BARELY
two weeks after about 22 of its members were allegedly killed during a
procession in Zaria, an attack for which insurgent group, Boko Haram,
claimed responsibility, the Ibrahim Al-Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement in
Nigeria (IMN), widely known as the Shiite, was last Saturday, again, in
the news. And typical of the group, it was for the wrong reason.
The Shiite members, as they were wont to do, barricaded the road while celebrating their Maulud at Hussainiyya in Zaria, their headquarters. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, was scheduled to pass through the road to attend the passing out parade of the 73 regular recruits intake of Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria. The convoy of the COAS was eventually attacked by members of the sect, who were said to wield dangerous weapons. General Buratai was within a whisker of being killed in the ensuing melee as soldiers and Shiites clashed in a bid to clear the road to enable the COAS’s convoy pass through thoroughfare.
The Shiites’ clash with soldiers lasted between last Saturday and Monday, leading to the death of some people, mostly IMN members, including a son of Zakzaky, Aliyu; his second in command, Sheikh Muhammad Turi, among others, though there were said to be some casualties on the part of the Army too. Zakzaky, whose trademark is dressing in robes and turban to resemble Iranian ayatollah, was on Sunday arrested by soldiers with injuries sustained in a raid on his residence at Gyallesu in Zaria, which was said to be destroyed by soldiers.The incident of those days was indeed bloody!
The recent clash with soldiers drew condemnations, both from within the country and outside, particularly human rights activists, with the Iranian and Iraqi governments warning Nigeria against taking hasty actions against Shiites in the country. The American Embassy in Nigeria has also come out to urge the Federal Government not only to investigate the clash but also hold anyone culpable accountable.
“The United States calls on the Government of Nigeria to quickly, credibly, and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilise the situation,” U.S. Ambassador James Entwhistle added.
The Shiite sect, also known as Shia, was relatively unpopular in the country until the 1980s when Zakzaky, who graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, transformed the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, which was formed as a students activist group, to a Shiite group. The transformation came after Zakzaky returned from Iran, where he converted to Shia Islam, in 1980.
Prior to his conversion to Shia Islam, Zakzaky, who was born on May 5, 1953 in Zaria, Kaduna State, was a leading member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). He was MSSN’s secretary at ABU, Zaria, between 1977 and 1978 and later became the body’s National Vice-President in 1979. In the early 1980s, Zakzaky led the then Nigeria’s Muslim Brotherhood. But all these changed as soon as he visited Iran, which is regarded as the world headquarters of Shiites.
He was perhaps motivated by the then Iranian leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who led the February 1979 revolution that toppled the then American-backed Iranian government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, putting an end to the Pahlavi monarchy in the Asian country and sacked the provisional government of Shapour Bakhtiar.
Zakzaky’s firebrand preachings have always been against the establishment and the ‘Great Satan’, the United States of America and its allies, including Israel. He had declared Nigerian government unfit to rule and was highly critical of the traditional Sunni leadership of Nigeria, including the Sultan of Sokoto, which he believed was guilty of siding with the government. The Shiite leader in Nigeria is propagating his Shia tenets without any regard for political institutions in the country.
The Shiites’ principal approach to practicing their belief is that they can never be subservient to any other authority except those established under the Sharia. This emanates from their belief that it is only the Sharia that is the solution to the world’s problems. In fact, Zakzaky was a known advocate of Islam as a solution to both socialism and capitalism during the Cold War period.
This then explains why the sect has constantly been having issues with constituted authorities in the country with Zakzaky being jailed on many occasions in the late 1980s and 1990s. When the current no-nonsense Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), was the military administrator of Kaduna State, the Shiite sect members’ excesses was thoroughly put to check. Until Ali’s coming to the state, the sect, which membership was largely drawn from youths who were disenchanted with the the establishment, had almost taken over the control of the state and set up its own Islamic government. The sect, unlike insurgent group, Boko Haram, does not discourage people from acquiring education despite its lackadaisical attitude to the establishment.
The Ali blow to the sect forced it to remain virtually ‘silent’ until the advent of democracy under the current dispensation when ex-governor, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, recognised Zakzaky as an Islamic scholar in the state. This, no doubt, emboldened the sect as it has unfettered right to worship and carry out its activities, including holding processions through which it blocked roads, thus denying other people of various beliefs of their right to free movement.
