By: Ankeli Emmanuel, Midat Joseph
Source: http://leadership.ng
The Sultan of Sokoto and president-general of the Supreme Council for Muslims in Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad III, has deplored inciting preaching by clerics and urged Muslim leaders to propagate messages that promote peace and unity in the country. He said the time had come for the Council of Ulamas to constitute a committee of reputable Muslims to sieve and where necessary sanction erring preachers.
The traditional ruler gave the charge earlier in the week at a meeting of the Council of Ulamas of Nigeria in Sokoto State at the Sultan Maccido Institute of Qu’anic and Islamic Studies. He also admonished Muslims to abide by the teachings of the religion. Also yesterday, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) faulted President Goodluck Jonathan’s statement on the activities of Boko Haram in the country.
It described the president’s statement that the terror group had killed more Muslims than Christians as “unfortunate and a veiled attempt to distort the truth”.
President Jonathan was last week quoted as saying that Muslims were the major victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the north.
The Sultan lamented that religious leaders had gone after the things of the world such that they no longer tell their followers the truth about Islam. “Islam which was hitherto known for peace is now linked with terrorism the world over. Muslims are being targeted.
I have never heard anywhere where they called Christians terrorists. But, consistently, you will hear ‘Islamic terrorists’ despite our relentless effort to convince them that those committing such atrocities against humanity are not doing it in the name of Islam. They are not true Muslims.”
He advised Muslims to put their house in order, “forget whatever differences we have and tell the world that Islam is all about peace”. The Sultan further counseled that preachers should concentrate on what would unite and bring peace to the people instead of “inciting or insulting people through their preaching”.
Earlier, Sokoto State governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, who was represented by the commissioner for religious affairs, Prof. Garba Maitafsir, noted that negative occurrences are now linked to Islam and advised that adherents of the religion put their house in order to avoid such blackmail.
While thanking the Council of Ulamas for their foresight in organising the meeting, Wamakko urged Muslims to strive towards promoting peaceful co-existence among Nigerians. Dignitaries on the occasion included Ulamas from Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Kebbi, Jigawa and Kaduna states.
In a reaction yesterday, CAN described as unfortunate Jonathan’s alleged assertion than more Muslims were victims of the insurgents’ attacks. The association noted, “If it is true that the president actually made such assertion, then, it is misleading and unacceptable.”
The group’s spokesman, Mr Sunday Oibe, in a statement he issued yesterday in Kaduna: “The purported statement by Mr. President is highly disappointing considering the fact that Christians and their churches and businesses have been the major targets of the Boko Haram terror group.
“Our attention has been drawn to a purported claim by President Goodluck Jonathan that the Boko Haram insurgents in the north killed more Muslims than Christians and that it is not a religious issue.
“We want to believe that the president was misquoted; we don’t want to believe that with the security apparatus and reports from security intelligence network at his disposal, he made this type of assertion. If it is true that Mr. President actually made this assertion, then, we are highly disappointed and sad at this veiled attempt to distort the facts as it concerns the activities of the Boko Haram sect.
“We say this because there has never been any bomb that has been exploded in any mosque or targeted at any mosque in the entire activities of the Boko Haram sect in the north. The Boko Haram members even said that when a Muslim is killed, it is by mistake”.