KENYA- In July 2015, US President Barrack Obama made his visit to Kenya and there were a plethora of issues that ordinary Kenyans felt should have been addressed.One of the issues was the fact that the same location that Obama was scheduled to be welcomed and celebrated was the same location that was used as a concentration camp for Somalis in 2014.The other issue was the fact that some Kenyans felt neglected by the devastating effects of the August 7th 1998 US Embassy bombing that left approximately 200 people dead.

 

These issues had one common denominator and that was the involvement of Muslims.

 

During the 2009 census, The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics logged approximately 11 percent of the Kenyan population was made up of Muslims.These men and women have been the driving forces of various economic ventures in Kenya but they have also been faced with a greater challenge.They have been challenged with the task of constantly trying to prove to the world that their Islam is not the Islam that is often portrayed in mainstream media.Media that has been plagued by ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram.Most of all, however, these people affected are not only identified by the cluster of Islam they belong to but are individuals as well.

 

The social and religious pressures that are faced by Kenyan Muslims can cause a greater economic challenge for the country.

 

Twenty-one-year-old student, Iman N., said, “When Kenya decided to make Kasarani a concentration camp for Somalis it was a problem because Somalis stopped investing in everything and that sets back the entire economy.”

 

More so, Kenya’s most saturated wholesale and retail commercial center, Eastleigh, is mainly populated by Somalis who drive much of Kenya’s economy.

 

In April 2014, the Kenyan government began rounding up undocumented Somalis and holding them up in jail cells, the Kasarani concentration camp and even deporting hundreds back to Somalia as a result of the terrorist attacks that had been happening in Kenya.

 

“I want to educate those people who think Islam is about terrorism and such,” Nimco*, another Kenyan Muslim said.

“I want to educate them and tell them that Islam is not about discrimination and it’s not about terrorism and it’s not about hate and it’s peaceful.”

 

Nimco, a devout Muslim woman, mentioned her frustration at the way Muslim stories are covered in the news.

 

“When there are attacks in New York and Paris, it’s trending but when a Muslim person is killed it’s not trending because they feel like Muslims deserve it,” she said.

 

Kenya’s response to the terror attacks carried out by Islamist militants was greatly deplored by the Human Rights Watch, which found that on April 2, 2014, the government had arrested and detained approximately 4,000 Muslims for background screening.

 

On the other hand, Muslims like Iman have felt that within the past 2 years a safe space has been created for her to thrive in. However, under the luxury of a few extra Kenyan shillings.

 

“Institutions feel like a free and fair space to thrive for me, but I also go to a private university so people are more understanding,” she said.

 

Iman mentioned that she had personally not felt discriminated against but there are times when she has had to undergo extensive security checks during frisking.She said despite those few encounters, she feels as though Kenya has been making progress. “People have pretty much gotten the idea of what Muslims in Kenya are because of all the advertisements that were going on TV telling people terrorists are not the true depiction of what Muslims are,” she said.

 

Organizations currently exist to help in the peaceful cohabitation of various religious groups. The Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) was formed as part of an initiative to “mobilize the unique moral and social resources of religious people and address shared concerns.” Its mission statement advocates tolerance and understanding and social economic advancement for all religions.

 

Other groups have also been created with the purpose of advancing a group of people within Islam and that is its women.

 

“Islam values women so much, Nimco said.

“She’s such an important factor that we even have a whole chapter in the Quran that talks about the woman.”

 

She added that the faith recognizes women’s rights because they are a core of the

Islam society and teachers of the next generation.

 

Sisters without Borders is an organization founded with the purpose of educating young women on true Islam and the prevention of violent extremism. According to their website, its chairwoman, Ms. Fauziya Abdi Ali has been credited for her involvement in counterterrorism efforts, peace building, conflict transformation and good governance in conflict settings.

 

Both Nimco and Iman emphasized that true Islam preached peace and non-discrimination. Therefore, they both found it unsettling that during terror attacks, the extremists discriminated against non-Muslim people.

 

In late 2015, news broke about a group of Muslims who had shielded Christians in a bus they were all riding in from a terrorist group that was aiming to kill non-Muslims.

 

Kenya has made some progress, albeit slow, when it comes to the treatment of Muslims since the country’s conflict with Somalia reached its height in 2013, but is it enough or does more work need to be done in educating people on the effects of violent extremism and when to differentiate it from true Islam?

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*Nimco is a nickname provided by the source for privacy purposes