Press Release
Why Islam is Strangled on the Pretext of the Catholic Priest's Killing

Following the shooting to death of Catholic Priest Father Evarist Mushi of St. Joseph Parish in Zanzibar that took place on Sunday morning, we in Hizb ut Tahrir East Africa would like to clarify the following:

It is very unfortunate that this incident seems to have been awaited by both politicians and some Christian leaders to further advance the global hatred and enmity agenda against Muslims and Islam. As for politicians, it is completely shameful that instead of addressing the failure to protect people's lives and wealth, some jumped to the conclusion that this incident is an ‘act of terrorism'. This is an attempt to create public opinion of associating it with Islam and Muslims. However, at the same time, they avoided and sidelined the fact that the incident took place in broad daylight and adjacent to a Police Post. Also, they avoided to address the failure of the capitalist economic system that widens the gap between the poor and wealthy which ultimately pushes people to a sense of despair, mistrust and hostility amongst them.

Regarding Church leaders, instead of addressing Islam through ideological debate, they hide their weakness by capitalizing on the incident to further incite global hatred engineered by the west against Islam and Muslims as well as to influence investigation in their favour and their political masters. This incident further indicates a well entrenched cancer of favoritism of Christians in Tanzania as this single incident has drawn state attention and given rise to an unprecedented move of inviting foreign investigators. While on the flipside, a number of Muslim activists are still languishing in jails without bail while the government seems to be senseless and heedless on their claims.

We in Hizb would like to make it very clear that killing of ministers and religious leaders, torching of monasteries and churches are not allowed in Islam. It is a well known fact that throughout the history of Islam, the Khilafah "Caliphate" state treated non-Muslims righteously to the extent that they still exist even today in Muslim majority Islamic lands.

Lastly, we call upon the just and enlightened among the Christians to embrace Islam. If they are not yet convinced, then they should avoid the Western traps of endless hidden agendas against Muslims and Islam especially from America. America is a nation whose sole aim is to subjugate small nations, plunder natural resources and split up people. We remind Christians and all non-Muslims that Islam will inevitably dominate the world and will deal with them in a just and fair manner similar to that experienced in the past.  In the year 638 AD, when Patriarch Sophronius surrendered Palestine to the Islamic State, Khalifah Umar (ra) wrote a covenant document to the people of Aelia which read as follows:

In the Name of Allah The Merciful, The Compassionate.

This is the covenant which Umar, the Servant of Allah, The Commander of the faithful, grants to people of Aelia. He grants them safety for their lives, their possessions, their churches and their crosses. Their churches shall not be demolished nor diminished, nor anything of their properties. They shall not be constrained in the matter of their religion, nor shall any of them be harmed.

So if such justice is granted by Islam to non-Muslims, how will it be if they become Muslims? The time is up for them to take a unique opportunity to embrace Islam immediately.

Masoud Msellem
Deputy Media Representative
Hizb ut Tahrir / East Africa