NOT CHILD TRAFFICKING, BUT RELIGIOUS INDOCTRINATION

Maputo, 31 Jan (AIM) – The Mozambican police have detained seven people in connection with the alleged abduction of 40 children.

The children are from the northern provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado, and the central province of Zambezia. The truck carrying them to the south was seized by the police on Monday, after one child escaped and denounced the alleged kidnapping. It was feared that the children had fallen into the hands of child traffickers.

However, those arrested, according to a report on Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", include not only the driver of the truck, but three Moslem leaders, Abdula Garcia, Amade Mussa Bilaule and Amade Rachid Alfane, who run a madrassa (koranic school) in Nampula city.

They told "Noticias" that the children had not been kidnapped and were being taken to continue their religious studies in other madrassas in the western city of Tete, and in Maputo and the adjoining city of Matola. The two girls in the group, they claimed, were going to Catembe College in Maputo, an Islamic institution set up for female students of the Koran.

.The three madrassa officials declared "we took the children with the consent of their parents, in order that they could be trained to memorise the Koran".

Furthermore, the parents had put this in writing, and had paid for the journey and for the children's meals. The three said that a list of the children had been issued by the Department of Religious Affairs of the Nampula provincial registry office.

They demanded that the police contact Sheik Aminuddin Mohamad, director of the Matola madrassa (and chairperson of the Islamic Council of Mozambique), and an imam of the Tete madrassa, since "these are the people who would have received the children, and channel them to the Islamic colleges to learn the Koran".

They suggested that the police contact the parents of the children who would confirm that they are innocent of the crimes of trafficking or kidnapping.

From the interviews a "Noticias" correspondent undertook with three of the children, who are being looked after in the Manica provincial orphanage, the madrassa officials appear to be telling the truth. The children all said their parents had authorized them to travel to Maputo or Tete to study the Islamic religion, and had paid for the journey and their meals.

The independent newsheet "Mediafax" contacted Sheik Aminuddin, who said he had been out of the country and knew nothing about this group of children.

It added that brigades of the Criminal Investigation Police (PIC) who worked with the children concluded that the parents had indeed "authorized the children to be taken by this group of Moslem leaders".

The head of public relations in the Manica Provincial Police Command, Pedro Gemusse, said "Some parents explained their behaviour saying that this was the only way to educate their children because they are disobedient and don't want to study".

But study what ? These children, aged between seven and 16, are not going to any school recognized by the Mozambican national education system. Instead of studying the normal school curriculum, they are being sent to memorise a seventh century book written in a language (classical Arabic) that none of them understand.