Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja
THE Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) on Tuesday condemned the action taken by the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for supporting the United States (U.S.) Department of State decision to place Nigeria and six other countries on a watch-list on their approach to religious freedom.
NSCIA accused CAN of colluding with the U.S. and other foreign countries to undermine Nigeria’s unity.
The Islamic Council described the listing of Nigeria on the watch list of countries with religious rights violations as misinformed and biased.
The action, NSCIA said is because the current president is a Muslim.
A statement issued by its Head of Media and Public Affairs, Aselemi Ibrahim, the NSCIA said : “If CAN is sincere on her claims of religious oppression against Christians in Nigeria, let it produce one such case for which it has challenged in the court of law. On the contrary, Muslims in Nigeria are the ones that have come under untold persecution on account of their faith. That their persecution is not reported by the Christian-dominated media does not reduce the authenticity of this assertion.
“Our biggest worry is that truth and falsehood appear to be losing their distinctiveness. This is because CAN has been peddling a lot of conspiracy theories to America and other foreign countries and they have accepted these lies without regard to the rules of evidence and investigation. The Council views the listing of Nigeria on the watch list of countries with religious rights violations as misinformed and biased, just because a Muslim is the leader of the country. It is now obvious that CAN is working with foreign interests to undermine the unity of the country and stoke the fire of instability.
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“On former CJN Walter Onnoghen, everything that CAN has alleged is only based on conspiracy theory. The suspension of the immediate past CJN by President Buhari was ordered by the Code of Conduct Bureau, based on an allegation of false declaration of assets, which the then CJN owned up to, though he said that he forgot. While the suspension was on, the National Judicial Commission recommended the compulsory retirement of the CJN. However, on Thursday, the 4th of April 2019, he tendered his resignation. Not all Nigerians are suffering from amnesia and the trajectory of the event is still fresh in our memory.
It urged Nigerians not to be swayed by the “antics of religious bodies “because the survival of this country is to a large extent a function of the eternal vigilance of the people”. NSCIA said that CAN got it wrong when it decided to allow religious bigotry blind her to issues that are quite within the ambit of free speech and the law.
It went on: “We urge CAN to pick the petal of patriotism and drop the metal of heating the polity. We hope that CAN would desist from undisguised bigotry to unconditional love as exemplified by Jesus to fellow Nigerians regardless of their religious, ethnic and political affiliations. These are trying times for Nigeria where religious ethics and morals are being jettisoned by those who should be leaders and CAN has a responsibility to reverse the trend, not fueling the fire”.
NSCIA described as unfortunate CAN’s demand for amendment of some aspects of the Constitution following the comments made by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad Tanko, in a keynote address read on his behalf by the Grand Khadi of Niger State, Justice Muhammad Danjuma, at the Judges Conference at Ahmadu Bello University.
The religious body said: “Specifically, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad Tanko, in a keynote address read on his behalf by the Grand Khadi of Niger State, Justice Muhammad Danjuma, at the Judges Conference at Ahmadu Bello University, poignantly pointed out the lacuna that exists in the Constitution with respect to certain aspects of Muslim lives and the need for the yawning gaps to be filled through appropriate constitutional amendment by the National Assembly.
“However, in a bellicose reaction issued on Saturday, December 14, 2019, Mr Samuel Kwamkur criticised the CJN, in a most uncharitable and uncouth manner, for what he considers an attempt to Islamise Nigeria”. CAN had described the CJN’s position as “the most reprehensible, reckless and insensitive statement ever made by a public officer, a jurist and the head of Nigeria’s judiciary… “He called for amendment to alter Nigeria’s current constitutional status to be religiously inclined – inclined towards one religion – Islam. Clearly, this looks like the path to making Islam a state religion.”
NSCIA said it was responding to put the record straight.
“However, this intervention is compelled by the need to put the records straight in view of the seriousness of the allegation that CAN has leveled against the CJN, whose remarks are well within his constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression (within the context under discussion) and its implication for Shari’ah and Muslims in Nigeria,” it said.
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