MUSLIM UMMAH OF SOUTH WEST NIGERIA (MUSWEN) PRESS RELEASE “REMAIN CALM DESPITE PROVOCATION” MUSWEN APPEALS TO MUSLIMS 1. The attention of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) has been drawn to a report, published in one of the Nigerian Sunday newspapers (19 January 2014), on statements credited to Bishop Magnus Atilade, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South-west zone who also doubles as President of the Christian Welfare Initiative (CWI). The on-line version of the report is captioned, “CAN urges Christians to fight Against Islamisation in Nigeria”, while the newspaper titled it “our concerns of Islamisation agenda, by CAN, says South-west may be next battle ground”. 2. The purpose of this initial press release is to appeal to Muslims not to allow the said report to incite them to any kind of action. MUSWEN hereby appeals to all Muslims in the South-west in particular to remain calm despite the deliberate and unrepentant provocation which the reported statement, with the threats contained in it, clearly portrays. We cannot afford to allow that provocation to make us abandon our traditional patience and perseverance which we have displayed despite hostilities against us and our religion; the patience and perseverance which made the apparent inter-religious cordiality in the region possible and sustainable. 3. Meanwhile, we wish to assure the Muslims of the South-west, who clearly are the target of the threats coming from the CAN leader, that appropriate response to the inciteful statements is forthcoming which will expose the terrible falsehood on which the Bishop’s statements were based as well as the hidden agenda behind it. 4. MUSWEN hopes though that our Christian relations in Yorubaland will be cautious enough not to allow the incitements contained in the Bishop’s statements and similar ones to turn them against their Muslim kinsmen only to regret their actions thereafter. Allah warns us in the Qur’an (49:6) to be wary when someone comes up with information that might be inciteful against others as you might end up blaming yourself at the end of the day when you discover that the source of the said information is unreliable and self-seeking. Nigerians, particularly those of us in the South-west, cannot afford to be sentimental and allow ourselves to be misled into taking unwarranted-destructive actions. We wish to assure Muslims of the fact that the totally wrong assumptions and false claims contained in the statement as reported in the newspaper will soon become known to all. 5. MUSWEN finds the claim and threat, coming from the CAN leader, that the South-west is the next battle ground in what he claims to be an attack on Christians to be a RUDE SHOCK, especially coming from a Yoruba man and someone occupying such a high religious position. Therefore, we expect the security agencies to step into the matter. The Muslims of the South-west are convinced that the kind of disturbing picture of an imminent confrontation between the two religious groups has no basis whatsoever, and that there is a hidden agenda behind the claim. It is up to the security agencies to prove us wrong if they think otherwise. Meanwhile, we call on them to openly and roundly condemn these dangerous rumours and speculations of the Bishop. 6. MUSWEN wishes to leave the Bishop’s dangerous political out bursts to the politicians for the time being. However, we advise our political leaders in the South-west not to allow any baseless speculations or threats to make them lose focus. Meanwhile, we have not the slightest doubt about the irony in the wild claims made against Islam and the Muslims of the South-west in the Bishop’s statements with regard to political and other appointments. The false and misleading nature of the claims will soon become known to all and sundry. 7. Meanwhile, Muslims note the 31-day fasting prescribed for Christians but we only hope that such fasting will promote the consciousness of accountability to the Supreme Being on the Day of Judgment for everything one does or fails to do in the life of this world. On their part, a huge proportion of Muslims fast routinely, TWICE every week with a total of 96days, in addition to the 30 days of Ramadan, six days of Shawwal and other special days of optional fasting. Our prayers during such periods of fasting are positive not negative. So let us all pray for sincerity of purpose, mutual understanding, security, peace, good government and progress in Nigeria, for the good of us all. 8. Finally, we wish to reinterate that the purpose of this initial statement is to calm nerves on all sides against the incitements that have come, unfortunately, from a religious leader, depicting a stance bellicose similar to that of CAN’s National President in recent time. A detailed response that will enlighten the Nigerian public against the war cry of the Bishop is forthcoming. Prof. D.O.S. Noibi OBE, FISN, FIAC Executive Secretary, The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN)
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 07:38:40 +0000
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