On the 2012 Islamic Convention in Jalingo
The convention dwelt on the monumental security challenges faced by the country as heightened by the violent agitations of Jama’tul Ahlis Sunnah Liddawati Wal Jihad but commonly known as Boko Haram, the unjustified attacks on Islam and Muslims by the West and certain section of the media as reflected in the rush to label Muslims […]
The convention dwelt on the monumental security challenges faced by the country as heightened by the violent agitations of Jama’tul Ahlis Sunnah Liddawati Wal Jihad but commonly known as Boko Haram, the unjustified attacks on Islam and Muslims by the West and certain section of the media as reflected in the rush to label Muslims as terrorists, the uninspiring leadership the country is presently grappling with, the widespread poverty in the land, unemployment, laziness, poor industrial base and lack of strict adherence to the Islamic principle of “zakkat” (a divinely decreed welfare scheme for helping the poor and needy through a prescribed method of sharing food items or cash by the wealthy among the Muslim ummah), the deteriorating standard of education, and the deep divisions among the Nigerian Muslim ummah, they could speak with one voice and united under a single leader with a common focus.
The subjective interpretation of Islam as a pro-terrorist religion by the west and some media outfits in Nigeria on grounds of nefarious activities of one or two groups claiming to be defendants of Islam was fully scrutinized and roundly condemned as hypocritical by the chairman of the NIC’s Majlisu-Sh-Shura, Ummatu-L-Islam, Mallam Ahmad Bello in his welcome address that was presented by his deputy (Bello was on a medical trip abroad). He repeatedly made reference to the double standards of the west and their like-minded media organizations in respect of the REAL terrorist act carried by the Norwegian rightwing extremist-Anders Breivik in July, 2011 which resulted in the bloody killing of 77 people in Norway, to which the west turned a blind eye opting instead, to shamelessly claimed that he is insane despite the confirmation of his sanity by numerous psychoanalysis tests carried on him by psychiatrists. Bello went on to reveal how a certain blogger by name Joseph Wakim exposed the west’s penchant for deceits in an article titled “What if the Oslo Terrorist was Ahmad Breivik” where he (Wakim) argued thus; “Right wing ideologues and hate peddlers in Europe and Australia have hastily ducked for cover and denounced Anders Breivik as a deranged psychopath. They have tip-toed away from the crime scene, insisting that there is no blood on their hands”.
In proffering the way out of these challenges, the Guest Speaker-Mallam Ibrahim Sulaiman, in his paper titled; “Memorandum to the Ummah” presented by the Weekly Trust newspaper columnist-the erudite Dr Bala Muhammad, said “It is our duty, because we are uniquely positioned to know the best and the worst of the system, to be vigilant and conversant with the situation in the school, the hospital, the bureaucracy, the bank, the army, the police, the court, the industry, and every other institution catering to the needs of society to see whether they function well for the benefit of all….So we must be precise in the roles, goals, priorities, and tasks we set for ourselves and remain modest, focused and steadfast….we must recognize the fact that this body as currently conceived, constituted and driven has reached the end of an era. The logic, circumstances and environment which gave rise to it and which it operated have fundamentally changed. So things must change, the best course open to us is to prepare for a complete transformation and renewal”.
This position also tallies with that of the NIC’s National Ameer Mallam Salihu Sintalma Abubakar, who stressed thus; “We must review our programs in all our branches such as to reach out to more people. While we pursue da’awah activities in our efforts to disseminate the message of Islam on one hand, we should continue with advocacy in matters related to good governance, self-reliance and moral transformation of our society”.
As chairman of the syndicate discussion on media, Dr Muhammad called forthe establishment of a newspaper by the ummah as means of countering anti-Islam propaganda and promoting the true teachings of Islam. It is interesting to note that the convention was a record-breaking one having turned out to be the first that was hosted by Taraba State and attended by a Christian governor-Danbaba Danfulani Suntai. Little wonder then that a deafening chants of “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) greeted the governor’s historic arrival to the hall and a more deafening chants saluted his call for peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians through religious tolerance and harmony during his brief remarks. And by the time the former governor of Kano State-Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau (Grand Patron of the NIC) announced the donation of N10 million to the NIC by the Taraba State government on behalf of governor Danbaba, there was another “takhbir” (Allahu Akbar).
As a first time participant in the convention, I must say that the quality of papers, presentations, discussions, syndicate deliberations and communiqué were quite impressive (which is normal anyway in view of the large number of high profile professors and doctors-PhD holders in attendance) and this is a visible proof to the capacity of the NIC in providing a reliable forum for a thought-provoking discourse, analysis and solution-finding on matters germane and crucial to the advancement of the Muslim ummah in particular and the Nigerian nation as whole if, as posited by Dr Muhammad, “words are matched with actions”.
Zongre wrote from Yerima Bappa Sanda Road, Turaki “A” Ward, Jalingo