Mufti Mubaje Advocates for Mawlid Public Holiday

Mufti Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje has renewed his call for the Ugandan government to officially recognize Mawlid, the commemoration of Prophet Muhammad’s birth, as a public holiday. He made this appeal during the national Mawlid celebrations held at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) headquarters in Kampala.

Mubaje emphasized that granting public holiday status would provide Muslims with a national platform to reflect on and celebrate the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad, citing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) recommendation for member states to do the same.

Representing the Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oboth Oboth, the Third Deputy Prime Minister, Hajjat Rukia Nakadama Isanga, assured the Mufti that his request would be forwarded to the relevant government bodies. Speaker Oboth, in a message conveyed by Nakadama, expressed Parliament’s support for the UMSC’s appeal and for broader engagements concerning religious freedom and national unity.

During the event, Mufti Mubaje also announced the UMSC’s initiative to revise and streamline Uganda’s Islamic education curriculum. This effort aims to harmonize religious interpretations and will focus on the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence, historically taught in Uganda. The UMSC is also working to republish essential Islamic texts, including a Luganda translation of the Holy Quran, previously produced by the late Sheikh Maulana Abdurazak Matovu.

The celebrations, which took place during Rabi al-Awwal, also highlighted Islam’s contributions to Uganda’s development. The event featured competitions for young Muslims in Quran recitation, Azan, and Islamic poetry, with winners receiving prizes. Despite a change in venue due to rain, the gathering brought together Muslim leaders, government officials, diplomats, and faithful from across the nation.

Source: https://nilepost.co.ug/news/366859/mufti-mubaje-pushes-for-muhammads-birthday-to-become-public-holiday