Most cities in the North always witness processions of the Shiites, particularly on Ashura Day, which falls of the ninth day of the month of Muharam in the Islamic calendar. The sect normally uses the day to mark the day the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was slain in the Battle of Karbala.
In one of such processions last year, the Shiites had a face-off with soldiers in Zaria, their national headquarters, leading to a clash in which 35 people lost their lives. The July 2014 procession was organised to celebrate Quds Day and also to protest Israeli military attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.
Zakzaky’s arrest by the Army in the recent clash is seen as a relief to residents of the ancient town of Zaria. They were shown jubilating over the ‘conquer’ of Zakzaky by soldiers in a video clip played by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General A Oyebode, at a press briefing in Kaduna last Monday.
With Zakzaky in custody and his followers giving condition to let peace reign, one take from this is government ought to be wary of the way and manner it handles the Shiites’ case to avoid indirectly giving life to another insurgent group like Boko Haram, whose founder, Muhammed Yusuf, was arrested in 2009 by soldiers during a clash with the authorities and handed over to the police, only to be killed later in custody.
Like the apex Islamic body in the country, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) warns: “While there are claims and counter-claims on what actually precipitated the latest heart-rendering incident, NSCIA urges the authorities to exercise restraint.
“The history of the circumstances that engendered the outbreak of militant insurgency in the past, with cataclysmic consequences that Nigeria is yet to recover from, should not be allowed to repeat itself.”
The Shiite members, as they were wont to do, barricaded the road while celebrating their Maulud at Hussainiyya in Zaria, their headquarters. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, was scheduled to pass through the road to attend the passing out parade of the 73 regular recruits intake of Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria. The convoy of the COAS was eventually attacked by members of the sect, who were said to wield dangerous weapons. General Buratai was within a whisker of being killed in the ensuing melee as soldiers and Shiites clashed in a bid to clear the road to enable the COAS’s convoy pass through thoroughfare.
The Shiites’ clash with soldiers lasted between last Saturday and Monday, leading to the death of some people, mostly IMN members, including a son of Zakzaky, Aliyu; his second in command, Sheikh Muhammad Turi, among others, though there were said to be some casualties on the part of the Army too. Zakzaky, whose trademark is dressing in robes and turban to resemble Iranian ayatollah, was on Sunday arrested by soldiers with injuries sustained in a raid on his residence at Gyallesu in Zaria, which was said to be destroyed by soldiers.The incident of those days was indeed bloody!
The recent clash with soldiers drew condemnations, both from within the country and outside, particularly human rights activists, with the Iranian and Iraqi governments warning Nigeria against taking hasty actions against Shiites in the country. The American Embassy in Nigeria has also come out to urge the Federal Government not only to investigate the clash but also hold anyone culpable accountable.
“The United States calls on the Government of Nigeria to quickly, credibly, and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilise the situation,” U.S. Ambassador James Entwhistle added.
The Shiite sect, also known as Shia, was relatively unpopular in the country until the 1980s when Zakzaky, who graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, transformed the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, which was formed as a students activist group, to a Shiite group. The transformation came after Zakzaky returned from Iran, where he converted to Shia Islam, in 1980.
Prior to his conversion to Shia Islam, Zakzaky, who was born on May 5, 1953 in Zaria, Kaduna State, was a leading member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). He was MSSN’s secretary at ABU, Zaria, between 1977 and 1978 and later became the body’s National Vice-President in 1979. In the early 1980s, Zakzaky led the then Nigeria’s Muslim Brotherhood. But all these changed as soon as he visited Iran, which is regarded as the world headquarters of Shiites.
He was perhaps motivated by the then Iranian leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who led the February 1979 revolution that toppled the then American-backed Iranian government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, putting an end to the Pahlavi monarchy in the Asian country and sacked the provisional government of Shapour Bakhtiar.
Zakzaky’s firebrand preachings have always been against the establishment and the ‘Great Satan’, the United States of America and its allies, including Israel. He had declared Nigerian government unfit to rule and was highly critical of the traditional Sunni leadership of Nigeria, including the Sultan of Sokoto, which he believed was guilty of siding with the government. The Shiite leader in Nigeria is propagating his Shia tenets without any regard for political institutions in the country.
