Why The Muslim Cleric, Sheikh Abdullah Faisal is Persona-non-grata in Kenya

So why is Sheikh Faisal persona -non -grata in Kenya?

According to the Daily Nation Report, Abdullah- Faisal was born Trevor William Forrest in St James Jamaica. His parents were Salvation Army officers and he was raised a Christian.   At age 16 years he went to Saudi Arabia where he became a Muslim and spent 8 years studying Islam at Madina University. Later he took a degree in Islamic studies in Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia before going to the UK.

It is reported that Sheikh Faisal was deported from the UK in 2007.  He had lived in the UK for 20 years and was jailed in 2003 and served 7 years for preaching that “Muslims ought to kill Americans, Hindus and Jews”. The sheikh’s radical teachings were exposed during his trial in the UK. According to a report by the Daily Nation, Sheikh Faisal tape recordings of his lecture were sold at specialist bookshops. It was these tapes that formed the basis of the prosecution’s case against him. “Throughout the trial he denied he had intended to incite people to violence. Instead he argued his talks came from the Koran and if he was on trial so was the holy text.”

The sheikh arguements for Jihad

Apparently when he arrived in his native country of Jamaica after being deported from the UK, “the Islamic Council of Jamaica banned him from preaching in its mosques” a local paper reported. The Kenyan government was concerned by Sheikh Faisal record of violence and alarmed by how he had entered the country. The minister in charge of immigration and internal security said “We are walking a tight rope here…we have been attacked by terrorists and it is only right if we seriously defend our borders. We will be doing so without violating our security,” said Mr. Kajwang.

The cleric stayed in Kenya for two days after the deportation order was made because no airline was willing to accept him as a passenger. The government would have wished to deport him to his native country of Jamaica but “We could not find an airline to ferry him straight to his home country,” said the minster for immigration and internal Security. “The only way possible could have been through the US, but the country has already made its position over the matter known – they don’t want him there.” According to the minster the sheikh was deported to Banjul, Gambia on his request and because the government of Gambia had no problem with him being there.

These are tough times we are living in and we all most be alert without being alarming. Eventually we are all in this war and we must stand for the truth and not defend the defenseless. We must respect all without comprising others.