For how long are we going to endure the death and the mayhem that have intermittently been visited on innocent citizens by religious zealots? For decades now, religious riots have often erupted like a raging volcano, sending molten magma to destroy the tenuous fabric that holds us together as a people.
The recent religious crisis in Kano, in northern Nigeria is one too many. Remember that it was in this same ancient city that the head of Akaluka, a Christian, was chopped off for allegedly desecrating the Holy Koran. Apparently, the demons of religious intolerance are still with us.
These days, the zealots descend on their fellow citizens at the slightest provocation. Sometimes, the source of provocation is so distant and far removed that one begins to suspect that there must be other ulterior motives for the violent reactions
A case in point is the publication of a cartoon in Scandinavian newspapers, which provoked anger and protests in some Muslim countries in 2006. The offending cartoons in Danish and Norwegian newspapers depicting the Prophet Mohammed in unflattering poses, including one in which he was portrayed as a terrorist with a bomb in his turban, triggered outrage among Muslims across the Middle East. Most of the zealots who went on rampage in some northern states never saw the offending cartoon, which was said to have caricatured the Holy Prophet Mohammed.
There are conflicting reports of what actually led to the crisis in Kano. For all you know, it may have been ignited by rumor. A report in ThisDay newspaper puts it thus: “The action is said to be as a result of speculations that a Christian teacher in the area drew a cartoon considered offensive to Muslims and displayed it in his room.”
The New Nigerian on Sunday carried a different version of the story. The report read: “ the alleged provocation was the statue of Jesus Christ drawn on the wall of the school's mosque in the early hours of Friday [September 28]. An eyewitness said Muslim students were offended by the drawing which they viewed as an attempt to cause chaos.”
The Christian Association of Nigeria [CAN] also has its own account of what led to the mayhem in Kano. Mr Samuel Salifu, the General Secretary of CAN, said the “information given was that they saw a cartoon on the Internet and they still discover that this cartoon was drawn by a 20-year-old Muslim boy from Bangladesh and they decided to visit their anger on innocent Christians and their churches.”
The various accounts cannot justify the violent reactions that were reported to have taken place in Tudun Wada-Dankade, Kano. According to the CAN scribe “nine persons, including a youth corps member, are confirmed dead and several others injured.” Churches and houses owned by Christians were reportedly razed.
Actions such as this are certainly beyond the bounds of common sense. It is all the more disturbing because these “religious warriors” claim to be defending the Islamic faith. One wonders whether Islam teaches violence. Islamic clerics are usually quick to remind us that theirs is a religion of peace. Unfortunately, the actions of the extremists who use the mosque as cover bellies the preachments.
The question begging for answer is, why have the true Muslims, who are generally peace loving, failed to rein in the fanatics that are tarnishing their image? The truth is that religious fundamentalism goes beyond Islam. It tugs at the heart of other religions as well. Sadly, in whatever garb it manifests, extremism is dangerous and destructive. Nobody should be allowed to hide under the cover of religion to sow the seeds of anarchy in this country. Those with such traits must be stopped before they mature into full-blown nihilists.
The actions of fundamentalists have more or less changed the meaning of terrorism and altered the character of terrorists. Today, many people see terrorism as a product of Islam. Much as the Muslim world would want to resist such stigmatization, the activities of the bad eggs among them tend to rubbish their efforts. The Osama Bin Laden's of this world believe that it is right and honorable to kill for Allah's cause.
These extremists also believe they will secure a passport to paradise if they bombed themselves into smithereens. Such eccentric acts are shocking to normal human beings. So, any religion that is remotely associated with such warped thinking has a serious image problem to deal with.
It is not enough to remind us ceaselessly that Islam is a religion of peace; a little demonstration of that peace will suffice. Those who butchered a fellow citizen in the name of religion were certainly not interested in peace. Those who killed their fellow Nigerians in Kaduna under the pretext that they were fighting for Sharia have nothing but disdain for a peaceful society.
Our political leaders can no longer bury their heads in the sand while fanatics unleash mayhem under the cover of religion. Where lies the peace, if what comes out after Friday prayers is bloodshed and destruction?
These extremists who are bent on changing the definition of terrorism must be stopped by all means before they kill the religion of “peace”. But who are the terrorists? The Oxford English dictionary defines a terrorist as a “person who uses or favours violent and intimidating methods of coercing a government or community.”
The definition makes no reference to any religion or race; It tells us simply that a terrorist opts for violence rather than peaceful resolution of conflicts. The extremists are trying very hard to alter the accepted understanding of who a terrorist is by carrying out their activities under the cover of Islam. All true Muslims have a responsibility to stop the zealots. They must not allow the extremists to turn the table against them.
