By Ibrahim Usman
Leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, His Eminence Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky says there was never a time when unity of the Muslim Ummah was more paramount than now when enemies are all out against it.
He made the statement at the grand finale (Khatmah) of the birthday of the Holy Prophet in Zaria and environs, which took place at the Zaria City Juma’at Mosque on Saturday.
He said, “This is not the time for sectional sentiments and divisible statements among Muslims. Enemies of Islam are sponsoring campaigns of calumny among Muslims, and any Muslim who engages in acts of disunity or making foul statements on his fellow Muslims, is doing their dirty work. This is the work of the Zionist enemies. We should not give room to disunity among us to serve our enemies”.
Sheikh Zakzaky also enumerated strategies being used by enemies of Islam to pollute minds of gullible Muslim youths, especially young girls by way of popular culture, bad films, internet and acts inimical to Islam. “They chose young girls as tools, knowing that young girls will be mothers of tomorrow and they will disseminate such bad culture imbibed to their children, and eventually the whole society”, he remarked.
His Eminence further said, the current anti-Islam posture was he issue of false flag operations, in which they created fake Jihadist groups and brand them terrorists. “The whole aim is to brand and present Islam in bad image, as a religion of terrorists which must be abhorred. Through made up images and news broadcasts, they show that Islam is synonymous with terrorism. Having that inculcated into the psyche of the people, they would have justification for all-out war on Islam and Muslims”.
Citing the Nigerian episode, he said, because they could not find among Muslims groups in Nigeria that could do their dirty work, they created a faceless terror cell in the name of “Boko Haram”, senselessly killing people, with the highest causality among the Muslims in the northern part of the country.
He wondered how a Jihadist group with an agenda of establishing an Islamic society through the teachings of Prophet Muhammad will engage in senseless killing of Muslims in mosques. “This is ridiculing Islam and Muslims! We cannot be fooled. All the killings is done by the government of Ebele Jonathan through the security forces with substantial direct assistance from his foreign masters. Their hands are visible in all the arson and killings across the country. Nigerian government led by Ebele Jonathan is the real Boko Haram, while Jonathan and his security operatives are machineries implementing the killings. Let no one be deceived that there is a group of Muslims called Boko Haram. How can a Muslim on a Jihad mission kill people indiscriminately, including his fellow Muslim?”
The Leader said, while this was going on and Muslims were commemorating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, the enemies decided to strike at the heart and very existence of Islam and Muslims, with an unfortunate blasphemous cartoon by a Paris-based magazine, Charlie Hebdo.
He pointed out that, the Charlie Hebdo issue was clandestinely planned as part of the on-going war on Islam. “They exposed themselves by an immediate gathering in Paris to express solidarity with the magazine. That gave them way. Those present at the gathering were in a way openly telling us they are enemies of our Beloved Prophet. They held hand with the greatest terrorists in the world such as Benjamin Netanyahu and Kerry supporting the blasphemous publication”.
Sheikh Zakzaky further explained that, “Having known our enemies and the manner they operate, let no Muslim copy the enemies of Prophet Muhammad by painting our brethren in a bad image, either verbally or in form of a cartoon as did Charlie Hebdo. You do not have to draw or make foul statement on any Islamic scholar or anyone to disagree with him. If you do that, you are copying Charlie Hebdo, our enemies”.
He concluded by giving glad tidings that Islam will eventually triumph: “Whether they like it or not, Islam will eventually triumph. Islam will be firmly established against all odds. Let Muslims face this global challenge as did the Holy Prophet through good and exemplary conduct. The Prophet of Islam triumphed over his enemies not by sword, but good conduct”.