It is virtually impossible for me to put into words the anger, shock, devastation and horror I have felt since seeing the viral video of terrorists brutally whipping the hostages of the Kaduna train attack. On March 28, 2022, no fewer than eight persons were killed and 61 others kidnapped during the attack at Katari, Kaduna. In the video, the terrorists made outrageous monetary demands, issued the most audacious threats, justified murder and proceeded to rationalise their vile actions in the name of Islam.
The video reinforces the fact that “Islamic” militants, and not just bandits, have taken a hold in North-West Nigeria and are fixing to enact their vicious brand of terror and murder. The reality that “Islamic” militants have entrenched themselves in the manner they have with the aim of expanding, recruiting and carrying out their evil deeds makes one feel sick to the pit of their stomach. How anyone can justify the heinous acts of kidnapping and the cold-blooded murder of innocent men, women and children in the name of faith is beyond me.
Apart from the disgust and anger that Nigerians feel; the fear, the foreboding we have of more violence, is so thick in the air, you could almost slice it. Granted, it’s no secret that the country is at its most unsafe, but even with our present anaemic security situation, nobody could have imagined that our society could descend to the low these barbarians have descended to. That these insurgents continue to wreak this catastrophic havoc, wrongly, using the name of Islam is wicked. These acts of violence have put the entire country in a heightened state of fear and suspicion and warrants peace-loving Muslims to come out and condemn the acts in the strongest term possible.
Any Muslim who understands the spirit of peace in Islam knows that there is nothing and nowhere in the teachings of Islam that condones the kind of violence we are witnessing today. Any Muslim who knows the overwhelming message of hope, justice, faith, and peace among human beings of the Holy Qur’an is completely devastated.
When one sees the phrase in the Holy Quran, which “unambiguously” states that innocent people, regardless of their race and faith, must not be tortured and killed in any circumstance, one wonders which interpretation gives credence to some to commit such aggression. It is clearly mentioned in the Holy Quran that, “if anyone kills an innocent human being who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people. And anyone who spares a life it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people.”
Even during wartime, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) told his followers not to harm non-combatants. It was understood, if The Prophet’s (PBUH) followers had to go to enemy territory for war, the soldiers were not to harm elderly people, women and children and also must not destroy farms and fruit trees as people may suffer because of the shortage of food. In His teachings, he emphasised the right to life of people, animals, birds, and even ants. And if it is prohibited to harm even an ant, what could make anyone think that it is all right to kill a fellow human being?
The expression in the Holy Quran, “there is no compulsion in religion” is known to even those who continue to insist that Shari’a law must be applied in the whole of Nigeria. But Nigeria is not made up of only Muslims and, even if it was, one section of the community does not have the right to decide the fate of the rest. If the Holy Prophet (PBUH) provided assurances to non-Muslim minorities living in Muslim majority countries and ordered Muslim minorities living in non-Muslim majority countries to abide by all laws and the rules of the country, there is no reason for any Nigerian Muslim not to abide by the law of this land. In the Holy Quran, it is written: “Surely, those who believe those who are Jewish, the converts, and the Christians; any of them who believe in GOD and believe in the Last Day, and lead a righteous life, have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. (Quran 5:69)
When small minorities of the Muslim population interpret the teachings of the Holy Quran in a manner that is unknown to the majority of the other Muslims, it affects us all. And it makes life worse for Muslims who are striving to live by the peaceful teachings of Allah and peacefully co-exist.
If the purpose and genesis of the violence and intimidation that we have seen so far in Nigeria is to achieve some sort of political gain or a part of some convoluted conspiracy theory, then it really is heartless, because it is horrifically and mortally affecting innocent civilians who are merely trying to survive day to day. ‘Violence begets violence’ and the only possible outcome of such aggression will be the furtherance of more violence. Perhaps, the saddest part of this awful saga is, now that violence has become so deeply entrenched in our everyday reality, Nigerians have almost become desensitized to it.
Our humanity, as a people, has been reduced to a level of barbarism that cannot be dealt with in any position of serious negotiation. Using the fear of death and destruction to motivate people to do what one wants furthers this epidemic and cycle of violence. Pointing an AK-47 in a person’s face and forcing them to do something will probably motivate them to do it at that time, but it will quickly devolve into something much worse. The destruction and death in Nigeria today have forced us to enter into a deep abyss that none of us could have ever imagined.
The people who continue to exact this kind of violence must have families of their own that they love and protect. They need to put themselves in the position of the victims and imagine, just for a moment, their pain.
We are all brethren – descendants of the same Adam and Eve, from the lineage of the same Prophet Abraham/Ibrahim. We have been created of distinct peoples, beliefs and tribes ‘that we may recognize one another.’ There is no reason for us to hate, kill and maim one another. The three sacred books, The Holy Quran, The Torah (Tawrat) and the Holy Bible (The Injeel) in addition to The Zabur, speak of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
In the Holy Quran it says: “Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered” [Quran 2:136].
The Holy Bible says: “Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God” [Corinthians 10:31-32].
Our lives must be held sacred. Our unity must be held strong. Life is granted by God alone and no person has a right to take it without justifiable cause. We have NO room for a religious war or Caliphate in Nigeria!
As for those who continue to unleash violence, may they remember that, sooner or later, in this life and in the Hereafter, they will have to answer to the Almighty and pay for every last life that they have directly or indirectly claimed.
My thoughts and prayers are with those most directly affected by the barbarism of a handful of extremists. I offer my heartfelt condolence to the families who continue to suffer the great loss of their fallen loved ones. As for those who continue to unleash violence in my Islamic name, I, as a very proud Muslim, hereby stand up and declare, “Yes, they act but… not in my name!”
“Dear God, Oh Allah! Please, Oh please, bring healing to this nation, and make it a peaceful land again.”
