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#Post#: 40--------------------------------------------------
Difference Is Different
DIR By: Captshittu
Date: August 5, 2017, 1:39 am
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THE DIFFERENCE IS DIFFERENT!
Alhajis and Alhajas, Amirs and Amiras, Aboos and Ummus, scholars
and students, Imams and followers, brothers and sisters,
brethren, it's time again to put on our thinking turbans and
hijabs.Whoever has none, should please borrow one, and whoever
has more, should please lend some.
While this may sound poetic like the puns of my amiable and
witty friends, “Andre Skywalker” and “Reserved Single”, you may
do well to ignore the rhymes and do just as instructed, for what
is behind six, like Yorubas would say, is beyond seven.
Failure to put on, borrow from, or lend one another our
thinking headdresses (like it has been the case from times long
anyway) would further sink the already submerged boat of the
Muslim ummah in the country.
We are again at a time when the strength of unity fostered by
Islam upon the Muslim Ummah is being jettisoned, shattered,
ridiculed and threatened by Muslims themselves.
A serendipitous stumble on the statistical strength of Muslims
in Nigeria, would hastily fill one with a sense of boastfulness,
satisfaction, and fulfillment. However, a clever analysis of
our "place value" relative to other religious groups in the
country would return one in a state of lachrymose. Politically,
we are zero, academically, we are relatively far behind,
economically, we are trailing, socially, we are second class,
professionally, we no dey at all.
Check through any government owned university in Nigeria and
work out the ratio of the Muslim professors to the non Muslim
professors. Go to the government hospitals, and compare the
number of qualified Muslim doctors to their non Muslim
counterparts.
The Media is a no go area, don't even talk about it, how many
Islamic channels or prints do we have? In business, count the
number of private business establishments and work out the ratio
of those owned by Muslims to those owned by non Muslims.
Go to any government organisation, count the number of directors
that are Muslim and compare with those that are not.
Return to the University, count the number of Muslim students
and compare with those of others. You remember the ratio in your
set? At your workplace, how many of your Ogas are Muslim? Most
companies now prefer recruitment via recommendation rather than
the traditional random application, who is gonna recommend you?
Do you have a brother there? Please note, that the word "Muslim"
as appeared several times above does not refer to Muslims by
mere nomenclature, it refers to Muslims indeed and in truth.
Now you see why your "bear-bear" remains a threat to the
community despite your peaceful and gentlemanly composure.
Now You See why no one is ready to employ you because of your
hijab, despite your qualifications. Now You See why
"legislooters" would formulate laws with total anathema to Islam
and we have to accept them bee bee naa ni, abi, we no geh mouth
for there naa.
Little wonder why some misfits, miscreants and reprobates in the
society would invade a mosque DURING RAMADAN! beat up the Imams
and followers mercilessly, destroy properties all in the name of
celebrating one nonsense festival, and nothing go happen.
Little wonder why an occultist group would intrude the house a
highly placed Islamic scholar in the town, butcher him and the
whole of his family and nobody would wink. Even the media is
reluctant to report such, Shebi na Muslim dem kill, nothing dey
happen.
Little wonder why every action of the government is greeted by
the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN with a foul cry of
attempts to Islamise the country or marginalise the Christians,
despite the opposite being the actual case. Little wonder why
the introduction of Islamic bank in Nigeria would forever be met
with chagrin opposition.
Thank God for Jaiz Bank. We now have one total zero interest
bank out of a hundred traditional others, despite the emphatic
stress on the issue of interest in Islam.
Little wonder why Islam is being "bashed" in and out by the
media with no one seeming to come to its rescue.
Little wonder the use of hijab in secondary schools in the South
West was so much detested that it took up to four years of
ferocious legal battle before such FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT could be
granted. And even when the judgement finally favoured the
Muslims, some embittered and contemptuous sets of people still
stand for road like Goliath, say "laye laye, una no go wear
am!"... The list is just inexhaustible. We just plenty like 1000
soldier ants wey no fit carry one cube of shuga.
Recently, I witnessed the 4th convocation ceremony of Landmark
University, Omu Aran, Kwara State. Landmark University is the
second university owned by Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of
the Living Faith Worldwide (AKA Winners Chapel), Covenant
University in Ota, Ogun State being the first. In fact, there
are rumours that a third University is being established in
Abuja, and would open very soon.
