Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
16 August, 2010
(Lagos, 16/08/10) The Muslim Public Affairs Centre, MPAC, wishes to voice its concern and deep condemnation at the reprehensible provocations of a 400-level law student of University of Ibadan, Ms Seun Bunmi Adegunsoye, who intruded on a Jumat service going on at the University of Ibadan Muslim community mosque on Friday 13th August, 2010, while Muslim worshipers were in prayer. The Christian evangelical extremist nearly disrupted the first Jummat service of the holy month of Ramadan led by the institution’s Chief Imam, Prof Abdulrahman Oloyede, as she continued to scream, “Jesus is the way, accept him. He will soon come. Allah is not the way. Except you accept Christ in your life, you are not safe. All of you here, no matter the number of the congregation, accept Jesus Christ. Allah is not God; Jesus is Lord”, while the Muslims were in prayer. The mosque is a respected place of worship and the lady violated its sanctity when she entered with such a motive, and as if this is not enough, this invasion and unwarranted provocation took place during the Muslim month of fasting and holy month of Ramadan which makes the assault even more heinous. This type of schizophrenic rantings once again highlights the level of hate motivated provocations that Nigerian Muslims face at the hands of those who call themselves Christ-like and their hate theologians who are committed to aggressively forcing hybrid Christianity down the Muslims throat.
Safe for the insightful intervention of the University Imam, the maturity of the Muslim worshipers and the prompt actions of the University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Olufemi Bamiro, the volatile situation and intrinsic tension could have resulted in the same type of violence that we have seen in other places in the country, mostly orchestrated by extremists like Ms Adegunsoye and the mercurial personalities who prey on vulnerable and impressionable youths and nudge them to commit crimes in assumed self-righteousness. MPAC calls on the university authorities to act immediately and decisively to stamp out all forms of insensitive and inappropriate outbursts from this type of troubled and misguided individuals and stop them from committing further crimes that verge on intolerance, Islamophobia and blasphemous provocations on campuses. The university campuses must not continue to be used as safe havens to breed bigots and faith supremacists or incubate and foment troubles.
In this particular case, it is important that the university community leaders continue to collectively articulate their unequivocal condemnation of this blasphemous provocation and seek ways to prevent recurrence by instituting strong policies and rules against provocative and aggressive Christian evangelism on campus. It is time that Christian leaders ask themselves the real questions like: Could a Muslim have walked into a Church on a Sunday to make this type of provocative and blasphemous statement? And should the Muslims remain captives to the irresponsible and extremist actions of those radical elements amongst them (i.e Christians)? These are some of the most pertinent questions, and we would all like to know their answers. In the meantime, the Muslim community recommits itself to work together in the spirit of cooperation to promote peace, preserve divine ideals and protect the common good.
MPAC urges continued restraint and spirit of forgiveness on the part of the Muslim community of the university and we seek just reconciliation in the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan which calls us to espouse the virtues of patience, tolerance, forbearance, faith, spirituality and forgiveness. In addition to getting the necessary medical help in the form of proper therapy and/or counseling that Ms Adegunsoye may require, perhaps this incident is her means of getting the dire help that her soul needs in the form of Islamic Dawah.
Contact:
Disu Kamor
Director of Media & Communications
Muslim Public Affairs Centre, MPAC
e-mail: kamor.disu@mpac-ng.org
website: www.mpac-ng.org