The Shiites’ principal approach to practicing their belief is that they can never be subservient to any other authority except those established under the Sharia. This emanates from their belief that it is only the Sharia that is the solution to the world’s problems. In fact, Zakzaky was a known advocate of Islam as a solution to both socialism and capitalism during the Cold War period.
This then explains why the sect has constantly been having issues with constituted authorities in the country with Zakzaky being jailed on many occasions in the late 1980s and 1990s. When the current no-nonsense Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), was the military administrator of Kaduna State, the Shiite sect members’ excesses was thoroughly put to check. Until Ali’s coming to the state, the sect, which membership was largely drawn from youths who were disenchanted with the the establishment, had almost taken over the control of the state and set up its own Islamic government. The sect, unlike insurgent group, Boko Haram, does not discourage people from acquiring education despite its lackadaisical attitude to the establishment.
The Ali blow to the sect forced it to remain virtually ‘silent’ until the advent of democracy under the current dispensation when ex-governor, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, recognised Zakzaky as an Islamic scholar in the state. This, no doubt, emboldened the sect as it has unfettered right to worship and carry out its activities, including holding processions through which it blocked roads, thus denying other people of various beliefs of their right to free movement.
Most cities in the North always witness processions of the Shiites, particularly on Ashura Day, which falls of the ninth day of the month of Muharam in the Islamic calendar. The sect normally uses the day to mark the day the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was slain in the Battle of Karbala.
In one of such processions last year, the Shiites had a face-off with soldiers in Zaria, their national headquarters, leading to a clash in which 35 people lost their lives. The July 2014 procession was organised to celebrate Quds Day and also to protest Israeli military attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.
Zakzaky’s arrest by the Army in the recent clash is seen as a relief to residents of the ancient town of Zaria. They were shown jubilating over the ‘conquer’ of Zakzaky by soldiers in a video clip played by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General A Oyebode, at a press briefing in Kaduna last Monday.
With Zakzaky in custody and his followers giving condition to let peace reign, one take from this is government ought to be wary of the way and manner it handles the Shiites’ case to avoid indirectly giving life to another insurgent group like Boko Haram, whose founder, Muhammed Yusuf, was arrested in 2009 by soldiers during a clash with the authorities and handed over to the police, only to be killed later in custody.
Like the apex Islamic body in the country, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) warns: “While there are claims and counter-claims on what actually precipitated the latest heart-rendering incident, NSCIA urges the authorities to exercise restraint.
“The history of the circumstances that engendered the outbreak of militant insurgency in the past, with cataclysmic consequences that Nigeria is yet to recover from, should not be allowed to repeat itself.”
Related Stories >>
BARELY
two weeks after about 22 of its members were allegedly killed during a
procession in Zaria, an attack for which insurgent group, Boko Haram,
claimed responsibility, the Ibrahim Al-Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement in
Nigeria (IMN), widely known as the Shiite, was last Saturday, again, in
the news. And typical of the group, it was for the wrong reason.
The Shiite members, as they were wont to do, barricaded the road while celebrating their Maulud at Hussainiyya in Zaria, their headquarters. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, was scheduled to pass through the road to attend the passing out parade of the 73 regular recruits intake of Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria. The convoy of the COAS was eventually attacked by members of the sect, who were said to wield dangerous weapons. General Buratai was within a whisker of being killed in the ensuing melee as soldiers and Shiites clashed in a bid to clear the road to enable the COAS’s convoy pass through thoroughfare.
The Shiites’ clash with soldiers lasted between last Saturday and Monday, leading to the death of some people, mostly IMN members, including a son of Zakzaky, Aliyu; his second in command, Sheikh Muhammad Turi, among others, though there were said to be some casualties on the part of the Army too. Zakzaky, whose trademark is dressing in robes and turban to resemble Iranian ayatollah, was on Sunday arrested by soldiers with injuries sustained in a raid on his residence at Gyallesu in Zaria, which was said to be destroyed by soldiers.The incident of those days was indeed bloody!
