu Benjamin Mkapa yalivyofanya kazi za kuchochea kuvunjika kwa EAMWS.
Kuhusu kutenganisha siasa na dini hilo jambo haliwezekani,siku zote waislamu tu ndio wanaombiwa wanachanganya siasa na dini lakini tumeona kwenye kitabu cha Sivallon cha Kanisa katoliki na siasa za Tanzania ni jinsi gani kanisa katolilki limekuwa very active katika mambo ya siasa za nchi hii,lakini hatukuona hata askofu au padri mmoja akifukuzwa kwa kuchanganya siasa na dini.Mwaka 2010 tumeona vilevile kanisa likitoa election manifesto kwa waumini wake,sasa hii kama si siasa sijui ni kitu gani.
Ndugu yangu Wickama sisi waislamu hatuna kabisa ugomvi na ndugu zetu wa dini nyingine,sisi ugomvi wetu ni dhidi ya mfumo unaotukandamiza.Leo hii tupo mwezi wa nne tunajadiliana historia ya wanaharakati wa uhuru wa Tanganyika ambao kwa makusudi mfumo haukutaka juhudi zao zijulikane na watanzania.Sisi ambao tumezaliwa muda mrefu kidogo baada ya uhuru kwa kweli tulikuwa hatufahamu kabisa kama harakati za kuikomboa tanganyika zilianza tokea miaka ya 1929,na wala jina la Sykes hatukulipa uzito wowote.Alhamdulilahi sheikh Mohamed mwenyezi mungu amzidishie katutanua fikra na kutufanya tujue vingi sana kuhusu harakati za uhuru wa nchi yetu.
Amani iwe juu yenu.