Islam and Politics in Kenya

Since independence there is widespread grievance among Kenyan Muslims who feel that the mainly Christian regime treats them as second-class citizens and discriminates against them economically and politically. The government, for its part, has fears that the influence of some foreign and local radical Muslims could disrupt peace and security in Kenya. The 1992-1994 Muslim disturbances along the coast, the twin bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam in 1998, and the recent bombing of a tourist hotel in Mombasa for which al-Qacida has claimed responsibility intensify these fears. Nevertheless the vast majority of Kenyan Muslims are moderate, reject violent extremism, and work to achieve equal rights by peaceful means