The recent clash with soldiers drew condemnations, both from within the country and outside, particularly human rights activists, with the Iranian and Iraqi governments warning Nigeria against taking hasty actions against Shiites in the country. The American Embassy in Nigeria has also come out to urge the Federal Government not only to investigate the clash but also hold anyone culpable accountable.
“The United States calls on the Government of Nigeria to quickly, credibly, and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilise the situation,” U.S. Ambassador James Entwhistle added.
The Shiite sect, also known as Shia, was relatively unpopular in the country until the 1980s when Zakzaky, who graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, transformed the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, which was formed as a students activist group, to a Shiite group. The transformation came after Zakzaky returned from Iran, where he converted to Shia Islam, in 1980.
Prior to his conversion to Shia Islam, Zakzaky, who was born on May 5, 1953 in Zaria, Kaduna State, was a leading member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). He was MSSN’s secretary at ABU, Zaria, between 1977 and 1978 and later became the body’s National Vice-President in 1979. In the early 1980s, Zakzaky led the then Nigeria’s Muslim Brotherhood. But all these changed as soon as he visited Iran, which is regarded as the world headquarters of Shiites.
He was perhaps motivated by the then Iranian leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who led the February 1979 revolution that toppled the then American-backed Iranian government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, putting an end to the Pahlavi monarchy in the Asian country and sacked the provisional government of Shapour Bakhtiar.
Zakzaky’s firebrand preachings have always been against the establishment and the ‘Great Satan’, the United States of America and its allies, including Israel. He had declared Nigerian government unfit to rule and was highly critical of the traditional Sunni leadership of Nigeria, including the Sultan of Sokoto, which he believed was guilty of siding with the government. The Shiite leader in Nigeria is propagating his Shia tenets without any regard for political institutions in the country.
The Shiites’ principal approach to practicing their belief is that they can never be subservient to any other authority except those established under the Sharia. This emanates from their belief that it is only the Sharia that is the solution to the world’s problems. In fact, Zakzaky was a known advocate of Islam as a solution to both socialism and capitalism during the Cold War period.
This then explains why the sect has constantly been having issues with constituted authorities in the country with Zakzaky being jailed on many occasions in the late 1980s and 1990s. When the current no-nonsense Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), was the military administrator of Kaduna State, the Shiite sect members’ excesses was thoroughly put to check. Until Ali’s coming to the state, the sect, which membership was largely drawn from youths who were disenchanted with the the establishment, had almost taken over the control of the state and set up its own Islamic government. The sect, unlike insurgent group, Boko Haram, does not discourage people from acquiring education despite its lackadaisical attitude to the establishment.
The Ali blow to the sect forced it to remain virtually ‘silent’ until the advent of democracy under the current dispensation when ex-governor, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, recognised Zakzaky as an Islamic scholar in the state. This, no doubt, emboldened the sect as it has unfettered right to worship and carry out its activities, including holding processions through which it blocked roads, thus denying other people of various beliefs of their right to free movement.
Most cities in the North always witness processions of the Shiites, particularly on Ashura Day, which falls of the ninth day of the month of Muharam in the Islamic calendar. The sect normally uses the day to mark the day the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was slain in the Battle of Karbala.
In one of such processions last year, the Shiites had a face-off with soldiers in Zaria, their national headquarters, leading to a clash in which 35 people lost their lives. The July 2014 procession was organised to celebrate Quds Day and also to protest Israeli military attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.
Zakzaky’s arrest by the Army in the recent clash is seen as a relief to residents of the ancient town of Zaria. They were shown jubilating over the ‘conquer’ of Zakzaky by soldiers in a video clip played by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General A Oyebode, at a press briefing in Kaduna last Monday.
With Zakzaky in custody and his followers giving condition to let peace reign, one take from this is government ought to be wary of the way and manner it handles the Shiites’ case to avoid indirectly giving life to another insurgent group like Boko Haram, whose founder, Muhammed Yusuf, was arrested in 2009 by soldiers during a clash with the authorities and handed over to the police, only to be killed later in custody.
Like the apex Islamic body in the country, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) warns: “While there are claims and counter-claims on what actually precipitated the latest heart-rendering incident, NSCIA urges the authorities to exercise restraint.
