Not for the first time we find ourselves in a position where we have no choice but to point out the extent to which mainstream Muslims need to work harder at convincing us the non-Muslims, especially in countries like Botswana ÔÇô where the religion is less understood ÔÇô that Islam is a religion of peace.
We find ourselves once again calling on the moderate Muslims to take leadership in pointing out that true Islam does not share any direct or close ideological ties with the kind of Islamic brand practiced by people who almost on a daily basis harm others, including their own, who they view as neither pure nor authentic enough in their adherence of their same religion.
Moderate Muslims have a big role to play in Botswana because even the most elementary principles of Islam are not familiar to many of our citizens.
The biggest contact that our citizens have with Muslims is when Batswana are servants like working in the gardens and shops of the Muslims.
Other than that, many of us only see Muslims as a secluded but excessively rich community that is doing itself to stay as detached as possible from the mainstream society.
This community does not often marry outside and any attempts by indigenous Batswana to marry within it are often mutely but aggressively discouraged.
Without publicly saying it, this community, at least in Botswana promotes exclusivism through its unfounded claims to non-existent monotheism.
In short, the Muslim community in Botswana is doing as much as possible to stay pure, whatever that means.
While the world over especially where Islam is dominant it is well known that there is no homogeneity within the Muslim faith ÔÇô which like many other religions has sects, sub-sects and even sub cultural nuisances within, in Botswana the Muslim leaders, especially in their treatment of indigenous citizens have a tendency to depict their faith as homogenous and even united ÔÇô which is of course a fallacy
Broadly speaking, Islam is divided into two main branches; the Sunni and Shiite. These two branches are famous for their contempt and open hatred for one another.
However these are by no means the only brands of Islam.
Even within them, the two have smaller strands that further define internal differences.
If you take the Sunnis for example there is Wahhabi Islam, practiced mainly in Saudi Arabia, which regards itself as the cradle of Islam. Then there is the Muslim Brotherhood.
Then there is Turkic Islam and Sufi Islam, to name but a few.
It is important to highlight the fact that in trying to justify their depraved ideologies to the world, both Isis and al-Qaeda have each made claims to being the real representatives of Sunni Islam.
Muslim Brotherhood has made similar claims.
Just where then do we as non-Muslims draw a line separating Saudi Arabia from Al-Qaeda or better still from Isis and their Salafist characteristics?
It is by no means an easy task, especially if we are not hand held by local mainstream Muslims leaders. That can only happen if such leaders do not talk at us from a high-minded, prejudiced, self-righteous and moralizing point of view, but if they try to engage us as equals, at least if not in their eyes, then in the eyes of the creator ÔÇô by whatever name they might choose to call Him.
It is saddening that any attempts from indigenous Batswana, many of who are non-Muslims to engage the other side are always met with rebuffs that are at best self-defensive and at worst outright patronizing, if not rude, or in some instances potentially racist.
It is important to be honest in pointing out that this comment has been informed by unfolding events in Florida, the United States where this week an extremist ideologue swearing allegiances to Isis killed fifty people in a night club.
The mass murders were clearly informed by homophobia, given that the night club was known to be frequented by the LGBT people.
We wait to hear what the reaction of mainstream Muslim leaders in Botswana will be.
If they do not condemn this, or choose to condemn it with caveats as they normally do with similar previous tragedies, then a golden opportunity will be missed to use the moderate voice to fight extremism, but most importantly to teach indigenous Batswana just what Islam stands for.
