… Says “We Are Muslim By Allah’s Divine Will And Nobody Will Change That”
THE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar yesterday said Muslims have the right to invite their fellow brother for interaction.
Zakir Naik, a controversial Islamic preacher, wanted by several nations for terrorism, violence and money laundering, was invited by the monarch to attend the 10th Sheikh Usman bin Fordiyo week which ended on Thursday.
Naik was born and raised in India, where he finished his education and founded the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). The IRF is now banned in India, where Naik has been a wanted fugitive since 2016.
The Indian counterterrorism agency charged him with inciting religious hate and other illegal actions, forcing him to flee and seek asylum in Malaysia. However, after three years of being sheltered in Malaysia, the authorities barred him from delivering speeches in the country. He had reportedly made derogatory remarks against the country’s ethnic Hindus and Chinese during a lecture, prompting public calls for his deportation.
India, Bangladesh, Canada and the United Kingdom have all outlawed Peace TV, a broadcast station that airs its teachings.
Responding to the critics of the cleric’s visit to Nigeria, the monarch said, “Islam is one everywhere you go. As Muslims, we have the right to invite fellow Muslims to interact with us. I met Dr Zakir Naik over 11 years ago.
“Sokoto is happy to receive you. We are Muslims and we are proud to be one. We are working for Islam, not for everybody.
“We are Muslim by Allah’s divine will and nobody will change that. We thank Almighty Allah for making us Muslims,” he said during the closing ceremony held at the International Conference Centre, Sokoto.
The Sultan said the visiting scholar was able to educate Muslims and non-Muslims on what Islam is all about.
The Sultan had invited him to tour and hold lectures in three Nigerian cities- Sokoto, Abuja, and Ilorin, for four days, alongside his son, Dr. Zakir Naik.
Even though Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in March 2023, said the government was working with Oman authorities to extradite Mr Naik, Nigeria opened its doors to him.
Upon arrival in Nigeria last Monday night, the cleric posted pictures of him being received by personnel of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and used inciting captions to describe them as Muslim bodies of government.
Not done, after he met with the Sultan on Tuesday he posted another picture describing the Sultan as the “Head of State of Nigeria”.
As expected, these inciting posts caused an uproar pitching some Nigerians with Muslim faithful who saw nothing wrong with the cleric labelling the NAF and NIS as Muslim Nigerian Air Force and Muslim Nigerian Immigration Service.
Beyond the uproar about the tag was the concern about the identity of Naik, who is a fugitive wanted by the Indian counterterrorism agency for inciting religious “disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred” in his teachings.
He first came to the Indian government’s radar in 2016 when one of the suspects behind the attack in Dhaka, which resulted in the death of 22 people, said the preacher’s teachings spurred him to kill people.
Meanwhile also speaking at the ceremony, the former Minister of Defence, Mahmoud Yayale Ahmed, reaffirmed the loyalty of the millions of Muslims in the country to the monarch.
“We are behind you in all that you are doing to promote Islam and foster peace and unity in the country,” he said
Sokoto State governor, Ahmed Aliyu who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Bello Sifawa stressed the importance of knowledge in human and societal development.
“This is why the present administration makes repositioning and revitalizing religious knowledge one of its 9-point agenda,” he said
Kebbi State governor, Muhammad Nasir Idris, assured the Sultan of their continuous support.
Eighteen-Eleven Media