“The history of the circumstances that engendered the outbreak of militant insurgency in the past, with cataclysmic consequences that Nigeria is yet to recover from, should not be allowed to repeat itself.”
The Shiite members, as they were wont to do, barricaded the road while celebrating their Maulud at Hussainiyya in Zaria, their headquarters. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, was scheduled to pass through the road to attend the passing out parade of the 73 regular recruits intake of Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria. The convoy of the COAS was eventually attacked by members of the sect, who were said to wield dangerous weapons. General Buratai was within a whisker of being killed in the ensuing melee as soldiers and Shiites clashed in a bid to clear the road to enable the COAS’s convoy pass through thoroughfare.
The Shiites’ clash with soldiers lasted between last Saturday and Monday, leading to the death of some people, mostly IMN members, including a son of Zakzaky, Aliyu; his second in command, Sheikh Muhammad Turi, among others, though there were said to be some casualties on the part of the Army too. Zakzaky, whose trademark is dressing in robes and turban to resemble Iranian ayatollah, was on Sunday arrested by soldiers with injuries sustained in a raid on his residence at Gyallesu in Zaria, which was said to be destroyed by soldiers.The incident of those days was indeed bloody!
The recent clash with soldiers drew condemnations, both from within the country and outside, particularly human rights activists, with the Iranian and Iraqi governments warning Nigeria against taking hasty actions against Shiites in the country. The American Embassy in Nigeria has also come out to urge the Federal Government not only to investigate the clash but also hold anyone culpable accountable.
“The United States calls on the Government of Nigeria to quickly, credibly, and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilise the situation,” U.S. Ambassador James Entwhistle added.
The Shiite sect, also known as Shia, was relatively unpopular in the country until the 1980s when Zakzaky, who graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, transformed the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, which was formed as a students activist group, to a Shiite group. The transformation came after Zakzaky returned from Iran, where he converted to Shia Islam, in 1980.
Prior to his conversion to Shia Islam, Zakzaky, who was born on May 5, 1953 in Zaria, Kaduna State, was a leading member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). He was MSSN’s secretary at ABU, Zaria, between 1977 and 1978 and later became the body’s National Vice-President in 1979. In the early 1980s, Zakzaky led the then Nigeria’s Muslim Brotherhood. But all these changed as soon as he visited Iran, which is regarded as the world headquarters of Shiites.
He was perhaps motivated by the then Iranian leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who led the February 1979 revolution that toppled the then American-backed Iranian government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, putting an end to the Pahlavi monarchy in the Asian country and sacked the provisional government of Shapour Bakhtiar.
Zakzaky’s firebrand preachings have always been against the establishment and the ‘Great Satan’, the United States of America and its allies, including Israel. He had declared Nigerian government unfit to rule and was highly critical of the traditional Sunni leadership of Nigeria, including the Sultan of Sokoto, which he believed was guilty of siding with the government. The Shiite leader in Nigeria is propagating his Shia tenets without any regard for political institutions in the country.
The Shiites’ principal approach to practicing their belief is that they can never be subservient to any other authority except those established under the Sharia. This emanates from their belief that it is only the Sharia that is the solution to the world’s problems. In fact, Zakzaky was a known advocate of Islam as a solution to both socialism and capitalism during the Cold War period.
This then explains why the sect has constantly been having issues with constituted authorities in the country with Zakzaky being jailed on many occasions in the late 1980s and 1990s. When the current no-nonsense Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), was the military administrator of Kaduna State, the Shiite sect members’ excesses was thoroughly put to check. Until Ali’s coming to the state, the sect, which membership was largely drawn from youths who were disenchanted with the the establishment, had almost taken over the control of the state and set up its own Islamic government. The sect, unlike insurgent group, Boko Haram, does not discourage people from acquiring education despite its lackadaisical attitude to the establishment.
The Ali blow to the sect forced it to remain virtually ‘silent’ until the advent of democracy under the current dispensation when ex-governor, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, recognised Zakzaky as an Islamic scholar in the state. This, no doubt, emboldened the sect as it has unfettered right to worship and carry out its activities, including holding processions through which it blocked roads, thus denying other people of various beliefs of their right to free movement.
