Why do people continue to commit crime when they are fasting, praying?

Fasting demonstrates the depth of one's desire when praying for something. It also shows that you are serious enough about your prayer request to pay a personal price and God honours deep desire and praying in faith.

Although between the month of March and April this year 2022, there is fasting and praying among both Christians and Muslims, people continue to commit crime and one would ask: "why do people continue to commit crime even when there is fasting and praying?"

We shall answer the question.

Since the beginning of the month of March this year, in the year 2022, Christians started a lent period of 40 days of fasting in commemoration of Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness that he spent praying.

As Christians continued with their fasting, at the beginning of April, 2022 the Muslims also began their Ramathan and are still fasting.

During the period of fasting, a believer is expected to repent, forgive and also draw closer to God and people are expected to observe holiness.

But although people are not expected to commit crimes, criminal activities are on the rise; house break-ins, stealing of property and killings.

"People commit crime because they are not faithful and it’s not right," said Sheikh Yahaya Kahaba Munoga, Imam of Kiweesa Mosque in Wakiso district.``

Kahaba said not every Christian or Muslim is converted that is why when they tell them to carry out fasting to repent, they do not and they end up committing sin.

Some people say that crime continues to manifest because some parents do not teach their children good morals.

"There is poor family background in the upbringing of children by some families and also some worship centers stopped teaching children religious manners as it used to," said John Kiwanuka a resident of Kiseesa -Buloba village in Wakiso district.”

What leads people to commit crime?

 According to Sarah Namirimu a resident of Kamwokya, "some people let satan to influence them and they get programmed into that behaviour, yet during fasting, one has to meditate in prayer and keep busy in doing good deeds in order to replace satan’s programmes with good."

Najja Margret, a resident of Buyala village in Mpigi district, said that some people forgot about God and when Covid -19 lockdown came which led to the closure of worship places.

The Director for Ethics, Integrity and Religious Affairs Rev. Canon Aaron Mwesigye  said the government can not do much because the society has lost moral fiber and people are corrupt.

Rev. Mwesigye noted that crime can be curbed through sensitisation of the public.

" We need to work hard to sensitise and also expose criminals and arrest those causing crime," he said.