Boko Haram: The Jama’atu Nasril Islam Response is Inadequate

By

Muhammad Lawal Ishaq, Esq.

lawalishaq_66@yahoo.com

After carefully studying the advertorial placed by the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, in the Daily Trust and The Nation newspapers of Friday 7 and Saturday 8, August 2009, on the unfortunate issue of the so called Boko Haram, signed by no other personality than the Sultan of Sokoto, I find it extremely necessary to hold and express the view that the response of a body highly respected by the Muslims, especially in the north, as the JNI is not only inadequate, but a gross dereliction of the leadership responsibilities entrusted the body by the Muslim Ummah in the country.

In assessing the JNI’s response, I took cognizance of the organization’s philosophy of conservatism and past history of near nonchalant attitude to issues that affect the interest of Muslims and Islam in Nigeria. I however fail to understand how the JNI can descend so low by failing to call a spade a spade by telling the authorities where they erred. The JNI’s condemnation of the ill-motivated and devilish thinking of Boko Haram is a well known and accepted fact within the generality of the Muslim Ummah in the country. Thus, the JNI was not saying anything new by condemning the group and whoever is behind it in the advertorial in question.

Muslims expect the JNI, after the ceremonial condemnation of the Boko Haram’s activities to rise to the defence of Muslims and Islam, which is supposed to be foremost among its principal functions. The JNI ought to talk about the mayhem unleashed by the country’s authorities, using the full strength of the police and the army, against numerous Muslims, some of whom were innocent and defenceless. In other words, the JNI should question the authorities on the way and manner it jettisoned its rule of law mantra. Obviously, the JNI cannot be said to be unaware of the numerous acts of executive lawlessness and abuse of powers perpetrated by both the Federal and some State governments in the name of taming the activities of the Boko Haram. Many mosques, Islamic institutions and individual dwellings were summarily demolished by such governments on the pretext that they belonged to adherents of Boko Haram. When does it became the law in Nigeria for the executive arm of the government to “arrest”, “try”, “sentence” and “execute” a citizen for any perceived criminal action committed by such citizen?

If the JNI cannot come openly to talk to the governments concerned on such infringements of Muslims’ fundamental rights, then certainly the emergence of more Islamic militant groups such as the ill-fated Boko Haram can not be checkmated squarely. Agreed, the ideology of Boko Haram is un-Islamic, barbaric and unconstitutional, the adherents to such ideology are no less Nigerians and Muslims by holding to such ideas. Whenever they transgressed against the laws of the land, they should be treated according to the law. Tacitly endorsing the aggressiveness shown by the police and the army against the Muslims by the JNI, following the orders of President Yar’adua is not only a bad precedent but highly dangerous for Muslims in the country especially in areas where the Muslims are weak and endangered. The unlawful use of the police and the army to kill, maim and destroy the hard earned properties of the Muslims by authorities in Plateau State is still very fresh in our minds. The police and other security personnel so used are now moving about scot-free. Now thousand more Muslims were killed in Maiduguri and Bauchi AGAIN.

The supposed offences of the Boko Haram followers were far less than what the Niger Delta militants have been doing against the Nigerian nation. The Niger Delta militants not only sabotaged and destroyed Nigeria’s main economic base, but on several instances had engaged and kill members of the Nigerian armed forces, including the police. Similarly, in some parts of the country now, some people are claiming independence from the country by launching their separate currencies and international passports. Yet they are being treated with kid globes. The few skirmishes they were engaged with by the federal might always come under stern condemnation by their leaders. One can’t help but to ask: what happened to Muslim leadership especially in the North?