Most cities in the North always witness processions of the Shiites, particularly on Ashura Day, which falls of the ninth day of the month of Muharam in the Islamic calendar. The sect normally uses the day to mark the day the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was slain in the Battle of Karbala.
In one of such processions last year, the Shiites had a face-off with soldiers in Zaria, their national headquarters, leading to a clash in which 35 people lost their lives. The July 2014 procession was organised to celebrate Quds Day and also to protest Israeli military attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.
Zakzaky’s arrest by the Army in the recent clash is seen as a relief to residents of the ancient town of Zaria. They were shown jubilating over the ‘conquer’ of Zakzaky by soldiers in a video clip played by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General A Oyebode, at a press briefing in Kaduna last Monday.
With Zakzaky in custody and his followers giving condition to let peace reign, one take from this is government ought to be wary of the way and manner it handles the Shiites’ case to avoid indirectly giving life to another insurgent group like Boko Haram, whose founder, Muhammed Yusuf, was arrested in 2009 by soldiers during a clash with the authorities and handed over to the police, only to be killed later in custody.
Like the apex Islamic body in the country, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) warns: “While there are claims and counter-claims on what actually precipitated the latest heart-rendering incident, NSCIA urges the authorities to exercise restraint.
“The history of the circumstances that engendered the outbreak of militant insurgency in the past, with cataclysmic consequences that Nigeria is yet to recover from, should not be allowed to repeat itself.”
Related Stories >>
BARELY
two weeks after about 22 of its members were allegedly killed during a
procession in Zaria, an attack for which insurgent group, Boko Haram,
claimed responsibility, the Ibrahim Al-Zakzaky-led Islamic Movement in
Nigeria (IMN), widely known as the Shiite, was last Saturday, again, in
the news. And typical of the group, it was for the wrong reason.
The Shiite members, as they were wont to do, barricaded the road while celebrating their Maulud at Hussainiyya in Zaria, their headquarters. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, was scheduled to pass through the road to attend the passing out parade of the 73 regular recruits intake of Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria. The convoy of the COAS was eventually attacked by members of the sect, who were said to wield dangerous weapons. General Buratai was within a whisker of being killed in the ensuing melee as soldiers and Shiites clashed in a bid to clear the road to enable the COAS’s convoy pass through thoroughfare.
The Shiites’ clash with soldiers lasted between last Saturday and Monday, leading to the death of some people, mostly IMN members, including a son of Zakzaky, Aliyu; his second in command, Sheikh Muhammad Turi, among others, though there were said to be some casualties on the part of the Army too. Zakzaky, whose trademark is dressing in robes and turban to resemble Iranian ayatollah, was on Sunday arrested by soldiers with injuries sustained in a raid on his residence at Gyallesu in Zaria, which was said to be destroyed by soldiers.The incident of those days was indeed bloody!
The recent clash with soldiers drew condemnations, both from within the country and outside, particularly human rights activists, with the Iranian and Iraqi governments warning Nigeria against taking hasty actions against Shiites in the country. The American Embassy in Nigeria has also come out to urge the Federal Government not only to investigate the clash but also hold anyone culpable accountable.
“The United States calls on the Government of Nigeria to quickly, credibly, and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilise the situation,” U.S. Ambassador James Entwhistle added.
The Shiite sect, also known as Shia, was relatively unpopular in the country until the 1980s when Zakzaky, who graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, transformed the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, which was formed as a students activist group, to a Shiite group. The transformation came after Zakzaky returned from Iran, where he converted to Shia Islam, in 1980.
Prior to his conversion to Shia Islam, Zakzaky, who was born on May 5, 1953 in Zaria, Kaduna State, was a leading member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). He was MSSN’s secretary at ABU, Zaria, between 1977 and 1978 and later became the body’s National Vice-President in 1979. In the early 1980s, Zakzaky led the then Nigeria’s Muslim Brotherhood. But all these changed as soon as he visited Iran, which is regarded as the world headquarters of Shiites.
He was perhaps motivated by the then Iranian leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who led the February 1979 revolution that toppled the then American-backed Iranian government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, putting an end to the Pahlavi monarchy in the Asian country and sacked the provisional government of Shapour Bakhtiar.
