Almajiri: A pest in the North

The almajiri system is an institution that is believed to promote the teachings and examples of the Prophet Mohammed and his companions. The actors in this exchange system are parents or relatives, who bequeath their parental rights to the malam or religious instructor, who becomes the primary care taker of the children. The children are […]

The almajiri system is an institution that is believed to promote the teachings and examples of the Prophet Mohammed and his companions. The actors in this exchange system are parents or relatives, who bequeath their parental rights to the malam or religious instructor, who becomes the primary care taker of the children. The children are given to these malams even at the tender age of five. In the light of the economic disparity and political under representation facing the northern part of the country, Nigeria has experienced a causal rise in the influx of children forced in to the almajiri system. Majority, if not the entirety of these families live in abject poverty and use this system to alleviate financial burdens.
Although Islamic education is central in northern Nigerian, the almajiri system is not in total accord with the teachings of Islam. . Allah has ordained parents with the enduring responsibilities and rights concerning children as long as they live regardless of their social or economic status.  There is no evidence in the Holy Quran or Hadith that establishes, emphasises or encourages such a practice, in which parental responsibility could be removed for the sake of an alleged Islamic education. It is an illegitimate educational institution in which intellectual stimulation seldom occurs and robs almajiri children of a basic education or skill.
Overtime, the malams began using the almajri system as a source of profit, in which children are slaves at the malams’ disposal. This has resulted in a good percentage of the almajiris engaging in petty crimes and public menacing to survive. Having no adults to advocate for them in terms of basic needs education and protection, the children experience trauma and distress. These malnourished children can be found hopelessly scavenging and begging for money from passers-by and drivers in every major city in the region. In these urban settings they are often victims of physical and verbal abuse. The constant begging and idleness of the almajiri population has become a nuisance to the general population. It is apparent that they lack supervision and basic needs as they wander the streets in worn clothing, it is not uncommon to encounter them barefooted.
Almajiri children suffer from poor hygiene, ringworm and lice. On many occasions these children undergo dangerous or reckless activities that may result in illness or death. At the hands of these malams the life of a child is merely an expendable commodity for the parents of the children do not check on the well-being of their children.
The almajiri system is now a social menacemore than a religious problem. On the issue of begging, the Prophet says: “There shall be no begging except for the following conditions:” Individual who is befallen by disaster of any sort; Overbearing burden of hardship and poverty, andDebtor unable to pay his debt.
Furthermore, it should be noted that there is no mention or evidence of an “almajiri style Islamic education” practiced by the prophet. Therefore, it is clear from these aforementioned criteria that   the almajiri system is NOT Islamic.
One beautiful morning, I was on my way to school in Zaria, when I decided to stop by an old friend’s house. As the taxi driver was taking me to her house I noticed a very little boy squatting very close to a big concrete slab. I could not help but to instruct the driver to turn back to where I saw the child. As I came closer to the boy, I was shocked that he was not more than about four years old all alone suffering from starvation and sickness. I tried to question the poor boy but nothing seemed to make him speak to me. It was really such a pitiable experience which led me to break down in tears.  It didn’t take me long to realise the boy was an almajiri and he wasn’t cared for, so I got a local woman to serve him a big bowl of rice and stew. Within a few minutes, the little boy had devoured the food, so I ordered the woman to give him another plate. I could see the joy an appreciation in the boy after his meal. When he was able to talk, after a brief inquiry, I learned where he went to school. On our way there, I noticed a bunch of young boys running after us as they noticed the almajiri boy I fed. I was taken to a place where no vehicle could travel and the boy said: “My school is down there.”
It was an environment that no human being would ever wish to reside in. There were over 200 students living in this crowded and filthy environment. Suddenly, I heard chaotic noises all around and I felt overwhelmed by the situation. I turned around only to find the leftover food was a cause of quarrel among the almajiri because they rarely get to lay their hands on wholesome food. I was able to gather information from the other kids regarding their condition and they revealed to me that they are forced to beg for food for their malams. Moreover, they must wait for him to eat before they can have any food for themselves. During the rainy season, they are overworked with no token in return. This led me to wonder when the Islamic instruction takes place if the almajiris are forced to work or beg all the time. The answer is that authentic Islamic education does not really take place through these malams at all.
These children, who have the potential to be productive or even leading citizens in the country, are not receiving any meaningful form of education or living a fulfilling existence. Almajiri are children who are enslaved by unfit parents and greedy malams, who use Islam as a means to an end. For too long Nigerians have turned a blind eye to these children called almajiri, who are socially, politically and financially disenfranchised. We all must realise that our country’s future is being destroyed. There needs to be a serious effort to combat the root of the issue in terms of social reform and law enforcement to put an end to the almajiri institution.
Fatima Yahaya, Baze University, Abuja.