By Mumini Abdulkareem
The media has been cautioned to desist from the use of the term Islamic Terrorist to represent despicable characters among Muslims.
Dr. Alameen Abdulkadir stated this at a Jumah Sermon (khutbah) held at Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Mosque, Mandate-Olohunsogo area Ilorin shortly before the traditional two-unit congregational prayer to mark the service.
According to the Islamic cleric, every religion has people of questionable characters and would therefore be out of place to attribute a particular religion be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism to terrorism due to the wrongs of few individuals.
The Imam condemned the practice by some Western countries and their officials to derogate Muslims by using the term “Islamic terrorism” especially when highlighting actions and activities of some deviant characters which is not limited to Islam. He therefore called for the incrimination of its use.
Abdulkadir explained that the term is not only offensive to Islam and its multiple followers but also symbolises ignorance of the religion’s graceful laws and principles on the part of those who use the offensive term to represent characters in Islam.
He noted that Islam takes as criminal, violence against human rights, freedoms, and mutual respect, just as the Qur’an calls on Muslims to respect other people’s religions.
Quoting copiously from the Qur’an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) especially Q6 vs 108, the Imam said those who insist on using the term are only complicating the possibility of peaceful dialogue and tolerance among adherents of different religions.
He said “ascribing the crime of terrorism to Islam or any other divine religion is a defective confusion between the truth of religion that came down for the redemption and happiness of mankind and manipulating it for questionable purposes at the hands of a few minority.”
“Those who insist on using this hateful term are equally complicating the possibility of fruitful dialogue and tolerance between practitioners of different faiths”.
