A HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MUSLIMS IN BUGANDA 1965-70

Abstract

Forty-four percent of the Muslim community in Uganda live in Buganda. For a long time, there has been no distinction between religion and political and social life In Buganda Muslim participation in the social, political and economic life of Buganda is limited by their backwardness. Their backwardness is due to the fact that Muslims rejected Western civilization because it was in contrast with the Eastern oriental civilization. The fact that Muslims are bitterly divided in Buganda has also contributed to their backwardness. Thus, the Muslim Community in Buganda is associated with the urban poor. The Christians in Buganda still dominate the political and economic life of Buganda. The Muslims still have a long way to go before catching up with other religious groups in social g political and economic aspects of life. If the present state of the Muslim community continues to exist, Islam in Uganda will be destroyed. If Islam is to survive in Uganda it should try to move with the changing world by accommodating new changes without losing its essence. The National Association for the Advancement of Muslims is a movement which was founded, by Young Muslims in an attempt to establish, a body equivalent to Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A., to improve the welfare of the Muslim Community not only in Buganda but also in the whole of Uganda. As demonstrated in this dissertation, this objective clearly emerges when we examine the aims of NAAM. NAAM has largely failed to fulfil its objectives because they were utopian. Secondly NAAM used force instead of religious, peaceful and persuasive methods to fulfil its aims. But perhaps the major weakness is that NAAM was used by politicians as a religious arm the Uganda People’s Congress. For this reason, HAAM encountered, strong opposition from those who were against the northern leaders, for example the Baganda and the 'Bantu Group,' from the rest of the former kingdoms. Consequently, NAAM wasted its resources in attempting to suppress this opposition. Though young NAAM has had considerable effect on the Muslim community. It has not only initiated the development of the Muslim community but also created opposition which undermined Obote's Government. With Obote and UK out of power, it remains to be seen whether NAAM will concentrate on carrying out the religious objectives, instead of being a political party in disguise. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether NAAM will continue to exist now that its political supporters are out of power.