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“Brain dead or Brain Alive”: A Comment on Usman Yerima’s comment By Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u
“Usman Yerima” falls into the same trap he was accusing Dr Aliyu Tilde of falling. I read Dr Aliyu Tilde’s article from a A-Z, and Usman Yerima has the right to disagree with some of the points raised by Dr Tilde especially when it comes to Matters of religion, and after I finished reading Tilde’s article I had the feeling that some people might disagree with him even if they can not question the points he raised with reason. However what makes Dr Aliyu Tilde’s approach different from his pen-crucifier is that Tilde never described anybody in his article as “senseless”, “bloodthirsty” let alone call him “brain dead”.
No right thinking adherent of any religion as long as the religion he claims to be following passes through his blood and conscience will dare make the use of such derogatory remarks against the people of other faith, let alone one who inherits his “supposed” name from the same people he was derogating..
while discussing Dr Tilde’s view on Cardinal Arinze becoming the successor of the late Pope, and Tilde’s reservation about the Obasanjo presidency “Yerima” claimed that “This single view point concludes that Nigerian Muslim, especially the ones of northern Origin, lack any capacity to reason with logic. They are brain dead”
First of all if the name Usman Yerima is the true name of the person who wrote the article I am referring to, based on my little understanding of contemporary Nigeria, its history and geography, he most be a northerner, or a person of northern origin residing somewhere whether in southern Nigeria or the Diaspora? As such he equally shares their attribute for at least answering a name that both in Nigeria and the world over is first of all acknowledged as a Muslim name, history teaches us better.
On the other hand if “Mr Usman “Yerima is using a pen name”, let me smile a little and salute him for being bold enough to be too shy to disclose his identity and shield himself by using the name identified with the people he termed as “brain dead”. If Dr Tilde as claimed by “Yerima” can not scientifically substantiate some of the claims he made, how scientific is the swift statement by “Yerima” that Muslims of northern origin lack any capacity to reason with logic. Is “Yerima’s” brain not alive?
I wonder why people can not control their emotion and reason with logic. From calling the Muslims brain dead “Yerima” moved to the issue of Kaduna and other crisis that occurred in Nigeria. According to him “If I recall correctly, the Kaduna incident was not the first time the insane and bloodthirsty Muslims had embarked on their killing spree. Their appetite for violence dates back to past administrations where Northerners served as Heads of State, yet they who were in charge of protecting the people sat and watched as the killings occurred. The northern Emirs whose corridors and backyards these killings occurred sat by and often watched as blood thirsty Muslims slaughtered people. The Sultan of Sokoto who supposedly is th e head of all Muslims in Nigeria lived right there at the territory where all these killings and destruction occurred right under his nose, yet he lacked the testicular fortitude to call his flock to order”
While it is easy to criticise others for being “senseless” and “useless”, where is the sense in trying to twist facts simply to achieve some primordial objectives. Count the crises that occurred in northern Nigeria from the 1987 Kafanchan crises, the Reverend Reinhard Bonke 1991 Kano crisis up to Zangon Kataf, Tafawa Balewa, Kaduna and Jos; with the exception of Kano where the crises are mostly the retaliation of crises that emanates somewhere, where did the Muslims start any crises? (This does not mean one is endorsing the actions of the unemployed youth in Kano). Are the Zamani Lekwots and Isioma Daniels of this world Muslims?
The crises might have occurred when Muslims where in power, But does the scientific “Yerima” tried to scientifically verify who constitute the bulk of the commanding officers among the Nigerian Army and police whom were sent to curtail the crises, what complain followed, and what is the faith of those allegedly being killed by security operators? Does the Sultan control the police and security operators in Nigeria? Are the Muslims ruling when people where massacred in Shendam for days without intervention?
“But Muslims, especially Nigerian Muslims, love to display fantastic numbers which they often inflate and therefore claim majority” said Yerima, but the website Yerima referred to in his write up also indicates that Muslims are the majority in Nigeria. Why should he refer to a website whose credibility he doesn’t accept? Check the CIA website which also places the Muslims as the majority in Nigeria, is the CIA the creation of Muslims?
In moments like this when the entire world needs focus and more tolerance, an abusive response of “Yerima’s” kind will only continue to fuel the fire of hatred. Everybody is entitled to his opinion and has the right to depend what he considers offensive, but that should be done without injuring the feeling of others. |