-Picsart-AiImageEnhancer.jpeg.png)
Must Read
The Chief Imam of DaaruNaim Central Mosque in Lagos, Sheikh Imran AbdulMajeed Eleha, has said that no true Muslim will attack or kill Christians or any innocent person, insisting that the killings happening in the northern part of Nigeria are political and not religious. The cleric said this during an interview while reacting to claims that Islamist jihadists are targeting Christians in the North.
Sheikh Eleha explained that Islam clearly teaches kindness, justice, and peaceful coexistence with people of other faiths. He noted that the Qur’an instructs Muslims to be good to anyone who does not fight them or force them out of their homes. According to him, any Muslim leader who cheats Christians or any neighbour is acting against Islamic teachings. The cleric also said Prophet Muhammad lived peacefully with Jews and others, and he never encouraged hostility toward people of different religions.
Speaking on reports of terrorists shouting “Allahu Akbar” during attacks, Eleha said such people are criminals who do not represent Islam in any way. He stated that the Prophet had warned about a group known as the Khawarij, who would pretend to be Muslims but kill innocent people. He stressed that Sharia does not give any individual the right to take a life, except through government authority, and anyone killing people in the name of Islam should face the full weight of the law.
On Boko Haram’s claim that Western education is forbidden, the cleric said Islam does not reject Western learning. Eleha said Allah instructed the Prophet to seek knowledge, and the Prophet himself encouraged literacy, even granting freedom to war captives who agreed to teach Muslims how to read and write. He added that the belief that Western education is sinful is based on ignorance.
The Imam also clarified that groups such as ISIS, ISWAP, and Al-Qaeda do not fight for Islam and should not be used to judge the religion. He said their activities are political, tied to territorial control and global rivalries, not Islamic doctrine.
On Boko Haram’s origin, Eleha explained that the group started in the 1980s with a strange ideology introduced by misguided clerics. He said politicians later brought them into mainstream society for election-related activities, and conflict erupted when agreements were broken. He insisted that the crisis is political and has nothing to do with religion, adding that there are even Christians among Boko Haram members who have been arrested. He compared this to pastors who commit crimes but do not represent Christianity.
The cleric said banditry is also wrongly linked to Islam. According to him, Fulani herders and Bororo herders have lived in Nigeria for decades, but criminals have now taken advantage of the situation. He noted that most victims of bandits are Muslims, including Islamic clerics, students, and community leaders, stressing that the crimes have no religious motive.
Eleha said the true motives behind banditry can only be explained by the perpetrators, but he believes they are working for powerful sponsors in the cities who benefit from ransom payments. He pointed out that many attacked areas are rich in mineral resources, suggesting another layer to the crisis.
To solve the insecurity challenges, the Imam urged the government to identify and arrest the sponsors of banditry and terrorism. He said peace would return once the financiers are exposed. He also recommended that clerics from both religions be allowed to give more sermons to soften people’s hearts and discourage them from joining violent groups. Eleha suggested that government could also adopt the Saudi Arabian style of amnesty, where former militants were rehabilitated and reintegrated into society after they surrendered.
The cleric insisted that Muslims and Christians live peacefully in the North, just as they do in the South. He said places like Sokoto, Kaduna, Kano, and Kwara have long hosted Christian communities without problems, noting that several Islamic clerics have also been victims of killings, proving that the violence is not religious. According to him, kidnappers do not separate Muslims from Christians, and many victims of insecurity cut across both religions.
Eleha called for unity and urged Nigerians not to view the crisis as a religious conflict. He said both Muslims and Christians share the same communities, neighbours, and political spaces, and have lived together for decades. The cleric emphasised that Nigeria belongs to everyone and that peace will benefit all citizens, regardless of faith.
