Modern Almajiri system is disguised slavery Letters to the editor Published on Sunday, 24 August 2014 by Fatima Yahaya I was on my way to school in Zaria one beautiful morning when I noticed a little boy squatting very close to a big concrete slab. He appeared to be in distress so I stopped my taxi driver and went to have a close look. The child was not more than 4 years old and he was all alone by the roadside. He was sick and starving. I asked him a few questions but he hardly spoke. He was in such a pitiful; state that tears rolled down my eyes. It didn’t take me long to realize the boy was an Almajiri. There are millions of such children in the North, given out to itinerant Malams ostensibly to acquire Islamic education, only to end up roaming the streets of hostile cities begging for food. I got a roadside food seller to serve him a bowl of rice and stew. Within a few minutes the little boy had devoured the food, so I asked the woman to make him another plate. I could see the joy an appreciation in the boy after his meal. When he was able to talk, I learned that he came from a nearby school. On our way there I saw a bunch of young boys running after us because they apparently saw their mate being fed. We drove down the road until we arrived at a point beyond which a car could not go but the boy said, “My school is down there.” It was an environment that no human being would ever wish to reside. There were over 200 almajirai living in this crowded and filthy environment. There were chaotic noises all around. I turned around only to find that it was the leftover food the sick almajiri brought that was the cause of the commotion among the other kids. I chatted briefly with the kids, and they told me that they are forced to move around and beg for food which they must take to their Malams. Moreover, they must wait for him to eat before they get can have any food for themselves. During the rainy season, they are overworked with no token in return. When I heard their stories I wondered when they had time for the Islamic instruction for which they were supposedly there. It is clear that authentic Islamic education does not take place through these Malams at all. These children who have the potential to become productive or even leading citizens in the country are not receiving any meaningful form of education or living a fulfilling existence. These Almajirai are enslaved by a combination of ignorant parents and greedy Malams who use Islamic teaching as pretence to acquire the children from their parents and misuse them for economic ends. For too long Nigerians have turned a blind eye to the fate of these Almajirai. We all must realize that our country’s future is being destroyed. There needs to be a serious effort to combat the root of the issue in terms of social reform and law enforcement to put an end to the Almajiri institution. Almajiri slavery is a form child trafficking that is so rampant in the Northern part of Nigeria. The culprits in this unholy system are parents or relatives who relinquish their parental duties to the Malam as guardian and religious instructor. The children are given to these malams at a very tender age. In light of the harsh economic and social condition in the country, especially in the North, there has been a steep rise in the influx of children forced into the Almajiri system. Majority if not the entirety of these families live in abject poverty and use this system to alleviate financial burdens. Although Islamic education is highly desired central in Northern Nigerian society, the Almajiri system is not in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Allah has ordained parents with the responsibilities and rights concerning children as long as they live regardless of their social or economic status. There is no evidence in the Holy Quran or Hadith that established, emphasised or encouraged the usage of such practices in which parental responsibility should be shirked in the alleged pursuit of Islamic education. It is an illegitimate educational institution in which intellectual stimulation seldom occurs and robs Almajiri children of basic education or skill. The Malams who are at the centre of the Almajiri system have abused the trust and bastardised the institution. They collect hundreds of children from their parents and take them to the cities when they have no means to feed, house, clothe or properly take care of them. This has resulted in many of the Almajirai engaging in petty crimes in order to survive. These malnourished children can be found scavenging and begging for money from passerby and drivers in every major city in the region. In these urban settings they are often victims of physical and other abuses. The Almajiri system is no longer an educational institution. It is a social menace and a grand scheme to enslave hapless children. It should be brought to an end as soon as possible. Fatima Yahaya writes Baze University, Abuja.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 08:32:39 +0000