Duale faults Chief Kadhi over Idd ul Adha celebration day

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale. He has criticized the Chief Kadhi for his contradictory remarks on when the Idd ul Adha holiday is to be celebrated. (Courtesy)

NAIROBI—National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has faulted the Chief Kadhi for his contradictory remarks on when the Idd ul Adha holiday is to be celebrated.

Duale has threatened to petition the Judicial Service Commission to take disciplinary action against Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Muhdhar, who asked Muslim faithfuls in Kenya to celebrate Idd on Wednesday, August 22.

“Chief Kadhi is out of order and should not fault Cabinet Secretary Matiang’i on Idd ul Adha holiday date. This will divide Muslims,” wrote Mr Duale on his twitter handle.

He stated that the Constitution does not mandate the Chief Kadhi  to declare any public holiday, maintaining Idd ul Hajj should be marked on Tuesday.

The Majority Leader noted that the remarks by Muhdhar, showed that he was either not well conversant with the teachings on the holiday or he was simply abusing his office.

“The Hajj will take place for five days from August the 19th – 24th. The second day of the pilgrimage is known as the “Day of Arafat” and it comes before “Eid Ul Adha”. The second Eid celebrations in Islamic calendar thus Monday is “Yammul Arafat” and Tuesday is “Eid ul Adha,”  he wrote.

Dr. Matiang’i on Friday, through a gazette notice, declared Tuesday, August 21 a public holiday.

Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Muhdhar in a past event.(Courtesy)

However, on Saturday, the Chief Kadhi said Matiang’i went against his advice that the celebrations be marked on Wednesday.

“I wrote to him before the announcement indicating that Muslims would celebrate Idd on Wednesday but he went ahead to declare Tuesday as the public holiday,” Muhdhar told journalists.

“Those who will pray on Tuesday are following Saudi Arabia time. We are supposed however to follow local time and sightings,” he added.

This debate on whether Idd ul Adha should be marked on Tuesday or Wednesday in Kenya has elicited mixed reactions with Muslim faithfuls engaging in vicious battles online.

Eid Ul Adha is the day following the day the pilgrims spend at Mt Arafat.

It is an event dependent Eid.

It is not decided at Chief Khadi's office.

Id Ul Adha is for the Hajjis. We celebrate with them.

It is TUESDAY.

— Mohamed Wehliye (@WehliyeMohamed) August 19, 2018

who are you to interfere with chief khadis decision,mind your tongue keep off this is not politic.

— suleiman Dube (@DubeSuleiman) August 19, 2018

This is not the first time controversy has arose concerning Idd celebrations.

Last year, a section of Muslims defied the chief Kadhi and marked the end of the holy month of Ramadhan on a Friday despite him announcing Saturday as the end of Ramadhan.

More than two million Muslims from around the globe on Sunday started the hajj pilgrimage at Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest annual gatherings.