Muslim attitudes during genocide

During war and genocide most Muslims; behaved well, even though some became famous for killings. In some Muslim cities in the country, there were some deaths and according to the introverted information here and there especially in the city of Rwamagana, there would be four major reasons for Muslims to not have been involved in killings:

The Allah’s message in Mosques during genocide

During the genocide, in Muslim cities of Rwamagana, Kibungo, Butare, Cyangugu, Imams asked to all the people who came to “salat ” at the mosque to never soak their hands in blood. They nearly insisted each day on this teaching. On the one hand, to kill is regarded as a deadly sin (see Surah 17: 33) and on the other hand, to preserve life is a duty. It is believed that ever who kills only one man unjustly is guilty as if he had killed the whole of humanity and whoever saves only one man is as innocent if he had saved all humanity (Surah 5 :32).

It is necessary to add that the prophet said the greatest sins are⁷⁹⁸: 1. to give a partner to Allah, shirk

2. to kill a human being 3. disloyalty to the parents 4. the lie

During genocide, most Muslims had always this message in mind. But other Muslims did not hear it and participated actively in massacres, as Yussouf in Cyangugu, Abderrhman in Gitarama or Ngeze Hassan of the Kangura newspaper.⁷⁹⁹ It was easy for Imams to give and to deliver their message because a lot of political and administrative authorities did not know what was going on and what was said in mosques. Muslim communities were not controlled as it was the case in churches because the entrance into mosques was not restricted as it was in temples. For example, one must to make major and minor ablutions, remove his shoes, entering first with the right leg

797 Olivier Ndayizeye M., Ibid, pp18-21.

798 Ibid, p.18.

799 A. Karamaga, Abayisilamu babeshye abategetsi bacu kirafata, in Journal Twubake N°3, Octobre 1995, p. 6.

or turn toward the qibla (the Mecca) during the salat and all these are accompanied by the recitation of some formulas as the“ al-fatiha.”⁸⁰⁰

People are afraid of the mosques and the Muslims. A popular opinion said that Muslims have connections with djinns that had “a relationship with Allah.”⁸⁰¹ This constituted in one way or another, the strength of Muslims during the genocide even though Islam doesn't accept those who would manipulate djinns or who would forge themselves with other divinities or phenomena. It said during the genocide that, some killers went to burn a mosque in Cyangugu but they did not destroy it in whole because they run in fear of being caught by djinns. Today reformists of the Islamic religion are “fighting against this weight of superstition that constantly has the tendency to burden and to disfigure the faith and the practice of Islam.”⁸⁰²

Therefore the fact that the instigators did not enter mosques, offered the Imams the possibility to give their message of peace and love and this produced a certain restraint on behalf of Muslims.

According to Muslims interviewed, they are deeply grieved by their brothers who didn't listen to Allah's message and touched the blood of innocent Rwandans. They asked and wished that the Rwandan government hands them these infidels so that they apply on them the charia law to them. But their request has been refused.

A Muslim must not kill another Muslim

The Qur'an strictly forbids killing another Muslim and threatens stern punishment to the one who goes in opposition to this law, except if he does it involuntarily or accidentally. It‟s written in the Qur'an that: It is not to a believer to kill another believer by mistake. Anyone who kills a believer voluntarily will have as a reward hell forever. "That Allah becomes incensed against him! That may curse and prepare him an immense torment" (Surah 4: 92-93). Even the Arab slave traders could not buy slaves converted to Islam. “For example the populations who didn't convert to Islam became automatically reservoirs of slaves in Sudan”.⁸⁰³ It is why the blacks who converted

800 It is a formula that all Muslim repete to the beginning of all act, it says: In the name of ALLAH, the All Merciful, the Very Merciful! It is a Surah which opens the Qur'an.

801 G.Van‟t Spijker, Ibid, p. 19.

802 L.Gardet, L’islam Religion et Communauté, Ed. Desclée de Brouwer, Paris, 1967, p. 94.

803 R.-L. Moreau, Africains Musulmans, Ed. Présence africaine, Paris, INADES, 1982,p. 50.

to the Muslim religion escaped automatically the raids, because the Prophet said: "Muslim is the brother of the other Muslim. He doesn't abandon him, he doesn't usurp him, he doesn‟t deliver him to the enemy", this verse also reinforced the Umma.

Muslim ethnic interpenetration

In Rwanda, many Hutu Muslims married Tutsi women. It created an incredible ethnic interpenetration. In such a way, it was not easy to distinguish them ethnically. This means that religious and political Muslim leaders protected their own. It is the opposite of what happened on the Christian side where some criminals killed their wives, their cousins or their nephews. But the main reason of this refusal to kill would be explained itself by the fact that most Muslim took Allah's message seriously during the genocide.

In the city of Rwamagana for example, all people who were sheltered in the Muslim city, had safety life but those who took refuge in the Christian parishes and administrative buildings were all killed. The feeling of belonging in the Ummah community encouraged Muslims in Rwanda to not be involved in killings other Muslims.

804 This was confirmed by many Muslims in interview.

Conclusion

Violence is inherent to human beings, it is found in his daily life and in all his structures, but religious violence may not be inevitable.⁸⁰⁵ I join Professor Jean Claude Basset in saying that dialogue appears as a powerful way to avoid violence. It helps to canalize it in order to avoid an open conflict or a silent resignation. Dialogue is a miracle word which can reduce violence in all human relations.⁸⁰⁶ In order to reduce violence which has broken the relationship between Christians and Muslims, it is necessary a permanent dialogue and mutual understanding. The ecumenical effort to establish dialogue with various religions is one way to establish dialogue and cooperation between Christians and Muslims.

Dialogue in Africa and particularly in Rwanda may lead to speak the truth and the act of apology for the painful events of the Arab Muslim slave trade, crusade, and Jihad. With that relationships between Christian and Muslims can be strengthened.⁸⁰⁷ “The image of barbaric Christian Crusaders”⁸⁰⁸ and bloody Jihadist Muslims will be appeased on both side.

In Rwanda, dialogue is a necessity for building a long-lasting peace. The history of violence and conflict of the two religions must be discussed without hiding the truth of past history and recent history which creates tensions, for example, the presence of western soldiers in Muslim countries and killings of different jihadist movements. This will be a way of countering violence against other faiths and to discover mutuality and complementarity as Rwandans.

“It is important to be fully aware of the relation between violence, conflict and peace. It is also important to bring together those who use violence with those who suffer from it to discuss how to secure peace for the future.”⁸⁰⁹ In the next third part, I will discuss the need of promoting dialogue, healing of memories, and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims for preventing new violence. Together Christians and Muslims in Rwanda, we are not allowed to

805 Anank Nayak, Ibid, p.351.

806 Jean Claude Basset, Ibid, p.12,13.

807 Abbijit Nayak, Crusade violence: Understanding and overcoming the impact of mission among Muslims, in International Review of Mission, vol.97 No586/587, July,October 2008, p.289.

808 Austin Cline, Overview of causes, History, and Violence of the Crusades, <http://atheism.about.com/od/crusades.htm>, 17th October 2012.

809 Gerrie ter Haar (ed), Ibid, p.150.

delete our violent history including our traumatic experiences because “how we remember the past shapes how we are in the present.”⁸¹⁰

810 Leonia Kallir Kurgan, Memories, Healing, Reconciliation, and Forgiveness, <http://www.laisps.org/papers/pdf/Articles%20-%20Kurgan.pdf>, 24th January 2013

Chapter IV. Healing and reconciliation of memories