Kenyan Mosque demands apology from UN

Written By:KBC Reporter,    Posted: Sun, Jul 31, 2011

Balala has dismissed the report saying that he does not approve the activities of the militia group. A section of Muslim leaders have hit out on the United Nations following its report linking Cabinet Minister Najib Balala with the financing of Alshabaab activities. The Pumwani Mosque officials want UN to apologize to the minister saying that the allegation were unfounded and meant to tarnish his name. Led by Pumwani mosque elder Maalim Hassan, they dismissed claims by the UN that the Pumwani mosque was the nerve centre of the militia group's activities. The report named Balala and Nominated Mp Amina Abdalla as some of the Kenyans funding the militia group activities. Balala has dismissed the report saying that he does not approve the activities of the militia group. On Saturday, Balala confirmed donating some money for the Pumwani Mosque project, but said that was all the money was meant for. Balala is accusing the UN of not carrying out quality investigations before naming him in the list of Kenyans whose donations have been funneled to the al Shabaab movement. According to the monitoring group's report to the UN Security Council, Balala's contribution given to the Pumwani Mosque reconstruction fundraising event was deposited in a Habib Bank account, operated by al Shabaab's point man in Nairobi Ahmad Imam and other Muslim youth centre members. Balala says the UN failed in its investigations since no one ever quizzed him about that particular contribution towards the Pumwani Mosque project. He has vowed to continue supporting Muslim projects and accused the UN of trying to intimidate leaders from extending their support to Somali Muslims. The al Shabaab militia group has been linked to the al Qaeda terror network and has been battling the African Union backed transitional federal government of Somalia for control.