Kenya: State May Shut Down Mombasa Mosque

The government yesterday said it was considering shutting down two mosques in Mombasa following Sunday's clash between Muslim youth and police.
Muslim leaders yesterday claimed that five were killed in the violence, not two as reported by the police. They accused police of using excessive force to arrest the youth who were allegedly holding jihad classes.
Uneasy calm returned to most parts of Mombasa yesterday, except for sporadic violence in a few areas such as Majengo, Guraya and Gulshan in the morning.
Yesterday 125 youth who were arrested on Sunday were arraigned in court and were remanded until February 7 to allow police to complete their investigations.
Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa chaired a stormy meeting at the Kenya Wildlife Service offices in Mombasa attended by the regional police commander, religious leaders, and political leaders.
He said the government may shut down the Masjid Musa and Masjid Sakina mosques which have been associated with extremist preaching and al Shabaab recruitment.
Tempers flared. Some leaders condemned police for using "excessive force to deal with children" as those arrested were mostly under 17 years. They were also angered by the application to hold the youths for five days during investigations.
At one point, Mombasa deputy governor Hazel Katana walked out of the KWS boardroom looking stressed as she walked around to cool off.
According to the police, the arrested youths were suspected al Shabaab members and were recruiting at the Masjid Musa mosque.
The youths, some as young as 10 years, appeared before senior principal magistrate James Omburah under heavy armed escort.
Prosecutor Peter Githoge told the magistrate that four other suspects were being treated at hospitals in Mombasa for injuries sustained during the protest. A total of 14 youths received gunshot injuries when police storm the mosque on Sunday.
Hundreds of anxious parents who thronged the Shanzu court but were barred at the gate under orders from the Mombasa county police commander Robert Kitur.