The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged Muslim youths throughout Nigeria to stay calm and keep away from any type of public protest over US President Donald Trump’s threat to assault Nigeria.
In an announcement on Sunday, Ishaq Akintola, government director of MURIC, additionally cautioned Islamic {groups} towards forming militant outfits in response to the threat, warning that such {groups} may find yourself harassing harmless Nigerians, together with fellow Muslims.
Akintola suggested the Nigerian authorities to deal with the matter via diplomatic channels, saying confrontation or emotional reactions may worsen the state of affairs.
“Muslim youths, North and South of the nation, are suggested to keep away from public protests over Trump’s threat. We must always permit the Nigerian authorities to deal with the matter via diplomatic channels,” Akintola mentioned
.
He mentioned Trump’s warning ought to be interpreted as a threat towards terrorist {groups}, not Muslims or Nigeria as a complete.
He said: “Taken contextually, Trump’s threat ought to be seen as directed at terrorist {groups}. If that’s the case, our response to the threat is easy. Terrorists are usually not a part of us,.
“Their strategies stand in contradistinction to the tenets of Islam. We condemn terrorism, and we is not going to affiliate with those that kill and maim. We reject ideologies of kidnapping and extortion. They’re alien to Islam.”
Akintola added that any US navy strikes focusing on Boko Haram, ISIS, or ISWAP “will make sense,” noting that such {groups} have killed each Muslims and Christians.
Nevertheless, he warned that assaults on harmless Muslims or mosques could be seen as aggression and a continuation of the Christian crusades.
“Such strikes will likely be thought-about aggression and a resumption of the Christian campaign of the nineteenth century if harmless Muslims and mosques are focused or if Muslim leaders are attacked or grow to be victims of rendition and the attendant waterboarding,” he mentioned.
The MURIC director reaffirmed the organisation’s dedication to its motto, ‘Dialogue, Not Violence,’ and urged Nigerians to embrace peace and tolerance.
He additionally known as on Muslims to keep away from hatred or vengeance towards Christians or foreigners, including that hospitality stays a core worth in Islam.