The Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria, MMWG, a body of Muslim professionals in various fields, has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of an Islamic cleric who wanted the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, killed because she is a Christian.
The group, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi and made available to our correspondent in Abuja, said the security agencies should act without further delay owing to a viral video circulating in the social media space on the provocative utterances of the cleric, describing him as “one of the bad elements in Nigerian society and not a true scholar of Islam.”
MMWG maintained that “at this trying period of the nation, some irresponsible, incorrigible, and unpatriotic elements must not be allowed to use religion to cause chaos in Nigeria.”
Reflecting on the teachings of Islam regarding Jews and Christians, the group stated categorically that the Holy Qur’an revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) described them as Ahlul-Kitab, meaning “The People of the Book,” and Muslims are enjoined to live with them in peace and tranquility.
It further explained that “The People of the Book” means those who believe in the book revealed to Prophet Moses (i.e., Al-Taorah) and Jesus Christ (i.e., Injil, The Bible).
“There is nowhere in the Holy Qur’an or Hadith where harming or killing of Jews, Christians, and even unbelievers is permitted. God said we should continue to live together in peace and harmony.
“In the lifetime of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in Madina, the Holy Prophet allowed the Christians to worship in their way in his Mosque during the course of a community meeting which brought Muslims and Christians together,” MMWG maintained.
The group, therefore, appealed to the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, to set necessary machinery in motion to deal with erring Islamic preachers anywhere in the country in order to restore sanity to Islamic propagation, adding that Muslim leaders should use the corrective mechanism in the apex body to check the recklessness of some undesirable elements parading themselves as clerics.
It, however, urged President Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi, not to be distracted by the provocative, irresponsible, and condemnable vituperation of the preacher but to note that there are bad eggs in every society, pointing out that “the law prevailing in the system is capable of dealing with the charlatans and their collaborators for the maintenance of peace in the country.”
