The Supreme
Council for Sharia in Nigeria has said that members of Islamic Movement
in Nigeria, the largest Shi’ite sect in country, indicted in the
December 2015 clash with the Nigerian Army in Zaria should be punished.
The Sharia Council which made the call
in a communiqué issued after a meeting in Kaduna on Sunday, August 7,
2016 said the indicted Shi’ites must be made to face the full wrath of
the law for their deeds in the clash.
The call for the punishment of the
indicted members of the IMN, according to Sheikh Yusuf Rigachikun, who
read out the communiqué, is because Shi’ism is not Islam.
Rigachikun said from the series of
lectures by Muslim scholars, it was obvious that “Shi’ism is not Islam”
and that Muslims should acquire the knowledge of their religion, “so
that they are not derailed.”
He noted that their action against the
army was un-Islamic as such; they must pay for their action in
accordance with the law of the land.
He argued that even before the report of
the panel of inquiry that looked into the clash, the Islamic sect had
shown much signs of guilt citing the IMN’s boycott of the commission of
inquiry as an indication of guilt.
”From the delivered lectures, it has
become obvious that Shi’ism is not Islam and Muslims should acquire the
knowledge of their religion, so that they are not derailed from the true
teachings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW),” the communique read.
“Muslims should also respect and revere all the companions of the Prophet (SAW), and should protect their reputation.”
The council also called on the
government to release the White Paper on the crisis saying, “This will
go a long way in curbing the menace of Shi’a in our society.”
The council also condemned the Christian
Association of Nigeria for a recent call allegedly made by its northern
branch to its members to defend themselves against assault from
Muslims.
Rigachikun described as un-Christian
calls by Christian leaders to urge their members to carry arms against
their Muslim counterparts in the face of any crisis.
According to him, “It’s unbecoming of a body of clergymen to make such unguarded call.”
“The council condemned in strongest
terms the call by the Christian Association of Nigeria to its members to
take up arms to protect themselves,” he said.
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