The Islamic Movement in Nigeria has accused Kaduna state government of Elrufa’i of sponsoring hate speech campaigns against it, with the public presentation of a Book early last week at Arewa House, Kaduna, during which Shias were called infidels by the organisers of the event.
The press statement categorically denies that the Islamic Movement poses a national threat, “Why they hate the Shiites has nothing to do with national security.
Therefore well-meaning Nigerians should not be seen to support demonizing narratives sanctioned at a state level simply because people choose different interpretations of some issues within the religion of Islam.
“The almost 40 years history of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and its Leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky is enough a pointer to the fact that we are not a threat to national security as those so called scholars that gathered in Kaduna will want other Nigerians to believe.
The Islamic Movement said, “We are extremely concerned that this title is similar to some of the scary titles you read about Muslims on the websites of Far Right movements who are busy spreading Islamophobia in the West in particular and the world in general, only that in this context the shiaphobia is the bogey for the so-called Wahabbi scholars.”
It then drew the attention of the government to the freedom granted citizens by the constitution, “We must emphasize that while these debates and arguments between Sunnis and Shiites are as old as the history of Islam, the secular Nigeria has nothing to do with it.
“We once again wish to reiterate our call on the Federal government to release our Leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, his wife Malama Zeenah and hundreds others still languishing in various detention facilities across the country, most especially Southern part of Nigeria since December, 2015.”
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