Moving around in Kampala veiled in a hijab causes a lot of suspicion and discomfort among other people. So many people believe that Islam is responsible for the bombs that went off in Kampala on 11th july leaving over 80 people dead.
Considering that the terrorists who claimed responsibility for the bombings are radical Islamic extremists, most people cannot help but:
– call muslims terrorists
– hate muslims or anyone wearing the hijab
– think of revenge for their lost lives of their loved ones.
To quote a muslim lady wearing a hijab, from the observer:
The next day, a taxi conductor told me: “Hajjati, they refused you to cover your heads; you might carry bombs underneath.” I kept quiet but was silently hurting about the new stereotype.
Most people are still living in shock. Very few people could ever think that the ugly pictures of suicide bombers killing people in thousands could inside be happening in Kampala.
We need tolerance for each other. Certainly, the bombs could have been planted by anybody of any other religion. In-fighting is not what we need now. The foe (al shabaab) is keen on inflicting more pain. We need to unite to defeat them rather than start fighting our own flesh and blood.
