Bishop Kuqah accuses Islamic group of inciting him
Catholic Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Diocese of Sokoto accused a popular Islamic group called Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI) of inciting violence against him.
Let us remind you that the Islamic group accused Cook of “shoot a poisoned arrow into the heart of Islam and Muslims in Nigeria“After his scandalous Christmas message in which he said that a coup d’état could happen if a non-northern Muslim president did part of what President Bukhari did.
The JNI statement, signed by its secretary general, Khalid Abubakar Aliya, says the Catholic bishop attacked Islam even when he was welcomed to Sokoto.
In response to this statement, the Catholic bishop stated that the Islamic group was simply inciting violence against him.
Kukakh Said;
“Dr. Aliya accused me of being an enemy of his religion, Islam. He accused me of what he calls, shooting an arrow into the very heart of Islam and Muslims in Nigeria. He says that I was respected, I settled in Sokoto and turned to bite the finger that was feeding me. The question arises: how can Muslims continue to show hospitality to those who have been repeatedly ungrateful? How can Muslims feel comfortable interacting with someone who is brutally vindictive disguised as a religious priest? I can only view this statement by the JNI General Secretary as a clear case of incitement to violence against me.
“Finally, I want to make two points. First, my area of research is religion, politics and society. I am concerned about how religion can help shape good citizens, and how the state can create an environment that enables citizens to achieve this. In all my writings over the past forty years or more, I have never written a single article or article about Islam as a religion. If there is a scientist out there who knows, let me tell you. I wrote about religion, focusing on how both citizens and the state deal with it, focusing on politics. My fears boil down to what the late Professor Bala Usman loosely called the manipulation of religion. This manipulation turned religion into a weapon of war in Nigeria.
“Secondly, I will ask Dr. Aliya for reasons of honor and based on the text of my sermon to officially determine where in my sermon I attacked Islam or all Muslims in Nigeria and in the world, according to him. I’m more than happy to apologize for the offensive part of the statement. The relevant paragraphs of my speech focused on two painful themes of nepotism and memorization of lives in our country, a fact that, as I said, was referred to by most of the religious leaders and men and women of the state. … As criticism of government policies suddenly turns into hatred of Islam and the north, the faith of the poor. Therefore, I ask Dr. Alia to clarify and substantiate his accusations against me and to indicate the reasons why he should incite me to violence. I do not know of anyone in Sokoto who accuses me of crimes or actions aimed at undermining the state or anyone else, not least the faith of Islam.
“I believe that nepotism today poses a serious threat to our country.
“The second issue was the issue of insecurity and how badly the north was affected. I wanted to add my voice to the voices of millions of Nigerians, Muslims, Christians, traditional rulers, statesmen, and anyone who has shown genuine concern.
“It will be a shame and a disservice to our efforts to strengthen national unity if we resort to the distraction threats that Dr. Aliya has undertaken. This only makes it easier for the rebels if we become enemies of each other. “