Towards the end of the ceremony, it was time for the goodwill
messages by the Vice Chancellors of other universities across
the country. There were up to twenty private universities
present with either their Vice Chancellor or a representative to
deliver the goodwill messages. When I heard the names of the
founder or Chancellor of each of these universities, I was
shocked.
They are names of major top pastors or General Overseers of
different Christian denominations. In fact, I got to know that
virtually all Christian denominations in Nigeria now have their
own universities. Sorry if you have known this before now, me I
be JJC o, and the thing really shocked me when I started hearing
"pastor Lagbaja, our father in the lord, Chancellor of so so so
university".
But then, there was another thing that shocked me. The governor
of Kwara State, Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmad was to give a keynote
address. He was absent but sent a representative, the
COMMISSIONER FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION, one Mrs kinikan Ahmad. I
was highly impressed with her opening, she was dressed modestly
with her hijab, though not the long type but evident enough to
know that she is a Muslim. When she stepped to the podium, she
first greeted the Christian audience with "praaaaaaiiiiiiiise da
Laaaaawwwwwd!"
and they chorused as usual "Haaaaaaleellluuuuuuuuyyyaaaaaah!"
then she said
"Taakbiiiiiiiiir!"
wow! I was impressed. This is boldness, in the presence of Papa
Oyedepo and his home fan? I think I heard two or three people
reluctantly replied "Allahu Akbar". Those three include myself
and my brother beside me. You know the feeling when you
mistakingly come across two or three grains of white beans out a
bag of red ones.
That's not all. The usual opening of every speaker cum pastor
is "can somebbbody shout Haleluyeeeeeeeeh"
But this amazing woman made a break from the norm. She began
with
Audhubillah minna sh shaitani rojeem, Bismillah Rahnani Raheem".
Wow! I couldn't help but to nod and clap her.
But then, one thing spoilt the show. Her accent and
pronunciation of words. Oh, my Goodness! It was more like a
comedy show for the students.
She mispronounced many words with her Kwaran accent (apology to
Yusuf Aweda) so badly that you would have to apply decoding
techniques to decipher that they are actually English words.
Each time she does a damage to an English word, I gently look
to the direction of the students, often with my eyes meeting
with two or three others, I see them parodically echoing and
murmuring the word to each other, thus making a caricature of
her. I trust UNILAG students would have done worse. While my
point here is not to mock her myself, it is important to
emphasise how she has unwittingly presented Islam as a religion
of mediocrity, of the uneducated, the riffraff, and substandard
people. Most of us are guilty of this anyway, her dressing and
opening pitched her as an ambassador of Islam, but her little
grab of professionalism, ethics, and standards unwittingly
signaled something negative of Islam. Well, she met their
expectations anyway, they never expected that a Muslim would
speak correct English in the first place.
Even In terms of civic or social responsibility, we are not
there. I remember during last Ramadan, I volunteered with a
friend on a project for a new charity group. We were to visit an
orphanage and a prison. We had to search the whole of the island
for an Islamic orphanage, we couldn't get any.
The only one we knew of was the "Bab Al Salam in Ikeja, far
from our target location, and thus we had to settle for the non
Muslim one we got at Ajah. On the day of our visit there, while
having a discussion with the proprietress, she told us the
orphanage was founded by a church. We met with the children, and
from my interaction with them, I could see they have been
trained perfectly along the Christian line, I could see pastors
in the making, even from the ones that bear Muslim names. Well,
we dropped all the items we brought for them and left for the
Prison at Ikoyi. From the gate, after introducing ourselves,
despite the fact that we have written a letter prior to that
day, the first question the security men asked was "From which
Parish are you from?" shuuuuu! Parish ke! Parish ko, Paris Club
ni! But would you blame them? After all, na only parish people
dey come visit the inmates.
I am sure you wouldn't find it difficult to recall the many
times you've found yourself as the only "standing Muslim" in one
social committee or the other, at home, at work, at school, etc,
and you're unable to make favourable decisions based on
democratic reasons, thereby complying to whatever anti Islamic
decision is being made. You feel intimated, you feel
compromised, and lonely. You wish you could have more of you
"Muslims" in the decision room. Unfortunately, there are none.
