WAKISO – The Special Envoy for Special Duties in the Office of the President, Amb. Dr Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, has praised government for creating room for Islamic institutions to run their religious programmes without interference, saying this freedom should not be taken for granted.
Dr. Ssemuddu was speaking at Bilal Islamic Institute in Kakiri, Wakiso District, during the school’s 55th annual Hafla, a graduation and cultural ceremony that has become a fixture on the institute’s calendar, pulling in religious leaders, alumni, parents and well-wishers each year.
He told the gathering that Uganda’s legal and regulatory environment had allowed faith-based schools to teach their curriculum freely, a situation he said was not guaranteed everywhere in the world.
“This freedom is both a blessing and a responsibility. It is not everywhere in the world. Therefore, we shouldn’t take it for granted,” Dr. Ssemudu told gathered guests, students, and parents.
He also challenged graduates and other beneficiaries of Islamic education to use their conduct to prove that religious grounding builds responsible citizens who remain loyal to the country while committed to peace and national unity.
“It is our duty as products of these Islamic institutions to demonstrate through words and actions that sound religious education produces responsible citizens—people who are proud of their faith, loyal to their country, and committed to peace, development, peaceful coexistence, and national unity,” he said.
Turning to parents, Dr Ssemudu described investment in Islamic education at institutions such as Bilal as worthwhile, arguing that the guidance children receive there carries benefits beyond this life.
More than 150 graduands received certificates across various disciplines at this year’s ceremony, which also recognised achievements in Quranic memorisation and cultural heritage.
Former ambassador Mohammad Ahmed Kisuule was honoured for his service to the institute, while Dr Ssemudu himself received an award as an alumnus whose achievements on the global stage have brought recognition to the school and the wider Muslim community.
