He also said the government should address issues of inequality towards Muslims, which have been seen as factors in fuelling the five-year insurgency.
“Terrorism has no place in Islam,” he told a congregation, including Nigeria’s Vice-President Namadi Sambo, clerics and traditional rulers, at the National Mosque in the capital, Abuja.
“We must rise up, as always, with one voice to condemn all acts of terrorism, condemn those terrorists wherever they are and try our possible best as Muslims to ensure peace reigns in our community.”
The Sultan, who is president of Nigeria’s Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, has come under pressure to speak out against Boko Haram, who have killed thousands in their quest for an Islamic state in the north of the country.
On Friday, he announced a national day of “prayer for peace and security” with the aim of “overcoming the current security challenges facing the country”.
In his first public comments since the militants kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from the remote northeastern town of Chibok last month, he said Muslims were disturbed by the bloodshed.
“We are committed to helping the government at all levels to bring peace in Nigeria. Whatever we can do, as long as it is not against Islam, we are ready to do it 100 percent,” he added.
“We have to make it very clear… that the situation in the country is very serious. You are fighting enemies with no boundary. Terrorists are everywhere. They are among us but we don’t know them.”
Abubakar said the situation was worse than during Nigeria’s brutal civil war from 1967 to 1970 because of the shadowy nature of Boko Haram’s fighters and their guerrilla campaign.
“In this case, you don’t know the enemy. The person sitting next to you might be one of those terrorists. You don’t know,” he said.
“It is a very serious situation and we have to close ranks as Muslims, we have to close ranks as Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic or political divide, and not play politics with insecurity.”
Nigeria’s north is majority Muslim and is poorer than the oil and gas-rich, largely Christian south. Years of social and economic blight have been seen as a recruiting tool for marginalised and disaffected young men to Boko Haram’s cause.
The Sultan said addressing inequality would help tackle the problem.
“Muslims want and also demand to be treated with equality, with justice, with fairness and, Inshallah (god willing), things will turn around,” he added.
Boko Haram has made repeated threats against Nigeria’s ancient Islamic monarchies, including the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Kano and the Shehu of Borno, who is based in the group’s northeastern stronghold.
The Kano and Borno based clerics have both survived assassination attempts by Boko Haram.
The group accuses these leaders of betraying Islam by submitting to the authority of Nigeria’s secular government.
Some analysts as a result doubt how effective the Islamic monarchs can be in helping stem the violence, which has already killed more than 2,000 people this year.
But a senior Nigerian intelligence source told AFP on Friday that bolder action by the Sultan and his allies “would have sent a clear message to Boko Haram that they don’t represent Muslim interests”.
“Had the Muslim clerics in the north been mobilised by the Sultan to challenge Boko Haram intellectually via a common platform, it would have exposed the emptiness and the folly of (the insurgents’) deviant ideology,” he said. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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sultan that's a BIG lie.
ReplyDeleteDnt mind him
ReplyDeletefunny
ReplyDeletesir H.R.H your sound is tecnique wished you longer life Good health and etternal prosperity
ReplyDeleteThis SULTAN na fool oo....islam....peace...no no no no!!
ReplyDeleteif ur father u go telam say him d lie,
ReplyDeleteU useless muslims shud wait till we have a reasonable president.and u south south idiots shud just shut-up.this mumu call president is dam weak and u know it,as his kinsmen,what have u done to make it strong?have u confront him as regard his weakness?what u fools just want is to continue looting.fools.thunder will strike all these useless muslim soon.thank God u.s no be muslim nation.
ReplyDeleteyou are funny, even if US is not a muslim nation the muslims always have a way of sneaking into people's country silently and soon after start a war or start causing problems here and there, its just in their nature to be terrorists! they are taught to kill because a reward awaits them! pweeeeee!!! silly people.
DeleteIgnorance is a disease. What you don't know, you don't know. Would you rather do some diligent research on the religion of islam? There, you would find an everlasting peace. Always learn with open mind my brother.
ReplyDeleteLet all Nigerians rise above religious sentiment. No religion preaches violence and recklessness. Everybody should stop whiping-up religious sentiments as all developed nations were not built on this platform
ReplyDeletebefore u cause holy Prophet & Sultan pls do so to Jesus & pop first.
ReplyDeleteIt is my utmost belief that Nigerianeye does not check the numerous comment being posted on their website. No country survives with such comments being posted where people wipe up religion sentiments instead of suggesting ways of solving the nuemrous problems confronting the nation. No religion teaches violence against your neighbour. Let's join hands to confront the common enemy (Boko Haram).
ReplyDeleteWhy bother so much about their selfish comments,most of those idiots cant tell you any good thing about the religion they practice, how do you expect such a person to tell you the good things about ISLAM?
ReplyDeleteSultan, have you forgotten that all terrorists worldwide are Muslims?
ReplyDeleteHere is some research for you 'brother'
ReplyDeleteMuslims who commit acts of violence and terror in the name of God, can find ample justification for their actions, based on the teachings of the Qur'an and the sayings and examples from prophet Muhammad himself!
The following are only some of the verses in the Qur'an that can and have been used in the history of Islam in support of violence in the name of God and the glories of martyrdom in a holy war.
9:5 "... fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war) ..."
9:14 "Fight them, and God will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame ..."
9:29 "Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and his apostle nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth (even if they are) of the people of the Book, until they pay the Jizya [religious tax] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."
47:4 "Therefore, when ye meet the unbelievers, smite at their necks, at length when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them) ... but if it had been God's will, he could certainly have exacted retribution from them (himself), but (he lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the way of God, he will never let their deeds be lost."
61:4 "Truly God loves those who fight in His cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure."
2:190-193 "Fight in the cause of God those who fight you ... And slay them wherever ye catch them ... And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression and there prevail justice and faith in God ..."
4:101 "... For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies."
5:54 "O ye who believe. Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors. They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily God guideth not a people unjust."
I just wish Nigeria will behave like Angola that has banned any form of Islamic religion so we can have peace
ReplyDeletePeople posting comments on issue of religion should be free of sentiments.
ReplyDeleteDID U THINK ISLAM IS A FICTION ,TAKE CARE OF INSULTIN MUSLIM.U ARE A FOOL,U BELIVE IN JESUS CHRIS NOT GOD( ALLAH) SO DONT COMPEID, ISLAM IS A PEACEFUL RELIGION AND AND PURIFIED.
ReplyDeletePurify my foot, u can't find such develish verses in d bible,instead Jesus said if u were slaped @d right side turn ur left side to b slap again just 4 peace to rein, Jesus preached peace all trou, pls u guys should repent
ReplyDelete