5 - Idi Amin Attempts to Islamize the State

Summary

This chapter situates Amin and his relationship with the Muslim community within his quest for political legitimacy following the military coup. It argues that his articulation of the role Islam and Muslims would play in the state was closely related to the resolution of the nationality question as a basis of initial political support. It demonstrates that Amin courted Islamic ideology and Muslims for two major reasons: to gain political support after the international backlash following the Asian expulsion, and to end their historical marginalization in Uganda. Succinctly, his solution to the nationality problem brought a Western political backlash that forced him to court the Arabs/Muslims.

At home, Amin sought out Muslim unity for political support. Although Muslims reaped the political benefits of his regime, the biggest economic share went to his own ethnic group. This state patronage destabilized the historical balance of power both internally within the Muslim factions and externally with the Christian groups. Upon Amin’s overthrow, sections of the Muslim population were targeted because of the anger, fear and hatred for the violence orchestrated under his regime. Muslims therefore became scapegoats for those misdeeds and suffered political retribution orchestrated by those who considered themselves victims of Amin’s dictatorship.

This chapter describes the dynamics of Amin’s attempt to right what he perceived as two historical wrongs in the country. First, Amin desired to settle the nationality question, perceived as the Asian problem; his solution was to expel Asian groups. Having come to power through a military coup, Amin rode on popular demand for the Africanization of the economy to expel Asians as a means to political legitimacy. Second, Amin perceived it his duty to right what he understood as historical Muslim marginalization in Uganda. As the Asian expulsion however revealed international political implications that challenged his government, Amin decided to court the Arab/Muslim states to provide international support to his regime. Internally, Amin appealed to Muslims’ political support, which he could only acquire by attempting to unite them. For in their divided condition, they would not assist his political quest.

The founding of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC, of which more below) and state patronage demonstrate Amin’s attempt to draw Muslims close to political power, which destabilized the historical distribution of political influence in Uganda at two levels.