Zakzaky’s firebrand preachings have always been against the establishment and the ‘Great Satan’, the United States of America and its allies, including Israel. He had declared Nigerian government unfit to rule and was highly critical of the traditional Sunni leadership of Nigeria, including the Sultan of Sokoto, which he believed was guilty of siding with the government. The Shiite leader in Nigeria is propagating his Shia tenets without any regard for political institutions in the country.
The Shiites’ principal approach to practicing their belief is that they can never be subservient to any other authority except those established under the Sharia. This emanates from their belief that it is only the Sharia that is the solution to the world’s problems. In fact, Zakzaky was a known advocate of Islam as a solution to both socialism and capitalism during the Cold War period.
This then explains why the sect has constantly been having issues with constituted authorities in the country with Zakzaky being jailed on many occasions in the late 1980s and 1990s. When the current no-nonsense Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), was the military administrator of Kaduna State, the Shiite sect members’ excesses was thoroughly put to check. Until Ali’s coming to the state, the sect, which membership was largely drawn from youths who were disenchanted with the the establishment, had almost taken over the control of the state and set up its own Islamic government. The sect, unlike insurgent group, Boko Haram, does not discourage people from acquiring education despite its lackadaisical attitude to the establishment.
The Ali blow to the sect forced it to remain virtually ‘silent’ until the advent of democracy under the current dispensation when ex-governor, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, recognised Zakzaky as an Islamic scholar in the state. This, no doubt, emboldened the sect as it has unfettered right to worship and carry out its activities, including holding processions through which it blocked roads, thus denying other people of various beliefs of their right to free movement.
Most cities in the North always witness processions of the Shiites, particularly on Ashura Day, which falls of the ninth day of the month of Muharam in the Islamic calendar. The sect normally uses the day to mark the day the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was slain in the Battle of Karbala.
In one of such processions last year, the Shiites had a face-off with soldiers in Zaria, their national headquarters, leading to a clash in which 35 people lost their lives. The July 2014 procession was organised to celebrate Quds Day and also to protest Israeli military attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.
Zakzaky’s arrest by the Army in the recent clash is seen as a relief to residents of the ancient town of Zaria. They were shown jubilating over the ‘conquer’ of Zakzaky by soldiers in a video clip played by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General A Oyebode, at a press briefing in Kaduna last Monday.
With Zakzaky in custody and his followers giving condition to let peace reign, one take from this is government ought to be wary of the way and manner it handles the Shiites’ case to avoid indirectly giving life to another insurgent group like Boko Haram, whose founder, Muhammed Yusuf, was arrested in 2009 by soldiers during a clash with the authorities and handed over to the police, only to be killed later in custody.
Like the apex Islamic body in the country, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) warns: “While there are claims and counter-claims on what actually precipitated the latest heart-rendering incident, NSCIA urges the authorities to exercise restraint.
“The history of the circumstances that engendered the outbreak of militant insurgency in the past, with cataclysmic consequences that Nigeria is yet to recover from, should not be allowed to repeat itself.”
The Shiite members, as they were wont to do, barricaded the road while celebrating their Maulud at Hussainiyya in Zaria, their headquarters. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, was scheduled to pass through the road to attend the passing out parade of the 73 regular recruits intake of Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria. The convoy of the COAS was eventually attacked by members of the sect, who were said to wield dangerous weapons. General Buratai was within a whisker of being killed in the ensuing melee as soldiers and Shiites clashed in a bid to clear the road to enable the COAS’s convoy pass through thoroughfare.
The Shiites’ clash with soldiers lasted between last Saturday and Monday, leading to the death of some people, mostly IMN members, including a son of Zakzaky, Aliyu; his second in command, Sheikh Muhammad Turi, among others, though there were said to be some casualties on the part of the Army too. Zakzaky, whose trademark is dressing in robes and turban to resemble Iranian ayatollah, was on Sunday arrested by soldiers with injuries sustained in a raid on his residence at Gyallesu in Zaria, which was said to be destroyed by soldiers.The incident of those days was indeed bloody!
The recent clash with soldiers drew condemnations, both from within the country and outside, particularly human rights activists, with the Iranian and Iraqi governments warning Nigeria against taking hasty actions against Shiites in the country. The American Embassy in Nigeria has also come out to urge the Federal Government not only to investigate the clash but also hold anyone culpable accountable.
