JAMILA’S MEMO: Stop politics at Iftar!

Tonight is the 21st night of the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan. One of five nights during the last 10 days of Ramadhan where Muslims wait for the night of power, laitalul qadr. Muslims across the world wait a whole year for this night.

Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset to worship and be close to the Almighty. After a whole day of fasting, Muslims congregate in their homes, mosques, with friends and family and with the needy to break their fast together. People fast for the sake of God. And break their fast for the sake of the Almighty. But I am concerned, even disturbed, about the heavy politicisation of Iftar. A battle for pictures and images has broken out and the scramble for the breaking of the fast has become a whole new political chase game.

Politicians donning the white Islamic garb, kanzu and matching caps, are either hosting or joining the nearest gathering of breaking the fast. What arose my suspicion and necessitated this otherwise reluctant memo is the frenzy with which the politicians’ public relations teams and communications spin doctors have churned out photos of Iftar. And the photos are not random. They don’t tell you who else broke the fast on that night. But for sure the photos are a roll call of politicians in attendance. It’s not hard to see through this imagery battle.  It is very easy to see 2022 written all over those caps and all those photographs.

From the president hosting Iftar in State House, Nairobi, to ODM leader Raila Odinga attending one in Mombasa and on to the Karen breaking of the fast hosted by DP William Ruto, I smell more politics and less Ramadhan. As a Muslim, I have an inner understanding of the motions of Ramadhan. Breaking the fast for example is a solemn moment. It is the hour that marks an important accomplishment of one more day of the fast and prayer; ibadah. It is a religious moment; when we break the fast we say, dhahabal dhama wabtalatil urooq wa thabatil ajru in shaa allah. Meaning, the thirst is gone, the veins are moistened and the reward is certain if Allah wills it. Allahuma lakka samtu wa ala rizqika aftartu. Oh Allah for you I have fasted and upon your provision I have broken my fast. It is a solemn, religious moment.

Across ages, every Muslim knows that the object of Ramadhan is fasting and prayer for the sake of Allah (swt). But you see, we are Kenyans and here on this memo and in deed the larger News Gang desk, we have lamented the apparent end of limits in Kenya. The death of restrain and measure. The contempt for brakes and check points. We have lamented repeatedly and I do here tonight, the resurgent era of anything goes. The political photography attending Iftar, is the latest illustration of this trend we keep lamenting about.

Not long ago we lamented the take-over of the pulpit by politicians in Christian churches. This take-over is being main streamed in media. Where coverage of church services is now listed as political assignments.

Through political Iftar, the mosque is slowly joining this unfortunate trend. Politicians may don the white kanzus but the point is just to blend in while retaining the end message which is politics. It’s no wonder predictable speculation always greets emergence of such Iftar photos. Questions arise for example is a new political formulation in the corner? Why is politician so and so asking about so and so? Or has politician A shifted allegiance to politician D? This speculation is all well and good, except it must not be associated with such a solemn undertaking as is breaking of the fast.

Politics can break all the rules, but politics must not break the rules of Iftar. And that is my memo!