Muslim professionals ask Sultan to discuss with Boko Haram An Islamic organisation, Concerned Muslim Professionals, has called on the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, to use his position and engage members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect in discussions for them to stop their violent campaign. According to the group, several Boko Haram members would have laid their arms and many wouldn’t have joined the outlawed sect if the Muslim leadership in Nigeria had engaged the sect in a dialogue. “There have not been any visible or invisible effort by the Muslim leadership to convene such engagement at even a single location, let alone covering the whole troubled region. That could be why demand for action on the leadership is repeatedly made by well meaning citizens” CMP said. The President of the organisation, Alhaji Mohammed Saidu, in a letter entitled ‘Echoing the message of General Yakubu Gowon: A call for action on Islamic leadership of Northern Nigeria’, and obtained by journalists on Sunday in Abuja, regretted that the activities of the sect had become a great embarrassment to the Islamic faith. The CMP said, “If the family of billionaire Umar Mutallab could have a terrorist in its midst, then such a disease could be everywhere.It can only take the effort of the Sultan and the other Muslim leaders to mobilise compliance by parents and relatives, which is part of the actions being demanded by well-meaning Nigerians. “The biggest task before our Muslim and Islamic leaders in the North is to reconcile the warring communities of Muslims and Christians through forgiveness, healing and genuine social integration and coexistence; similar to the one referred to by General Gowon on the Muslims of the South-West geopolitical zone. “The other task is to make Boko Haram come out of hiding, denounce terrorism and embrace governments overtures.”
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 15:45:31 +0000