The news that one of Uganda’s top musician, Jose Chameleon, has converted to Islam, has been received with mixed emotions among Ugandans. It has received more reaction than when former vice president, Dr.Specioza Kazibwe, Jeje Odongo, and others converted to Islam. Jose is now called Gaddafi Chameleon. One Ugandan based in London called Richard Mukasa wrote on Ugandans at heart forum after receiving this news:’’ Religion is a kind of technology or invention which has been used to spellbind and captivate the minds of African people. As such, African people have been made to be dependent on the thinking and creativity of Arabs and Europeans.’’
There are a lot of people that feel like him about religion because of either what is happening around the world or their past experiences. For example, I met a guy here in the UK and he was from Zimbabwe who told me almost the same stuff as Mr.Mukasa wrote, and for him he is devoted to our traditional African religion rather than the bible or the Quran. Personally, I thought he’s just doing this as a peaceful demonstration against the whites in his country- because he is a pro-Mugabe guy.
But let’s put these Ibrahimic religions (Islam, Buddhism, Protestantism, e.t.c) into a perspective. In Islam, for instance, there are a lot of things you read in the Quran and you just wonder how an illiterate man in Muhammad (SAW) would have made them up. Let me give you an example of stem-cell and embryo research that has become an issue in Christian dominated countries yet it is ok in Islamic countries such as Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia and elsewhere. The reason why Muslims are not resistant to this kind of research is because of the Islamic medical ethics and some verses that were revealed in the Quran during the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
In Arabic, embryo is called janin, pl. ajinna. This is also the word for a fetus developing in the womb. The Quran identifies four stages of the development of the embryo. The first is called nutfa [a drop of seed or sperm—the zygote] and lasts 40 days; the second is called ‘alaqa [a blood clot], and this lasts an additional 40 days; and the third is called mudgha [a piece of flesh], which also lasts 40 days. After 120 days, the fetus legally becomes a human being and this is where issues of abortion come in. These things are in the Quran yet Muhammad was an illiterate man (he could not read and write). I first learnt of these stages when I was doing my O’ level biology at Kibuli S.S in Kampala but when I later opened to teach myself some bits of the Quran, I found some of this stuff there. It was not in details as the stuff we learnt in biology but it was a revelation to me. It just strengthened my faith in Islam a bit more.
Scientists are making headway in embryo research to discover cures for hereditary diseases, cancer, AIDS, Pankison’s, e.t.c. and word on street is that they are consulting this book called the Quran on a regular basis.
So why would some people think that because Islam was brought to Uganda by some Arab slave traders, it does not mean anything more than the African traditional religions we had before? It has got to mean something to a lot of people who are not Arabs and that is why it has got over a billion followers all over the world. The same goes with Christianity and other religions. Christianity came after Islam in Uganda and it was spread by Christian missionaries.
In any case, when those Arabs and missionaries first came to Buganda, they also brought some other things with them, like watches, coats ( koti), Padlocks( kufuru in Arabic and Baganda now call them Kufulu), and we have all come to fully adopt them. We are not complaining as we do with their religion. It is only the Karamajongo in Uganda who have decided to continue putting on ‘’Adam and Eve’s suites even during the day. At least, we would have called them ‘night dancers, if they only did it during the night but they do it any time to make a strong point.
Please, let’s pick up the good points in these Ibrahimic religions and probably embrace one. Like Napoleon Bonaparte said: ” a state without religion is like a ship without a compass”. Religion gives people a sense of direction.
I think religion, the way I understand it, has always been part of mankind though in a different format. Men have always believed in something supernatural, and that is why some of them used to worship trees.
In Buganda, people had their own religions before the ‘religions of the book’. Islam was the first Ibrahimic religion to come to Buganda that later became Uganda. The first recorded visit by an Arab trader to Buganda was in 1844, by Shaykh Ahmed ibn Ibrahim, a Wahabite who related the events of his visit to Emin Pasha, the extraordinary German Muslim governor of Equatorial province in the Sudan in 1876. It was during the reign of Mutesa 1. Mutesa converted to Islam but still kept his ‘jaja Mukasas’ on the side, a reason that explains why he again later dropped Islam for catholism.
