By Semiu A. Akanmu
The killing of the British soldier named Drummer Lee Rigby by a Nigeria-born Briton, Micheal 'Mujahid' Adebolajo, on the street of Woolwich has opened another historic, though an unfortunate page, in the socio-political directory of terrorism. Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora through our cyber spaced geographical entity have been analyzing, criticizing and diagnosing Terrorism, Terrorists and the war on terror in view of the ugly but awakening incidence. The unofficial 'press statement' made by this murderer and his 'argument' to justify this crime has undoubtedly and so expectedly took our mind to Al Qaedanism, the Machiavellian movement of Islamism.
The Islamists in their reductionists' view diminish Islam to politics and Jihad; they are otherwise called advocates of political Islam. This parochial perspective has made their approach to Jihad an infected methodology, opening pores for penetrators to hijack their struggle, mis-direct their focus, and hence invalidate the legitimacy of their advocacy. Their mis-placed priority has always results in high level of thuggery, brigandage and barbarism. This is one of the reasons why those who are well- informed about their ills will not be caught with surprise when these so-called Jihadists are found robbing and kidnapping. In view of the present configuration of the global socio-political landscape, Muslims see implementation of Shari'ah as an end from certain means like uncorrupted evangelism of the message of Islam, healthy human relation and role modelling for human emulation, while the Islamists believe in the use of force as the only means to Shari'ah. The earlier they know the rate at which Muslims' fold in countries like Iran, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria and Pakistan is shrinking, while that of countries like UK, USA, Canada, France and Australia is swelling, the better for their sensibility.
The new verge of our social discussion has passed a gauntlet unto us. This is a non-evasive responsibility of educating people generally and Muslims specifically about an adoptable classifying and separating tool to know and tell people that Muslims are different from Islamists, while Islam and Islamism are non-substitutes. While some of us are not comfortable with the nomenclature, the reality that has caught up with us signals that we have been heavily infiltrated internally and externally, and it is high time we stood up to take our liability, and stopped playing the blame game.
Though, suggesting 'Burdens on Muslims' will be a better caption to Kila's essay titled 'The Burden of Islam', I cannot do but to agree with Kila's submission. Muslims must know there is a burden on them. There is a burden of re-educating and re-orientating, an assignment of renaissance consciousness of enhancing our emotional intelligence. We cannot be responding violently to provocation either in the name of blasphemy or injustice. The buccaneers and vampires among us: from Al-Shabab in Somalia, all franchises and network of Al Qaeda globally, our own dreadful Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria to the self-determining secessionists like Moro Front in Southern Philippine, the local militant group of Narathiwar in Southern Thailand, Tuareg rebels in Northern Mali should spare us this shame. Your political interest and economy-driven struggle should be pursued without hanging on the name of Islam what so ever. Abu Aaliyah has put it so aptly that "Terrorism is to Jihad as Adultery is to Marriage". I am not of the training to delve into issues of core Islamic Jurisprudence, but those who wish to know so as to ascertain the thin line could link it up here.
As the horrific and sadistic Woolwich killing came in, the most embarrassing and utter display of effrontery is the reactionary conspiracy theory that intend to disregard and falsify that an insane walking stock has dragged our identity once again in mud. In spite of the fact that this claim did not emanate from UK-based Muslims, but the rate at which folks in Nigeria are sharing and referring to Femi Fani-Kayode's Illuminati-linked conspiracy is not only disappointing, it further tells the extent at which we have allowed emotional attachment to our faith to veil our reasoning.
Semiu A. Akanmu is on LinkedIn.
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