Muslim groups under the umbrella body of Muslims United for Peace and Justice have called for justice against the murderers of Deborah Samuel, a student of Sheu Shagari College of Education, who was killed for alleged blasphemy.
Gatekeepers News reports that Muslims United for Peace and Justice has called for ‘transparent justice’ for perpetrators, ‘irrespective of the nature of their motivation or the justification they claim’.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to Gatekeepers News on Sunday and signed by leaders of several Muslim groups, including Prof Lakin Akintola of Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC; Professor Abdurazaq Kilani of Al-Usrah Incorporated, Port Harcourt, Rivers State (Southern Nigeria), Alhaji Ariyo Olushekun of Islamic Forum Babalola Abdur-Rasheed of the Movement for Islamic Culture and Awareness, amongst others.
The Muslim leaders, while expressing complete shock and disgust at the murder of Deborah, said the alleged crime of blasphemy and the graphic murder of the young lady are not without precedence.
While amplifying the voice of condemnation by other Muslim leaders, most notably the Sultan, Muhammadu Abubakar, the groups noted that the incidence could perhaps be utilised as “a turning point in
Muslim-Christian relations, and herald a new era of peaceful and respectful coexistence.”
The group added that these were achievable ideals if each religious adherent would embrace and sincerely practice the sublime
messages of their faith.
The statement reads, “We condemn every act of insult and provocation along religious and ethnic fault lines. In particular, we condemn in an equal measure any insults, abuse, denigration or mischievous attacks against all prophets of God, be it Muhammad (SAW), Jesus, Moses, Abraham or any other (peace be on them all).
“We call for deep introspection by leaders of the Christian community and urge them to employ all means to fend off intolerance. We urge governments of all the States of the Federation to strengthen or promulgate (where none exists) laws to criminalise blasphemy and killing for blasphemy outside the law and faithfully enforce them.
“We urge Muslim scholars to issue fatwah specifically against frontier justice, jungle justice and extrajudicial killing at any time. Moreso, we appeal to Imams to use the Friday khutbah to spread and promote the peaceful coexistence, respect for constituted authority and the rule of law,
as enjoined in Islam.”
The group further lamented the poor state of the judicial system in the country and called for improvement of same to restore public confidence in the judicial system, as well as prompt and effective
administration of justice.
The statement read further, “We condemn jungle justice and lament its endemic nature in Nigeria and call for justice for all other victims of extrajudicial killings, the Tijaniyyah travellers who were murdered in Jos, the Baptist College, Ijagbo, hijab killing, the Lekki killing by okada riders and other similar acts of barbarism and mob violence.
“We express strong solidarity with voices of reason and moderation amongst scholars of Islam and declare readiness to continue working together to strengthen the pillars of national peace, reconciliation and understanding.
“We urge leaders of faiths to continue to enlighten and educate adherents on the need for mutual respect, to focus on messages of love and work against voices of hatred and extremism amongst them.
“We call on the leadership of The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in particular to demonstrate that they stand united and together in opposition to all prejudiced appeals. We call on the organisation to use the platform to denounce the act of extrajudicial murder and the
alleged crime that led to it, including the high prevalence of Islamophobia and the threat of the forces seeking to delegitimise genuine concerns and those spreading hatred between the two major faiths in Nigeria. Sadly, the tragic event in Sokoto is another reminder of how fragile peace can be without mutual respect and united leadership.
“We pray for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for peace, for political stability and economic prosperity, combat the festering of Islamophobia amongst their followers, and prevent words and actions from the adherents of the Christian faith that are antithetical to the core teachings of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) which are based on piety, love, respect and tolerance.”
