Kenya's Jihadi Clerics: Formulation of a “Liberation Theology” and the Challenge to Secular Power

Abstract

The political reforms of 1990s in Kenya provided extremist Muslim activists the prospect to articulate a political vision that runs counter to the secular principle of plural co-existence. The liberalization of the political space led to the democratization of religious decree-issuing process, thereby undermining the credibility of “moderate” Muslim leaders in interpreting Islamic texts. The paper's central argument is that the articulation of jihadi ideology is a deliberate recourse by sections of Muslims in Kenya to formulate their political discourse in religious terms. This trend has granted the country's Muslims the choice to pick between Islamic and secular ideologies with the former being espoused by the jihadists. Through their activities and sermons, the jihadists have criticized the idea of a secular state by issuing fatwas that completely disregard religious mutual co-existence. This study traces the intellectual genesis and the ultimate growth of the jihadi ideology in the country to a prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Abdulaziz Rimo whose efforts ushered in a new way of addressing political issues amongst Kenyan Muslims. It is concluded that this scenario draws impetus from the jihadists’ framing of the Muslims’ grievances along religious lines and thereby apply religion to “solve” political problems.