In Saudi Arabia or Middle East where prophet Muhamad hailed from, they also had their own religions before Islam.
I think what is disturbing Africans at the moment is the dominance of the western civilization over ours yet it is claimed civilization started from Africa. But then again, what is civilization or modernization? On the surface, it looks like western civilization has taken over the world including in the Asia countries such as Japan and China that resisted it initially. So, Africans are now trying to rediscover themselves, hence, having these kinds of discussions. But overall, I congratulate Jose Chameleon for embracing Islam. Hope others see the light and follow him.
Jose Chameleon at Kibuli Mosque yesterday
There are a lot of people that feel like him about religion because of either what is happening around the world or their past experiences. For example, I met a guy here in the UK and he was from Zimbabwe who told me almost the same stuff as Mr.Mukasa wrote, and for him he is devoted to our traditional African religion rather than the bible or the Quran. Personally, I thought he’s just doing this as a peaceful demonstration against the whites in his country- because he is a pro-Mugabe guy.
Jose Chameleon interacting with fellow Muslims
In Arabic, embryo is called janin, pl. ajinna. This is also the word for a fetus developing in the womb. The Quran identifies four stages of the development of the embryo. The first is called nutfa [a drop of seed or sperm—the zygote] and lasts 40 days; the second is called ‘alaqa [a blood clot], and this lasts an additional 40 days; and the third is called mudgha [a piece of flesh], which also lasts 40 days. After 120 days, the fetus legally becomes a human being and this is where issues of abortion come in. These things are in the Quran yet Muhammad was an illiterate man (he could not read and write). I first learnt of these stages when I was doing my O’ level biology at Kibuli S.S in Kampala but when I later opened to teach myself some bits of the Quran, I found some of this stuff there. It was not in details as the stuff we learnt in biology but it was a revelation to me. It just strengthened my faith in Islam a bit more.
Scientists are making headway in embryo research to discover cures for hereditary diseases, cancer, AIDS, Pankison’s, e.t.c. and word on street is that they are consulting this book called the Quran on a regular basis.
So why would some people think that because Islam was brought to Uganda by some Arab slave traders, it does not mean anything more than the African traditional religions we had before? It has got to mean something to a lot of people who are not Arabs and that is why it has got over a billion followers all over the world. The same goes with Christianity and other religions. Christianity came after Islam in Uganda and it was spread by Christian missionaries.
In any case, when those Arabs and missionaries first came to Buganda, they also brought some other things with them, like watches, coats ( koti), Padlocks( kufuru in Arabic and Baganda now call them Kufulu), and we have all come to fully adopt them. We are not complaining as we do with their religion. It is only the Karamajongo in Uganda who have decided to continue putting on ‘’Adam and Eve’s suites even during the day. At least, we would have called them ‘night dancers, if they only did it during the night but they do it any time to make a strong point.
Please, let’s pick up the good points in these Ibrahimic religions and probably embrace one. Like Napoleon Bonaparte said: ” a state without religion is like a ship without a compass”. Religion gives people a sense of direction.
I think religion, the way I understand it, has always been part of mankind though in a different format. Men have always believed in something supernatural, and that is why some of them used to worship trees.
In Buganda, people had their own religions before the ‘religions of the book’. Islam was the first Ibrahimic religion to come to Buganda that later became Uganda. The first recorded visit by an Arab trader to Buganda was in 1844, by Shaykh Ahmed ibn Ibrahim, a Wahabite who related the events of his visit to Emin Pasha, the extraordinary German Muslim governor of Equatorial province in the Sudan in 1876. It was during the reign of Mutesa 1. Mutesa converted to Islam but still kept his ‘jaja Mukasas’ on the side, a reason that explains why he again later dropped Islam for catholism.
In Saudi Arabia or Middle East where prophet Muhamad hailed from, they also had their own religions before Islam.
I think what is disturbing Africans at the moment is the dominance of the western civilization over ours yet it is claimed civilization started from Africa. But then again, what is civilization or modernization? On the surface, it looks like western civilization has taken over the world including in the Asia countries such as Japan and China that resisted it initially. So, Africans are now trying to rediscover themselves, hence, having these kinds of discussions. But overall, I congratulate Jose Chameleon for embracing Islam. Hope others see the light and follow him.
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