By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has lashed out at the new leader of Boko Haram insurgents, Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi over his purported call for the killing of Christians and the blowing up of churches
MURIC in a statement by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola asked Muslims in Nigeria to demonstrate solidarity with their Christian neighbours by ensuring that Boko Haram elements are not allowed to launch attacks on Christians in their neighbourhood.
According to the body, the time has come for the Nigerian public and the rest of the world to separate criminals from their religion and desist from stereotyping Muslims as terrorists or their sympathizers.
“We urge Muslims in the country to demonstrate solidarity with their Christian neighbours by ensuring that Boko Haram elements are not allowed to launch attacks on Christians in their neighbourhood. We have a duty to defend our Christian neighbours at this critical stage. This is the way to keep Nigeria united,” it said.
MURIC emphasized that there is the need for Muslims all over the world “to limit their religious zeal to the true dictates of Islam as reflected in the verses of the Glorious Qur’an lest they transgress” saying, “they should leave those who reject Islam alone. Our hypothesis is that Allah did not give anyone the assignment to punish those who reject Islam”.
“The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) expresses total bewilderment at the depth of barbarism in the recent hate speech emanating from the leadership of Boko Haram. It is totally despicable and exceptionally criminal to target fellow products of the Adamic chromosome for annihilation. We have no doubt that this call could only have come from a twisted mind.
“Islam is love, not hatred. Islam gives life, not death. It builds and does not destroy”.
It added that “the Glorious Qur’an only allows Muslims to fight in self-defence (Qur’an 2:190). It forbids unjust and unlawful killing (Qur’an 6:151). It compares anyone who kills his fellow man to one who kills allhomo sapiens (Qur’an 5:32)”.
“We remind the Boko Haram coercion ideologies of the moderate posture of the Glorious Qur’an towards non-Muslims. Qur’an 2:256 says there should be no compulsion in religion (Laa ikraahun fil diin). Qur’an 10:99 completely sweeps the carpet off the feet of agents of belligerence as it declares, “So you forcefully compel people to believe in Allah? But they would all have believed if Allah had wanted it so!. Our differences in matters of faith are therefore part of the deliberate and grand design of the Divine Creator. Allah also affirms in Qur’an 11:118 that there would still have been differences even if the whole world follows a single religion. So what is special about belonging to a particular religion if we do not share love?
MURIC stressed further that “this is why Allah reminded Prophet Muhammad to limit his mission to reminding people and never to make any attempt at controlling people’s lives (Qur’an 88:21 –22),” saying, Muslims all over the world should limit their religious zeal to the “true dictates of Islam as reflected in the verses of the Glorious Qur’an lest they transgress”.
“They should leave those who reject Islam alone. Our hypothesis is that Allah did not give anyone the assignment to punish those who reject Islam.
This is reflected in Allah’s own words in Qur’an 88:23 – 26, “They (i.e. the non-Muslims) are coming back to Us and We will call them to account.We therefore assert firmly, authoritatively and unequivocally that nobody can perform Allah’s role for Him”.
While charging Nigerians and the rest of the world to separate criminals from their religion and desist from stereotyping Muslims as terrorists or their sympathizers, MURIC lauded Pope Francis for his recent pronouncement in which he urged the world to stop equating Islam with terrorism.
Stressing that it was aware “that Boko Haram is technically defeated, militarily debilitated and spiritually demobilized”, MURIC added, “it is not over until it is over. Nigeria’s security agencies still need to beef up security around Christian clerics and heighten vigilance in churches around the country”.
