Muslim response to Boko Haram
| Thursday May 22, 2014 11:02
The group have made several claims against the Nigerian Government and to all intents and purposes our interpretation is that the ‘war’ that they are waging is a political one and not a religious one as claimed.
Boko Haram is a fringe extremist Muslim group. They have their own agenda and they do NOT represent Islam and the media should NOT refer to them as an Islamist group because the manner, conduct and actions of this group are contrary to the Quran and teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which constitute the basis of Islamic belief, law and jurisprudence.
Islam and the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) prohibits and bans the targeting of non-combatants (women and children, rabbis, priests etc.) and other non-combatants. Also during conflict, one cannot burn down property (including places of worship like churches, temples and synagogues) or destroy trees or vegetation.
The group is against Western education. But that hostility strongly contravenes the teachings of Islam, because the first word of the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet Muhammad was the word ‘Iqraa’, “Read”. The Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) repeatedly “enjoy all Muslims – regardless of gender – to pursue education even if it meant going to China” and he also said that “knowledge is the lost property of the Muslim”
They have also declared war “against Christian’s generally and any unbeliever”. But the Quran tells Muslims to respect people of other faiths, specifically the Christians and the Jews, who are referred to in the Quran as “People of the Book”. The Quran says: “Those who believe Muslims, the Jews, the Christians… whosoever believe in God and the last day and do good deeds, they shall have their reward from their lord, shall have nothing to fear, nor shall they come to grief”. Quran 22:17
Nobody can force anyone to convert to Islam, embracing the faith is a matter of personal choice. The Quran states in this regard “Let there be no compulsion in religion,” states chapter 2: verse 256
The Quran further says: “unto you your religion, unto me my religion” (109:6)
There are reports that the kidnapped schoolgirls would be sold to be married off. This is tantamount to selling these girls into slavery. Islam does not allow slavery. Further, Islam does not allow anyone – male or female – to be married without his or her own consent.
Thus Boko Haram cannot claim to be an Islamist group. Their deeds and rhetoric repeatedly demonstrate that they are out of sync with the overwhelming majority of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims and that their actions are contrary to Islam, the religion they claim to fight for.
We, as concerned Muslims, appeal to leadership of Boko Haram to interrogate their true consciences and hearts and their deep belief about their actions in light of the Quran and Hadith (teachings of Prophet Muhammad pbuh) and release the school learners.
Botswana Muslim Association