As the world watches in near silence as Israel kills Palestinians, a Kenyan Sheikh Aboud Rogo must be turning in his grave, walking the gardens of Jannah in disappointment.
That Sheikh Aboud Rogo, a courageous imam born in 1968 in Siyu village on Pate Island, Lamu. He later became America’s greatest nightmare due to his powerful and fiery sermons.
Aboud Rogo’s journey as an imam began at Kisauni Islamic Institute. Despite dropping out due to financial challenges, it was at this institution that he solidified his faith as a Muslim.
This allowed him to serve as an imam at a local mosque while also managing the fish business he had started to support himself. However, unlike most imams, he stood out as different.
He was different in that he was not only interested in religion but also in politics. This political awareness was instilled in him by his teacher, Sheikh Abdul Rimo, who was charged in 1990 for calling for the overthrow of the government.
The arrest of his teacher prompted him to join the Islamic Party of Kenya as a youth activist, and in 1992, he contested for a councillor seat, though he was unsuccessful.
However, this defeat only pushed his political ideologies from campaign podiums to the mosque pulpit, where he realized he was unbeatable.
He delivered radical sermons, envisioning a world ruled solely by Muslims. This ideology led him to form connections with terrorists, including Fazul Mohammed, who was involved in planning the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Nairobi and Tanzania.
Sheikh Aboud Rogo assisted Fazul in obtaining a Kenyan wife, and on November 28, 2002, Fazul orchestrated two attacks against Israel in Kenya. One of the attacks targeted the Kikambala Paradise Hotel, where he used suicide bombers and car bombs, killing 15 people.
The second attack targeted an Israeli charter plane, an Arkia Boeing 757-300, which was struck by surface-to-air missiles. Fortunately, the missiles missed their target, sparing the lives of over 200 passengers on board.
These events thrust Aboud Rogo into the spotlight after he was charged with murder in connection to the bombings in 2003. Along with others, he faced 13 counts of murder, with no plea deal offered in that year.
After spending over two years in Kamiti prison, Rogo and the others were released on June 9, 2005, when the prosecution failed to prove any connection to the suicide bombers. Rogo walked out with his head held high.
After his release, Sheikh Aboud Rogo returned to his role as an imam, preaching the word of Allah. He criticized the form of Islam practiced in Kenya, calling it a mockery, and urged Muslims to return to the true practices of their original faith.
In addition, he expressed intense hatred towards Americans and their government, viewing them as the greatest enemies of Muslims and their faith.
He echoed these sentiments in his sermons, harshly criticizing the government for taxing Kenyans. He advocated for people to move to Somalia, where he claimed life was more bearable.
When the government extradited Kenyans suspected of being behind the July 2010 Kampala twin bombings, which killed over 70 World Cup viewers, Rogo criticized the move as an act of cowardice.
When President Kibaki announced Operation Linda Nchi in October 2011, sending Kenyan troops into Somalia, Aboud Rogo seized the opportunity to rally support. He called on Kenyan Muslims to assist al-Shabaab, claiming they needed help.
He urged them not to listen to government propaganda about al-Shabaab, while describing how the terrorists would treat them with respect and welcome once they arrived in Somalia.
He also urged young men not to listen to other sheikhs who criticized him for misleading the youth, insisting that they were opposed to his interpretation of jihad and did not share his beliefs.
However, on January 29, 2012, Aboud Rogo was arrested at his Kikambala home while in possession of hand grenades and explosive materials. This arrest confirmed his role as an al-Shabaab recruiter, a connection that was reported by the media weeks later.
Furthermore, his sermons led the U.S. government to sanction him and two of his allies for being al-Shabaab sympathizers. Weeks later, the UN Security Council added him to the list of individuals suspected of supporting al-Shabaab.
That was the final nail in his coffin, and he knew it. In his last sermons, he warned his followers about his impending death, as he understood the government was now after him with full force.
True to his prediction, on August 27, 2012, Aboud Sheikh Aboud Rogo was killed in a near-perfect drive-by shooting. The news of his death quickly spread, making headlines on international media sites.
However in Mombasa his death sparked protests by youth who were his ardent followers at Masjid Mussa. They torched a church & vehicles in protest of his extra-judicial death.
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