“The United States calls on the Government of Nigeria to quickly, credibly, and transparently investigate these events in Zaria and hold to account any individuals found to have committed crimes,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilise the situation,” U.S. Ambassador James Entwhistle added.
The Shiite sect, also known as Shia, was relatively unpopular in the country until the 1980s when Zakzaky, who graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, transformed the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, which was formed as a students activist group, to a Shiite group. The transformation came after Zakzaky returned from Iran, where he converted to Shia Islam, in 1980.
Prior to his conversion to Shia Islam, Zakzaky, who was born on May 5, 1953 in Zaria, Kaduna State, was a leading member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). He was MSSN’s secretary at ABU, Zaria, between 1977 and 1978 and later became the body’s National Vice-President in 1979. In the early 1980s, Zakzaky led the then Nigeria’s Muslim Brotherhood. But all these changed as soon as he visited Iran, which is regarded as the world headquarters of Shiites.
He was perhaps motivated by the then Iranian leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, who led the February 1979 revolution that toppled the then American-backed Iranian government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, putting an end to the Pahlavi monarchy in the Asian country and sacked the provisional government of Shapour Bakhtiar.
Zakzaky’s firebrand preachings have always been against the establishment and the ‘Great Satan’, the United States of America and its allies, including Israel. He had declared Nigerian government unfit to rule and was highly critical of the traditional Sunni leadership of Nigeria, including the Sultan of Sokoto, which he believed was guilty of siding with the government. The Shiite leader in Nigeria is propagating his Shia tenets without any regard for political institutions in the country.
The Shiites’ principal approach to practicing their belief is that they can never be subservient to any other authority except those established under the Sharia. This emanates from their belief that it is only the Sharia that is the solution to the world’s problems. In fact, Zakzaky was a known advocate of Islam as a solution to both socialism and capitalism during the Cold War period.
This then explains why the sect has constantly been having issues with constituted authorities in the country with Zakzaky being jailed on many occasions in the late 1980s and 1990s. When the current no-nonsense Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), was the military administrator of Kaduna State, the Shiite sect members’ excesses was thoroughly put to check. Until Ali’s coming to the state, the sect, which membership was largely drawn from youths who were disenchanted with the the establishment, had almost taken over the control of the state and set up its own Islamic government. The sect, unlike insurgent group, Boko Haram, does not discourage people from acquiring education despite its lackadaisical attitude to the establishment.
The Ali blow to the sect forced it to remain virtually ‘silent’ until the advent of democracy under the current dispensation when ex-governor, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, recognised Zakzaky as an Islamic scholar in the state. This, no doubt, emboldened the sect as it has unfettered right to worship and carry out its activities, including holding processions through which it blocked roads, thus denying other people of various beliefs of their right to free movement.
Most cities in the North always witness processions of the Shiites, particularly on Ashura Day, which falls of the ninth day of the month of Muharam in the Islamic calendar. The sect normally uses the day to mark the day the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was slain in the Battle of Karbala.
In one of such processions last year, the Shiites had a face-off with soldiers in Zaria, their national headquarters, leading to a clash in which 35 people lost their lives. The July 2014 procession was organised to celebrate Quds Day and also to protest Israeli military attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.
Zakzaky’s arrest by the Army in the recent clash is seen as a relief to residents of the ancient town of Zaria. They were shown jubilating over the ‘conquer’ of Zakzaky by soldiers in a video clip played by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General A Oyebode, at a press briefing in Kaduna last Monday.
With Zakzaky in custody and his followers giving condition to let peace reign, one take from this is government ought to be wary of the way and manner it handles the Shiites’ case to avoid indirectly giving life to another insurgent group like Boko Haram, whose founder, Muhammed Yusuf, was arrested in 2009 by soldiers during a clash with the authorities and handed over to the police, only to be killed later in custody.
Like the apex Islamic body in the country, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) warns: “While there are claims and counter-claims on what actually precipitated the latest heart-rendering incident, NSCIA urges the authorities to exercise restraint.
“The history of the circumstances that engendered the outbreak of militant insurgency in the past, with cataclysmic consequences that Nigeria is yet to recover from, should not be allowed to repeat itself.”
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