I was putting together an article titled, “Leah: The need for Due Caution”, when information filtered that Leah Sharibu, the Christian schoolgirl among the abducted Dapchi Technical Secondary School Girls School students still held by her captors had been released and was on her way home.
The information or story went further to say that as a result of her impending freedom, shops, motor parks and business ventures were penultimate Saturday closed in Dapchi, as residents were lined in large number along the route the insurgents were expected to pass to witness the arrival of Leah, as was the case with the recent release of the 105 abducted colleagues of Leah by the terrorists.
The unconfirmed story further revealed that as a result of the expected freedom of Leah, the planned visit of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to Dapchi was postponed. Another story alleged that the girl has been released and handed over to the military for onward journey to Abuja. With these stories flying everywhere, I chose to hold a brake for update of events.
As a matter of fact, the recent comment on the detained Christin schoolgirl by Mallam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, affirmed the standpoint of Governor Shettima to the fact that Islam condemns forceful imposition of religion on an individual, more so when he or she does not belong to the faith being compelled to adopt
However, the sum total of all the stories ended up as mere rumour mongering, as there has been no official statement till now that unfortunate Leah is out of the claws of her captors. Hence the current article or piece captioned, “Leah Sharibu: The ticking time bomb”, which, after all, might convey the same message as hitherto intended.
To buttress this article, I am compelled to make substantial reference to the address or speech of Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State on July 16, 2011 to the people as it relates to the matter under discourse. The speech titled, “Islam and Peace in Borno” was unequivocal in its message as it was thought-provoking, pricking and prodding. It put square pegs in square
holes.
It read in part, “The current state of insecurity and deplorable state of affairs is not unconnected with the attempt to impose the opinion of a small group on a larger society, a situation which clearly abridges the freedom to freely hold and express one’s opinion, which is fundamental and inalienable in any given society. We, as a society, have had our fair share of instability and even wars in our chequered history. To mention a few, we’ve had the sacking of Birin Ngazargamu by the jihadist in 1808, Rabeh’s invasion and occupation in 1893, and the Maitasine riots of the 1980’s. In all these crises, destructive and vicious as they were, the wars did not degenerate into killing of innocent souls, targeting of public recreational centres, places of worships in a sustained and protracted manner, as we sadly witness today.
The targeting of innocent and unarmed civilians regardless of their ethnicity, race and or religious beliefs is alien not only to our norms and culture, but to the fundamental doctrines of Islam. My fellow citizens, going by the present spate of things, how can a true Muslim explain, let alone profoundly justify, the current unfortunate cold-blood murders and bombings in the name of Islam? Islam means “peace and submission to the will of God” and thus it should remain so, in both theory and practice. This was the understanding of our forefathers. Theirs is the true meaning of Islam in both letter and spirit.
“We are Muslims and Muslims do not harm innocent souls, much less fellow Muslims; any interpretation or understanding of Islam which justifies killing of innocent people is condemnable and should be rebuked in totality.
“Islam never sanctioned the killing of non-Muslims and the destruction of their place of worship. In the early phase of Islam, when Muslims were persecuted by the Makkan pagans, they sought refuge in present day Ehiopia, under a Christian King, Negus. The Muslims stayed in Ethiopia for 15 years and all Entreaties by the Makkan leaders for Negus to deport them were rebuffed by the just, Christian King. Let there be no compulsion in religion” (Qu’ran Ch. 2:256),” concluded Governor
Shettima.
As a matter of fact, the recent comment on the detained Christin schoolgirl by Mallam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, affirmed the standpoint of Governor Shettima to the fact that Islam condemns forceful imposition of religion on an individual, more so when he or she does not belong to the faith being compelled to adopt. Besides, Nigeria is a secular state and the choice of a particular faith or religion is an individual affair. Pastor Ayo Oritsejator, the former President of Christian Association of Nigeria has times without number stated that Nigeria’s not an Islamic state.
The continued detention of Leah by the insurgents on the ground that she refused to renounce her Christian faith in favour of Islam is a deliberate assault on her fundamental human right to free association and religion. It ran contrary to the tenets of both Christian and Muslim religions. The earlier her unconditional release is by her captors, the better for the country. Her continued detention would prick the conscience and provoke action, both contemplated and unpredicted, with serious adverse consequences to the integrity of this administration as well the nation. The delay in her release would provoke questions some might not have answers to.
For example, was the continued delay in the release of the remaining abducted Chibok girls deliberate because they are Christians? Was the meteoric release of the abducted Dapchi school girls was based on the premise that they were mostly Muslims? These are the questions the answers might be illusive and for which the nation may have been boxed into the corner.
Izekor, a journalist and public affairs analyst, is a member of the Board of Advisers of The Point.
