Rwanda’s Mufti, Sheikh Saleh Habimana, has urged survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to overcome trauma, saying that it is a sign of weakness that is attributed to the devil. Speaking to The New Times yesterday, Sheikh Saleh said that commemorating and remembering the innocent people who lost their lives in the Genocide is part and parcel of the daily life of Rwandans. “We should be able to understand how much trauma continues to affect the day-to-day life of the survivors to the extent of affecting their personal relationship with others,” he said. “It is our responsibility as religious leaders and the whole community to give moral support to the survivors towards overcoming trauma”. The head of the Muslim community called upon the general public to wipe the tears of survivors and comfort them during these difficult days. “Some of them have not recovered from the trauma yet, they feel helpless, vulnerable and humiliated or under constant mockery,” Sheikh Habimana said. “I call upon the Muslim community and Rwandans in general, to act together and restore hope to those Genocide survivors”. Ends