But then you may ask "Where are we?" And here is where we are:
Our youths are on the social media fighting each other over
trivialities. We dominate the social media with stray bullets of
brutal arguments and counterarguments over: whether it is
allowed or not to say "Ramadan Kareem or Jumat Mubarak", whether
it is allowed or not to pay Zakatul Fitr in money, whether it is
allowed to recite adkhar in congregation or not, whether we can
vote in election or not, whether second Jamaa is allowed or not,
whether we should raise the hand before saying Allahu Akbar on
Salat or vice versa, whether we can protest against a bad leader
or not, and a thousand, in fact a million others. The polemics
become so much that youths with no drop of knowledge in reality
go to the social media to claim a fountain, and become an
authority, often distributing Hell Fire, and labelling people of
knowledge as Kufaar, OK, contunu.
Meanwhile, our Christian counterparts are busy at places of
empowerment, gaining knowledge and skills, and taking up
responsibilities in the society. The screen (of our smartphones
and gadgets) seem to have screened away our sense of unity and
render us powerless.
Our Babas are in the mosques, fighting one another over control
and leadership of the mosques. You would hardly find any mosque
around today where the management committee and the imams aren't
at war with one another. The mosque where I pray is a typical
example.
My dad being a member of the management committee, is never
please with the imam, "they are always fighting". Anytime I am
away from home and I called, the first thing I ask him is
"Daddy, shey e o ba Imam ja lote yii? " (Daddy, hope you didn't
fight with the Imam this time around?) he would jokingly reply
"Yi o ba Iya e" (Waka/your Mama!). Virtually, in every mosques,
the imams and the committee are always at difference.
Even in the University community where one would expect high
sense of understanding, the elders of the community are always
fighting the Muslim students over control and leadership. The
case of MSSN UNILAG is germane here. Meanwhile, the churches are
building schools and universities, setting up bookshops and
other laudable projects while we continue to fight, at times we
even go to the Kufaars to help settle our case.
Our mothers are at home, fighting one another over polygamy.
Maliciously battling whether to accept a second wife or not. Few
days ago in the news, I heard of a woman in Osun State who sent
hired assassins to her husband just because he dared to go for a
second wife. Meanwhile the Christian women are setting up
clinics, and orphanages.
You know what is most annoying, actually ironical about all
these? We are the ones that boast about the unity of our
religion the most, and that's where the topic of this write up
comes from.
There are differences among us, just as there are differences
among people of other religions. But the difference is
different. While the Christians openly declare their differences
but internally, they are one, forming a strong support to one
another, we Muslims openly declare our unity, but internally,
we are divided. The Christians would tell you that a CAC member
cannot worship in Redeem, a Living Faith member cannot worship
in mountain of fire, etc but at the back stage, they move in
same direction, they speak in one voice and they act uniformly.
And that's why today they are leaders and playmakers of every
aspect of the society. We Muslims publicly brag about our unity
with our mouths, but right within, we hate, envy, fight, make
contempt of each other and revel in enmity, isn't that
hypocrisy?
_"...They were nearer to disbelief that day than to faith,
saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah
is most knowing of what they conceal."_ Q3:167
Even the few ones among us doing well, rather than support
them, we pull them down because of hatred, envy and enmity. And
that's why we remain relegated members of the society.
_"The unbelievers are protectors of one of another. If you fail
to do likewise, there will be disorder in the land and great
corruption."_ Q8:73
Is it not high time we stopped bragging about our unity when we
are actually not united? Should we not rather begin to mend
our differences, and support one another like true brothers?
Most ironically, is that the refusal to resolve our
differences and support one another on the good, is a unanimous
agreement to support each other on the evil. Argument breeds
contempt, contempt breeds distrust, distrust breeds hatred,
hatred breeds malice, and malice breeds other chains of evil.
_…Cooperate with one another in righteousness and piety, and do
not cooperate in sin and transgression. Have fear of Allah.
Allah is stern in punishment._ Q5:2
The difference among the Christians pits them as a single giant
force in front of all developmental phases of the society,
while the difference among us, breaks our bond of unity and puts
us in the rear. *Indeed, the difference is different.*
May Allah save us.
© *Yussuf Ayo*..... Copied
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