An Imam at a local mosque in Kalagi Town Council in Mukono district was halted over the weekend from conducting prayers following incendiary remarks he made about the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.
Chaos broke out at Masjid Ismael in Kalagi as angry Muslims turned on Sheikh Sulaiman Kikomeko, accusing him of insulting the Buganda monarch.
Bossa Sowedi, the Kalagi village chairman said She Kikomeko would not be allowed to step on the mosque minbar to lead prayers again until he is fully investigated for his comments.
The decision, he said, was taken by him as the village leader together with the Muslim elders in the area.
“He stands accused of denigrating the Kingdom of Buganda and insulting his elders. Everyone here is unhappy with him,” said the Chairman.
A letter communicating the sheikh’s removal from the mosque listed a number of charges including, attacking the name and image of the Kabaka of Buganda and the kingdom itself as well as promoting sectarianism and spreading religious bigotry.
The leadership also halted the operations of Kalagi Muslim Community Primary School, which Sheikh Kikimeko was heading, pending the investigations.
What Kikomeko said
Last week, Sheikh Kikomeko went on a tirade, attacking the Buganda King whom he accused of self-exaltation.
In a series of viral videos on social media, Kikomeko can be hard mocking the king’s traditional monikers such as Ssabasajja, Magulu Nnyondo, Cuucu and others.
“They call him the leader of men but he has never led me. I’m I a woman?” he charged in one sermon.
During the charged prayers, Sheikh Kikomeko remained defiant, refusing to apologise for his comments.
He demanded that he be taken to courts of law and officially charged if Muslims believe he committed a crime.
“I am not here to deny my comments; I am here for justice. I want the leaders to take me to courts of law,” he said.
Police maintained tight security around the mosque amid the chaos.